RANCHO SANTA FE — At the last Rancho Santa Fe Association’s monthly board meeting, newly elected vice president of the board Kenneth Markstein also accepted the role of the RSF golf and tennis clubs liaison.
Markstein presented two motions which included approving the former resident golf membership category as well as the sponsored tennis membership category and extending it to June 30, 2017.
While members agreed with the motion, it was board director Mike Licosati who abstained from the golf club vote and opposed the sponsored tennis club membership category.
Prior to the sponsored tennis club membership vote, Licosati voiced his concerns.
“I think before we do this that we should get an opinion of our legal counsel because we have a strange outcome in this instance, unlike the former resident category in the golf club, where former residents have paid initiation fees. In this non-resident category for tennis members, they have never paid an enrollment or initiation fee,” Licosati said. He added, “So the result is, you have members who are required to pay an initiation fee and non-members who will not be paying an initiation fee, and I want an opinion of the counsel that this is not in violation of Davis Stirling because we have been subject to litigation many years ago on a similar issue.”
Licosati highly recommended receiving an opinion from counsel citing that members of the community would be paying more money for the first three years to be members of the tennis club than non-residents will pay.
Currently, the RSF Tennis Club has 25 sponsored members. The club has stated that these sponsored memberships have enhanced the playing at the club as well as helping to increase revenue.
Former president of the RSF Tennis club Dave Van Den Berg was on hand to address Licosati’s concerns.
“Mike’s statement is incorrect,” Van Den Berg said. “We do have an initiation fee and that is what’s included in the $2,500. There is an initiation fee and the rest of the fees.”
Van Den Berg confirmed that these fees are paid annually.
Markstein said that one of the reasons he would like to extend these memberships is to have the opportunity to work with staff and the tennis club on membership issues and how to improve membership, as well.
He went on to tell Licosati that this extension could serve as an opportunity to review these items and make certain that all was in compliance.
“That’s why we’re asking for the extension,” Markstein said. “They (tennis club) were kind of operating in limbo to this point in time because we have not extended it.”
