Tees River Users Trust Limited (Registration number 04179273) (The “Company”) Timetable Papers for next Board meeting to RP by 7th July Papers and agenda to be circulated to Board on 8th July Next Board meeting on Monday 13th July at 5.30 pm.
MINUTES Minutes of a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Company held at River Tees Watersports’ Centre on 16th June 2015 Present: Alan Kallagher Tees Wheelyboats Club Ralph Pickles Tees Rowing Club Tony Campbell Tees Barrage Upstream Sailing Association John Reeve Inland Waterways Association Dilwyn Jones British Rowing 1 Apologies: Action Apologies received from: Mark Hawkings Teesside University Graham Butterfield British Dragon Boat Racing Association James Coulton RTWC Manager Mark Cresswell Tees Tigers Canoe Polo Club Reuben Kench Stockton Borough Council 2 Declarations of Interest: None New 3 Minutes of previous meeting The April minutes previously issued were accepted as a correct record. The meeting in May was not quorate and the June meeting was delayed to achieve a quorum. 4 Matters arising from the last meeting - Actions (i) To Review Progress on Staffing. New centre manager appointment by end August. 14 applications received – short listed to 6 candidates. Interview panel set for 30th RP June. (ii) Trailer and dragonboats in the car park The 2 2 piece dragonboats have gone. The purple boat will be GB scrapped/given away.
(iii) Boathouse extension See appended status report RP/TC RP to ask Liz id VAT can be reclaimed on the extension. RP
(iv) To receive a report from the Centre Manager JC/GB JC proposing to change our brewery supplier. GB to offer advice – maybe go direct to a brewery rather than through a supplier. Bar Pricing will also be reviewed urgently. (v) To receive a report from the Asset Manager Pontoon repaired in time for the TRC Regatta. Boiler service completed – flue had to be replaced. (vi) To review Membership Payments Tees Tigers have paid outstanding subs – JC to confirm that all outstanding payments have been made and key fobs deactivated for JC those no longer paying. Member’s centre membership numbers and key fob numbers are being sorted out. JC has a list of members and is working through correlating these with Centre Numbers; Fob Numbers; and induction records. DJ to support and ensure all membership payments are JC/DJ correct. (vii) 2014/5 Capital Budget Phasing Function room decoration – colours defined TC/JC Function room curtains General decoration – June Function room heating – October Building extension – pending planning approval - £8.3k invoice due (viii) Monthly accounts and Function Performance There are concerns about the spending on the cleaning contract and JC consumable materials – to be investigated.
DJ will investigate whether a newly discovered Sage report in csv DJ format would enable a spreadsheet monthly summary to be produced again (as was done until this March), either using Open Office in the office or Excel remotely. (ix) Any other business New Member Induction Procedure needed – to be based on RTWC membership application form. Document to be updated by Manager JC and then circulated to Board. Very helpful meeting with Castlegate Marine Club held. TRUT also noted thanks for 2 of their boats helping with removing trees ahead of RP/TC Tees Regatta – Minute of meeting appended. North Shore Activities: o ESH are tidying up the river edge from the Infinity Bridge to the Regatta steps. MUSE plan to bring in a barge to remove trees in the river from Infinity Bridge to the Regatta Steps. Need to work out through RUG whether they can also clean TC/AK up from Infinity Bridge to the Barrage. TRUT should have a Finance Director to take an overview of accounts; make returns to Companies House; induct new directors and review the risk register from time to time. May be a regular member or attend at a reduced frequency. Clubs asked to nominate. RP also to RP discuss with S V Bye. A replacement is also needed for DJ who plans to stand down. DJ to invite Dick Marlow to the next TRUT meeting. DJ Regular and unannounced stock checks and reconciliations should be done. A spillage book is needed. Professional services are available at GB/JC modest cost. GB to advise a provider. (A stock count was undertaken by DJ and JC on 9th April) Review advertising RTWC again once redecoration done. Discussed the use of the RTWC by 1st Hartburn Sea Scout group. The expectation is that there would be c. 5 scouts on 6 occasions per year in early evenings with their own sailing boats and bell boats. They will be supervised and have safeguarding from their helpers. They will use TC the outside toilets if needed. Agreed to go ahead with this for a standard payment of £100/annum. Will review annually how it goes. LR brought a proposal for a Watersports Business/Corporate Games Day to be a full day involving multiple sports for 6 to 10 teams of 8 to 12 per team. This will be under the aegises of Tees Valley Sport who have a modest budget to cover costs of clubs providing equipment/support. The bar will be open and their will be a paid LR kitchen. Support was given and LR was asked to come back with more detail as the planning takes shape. (x) Anti-social behaviour Multi agency meeting held on 5 May and Enforcement have also RP/RK attended a TRC Committee meeting.
