We hope everyone is safe and healthy under the current circumstances. We’d like to start by expressing our sincere appreciation for your patience as we work out some important details for this upcoming pool season. We wish we could tell you that Wembly has solved the issue plaguing all of our area pools and made a plan for opening in a way that provides a SAFE and FUN environment for our members and makes EVERYONE happy, but we can’t. What we can tell you is that we plan to follow the recommendations as put forth by the Governor and likely have an even more conservative approach.

While it is unfortunate that we still are unable to provide final decisions and guidelines, we felt strongly that we should share some information and updates. As circumstances change, we will remain flexible and we will keep you informed. Please continue to check your email and www.wembly.org for the latest information.

Most importantly, we wish to offer a huge ‘thank you’ to all members that have already submitted 2020 dues. As many of you know, Wembly has operating expenses that span the entire year, such as insurance, capital expenses, and general maintenance. Expenses are being incurred currently in preparation for the summer season: the pumps will be running and water will need to be kept clean, regardless of how many swimmers we have. Your contributions have put us in a better position for both the 2020 and 2021 season, and we thank you.

If you have not already paid your 2020 dues and you plan on attending the pool for the 2020 season, we have extended the payment deadline to May 29, 2020. We’ve done a lot of upfront work to plan for this season, and it would be helpful to know our expected membership level for the year. Payment of 2020 dues this year will not only secure your spot for the 2020 season but will help put Wembly in a better position for the 2021 season and hopefully prevent us from having a healthy dues increase in 2021.

Again, PLEASE SUBMIT DUES BY May 29th.

The current plan is that Wembly will be open for the Summer 2020 season. Currently, we have NO PLANS of opening prior to June 10th. We have targeted Friday, June 12th as opening. We will follow the current Virginia directives and modify our practices as they change (ex: Social distancing, cleaning surfaces, etc.).

If we get to Phase 2 and can have up to 50 people on the pool deck/in the pool, we plan to implement the following:

1. ▪a signup system that would allow members to sign up for 2-hour blocks (the number allowed to sign up may be less than 50 as we need to account for staff/lifeguards, etc).
2. ▪At the end of the 2-hour session, the pool would CLOSE for 30 minutes to be deep cleaned before the next session begins.
3. ▪Use lane lines to divide the pool into sections so as to “socially distance” in the pool.
4. ▪Clear the pool deck of all furniture and ask members to bring their own chairs.
5. ▪Eliminate the concession stand.
6. ▪Eliminate social events
7. ▪Due to potential limits on capacity and the desire to give members priority in accessing the pool, we are considering limiting or not allowing guests.

Due to the extenuating COVID19 financial circumstances, the Wembly board has put into place the following plan: If we open the pool, and for any reason have to close during the season, the Board will develop a plan that will result in a portion of the 2020 dues being credited to 2021 dues. A formula will be developed based upon the length of the 2020 season and incurred operating costs for 2020. As noted earlier, Wembly has significant operating expenses whether or not the pool is opened.

We wish we could provide more details, but everything is still very fluid right now.

Will there be a swim team in 2020? We are waiting for guidance from GRAL, which is dependent upon guidance from the government as well. We are also sending an email to swim team members from last year to gauge interest under these circumstances.

Thank you for your patience, and your participation as a valued Wembly member. We hope to see you at the pool soon. And again – we thank you for being part of the Wembly family.