Model Boat Ponds

[essayonsǃ]

I'm wondering if anyone out there can give me advice on approaching local city government or university officials on two possibilities. The first is for the city to build a model boat basin/pond from nothing(like San Fran's Model Yacht Club; or the second, to designate a body of water(university) already existing as a model boat pond. Anyone have experience in this realm?

[hampboats]

Ponds

Over the last 25 years, our club has had a lot of experience with this issue. We are lucky that we have struck gold with the city of Carmel for the use of the city reflecting pond. We contacted them even before they broke ground. One issue will always come up and that is liability insurance. We have always had to carry a 3rd party liability insurance. We currently get our's through SSMA. Scale Ship Modelers Association. If it is city property, they usually always ask for it. I know that there will be exceptions, but it is better to be prepared. Make sure they understand what your club is all about and understand the location that you are trying to acquire. If it is in a sub division or apt complex, noise will always be a issue. Therefore, you may want to limit the time that you will be running i.e 9:30 to 7PM and no gas boats.
Also note the you will responsible for leaving the property as you found it or offer to do regular clean up even if you didn't create the mess. They love it when you offer to help. Inquire about pond maintenance. Will they be treating the pond, can you ask that the pond be treated, who will be the contact for such issues. what about rest rooms? any plans for building any facilities such as shelters . let them talk about usage fees. I would go in assuming that you don't have to pay any thing. file for a not for profit status to show that you are indeed a poor organization.

Have pictures of your models so that they get a clear understanding of what you do. if at all possible, have pictures of kids running the boats to help show that they are not falling in and drowning. Explain about how your activities will be a positive force in bringing families together in a fun and wonderful activities. Make sure they understand about special events. The city of Carmel now wants to be the R/C boating capital.

Speaking of the city, it sure helps to have some inside help. One of members was friends with a city councilman and that helped because he better understood what we were about. the Mayor of Carmel has been to several of our events. We make sure that we always present a positive image.

Lastly, you want them to build a pond. You may want to go to the Warship Underway message board (see below) and post the question to the Arizona and San Fran. Boat Club to get their experience.

the task to find ponds and lakes to run in is never ending. We are currently looking for a new pond for our sailing group. Weeds and poor wind conditions are always a factor. I hope this helps, if I can help with anything else send me an email. Good Luck

http://www.wmunderway.8m.com/cgi/yabb2/YaBB.pl

[chips]

At the city or county

At the city or county level, contact the local Parks & Recreation Department first. A few years ago, a local city Parks Dept called the hobby shop where I work, fortunately I was working that day and answered the phone. They were looking for a model boat club to operate electric powered and sail boats in the pond in their main park for a Community Festival. They called about three months before the festival, and myself and one other lcub member showed up. Unfortunately the other members (mostly sailboat guys) of my local club did not want to get involved, because they didn't see any benefit to the club as a whole.

At the local university, you should try contatcting the Recreation and the Facilities (Buildings & Ground) Maintenance departments. They would be the ones who "own" the pond at the school. Maybe contact the Engineering Department - model boating ties in with Naval Engineering, and some Civil and Ocean Engineering studies.

Don't overlook the state Fish & Wildlife, DNR, or Watercraft Enforcement staffs. In the Cleveland area, the local DNR, Fish & Wildlife, and Watercraft Patrol offices help sponsor a Boating and Fishing Fest. This is a two day event on the waterfront. Some of the other participants are the local Police & Fire Departments, USCG, Power Squadron, Sea Scouts, and Metro Parks. This local festival is geared towards boating safety, fishing, and other water recreation. We have had a small booth with a few tables to display our models onl and we've also run our models in the North Coast Harbor area next to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Our attendance at this event has provided some contact info for the local county park district. I attended one of the planning meetings, and took a model and some pictures of our club activities to show what we do.

[essayonsǃ]

I'm back..
Thank you for

I'm back..
Thank you for your replies. They have been a great help..
Randy