Unless the Guilford Wildlife Club and Lake Jeanette Home Owners Association can reach an agreement about dues for use of the lake, the 65-year-old club likely will fold.
The 300-member organization, first sanctioned by Cone Mills — which sold the Lake Jeanette property about 15 years ago — has held youth crappie tournaments, sponsored clean-up days and ponied up $3,000 annually to the LJHOA for insurance to cover homeowners and club members, in addition to paying $36,000 in dues.
Now the club is about to be booted because the LJHOA wants to increase its annual fee to $45,000.
“(LJHOA) hasn’t said they want us out,” said Jimmy Wall of Greensboro, the club’s president. “They want more money.”
“(Our) individual members have been paying $75 to $100 a year (for lake rights), while our homeowners pay from $330 to $660,” said Dixon Johnston, chairman of the Lake Jeanette Home Owners Association’s board of directors. “It wasn’t equitable. We asked for $45,000, and they rejected that offer.”
Wall said the club has a lot of senior members who pay annual dues of $75, and he’s afraid a 100-percent increase will force many to leave the club. His solution would be a gradual approach.
“What I tried to offer (LJHOA) was to let us pay quarterly as membership dues come in, but they want $36,000 up front,” he said. “That’s the real sticking point.”
Wall said LJHOA officials have told him people are using club memberships to avoid paying full price for use of the lake’s clubhouse and other facilities.
People who are not members of the LJHOA can pay $150 annual dues by joining its tennis and swim club and use those facilities as well as fish in the lake.
“But they told me there are five neighborhoods around the lake, and those people can join the wildlife club for $75 or $100, use the facilities and not pay $150,” Wall said. “They feel like they’re losing money to use their own facilities.”
Wall said the real “kicker” was the LJHOA “wants us to pay $36,000 up front. If we did that, I know we’d lose a lot of members the first year. They also wouldn’t accept (an offer) to pay as we collected (dues).”
Wall said he hopes the LJHOA will compromise “because that’s a good chunk of money they’d be losing if we’re not paying them anything.”
In a hopeful sign, the LJHOA allowed Wall to hold a club meeting at the lake’s clubhouse to discuss the situation.
“I’ll meet with them later,” he said. “If we don’t reach an agreement, I’m afraid that will be the end of the Guilford Wildlife Club.”
“And that will be a sad day.”
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