Committee Sign Ups and Water Shut Off 2022

Category : Featured Water

The end of the season is quickly approaching and there are a couple of important dates to remember.  First, the window for joining a committee for 2023 will close on Monday 10/31.  If you haven’t signed up yet, you can access the sign up page directly or you can find it at a later time by going to https://estling.org and navigating to Private -> Committees -> Committee Sign Up 2023.  To learn more about each committee and to see which Director is assigned to it, please visit our Committee Information page.  Thank you to everyone that has already volunteered to serve the community next year.

The other date to keep in mind is Sunday 10/30 when we will be shutting off the water.  Volunteers looking to help with the process should meet at the beach parking area at 2 PM to complete the shutoff work.
For those in camp, please be aware that you will start to see a drop or loss of water pressure as early as 1PM on Sunday, so plan your day appropriately.


Recycling Bin

Category : Featured General

Campers,
Welcome back to Estling.
With more of us in camp, I have observed an issue with the recycling area. Please help to maintain a neat area around the recycling bin. Do not leave items outside the bin area. If your items do not fit in the bin, please hold them and place them in the bin at a later date.
All cardboard boxes should be flattened as this allows more space in the bin. If you gather your recyclables in a cardboard box, please empty the contents into the bin and then flatten your box. Doing this allows the smaller items to find space and leaves more room in the bin.
Beginning in June, the recycling bin will be emptied twice a week and this should help to alleviate our over filling problem. I believe the pickups will be Monday and Thursday, the same days as the summer garbage pickup schedule.
I appreciate all of you who faithfully recycle your items.
Thanks,
Barbara


We are open for fun!

Category : Featured Open/Close

Last night the Board met to discuss our plans for the 2021 season and I’m excited to announce that we will fully reopen for events and activities this summer!  Nets will be installed at the athletic field, floats and diving boards will be put out at the beach, and the Community House will be opened.

This is all possible as a result of yesterday’s announcement that the NJ Governor has lifted indoor and outdoor capacity limits, removed social distancing mandates, and pulled back from mask requirements.  However, following the guidance of the NJ Governor and the CDC, the Board has decided that anyone entering the Community House must wear a mask if they are not vaccinated.  This includes children who are not yet eligible for the vaccine along with adults who choose not to be vaccinated and applies at all times when the building is open.  For events where food is being consumed, like when you are devouring chicken and corn at the Chicken BBQ, you don’t have to wear your mask while seated and eating.  And while we won’t be posting guards at the doors nor will we be checking immunization IDs as you enter, we do expect that everyone will follow this guidance and that each of you will help to politely and respectfully enforce it.  Everyone will also have the option to remain outside on the porch, unmasked, for events at the Community House as we plan to have extra seating available outdoors at many activities.

I think it’s also important to share how the Board came to this decision.  We had a long discussion on this topic and there were a variety of perspectives shared.  We respect everyone’s right to choose to get a vaccine or to remain unvaccinated and we want everyone to feel included.  At the same time, we want to keep all members of our community safe using reasonable precautions.  Vaccines and masks have both been shown to be effective methods for controlling the spread of the virus.  Therefore, we are asking our community members to use one of the tools (or both if you choose) when you participate at our indoor events.

This is a big step forward in our “return to normal” and I thank you all in advance for your cooperation.  I’m looking forward to seeing all of you very soon!

-Scott


Preparing for the 2021 Season

Category : Featured Open/Close

The Board met on Monday to review our plans for 2021. Our Directors have been in contact with officials from both state and local agencies to ensure we understand how to remain in compliance with the numerous executive orders and directives in NJ. At this time, the State has yet to release updated instructions for organizations that operate beaches and lakes, but we expect to hear more before Memorial Day. The Board decided it would be best to hold off on any final decisions until more information was published by the State. I understand that this is frustrating for those who are making plans to move in or visit for the holidays, but I appreciate your patience as we evaluate our reopening options.

The Board did discuss one important topic that I can share now to aid with your planning. I mentioned in a prior email that NJ has updated its Travel Advisory for those coming from out of state. Since that email, I have confirmed that this advisory applies to children as well as adults. You can read the full details here, but if your family is arriving from out of state, individuals in your party (meaning children or adults) must quarantine for 7-10 days upon arrival unless they are fully vaccinated or have recovered from COVID in the prior 3 months. This means that if two adult parents are vaccinated, but their children are not nor have they recently had COVID, the children must quarantine but the adults do not need to quarantine. Again, I understand how challenging this will be for families, but these are the rules of the State. From the Travel Advisory: “The self-quarantine is voluntary, but compliance is expected. Unvaccinated travelers arriving from areas with increasing COVID-19 cases may wish to postpone their travel to the region if they are unwilling or unable to follow the quarantine advisory.”

The Board is scheduled to meet again in May and I expect we will be able to provide more substantial information about the 2021 season prior to Memorial Day. And since we have many new families that have joined us in the past few years, I will also be sending out an email soon with some tips that other campers have shared to help you transition to “lake life.” If you have a tip you would like to share, please reach out to me and I will include it in that message.

Looking forward to seeing you all soon and please stay safe and healthy!
Scott