President's Letter: February 2014

It may be February, but we are excited and already planning for an uber-successful 2014 Garden Tour!

We are looking for homeowners who would love to show their gardens in this year's tour, sponsors to help offset the cost of the tour, and volunteers for day-of activities. Much of what we raise through this annual event helps the Town Council fund community grants that we award twice a year. If you would like to showcase your garden, help sponsor the tour, and/or volunteer, please e-mail Ingrid Terpening, our Garden Tour Chair, at GardenTour@ClairemontOnline.com

Rick Richard, our CTC Membership Chairman, has worked aggressively to consolidate our membership records over the last few months. We are currently working through an idea to introduce membership cards this year for all CTC members. However, we know that there are more folks who attend our meetings than those who are active dues-paying members of our Town Council.

Sad, but true, we are a membership-oriented organization. Much of what we are able to accomplish throughout the year is due to the addition of fully-paid CTC members and those longtime annual renewals. Any membership organization is only as strong as their membership, so we're encouraging you to sign-up, join, and be apart of something special.

Starting last month, our annual membership dues will be due every January. Individual membership are $20 for the year, Senior and Veteran memberships are $10, Nonprofit memberships are $30, and Business memberships are $50. You can pay at our monthly general meetings with cash or check, or you may pay online at ClairemontOnline.com/Join.

Also, we love to encourage participation in our Town Council committees (this is where the meat of what we accomplish takes place). Committees include: Audit, Beautification, Budget, Bylaws, Communications, Elections, Events, Garden Tour, Membership, and Public Safety Awareness. Any Clairemont resident may be eligible to serve on any of our committees, so if you're interested in participating, sign-up at ClairemontOnline.com/Committees.

At our February 6th meeting, we will take a vote to fill the current Board vacancies, Nancy Hartley will present on the recent changes at Utility Consumer Action Network (UCAN), and our Public Safety Awareness Committee will begin monthly informational presentations. Our upcoming meeting will be held Thursday, February 6th, at 7:00pm inside the Cadman Elementary cafeteria.

Working for you, Clairemont!

Ryan Trabuco
CTC President