Dear Members,

We want to thank everyone for their responses to our email of August 4. We got a lot of input and some good questions. In this email we will add some additional information and answer some of your questions. For those of you who did not read the original post (or get it in their email), it is posted directly below.

Many of you wanted to know when you could first book a court at HVIT.  Contract holders from last season have until the end of the day on September 6 to reserve a time during our first week (October 4-October 10). Starting on September 7, all members may book an opening week court. Only the first week of the season can be reserved more than 7 days in advance. Go to our website (HVITennis.com) and click Court Availability to see what courts remain open to book the first week. Please remember that there are 30-minute breaks between all bookings, so please do not ask for those times. Also remember that if you get a court booking during the first week, you will have first right of refusal for that same court the following week. 

Prior to their first play, every person playing at the club this upcoming season will need to sign a statement agreeing to all health and safety protocols in place. This statement will be emailed to every one in September. Prior to – or on the day of – their first play, everyone must pay their membership dues ($50) and whatever court dues are owed for their first play. People or groups who intend to book the same slot every week will need to pay for their first two plays in order to continually renew the court. 

Many of you asked whether we would consider taking electronic payments. We will likely have Zelle (similar to Venmo) available to those of you who do not want to use check or cash. 

Another common question we got was what we are were doing about getting fresh air into the tennis building. We have purchased a large building fan (along with two motorized dampers) that will run most of the time. We are told it is one of the quietest units of its size on the market.  In addition, we may also run the original building fan. It is a bit noisier, but that cannot rule out its use due to our prioritizing health over tennis this coming season. Finally, early in the season we plan on opening the doors (two regular size and one overhead bay) whenever weather and temperature permits. 

Members also asked about playing at other local tennis clubs. Since our last email, we have now seen the protocols that Black Acre Tennis is implementing. They are very similar to ours, which means members who want to play at BAT are also welcome at HVIT (assuming they meet all other requirements). We have still not seen any specific indoor protocols for Total Tennis or Rhinebeck Tennis. If someone has a copy of these protocols, please send them along so we can make an informed decision. 

We also wanted to thank all of the numerous members who emailed us regarding whether they would qualify to play at HVIT based on their jobs, travel plans, etc. Many just contacted us to say that they think they are exposed to too much risk in their lives to come into the club this coming year. Their candor and concern for everyone’s safety was inspiring. If you have any concerns regarding whether you meet our guidelines for playing at HVIT, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will go over your situation. Remember, just because you may have had to travel, go to an office meeting where social distancing was not possible, etc. does not mean you cannot play at HVIT. It just means you need to remain out of the club for two weeks or until you have a negative coronavirus test. People who intend to play doubles should do their own due diligence about whom they are playing with. We ask everyone to prioritize health over a good tennis match – at least for this season!

A couple of you wanted to know what would cause the club to close back down. That is a tough question to answer. Certainly if the number of active cases in Ulster and Dutchess Counties begins to rise significantly – or if the percentage of positive test results climbs – we would consider closing. If the increases are not overly large, we may consider remaining open for singles play (and private lessons) only. 

Finally, we are adding one more protocol to our list from the August 4 email. Members playing on court 2 will exit the club via the door behind the curtain. We will clear a path from that door to the parking lot. This may not be possible during inclement weather, but on nice days it further limits people being exposed to each other. 

James and Matt