Egress from the river near the pontoon has been raised as an issue with RP/RK a request for a ladder. This will be taken up with SBC in the first instance. 5 Anti-social behaviour New incidents in warm weather occurring. Enforcement have attended when called but patrols not seen very often. 6 Report from Centre Manager Report Noted 7 Report from Asset Manager Function room door has dropped again and needs maintenance. TC Signage to indicate that swimming is not allowed are being prepared. TC TC has indicated an intention to continue in his present role until 2 TC months after the new Manager is in post 8 Monthly Accounts and Functions Performance Ahead of budget due to lower income but good cost savings. 9 Statutory Timetable and monthly activities The Boathouse audit is due JC 10 Any other business Removal of the red post on the pontoon. – Agreed that this should go ahead as the post is a) not used, and b) not serviced and up to date RP to permit usage. The parts should be stored with the hoist in case any need is identified. Bowesfield Development – There is a plan to provide a slipway and boat storage at Bowesfield. The Board took the view, in principal, that TC TRUT should propose our involvement in the management of this facility in parallel with the RTWC so that synergies and coordination between the centres can be effected. Cleveland District Scouts – are looking for a home once the new car TC park at the Blue Bell at Yarm is built. TC to explore their needs and bring a proposal to TRUT if appropriate. 11 Date of Next Meeting The next meeting will take place on Monday 13th July at 5.30pm. Tom Wright of Canals and Rivers’ Trust has been invited to attend this meeting.
Date ______
Chairman of the meeting TEES RIVER USERS TRUST 2014011416 - Extension of the River Tees Watersports Centre Need The RTWC is bursting at the seams and in particular there is inadequate gym provision. Gym equipment is kept and used in the boathouse between boats, leading to issues of congestion, damage to gym equipment and boats, and conflict between gym equipment users and those wishing to take boats out of the boathouse. Membership and usage of the facilities are impacted.
Solution The proposed solution is to extend the boathouse adding two new, half depth, bays to the 6 full bays already existing. The extension is essentially a simple steel frame with sheet steel cladding to match the existing building with the roof forming an extension to the current balcony.
History 2012/3 – solution identified – multiple grants applied for, unsuccessfully.
The initial plan was for two full depth bays which would have required extensive civil work and was shown early on to be too expensive a solution and the scheme was reduced to half depth bays.
2013 – Northern Construction Solutions – a Sport England approved contractor - gave a budget quote for the scheme at £69,013.76 +VAT.
2013 – Applied for a Sport England Inspired Facility Award – not approved
2014 – Encouraged by SE to apply again in June round.
September 2014 – SE grant won – basis £73,000 from Sport England; £10,000 in cash from TRUT; £10,000 in kind from TRUT. Sums include VAT.
Sport England appointed a contractor to do the work.
Contractor later turned down the job.
Sport England agent QMP proposed Gleeds to undertake project management and seek competitive quotes.
2015 - Three tenders received – the lowest cost of the three was based on Interserve as main contractor at £203,031.60 including VAT.
Planning permission, building regulations permission and approval for the works by HCA (the site landlord) granted.
TRUT meeting with Gleeds – scope of work reduced and retender sought.
Interserve new price received leading to a new project cost – see attachment. TRUT view is that we will have to project manage the extension ourselves using local contractors.
Funding Gap
There is a funding gap to close as shown in the appended quotation situation of about £45,000, allowing for some contingency.
We will explore further scope reduction but this will be difficult to achieve. The cost savings of reducing the footprint of the scheme to 1 bay rather than 2 will make very limited savings( as the external surfaces reduce by only about 15%) but will greatly reduce the benefit of the extension
TRUT will explore additional funds from a number of the CR Funds of Environmental and Facilities Management companies who hopefully will be prepared each to make contributions.
Ralph Pickles – Tony Campbell.
Current Quotes – Situation June 2015.
Based on Interserve Based on Local Contractors
Civils – lead contractor 39,000.00 Steelwork 46,450.60 Cladding 7,273.20 Doors 1,420.00 Sub Total 124,656.97 94,143.80 Electrical 2,000.00 2,000.00
Alarms – Security, fire and CCTV 1,000.00 1,000.00 Gleeds – phase 1 and planning 6,882.50 6,882.50 permission fees
Sub Total 134,539.47 104,026.30 VAT 26,907.89 20,805.26 TOTAL 161,447.36 124,831.56 Minutes of Meeting
Meeting :- Tees River Users Trust [TRUT] & Castlegate Marine Club [CMC] Date:- Thursday 14th May 2015 Location:- Watersports Centre, Stockton
Attendance:-
Mr Bob. Godsmark [BG] Secretary of Castlegate Marine Club [CMC] Mr Phil. Manuel [PM] Vice Chairman & Treasurer of Castlegate Marine Club [CMC] Mr Tony Campbell [TC] Board Member of Tees River Users Trust [TRUT] Mr Ralph Pickles [RP] Joint Chairman of Tees River Users Trust [TRUT] Mr Eric Tutin [ET] Member of CMC and two clubs based at the Watersports Centre that is managed by TRUT.
