President's Messages
2020

December 22nd - 12:29 AM

HO HO HO, greetings everyone!
I’ve been performing my QA role at home today. Teri’s been doing a lot of baking and I’ve been doing my job………………, sampling! It’s a tough job, but someone must do it! Now I have a justification for my New Year’s Eve resolution.

As we enter the week before Christmas, I’m given pause to reflect.

At the beginning of the year, we had so many plans for many events and competitions. However, COVID-19 seriously compromised or cancelled participation in our beloved hobby. In fact, many of our normal life’s routines were significantly modified or stopped all together. We all had serious decisions to make as to whether we were going to visit with friends or family.

But I feel that we’ve been blessed. Regardless of what we think we’ve lost or missed out on, at the end of this year, we still have all of the Club members that we started the 2020 with. Of that fact, I’m very thankful.

I’m very proud to be a member of this Club, and to have been your President for two wonderful and quick years. I feel very blessed to have had the counsel of the current officers, the executive board and all the members that have guided me.

I hope and pray that you all have a very Merry Christmas and a joy-filled, prosperous and healthy New Year,
KC

November 23rd  -  11:25 PM

Hi everyone,
I’m sitting here watching Monday Night Football pulling for Tom Brady for the first time… ever! I’m wanting him to beat the Rams!

As we approach Thanksgiving Day, we will all pause to give thanks for our blessings. I feel that we’ve all been very blessed because, to the best of my knowledge, none of our members have contracted this awful COVID virus.

Each and everything we always took for granted has been manipulated and completely changed. Travel, shopping, dining out, enjoying our hobby and even visiting our friends have all changed. And, most of all, our normal Thanksgiving Day dinner with friends and family will not be the same. For many of us, we’ll have our dinner with our immediate family, and if we visit extended family members, it will be via phone or a virtual meeting.

My wish for you is that you and your family will all be safe and healthy for this week and the rest of the year. Blessings to you all,
KC

November 10th  -  11:34 PM

All,
As you’re more aware, this year has been so bizarre! Normally, we’d be discussing renewal at the membership, as well as taking renewals at the meetings. However, we’re not having normal meeting. But we still need to renewal our memberships.

I’m asking Greg to send renewal forms to everyone. This will ensure that all members receive a form. If you’re inclined, you can fill out this form and send it back to Floyd along with your check. If you decide to pay your dues using the PayPal link on our website, you still need to fill out, sign and mail this form back to Floyd. Upon receipt of your payment and form, Floyd will mail back to you a receipt for your dues, along with the 2021 stickers for your AMA cards.

Our membership dues for the 2021 Season will be $60.00.

Thank you everyone for being understanding. KC

November 6th  -  11:34 AM

All, good morning,
I hope that everyone’s been able to safely survive the very windy conditions we’ve all endured over the past couple of weeks. And I hope that no one has lost power.

Our November meeting will be held via ZOOM. The meeting information will be sent out as soon as it’s known.

During the upcoming meeting we will be taking nominations for Club Officers. Please send any nominations you have to the President. I’m in my second term and will not be eligible for office again. Of if you prefer, please attend the meeting and make your desires known.

Membership renewal are on the website. Floyd is standing by to receive and process any applications. You can either mail the applications to him or use PayPal.

Looking forward to seeing you all at the meeting,
KC

October 31th  -  7:31 PM

All, Trick or Treat! Happy Halloween!
By now you’ve already heard that we’ve postponed the discussion about raising the Membership dues until 2021.

One item that I’m requesting your assistance for. During the November meeting, we’re supposed to be nominating new Club Officers for 2021. I’m asking that you email your nominations to me. I’ll compile the names and then announce them at the November meeting. This will give everyone a chance to run and hide 😊. They’ll have the month of November to consider whose going to be taking the reins into 2021.

KC

October 8th  -  5:55 PM

All, good morning,
I hope that everyone is enjoying the last few days of summer. Yes, I know that we’re already 2-1/2 weeks into Fall, but it sure has been feeling like summer to me.

I’ve been watching the news, as I’m sure that all of you have been. I’m seeing that the Governor has been relaxing some restrictions, while enforcing many others. I can’t understand why Kitsap County hasn’t moved in to Phase III, but we still remain in Phase II. Due to the recent rise in COVID cases in Kitsap County and the recommendations for indoor meetings, the consensus of the E-Board is that the October meeting will be held via ZOOM.

We will have several subjects to cover for the upcoming year. Some of the subjects regard:

(1) Putting in new fabric for the runway next year. Or proposed options from the Planning Committee.

(2) Possible increase in dues.

(3) With the current situation, the Club meetings being held via ZOOM may be the norm for a while. Base on that, and the upcoming November nominations and December elections for Club Officers, we need to discuss how to get the word out to the membership for nominations, elections, counting of ballots, etc.

