No HR Fee - Donations to EJ

[CraginS]

Several years ago I was talking with EJ in the kitchen about the LZ. She said that if the county ever thought that the back field were a revenue-generating property, other than by crops, it might change her tax status on the land. A lot. She was concerned that any mention or hint of donations from friends being a mandatory usage fee might trigger some sort of tax review.

Language can be very important.

At this point, I ask Tom McG, Bruse S., Sparky, and Steve K to chime in if I give any bad advice or poorly informed opinion here.

So, please, in our discusions, be very clear
- there never has been nor should there ever be a mandatory usage fee imposed by the owners for gliders landing at the farm.
Pilots associated with the local flying community have traditionally given donations to EJ in thanks for allowing us to use her property. She has not and will not make such donations a mandatory charge for that use.
That said, the flying community itself has used social norms and at times peer pressure among ourselves to be sure our collective gifts to EJ assist in preserving the family farm. On occasion, the organized clubs have learned that the family was in need of help with taxes, and the clubs have ponied up additional donations beyond the small individual gifts made across the year.

The proposed changes to HR practice make sense in this viewpoint. No one pays a fee at the farm for landing. There is no such fee. We all do recognize the value of keeping the farm solvent and in the hands of a very friendly and special owner. The clubs seem to be setting up a procedure to provide for a meaningful annual gift to the land owner in thanks for our use of the property. The details on how the clubs collect member donations for this gift are being hammered out now among the members, as seen in discussions on this forum.

Personally, I am pretty flexible about the details of how we generate club assets for this gift. I think some linkage to actual usage makes sense, but overall member participation is also appropriate.

To close - would everyone please approach this discussion from the standpoint that we wish to assist in preserving the ownership of the farm with a family that is very close to us and friendly to our usage. We are structuring a process to ensure a healthy and meaningul gift to that family each year. We are not currently nor will we in the future be paying any sort of charge or fee to the landowner for our use.

Thanks, all.

Cragin S

[bustedwing2]

Excellent point Cragin, I would like to point out that most us of spend more on beer,gas and food ,or even tow fees at flight parks for a single day of flying,than the increase in dues to cover a "gift" to this family of good people who have been so kind to the flying community.Since High Rock is so close to Baltimore/Washington area where I "assume" a majority of chgpa members reside,and therefore more convenient to fly, I don't understand why there would be resistance to the idea.I've only flown HR twice in 4 years and probably won't fly it a lot but am willing to pay higher dues to chgpa should it decide to follow that path. Rich B.