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Ultimate Happenings: Issue 74 - Nov. 15 1998

OCUA Web site: http://www.ocua.ca

"Only a mediocre person is always at his best."

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CONTENTS:

- OCUA Board Briefs
- Ontario Lands For Life
- To All National Flying Disc Associations
- Ultimate On TV Tuesday
- Contact Info For Rick Collins
- Lost
- Found

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OCUA BOARD BRIEFS:

This is the first in a series of regular reports from your
newly elected OCUA Executive. We know that our members are
curious about what we've been doing since the election. We
hope that these "Board Briefs" will serve to keep you
informed.

First of all, we would like to thank the members who voted in
our first ever election. The percentage of returned ballots
was very high and shows the high level of interest in Ottawa
Ultimate. It is very satisfying to see that the first major
change in Ottawa Ultimate was well supported by our members.

The new executive met for the first time soon after the
election. There are many issues to discuss, problems to solve
and changes to make, but we decided to concentrate on the most
pressing matter: the development of the new site. There were
many details to be taken care of and very little time to deal
with them, so the executive decided to meet weekly instead of
the traditional monthly sessions. By supplementing these
meetings with what seemed like hourly emails and phone calls,
we were able to finalise almost all of the site development
details in just six weeks.

At the time of the OCUA elections, the grading and seeding
contract for our land had been signed with Ecoview, an
environmentally-based landscaping contracting firm owned and
operated by Larry Pegg (an OCUA member.) Shortly before the
elections, Ecoview was able to obtain a commitment from RainBird
Irrigation to install an in-ground irrigation system for well
below wholesale value. OCUA's previous executive had analysed
the finances and given verbal approval for Ecoview to proceed
with the installation. The installation had to be completed
before the fields could be seeded and this made it impossible
to finalise a separate contract for the irrigation system
before its' installation had to begin. Thus, the first order
of business for the new executive was to negotiate and sign a
contract for this irrigation system while (and in many cases
after) sections of it were installed.

The irrigation system is a top-of-the-line system that offers
increased value for our members and shareholders. It includes
192 sprinkler heads, 3 satellite control panels, a well and
pump near the future clubhouse location, a large high volume/
pressure pump and a sizeable pond. The pond, pumps and controls
allow 16 of our 19 Ultimate fields to be watered in a 6-8 hour
period thus increasing the value of our property and providing
our members with soft, lush fields during the heart of an Ottawa
summer. Additionally, Ecoview agreed, upon approval of the
irrigation system, to build three additional fields that were
not originally slated for construction. These fields (#14,
18 &19) would be the most expensive to build due to either
their remote location (18 & 19) or the amount of fill needed
for levelling (#14.) These fields would be constructed for
well below the actual cost and we felt that this was another
opportunity to add value to the project.

We had originally hoped to pay for some of the system costs
by selling the excess topsoil created by the excavation of
the irrigation pond and the construction of fields 18 & 19.
It is the nature of topsoil to be variable in thickness and
composition and, without excavation, there is no way to
accurately detect this. Unfortunately, the wet fall weather
made it impossible to truck out the excess soil from 18 & 19
and the volume and quality of the excess topsoil in the pond
area was less than anticipated. This resulted in a revenue
short fall.

In addition to this revenue shortfall, there were also some
unexpected extra costs and cost over-runs. The hydro installation
was more expensive than expected and some of the fields required
extensive rock-picking. As well, we agreed to add a "feeder"
line from the clubhouse well to the irrigation pond. This line
will allow us to refill the pond from our well during droughts
and ensure that we have an adequate water supply for irrigation
when we will need it the most. In total, these "extras" and
over-runs are less than 10% of the total contract price. After
checking with various industry sources, we found that this is
common on projects of this size and nature.

Arranging the final financial details has been very time-consuming.
Larry and Angela Pegg have worked very hard and have provided
unbelievable financial support to make this happen. Essentially
they have personally borrowed $200,000 to pay for the system,
thus enabling OCUA to make affordable monthly payments. Financial
support of this size and nature (by our contractor no less)
was unexpected and is the reason why an irrigation system was
not seriously considered by OCUA sooner. With another round
of share sales and some low interest loans from OCUA members,
we were able to complete the financial package.

As of Oct. 22, 18 of 19 fields have been graded and seeded.
The in-ground portion of the irrigation system has been
installed, some 80% of the pond excavation has been finished,
the well near the clubhouse rise has been completed and the
main irrigation pump has been connected. All the fields have
been watered once by using the clubhouse well pump and the
manual control valves. Later this week, the full system test
using the pond, main pump and satellite control systems will
be completed. The grass has germinated on all fields and is
well along on those fields that were seeded first. The
projected opening day is still July 1st, however, the weather
in the spring and early summer will have the final say.