This year has been a real struggle for all of us. There’s a lot of opinions on ways ahead, policies and procedures for living in the COVID world that has imposed itself on all of us. Safety and consideration of our families and others remains paramount in any organization, and we’re no different. As President, I must listen to the inputs of others for any decisions regarding the Club. Please know that I value each and every one of you. I want to see you all at the field, enjoying our fantastic hobby for the years to come.

Thank you for your friendship and support. Please stay safe and healthy,
KC

September 7th  -  7:29 PM (website)

Good evening everyone,
I hope all of you are able to enjoy your family over this Labor Day Holiday weekend. The weather was good, but on the windy side.

I have had several conversations with various members. The conversations I had voiced support or concern about the physical meeting. I’ve received some emails as well. My, and the Club’s, ultimate concern is for the safety of all members and their families.

Based on these inputs, the Club meeting and swap meet at the field is cancelled. I apologize for any confusion, and I request your patience.

Chuck has graciously set up a ZOOM meeting for us on Tuesday, September 8th, at 7:00 pm. The link will be provided by e-mail.

Thank you everyone,
KC

September 3rd  -  1:43 PM

All,
Please be patient with me, as I’m announcing a change in our Tuesday night meeting, AGAIN.

Base on the planning committees recommendations, I’m changing the starting time for our meeting to 6:00 pm. This is because we have a matter to discuss, and I’d like to ensure that we have enough daylight to entertain everyone’s thoughts and recommendations.

As a Club, and as you’ve heard me mention during our ZOOM meetings, we need to have a 5-10 year plan for the KCPD’s Letter of Agreement. I’m sending this out in advance so everyone can put on their thinking caps to have ideas to present to the committee during the meeting. We’d like to have ideas for improving the field, runway, membership, etc. We can get these ideas put down.

ADDITIONALLY! We are also going to have our 2020 Swap Meet. Setting up can begin at 4:30 and last until the meeting starts. Again. If you’re comfortable in attending/participating, we need to ensure that everyone wears a mask. If you don’t want to participate, that’s your choice.

Thanks everyone. Looking forward to seeing you,
KC

September 2nd  -  5:12 PM

Hello everyone,
We’ve come to the end of another month and COVID-19 is still an issue. I sincerely want to thank everyone for their patience and cooperation with the safety precautions at the field.

Kitsap County, and the bulk of the State for that matter, is still at their continued Phase II stage of re-opening. However, there has been several relaxing of policies/restrictions. Bowling alleys have reopened, with certain qualifications. Gyms and other businesses are opening, with some restrictions.

Our competition and the Saturday breakfast will be cancelled. However, based on the fact that the forecast for very good weather, next Tuesday, we will have the September Club meeting at the field. I’m going to ask that we start the meeting at 6:30pm. The evenings are starting to get darker earlier.

Those members that decide to attend will be required to wear masks and stay 6 feet apart from everyone. Family members can remain seated immediately by one another.

I’m really looking forward to seeing everyone. Thank you,
KC

July 29th  -  8:55 PM (website)

All,
I hope that everyone is still safe and healthy. And that you’ve been able to take the opportunity to still get out to the field and fly. We have certainly been having some very good weather to fly. As you’re well aware, the weather has been extremely warm and the field is very dry. As expected, the fire danger is extremely high. Please exercise caution. There are jugs of water at the Club’s bulletin board.

I am sure that you’ve been listening to the news and are aware that the Governor has put an indefinite pause on approvals for moving forward to any relaxations of the Phase approached.

With that decision, the monthly breakfast and competition events for Saturday, 1 August are cancelled. Sadly, the meeting at the field in August is cancelled and once again our meeting will be via ZOOM. That meeting information will be put out to the membership the weekend before the meeting.

On a positive note, I’d like to welcome our new members: Terence Simons, Matt Johnson, Grant Baker, and our new Junior member Cooper Hansen. If you see them, please introduce yourself and get to know them.

I do hope that you can all still get out to the field and fly and enjoy this outstanding weather. Stay safe and healthy. Thank you,
KC

July 17th  -  1:45 PM

All,
For those that braved the technology challenges of a cyber meeting, I felt that the July’s ZOOM meeting was a success and thank you.

During the meeting, Duane proposed that this year’s competition be cancelled. There are only 3 possible months left in this year in which we could race/combat for points. This is also presuming that we’d be able to fly on 1 August, which at this point in time looks to be extremely doubtful. The County’s Phase III application has been placed on pause until at least 28 July.

According to the latest news report this morning, 17 July, the potential for Kitsap County moving into Phase III this month is very doubtful. In fact, the Governor may roll back some of the current ‘Stay at Home’ orders.

