Please consider the Docks Committee tools and supplies off limits.

There are two locked doors on Cummings Hall. The one closest to the entry of Dock Three has garden supplies. The door closest to the dumpsters has power tools, hand tools, power cords with shorepower fittings, crow bars, jigs, and other specialized items. There are cleats, bolts, epoxy, and parts used to repair plumbing and wiring on the docks. Unlike the tools in the center portion of the Hall, these tools and supplies are not intended for use by the general membership. The club has long kept security- level padlocks on the garden tool and dock repair portions of Cummigs Hall. Very few people have a key.

This last week, one of the Docks Committee co-chairs noticed that the radial arm saw we use when cutting planks for dock repair was sitting on one of the docks. It was connected by an extension cord to a member's boat, and there was obviously some repair work in progress. Nobody was around, or working on the boat at the time. A few days later, the saw was *still* sitting on the dock, connected to the same member's boat with an extension cord. Once again, there was nobody around, and it looked as though no work had been accomplished during the previous few days. The saw was not only being used without permission- it could easily have been stolen.

The Docks Committee co-chair brought the matter to the attention of the Bridge. (As a general member, the co-chair doesn't have any authority to remove club property being used by a member- even if the use is unauthorized). The Bridge confirmed that the member did not have permission to get into the Docks storeroom or to use the saw to make repairs on his boat. One of the bridge officers unplugged the saw from the member's boat and returned it to its place in the storeroom.

Last winter, somebody else cut up the Docks Committee power cables with shorepower connections, modifying them for use during a club event. We showed up at a work party to discover that we had no access to electricity on the docks.

As all the tools in the center portion of the Hall are there for the common use of members, it's understandable that a few members might be confused about whether the tools and supplies kept behind highly secure padlocks are also intended for general membership use.

Please respect the security padlock on the Docks Committee storeroom, and consider the contents off limits unless specifically authorized by one of the Docks Committee chairs or a bridge officer.

Anybody eager for access to the tools and supplies locked up in the storeroom is invited to come to Docks Fun Day the second Saturday of every month. We can promise an ample opportunity to put the tools and supplies to use...working on the docks. :-)

Thanks,

The Docks Committee