RE: Crisis of leadership in your club?
I am envious of you with so many clubs to choose from.
After 23 years a very well known RC Club known as "RC WORLD" (East Orlando, Florida) was close late 2006 primarily because of inner stiffle and rising Tax base and rising Property values. The "real" property owners decided to sell to the County as to make it a public RC Club but, there seemed like another private investor came in and offered them more $$$ and hence the sale to the County did not occur and the County subsequently bought another property closeby and the $$$ was spent by the County. When it came to selling of the RC WORLD, approximately 106 acres, that Private investor backed out from the deal and now the property owners had nothing since there was somekind of disagreement over allowing it to continue to be a RC Flying Club during the interium of being sold and all members were told Not to Fly anymore. Many got very disappointed and very angry because some had been members for over 22 years and they had somekind of purchase option into somekind of shares with the property ownership but, it seems like that was not clearly legally defined nor anyone really looked into the legal aspects of it and many were taken for over $1,500 per member. Talk about angry feelings.
Now recently (March 2009), two former members called me to say that this same RC CLUB formerly known as RC WORLD had been sold by the "BANK" and they had talked with the "NEW" owner who decided to allow it to become again an RC CLUB so, his property could come back into a decient area instead of a place for Teenagers to come late at night and do at times illigal acts and continued destruction of the remining Club house and see about cutting the long stalks weeds that have been growning after almost 3 years.
Again, more disagreements and trouble ensured because of differences of those two former RC WORLD club members who just does not seem to get along. One is very well off and lives by is proceeds from selling a Chrome Stamping company many years ago from Chicago area and lives very comfortable and has many hobbies as a result and the other is a typical retired gentlement who worked as a Communications Engineer and has meger savings and still works out of his home making super high end RC Retracts and Struts to make ends meet. Besides their economic status differences their personality are really not compatible to run an RC Club so, one of them (the one who is very well off financially) left and as a result the RC CLUB has lost many members and this is not good with a "New" RC Club.
It is sad that two grown men can not seem to get along for the good of the RC CLUB and good for the hobby but, it is most unfortunate to learn that just this past September 25th, 2010 it was announced that the owner has joined up to develop the property and build condos and the first thing to go is the nice Paved Asphalt Runway run and the last little bit of the RC CLub house. Depending on who you talk to, the building construction will occur as early as January 2011 to April 2011.
The Club dues presently $110.00 US and I have decided not to renew as a result of unknown future aspects of this Club and I don't want to be chasing anyone for any unused portion of my $110.00 or lets put it this way......I really don't want any portion of my money except to come somewhere nice to fly my models, all my models.
It is sad to see yet again after just a little over ONE YEAR of hard work to bring back this old RC CLUB back to life that it once again will be under the threat of being closed because the investor have decided to cash-in and really did not have any interest into RC Flying as he just wanted the Teenagers out and his property maintained.
I do not fault anyone for the impending loss of this RC CLUB as all the players seems to be dealing with their interests at hand and it seems like everyone got what they were looking for but, I do dislike Grown men not getting along and not making the best of a very good situation when the opportunity was there to have the best RC CLUB possible all the way to the very end.
Too bad that the guy who have lots of $$$ could not buy this property....or who knows perhaps he did and had some puppet Realtor to deal for him![:@]
So long RC WORLD (Presently EAST ORLANDO RC ASSOCIATION!!!)[8D]