In the event that Kitsap County does move into Phase III, those that desire to race one another or fly combat, the Club would put up the pylons and or support those that wanted to fly combat. Fliers would just notify the CD’s and we’d make arrangements to have the pylons at the field. This would be for fun and the challenge of racing or flying combat.

This has been a very unique year. Please bear with us as we all try to adapt to continue our hobby, while enduring the restrictions of COVID-19 and the Governor’s ‘Stay at Home’ order and the Phased Approach Guidelines.

Thank you for all of your support. Stay safe and healthy,
KC

July 13th  -  8:17 PM

All, good evening,
I must apologize to all members for this very late announcement. I am the eternal optimist. But, my hopes didn’t come to fruition. I must announce that our Club meeting at the field and our swap meet is cancelled for July. I sincerely regret this decision, but it is the prudent thing to do.

I thoroughly believed in my heart that we would be able to have our meeting at the field Tuesday night. However, with the continuing rise in positive cases of COVID-19 in our State, the Governor has put Kitsap County and other Counties move to Phase III on pause. There is really no known date on when that will happen. We are hearing that the move could be within 2-3 weeks.

We will be conducting our Club meeting via ZOOM Tuesday night at 7pm. Chuck was gracious enough to create the meeting for us. (The link information has been distributed via e-mail. Anyone who did not receive the information may obtain it from any club offical.)

I hope to see you all there Tuesday night. There are a couple of things that I’d like for you all to think about. I’d like to see 2-3 members become a committee for developing a 10 year plan for improving the Club/Field. If this sounds like something that Al Franklin (Bless his soul) carried the torch for, for many years, it is. However, there’s an ulterior motive behind this. Under our potential Letter of Agreement with the County for our Club and flying site, we are required to have this plan. This will give us a plan for proceeding forward.

Secondly, I'd like for us to have a "Competition Committee". I'm looking for Duane, Rob and perhaps Rick Fuller or one of the other competitors, to discuss ways to improve and look into the questions that we were commenting on during the beginning of the year.

Thank you all for your patience and understanding,
KC

July 1st  -  11:04 PM

Hello everyone,
I hope you all have a safe and Happy Fourth of July. Also during this time, please remember what this terrific Holiday is all about, and our forefathers that had the intestinal fortitude, faith and resilience to derive the idea and put everything into motion to see it through to give us this Great nation. We’ve had many events that have tried our resolve. We’ve bent, and weathered the storms, but we’ve never broken.

This pandemic is just another thing that we’ll rise to the challenge. I’m very confident that there will be a vaccine for this. Hopefully it will be soon. But until then, we’ll just have to exercise the best practices to keep us all safe.

Rob just sent me an article from the Kitsap Sun informing everyone that our potential move to Phase III has been put on pause due to increased new COVID-19 cases and several outbreaks reported in the County. It appears that our application will be halted until approximately 9 July, at which time it will be reviewed.

Based on that information, the competition and breakfast scheduled for this Saturday, 4 July, will be cancelled.

Because the Kitsap County application for Phase III will possibly be reviewed on 9 July, I’m going to hold off on a decision for the Club meeting and swap meet at the field until the 10/11 July. Everyone keep your fingers crossed that we’ll be able to meet at the field.

I hope everyone will stay safe and healthy until then,
KC

May 27th  - 10:50 PM

All,
Kitsap County is still in Phase I of the Governor’s Reopening plan. However, as of today, they have applied for an early advancement to Phase II. As a result, the Club’s activities for June are cancelled. There won’t be any competitions, gatherings or group activities until the County is in Phase III. If and when we enter Phase III, we will immediately consult everyone involved to attempt to get the Winter Build Maiden Day scheduled as soon as possible.

Because of the success of our last Club ZOOM meeting, we will be having the 9 June Club meeting via ZOOM.

I really want to thank everyone for their efforts to observe our Safety requirements while at the field. Everyone has been exemplary in their conduct. I’m really looking forward to the days in which we can finally gather and kibitz and just general BS with everyone.

Take care. Be careful and be safe,
KC

May 27th  - 10:07 AM

All,
Yesterday I was notified that there was Kitsap Sherriff activity around our field and that the Electric Arming table was displaced on the field with gun casings on the table and on the ground.

I went out to the field and discovered two Sherriff’s vehicles parked in front of our gate. One was a K-9 unit (empty) and another was occupied. I told the deputy what I’d heard. He advised me that the church across the street from the convenience store on the corner had been broken into and that the suspect was trying to evade the manhunt. I told him about the condition of the field and he advised me that it was safe for me to go investigate.

When I arrived at our site, I found the electric arming table setting parallel to the taxi way and there was evidence that it had been used as a target stand in which some fruit/vegetables had been placed on the table and had been shot. There was pieces on the ground. Also there was about 8 – 10 shell cases on the ground and on the table.