Larry Pegg of Ecoview has also brought another interesting
person in to work with OCUA. He is David Cherneshenko of
"Green & Gold." Green & Gold is an environmentally- oriented,
sports-related corporate fund-raising firm. One of their
recent accomplishments was fund-raising for the Ryder Cup Golf
Tournament in Spain and they are presently involved in numerous
fund-raising activities for various World championships and
the Salt Lake Winter Olympics. Normally their firm is hired
on a retainer or consultant basis, but because of our environ-
mentally oriented site development and maintenance plan (and
the small size of our organisation) he has agreed to work on
a straight commission basis. We are presently attempting to
negotiate a suitable contract with him. We believe that his
contacts and experience will help us immeasurably in attracting
large corporate sponsorships.

There are, of course, numerous people to thank for their work
with OCUA. Larry Pegg, his wife Angela and his company Ecoview
have made so much possible. They have taken huge personal long-
term risks to raise the financing for the irrigation system
and without them the installation of the system simply would
not be possible. Words alone cannot say enough about their
belief in this project and in the future of our sport.

Mike Harley, our new OCUA President, has put in easily 150
hours of work over the last six weeks as OCUA's chief negotiator.
Since the end of August, practically every evening and weekend,
Mike has been in meetings, on the phone, or on the computer
doing OCUA business. Mike, Doug Tahirali and Nick Roberts have
also stepped in with substantial personal loans to cover OCUA's
short-term cash shortfall for the winter..

Shawn Dolan, an OCUA member and drainage engineer, spent the
better part of last winter and summer creating the all-important
grading plan for the site development and serving as our advisor
and liaison in many different areas.

With the addition of the irrigation system, the land development
has grown into a much bigger project than originally planned.
We appreciate that this increase in scope is intimidating to
some of OCUA's members, but we feel that we have achieved a
fine balance between adding features and maintaining affordability.
A number of features could only be added during the development
phase and, where possible, we have attempted to avoid the need
for future intrusions into our playing season. By adding the
irrigation system now, for example, we have avoided the need
to rip up the grass to install one later. The irrigation system
has also increased the value of the property and has opened
the door to acquiring additional revenue from rentals.

The budget for the next seven months is very tight. Since OCUA
receives it's only revenue in May, our cash flow for the next
seven months is nonexistent. While this may be a normal situation
for OCUA, the need to make substantial contractual payments in
the short term strains our supply of capital. To relieve this
strain, OCUA has taken advantage of several generous loan
offers from fellow OCUA members. These short-term, low interest
loans will be used to meet our obligations until next May.
While we have become accustomed to having substantial off-
season cash reserves, we must not lose sight of the fact that
these reserves were built up for this project.

As winter quickly approaches, work on our land is winding down.
There still remain several areas that are scheduled for work
in the spring and Ecoview has been attempting to take advantage
of the late autumn weather to work on these. The parking lot
will need a second entrance and a covering of gravel, dormant
seeding can still take place on several non-field border areas
and the pumphouse must be shingled and sided. Once snow covers
the site work will have to stop, but anything that can be done
in these last few days will be.

Overall, a great deal has been done and done well. 18 of 19
fields have been seeded, the irrigation system has been
installed and tested, the pond area has been cleaned up, the
pump and pumphouse have been installed, the parking lot has
received it's sand bed and a great deal of cleanup on the
clubhouse rise has been done (thanks to OCUA volunteers.) Our
landscape architect has made a thorough inspection of the site
and, aside from pointing out several small problems, stated
that "this is A-1 work."

During the winter, the OCUA executive will turn our attention
to more regular league matters. There are myriad matters to
discuss, including the budget, organisational structure and
league issues. The results of our meetings will be published
in future "Board Briefs". Should any member wish further
details on agenda items or discussions please contact our
president Mike Harley (mharley@sympatico.ca).

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ONTARIO LANDS FOR LIFE:

Hi guys!

I don't know if you have heard about the Ontario Lands for Life
project, but it is something which will have a HUGE impact on
the remaining "natural" spaces/crown land in Ontario. Please
take 2 seconds to read this and send a quick email to Minister
John Snobolen - I've included a sample letter that you can copy.

The following info is from Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society:
In a nutshell, several Round Table committees were formed to
determine the status of Crown land in Ontario - whether it
should be protected, eligible for mining or eligible for logging.
Currently, only 6.5% or Ontario's land is protected in "protected
areas". The consolidated Round Table report proposes that an
additional 1.5% of the land be in new protected areas for a
total of 8%. This doesn't come close to the 20% minimum set
by a coalition of conservation organisations from across
Ontario, and the 50-75% that some scientists are now finding
is required to maintain natural biodiversity. Public opinion
is consistently in favour or 20% and up.

The recommendations in the report include the following:
(keeping in mind of course, that the Round Table members were
made up primarily of industry representatives!)
- allow industrial uses such as mining and logging in new
  provincial parks and conservation reserves
- allow snowmobiling in new and existing parks
- allow mining in existing and new conservation reserves
- allow commercial fur harvesting in all new conservation
  reserves

The public has been invited to comment on the report before
he responds to it on November 30th. This is the one chance
that exists to reply to this report!!!

