Outreach & Organizing

One of the most popular and iconic golf courses in the world is closed on Sundays, for golfers.  In St. Andrews, Scotland, the community is welcome to come out to The Old Course every Sunday and enjoy the famed links for picnics, walking, running, frisbee or whatever outdoor recreation they prefer.

Photo by Kieran Dodds for the New York Times

This age-old practice (read more about it here) encourages integration between the golf course and the broader community, and mutual respect between golfers and non-golfers.  The course is a central recreational resource for the community, and the entire community benefits from it.  This is the ethos that we wish to bring to Canal Shores, and this is why we continue to spend our personal volunteer time on community outreach and organizing.

Through our year-end survey, we learned that only 46% percent of respondents know that we are a volunteer-driven non-profit organization.

Without the work hours and donations from dedicated members of the community, Canal Shores would likely cease to exist.

This past weekend, a small event was held that represents just the type of community engagement that keeps Canal Shores moving forward.  Board and Grounds Committee member Frank Candioto hosted a gathering of folks from his neighborhood at his home.  Grounds Committee Chairman Steve Neumann, Board President Chris Carey, and Business Manager Dan Bulf gave a presentation on our progress in transforming Canal Shores, as well as a proposed pilot project on the 5th hole.

The Canal Shores property suffers from significant drainage issues that would ideally be fixed through a renovation.  In the meantime, we are attempting to address "hot spots", and one of those spots is west of the 5th tee, near Frank's home.

The landscape architecture firm Ecology+Vision generously donated a native area design with plants specifically chosen to thrive in a wet area, and keep it drier.  

(Click here to see a large version of the design)

Unfortunately our operating budget is too tight to include funds for implementing this design, but happily, Frank and his neighbors are going to try and make it happen.  Nancy Pavkovic signed on to be a Neighborhood Captain for this area of the course to help us inform the neighborhood and recruit more involvement.  Many thanks to Frank, Nancy, and all who attended the meeting.  With productive engagement like this, we are hopeful that this pilot project can be completed sooner rather than later.

We welcome more of this kind of involvement.  If you are willing to host a gathering or be a Neighborhood Captain, please contact Steve Neumann at steve@logiclawncare.com.  

Although we welcome any and all assistance, our top priority at this time is to complete the Master Plan, which requires more funding.  Please donate to the Master Planning fund HERE, so that we can prepare Canal Shores to be sustainable and thrive for the next 100 years.