I relocated the table and picked up the brass. I didn’t have any bags or means to clean up the debris. I did walk around the cover structure and the conex box and did not notice any damage. If anyone does discover any other damage, please pass this information to the Club Officers.

Thanks,
KC

May 6th  - 11:11 PM

All,
This has been a very different year. So far, our January meeting was cancelled because of weather. The March and April meetings were cancelled because of the ‘Stay at Home’ order. But we’re going to have a May meeting. Not a physical meeting, but an electronic one. We will be conducting this via ZOOM. Chuck just hosted our Executive Board meeting via ZOOM.

This was a first for me, and it was a little intimidating, but it worked very well. If you have a laptop with a camera/speaker, it will be no problem. It is extremely easy to verbally communicate/listen with your cell phone or land line.

Greg will be sending out an advanced copy of the proposed meeting agenda. Please read it. This will be the primary discussion for the upcoming meeting.

I look forward to hearing/seeing you all next Tuesday. Until then, please stay safe and healthy,
KC

April 29nd  - 1:54 PM (email)

All,
KARCS will be allowed to resume our ‘individual’ flying on 5 May. One of the conditions is that we maintain our ‘Social Distancing’, and that everyone at the field will be required to wear a mask while at the field. Regardless if they’re flying or not.

I believe that the only exception is during the field mowing, mask restrictions are voluntary, due to the very limited numbers involved, and ‘everyone is very far from one another.

Due to the fact that the requirement for no large crowds/gatherings are still in effect, events normally scheduled for the month of May including our monthly meeting will not be conducted.

April 29th  - 8:40 PM (website)

Effective May 5th, we have been granted permission by the Kitsap County Parks Department to open the field for individual flying. To comply with the recommended guidelines, and as recommended by the Club’s Executive Board, fliers will be required to wear masks at all times, regardless if they are flying or not. When at the field, it is critical for us to maintain our 'Social Distancing'. Additionally, there will be no gatherings of 10 or more people allowed. If you drive up, and there’s more than 10 people flying or under the cover, please remain in your car until someone leaves.

These are unprecedented times that we’re living in, and this virus has necessitated drastic measures to keep us all safe and healthy. I strongly request that everyone follow the above guidelines. Hopefully, they will not be required for long and we can eventually return to our normal operations.

Thank you for your patience and understanding,
KC

April 20th  - 12:20 PM

All,
I hope that everyone is doing well, staying safe and are minimizing our involvement with the community. It is imperative that we do our best to honor and respect the "Stay at Home" order so we can help reduce the number of cases of COVID-19 in Kitsap County. By doing our part, we can hopefully resume our normal activities sooner, rather than later.

I have reached out to the Club’s Executive Board to consult their opinions and recommendations for our near future meetings and events. Based on the extension date of the President’s/Governor’s "Stay at Home" order we’ll be postponing the 2 May 2020 Winter Build Challenge "Maiden Day" and cancelling the competition; cancelling/postponing of our 9 May Warbird Fly-in; and cancelling the Club’s May monthly meeting.

The health and safety of our members and their families are of paramount priority. I hope you all understand. I’m sincerely looking forward to the day that we can all resume our flying hobby and companionship.

I hope and pray that all of you remain safe and healthy. Thank you,
KC

April 5th  - 4:50 PM

All,
Sadly, due to the President/Governor extending the ‘Stay at Home’ order until 4 May, we will be cancelling our Competition scheduled for this Saturday, 4 April, as well as the Club meeting on 14 April.

I do hope that everyone is healthy and safe, and not going to ‘stir crazy’. This gives an outstanding opportunity to work on our ‘Winter Build’, program our new airplanes, become familiar with our new toys (new TX, RX, FPV, etc.) before we venture out to the field again.

I do look forward to seeing everyone at the field again, once it is open.Take care,
KC

March 26th  - 10:05 PM

All,
I just received an email from Jim Dunwiddie.

He responded back that at this time, he regretted that he could not make any exceptions and that he’d appreciate it if we could keep the gate locked during this closure.

Greg, I would appreciate it if you could change the combination on the gate and give that combination to the board members only. We can change it back to the current combination once the closure order is lifted. I think that this is a prudent action to further protect our privilege.

Thanks to everyone for your support, and the comments that I did receive. You all are helping me keep the Club on the straight and narrow, in spite of my erroneous $0.02.
KC

March 23th  - 3:12 PM

All,
Based on all of the many communities ordering ‘shelter in place’, and on the recommendations of the Executive Board, I’m cancelling the Spring Opener, scheduled for 28 March. The health concerns for all members has ultimately necessitated this action.

I hope that all members continue to be safe and can avoid this extremely dangerous health hazard. Thank you,
KC

March 10th  - 12:40 PM

All,
Tonight’s meeting has been cancelled due to the concern of the current Health situation. We’d much rather be safe than sorry.

Thanks again everyone,
KC