Introduction:-
Each attendee introduced themselves to the group, then RP welcomed the representatives from CMC to the Watersports Centre. He explained that a variety of clubs, having water based activities on the River Tees, are based at the Watersports Centre. Club activities range from rowing, canoeing, sailing, dragon boating, jet skis and wheely boat trips. TRUT is the Trust that manages the Watersports Centre and each of the clubs associated with it can elect a representative to the TRUT board. TRUT has no responsibility for the structural maintenance of the slipway. If CMC would like to join the Watersports Centre they would be welcome.
RP is aware that CMC is in negotiations with the Homes & Community Agency [H&CA] regarding outstanding land transfer matters dating back to the Tees Development Corporation. He wanted to assure the CMC representatives that at no time has TRUT been involved with or, had influence on these negotiations. He explained that it is only relatively recently that TRUT was able to conclude their lease agreement with the H&CA. If it would help, TRUT would be willing to share their experience in dealing with H&CA with CMC.
CMC representatives thanked RP for his comments and will report details to the next monthly meeting of the CMC committee.
Purpose:-
CMC and TRUT share common land boundaries, access to and use of the slipway together with water activities on the River Tees but, there has never been any formal communication between the two organisations. The purpose of this meeting is to establish communication links so that TRUT and CMC can liaise and share information enabling them support each other and resolve issues of common interest.
Communications:-
Irrespective of formal notifications issued about events on the river and river closures, close communication and early contact between CMC & TRUT will help alleviate any potential conflict when events take place.
E. Tutin will circulate contact details to the representatives at this meeting for future reference.
The Canal & River Trust [C&RT], issue a timetable of weekly activities on the Barrage Reach. I.e. the section of river between the Tees Barrage and Princess Diana Bridge. RP will supply ET with a copy of the 2015 timetable. [subsequently received] The C&RT will try to accommodate boats wanting to navigate the river lock at the Barrage whenever river closures are made however, individual craft need to contact the Barrage control room to ascertain details.
The River Users Group [RUG], chaired by Stockton on Tees Borough Council, issues and updates an annual programme of events affecting the river beyond the limits of the Barrage Reach. Some of these events restrict the use of the river to CMC & TRUT because river closures are required.
Co-operation:-
The rowing club, operating from the Watersports Centre, hold two racing events a year, May and October, where a river closure is needed. Typically this involves one day for a river clean-up followed by two days to set out the course, a further day for the racing followed by another day to remove the course. Setting up the rowing course involves placing metal tubes across the river approximately 1m below the water surface and attaching vertical floating markers from the tubes to the river surface.
CMC provided a boat and crew to assist with the May 2015 river clean up for this event and will open their road barrier for the race meeting, enabling a one-way system to operate on land for transporting boats to the launching and recovery locations.
Concern has been expressed about a conflict of interest between the location of the TRUT rowing course and CMC river mooring buoys downstream of the Princess Diana Bridge. A number of the buoys have been lost however, in order to avoid unnecessary conflict on the river, CMC has postponed their replacement in order to reach an understanding and agreement on their location with TRUT. The apparent conflict seems to stem from incompatible formal agreements drafted at the time the TDC was involved with development on the river.
Originally the rowing course was intended to 1000m long with the finish line upstream of the Watersports Centre. This conflicted with CMC existing moorings positioned under licence from the Crown Commissioners.
In practice the rowing club has no use for a 1000m course. It only uses the 850m long rowing course which finishes directly opposite the Watersports Centre. The finishing line is usually tensioned by tying it to the nearest upstream CMC buoy.
Preparation work for the May races was in progress at the time of the meeting consequently, all the attendees were able to see the course, its finish line at the Watersports Centre and the location of CMC buoys currently in place and it was agreed that:-
1] The rowing course would not be extended upstream beyond the current finish line for the 850m course.
2] The CMC buoys could be extended downstream by one extra buoy without causing conflict with the 850m rowing course. This would provide sufficient distance between the finish line and this extra buoy to enable racing crews to slow down after crossing the finish line. It would also assist tensioning of the finishing line for the rowing course. Buoys moored in the centre of the river are preferable for rowing crews than buoys moored to one side. There will be no ‘swing moorings’, craft will be moored fore and aft between the buoys.
Occasionally boats are left moored on the slipway which can cause problems for other craft wanting to use the slipway for launching and recovery. It was agreed that boats should not moor in the slipway.
No date was set for another meeting however, ET will contact people to make future arrangements.
Contacts:- Bob Godsmark. [email protected] Phil. Manuel. [email protected] Ralph Pickles. [email protected]
Eric Tutin. [email protected]
Tony Campbell. [email protected]
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