Ontario Minister of Natural Resources John Snobelen is openly
inviting the public to comment to him on the "Lands for Life"
plans he released October 30th. The public has 30 days to
comment on the recommendations. Comments can be sent up to
the end of business day, MONDAY NOV. 30, 1998.

At least 20% of the Lands for Life area must be protected from
industrial activity - NOT 6-8% as is being recommended in
Snobelen's report.

WRITE, FAX OR EMAIL!
If you are short on time, you can simply copy the text for
your letter from the one below. Be sure to include your return
mailing address to make your letter count.

Sent your letter to:
Mail:
 Hon. John Snobelen,
 Minister of Natural Resources,
 6th floor,
 Whitney Block
 99 Wellesley Street West,
 Toronto,
 M7A 1W3

Fax:
 1-800-548-5933

Email:
 lflcomment@webmail.mnr.gov.on.ca

Please also send a copy to CPAWS:
Fax: 613 730-0005
Mail: Box 3072, Station D, Ottawa, K1P 6H6
Email: langlois@cyberus.ca

TELL OTHERS - ONTARIO'S WILDERNESS WON'T GET A SECOND CHANCE!

Sample letter that you can copy:

Dear Minister Snobelen,

I am writing to urge you to take two actions in response to the
Consolidated Recommendations of the Lands for Life Round Tables.

First, act decisively to protect at least 20% of the Lands for
Life area in large provincial parks and conservation reserves
which permanently exclude industrial activity such as mining
and logging. The 6 to 8%, as recommended by the Round Tables,
is completely unacceptable.

Second, reject all the recommendations which weaken the prohibition
of industrial activities such as mining and logging in our parks
and protected areas (Section 5.2). This attempt by industrial
interests to roll back environmental protection in Ontario is
unacceptable.

Sincerely,

(name and ADDRESS).

PLEASE SEND A LETTER/EMAIL!!!


Thanks,
Shawne

Shawne Clarke
Department of Geography
University of Ottawa
(819) 773-4241

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TO ALL NATIONAL FLYING DISC ASSOCIATIONS:

Hello,

Charlie Mead, the host of the 1999 WFDF World Ultimate Club
Championships - St. Andrews, Scotland (Sunday 8th August -
Saturday 14th August), has asked me to bring to your attention
that he currently does not have access to his e-mail account
for technical reasons.

It seems he lost access shortly after he sent out the WUCC
invitations on Nov 2 and he will not have access again until
at least the end of next week (Nov 22).

Since he is expecting that many associations will try to contact
him to sign up teams or clarify questions he asks you to use
"conventional methods":

home phone:
+44 121 449 3382 (please keep in mind the different time zones)

work phone and voice mail:
+44 121 303 8593

work fax:
+44 121 303 8830

until he is back online. If you have sent him e-mail since
Nov 2 and did not receive a reply, please use one of the
above numbers.

Please pass this on to as many people it may concern as possible.

Regards,
Thomas Griesbaum
WFDF Ultimate Committee

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ULTIMATE ON TV TUESDAY:

Argh.

Ok, it's true. I have no idea when this is going to be on
TV. I understand that it has been bumped for the last two
weeks. I am no longer going to try and predict when it will
be played.

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CONTACT INFO FOR RICK COLLINS:

As expressed in the last issue Rick is selling an Ultimate
Calendar. Posted in the last issue was his snail mail address.
Thanks to various people on the net I now have his e-mail
address should you wish to contact him.

Rick Collins
 e: kc@uniserve.com

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ULTIMATE IS LIFE CALENDAR:

With pictures from Worlds 97, UPA Nationals 97, Worlds 98,
UPA Nationals 98 and more.

It is poster sized with some of the best action photography
ever on the sport.

Cost: $18 CDN.

Contact
 Rick Collins
 49249 Camp River Road
 Chilliwack, BC
 Canada
 V2P 6H4
 e: kc@uniserve.com

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LOST:

I lost a royal blue TAIGA fleece at Vanier City Hall on
Thursday Nov.5.

It was a 6:30 game Fallen Soldiers vs Capital Punishment.

Hopefully someone picked it up for me. I can be reached at
730-0150.

Thanks,
Monica Bischof

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FOUND:

UPA long sleeve T (white) and blue sweatshirt at Laroche
fields sometime with in the last two weeks of fall league -
maybe a Tuesday night?

Contact:
 Marni
 e: moliver@cwta.ca

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Ultimate Happenings is a e-mail newsletter for the
Ottawa-Carleton Ultimate Association.

If you want to subscribe send an e-mail to mharley@sympatico.ca
with the subject "Subscribe Ultimate Happenings".
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