Dear Cleveland Rowing Foundation Member Organizations and Rowing Community,
I hope this email finds you well, both in body and mind, as we enter another month of staying at home and keeping our distance from others. As always, the health and safety of our staff, volunteers, rowing community and guests continues to be CRF’s number one priority, and it is in this spirit I share with you this updated message.
On Monday, April 27, 2020 Governor Mike DeWine, Lt. Governor Jon Husted, and Dr. Amy Acton, Director, Ohio Department of Health, made several announcements regarding Ohio’s plan to reopen during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The guiding principles of the Restart Ohio Plan will go into effect today, Friday, May 1, 2020. Unfortunately, CRF is still subject to the Governor’s Order as a nonessential business and therefore must remain temporarily closed. The CRF Board will reevaluate this closure on Wednesday, May 13th (or sooner if relevant information becomes available), and will either prolong the closure based on the current Orders or begin a conditional phased resumption of programming.
During this time, all activities remain cancelled with no access to the boathouse or property permitted. Any private sculler wishing to remove their shell temporarily from the boathouse must contact me first via email to make an appointment prior to entering the facility.
As the COVID-19 health crisis continues to unfold, CRF too must adjust in how we serve our membership during this unprecedented time. As a result, CRF will begin immediately offering month-to-month erg rentals to previous and current members until the boathouse can fully reopen. Interested members can email clevelandrowing@gmail.com to receive information regarding pricing and a copy of the rental term agreement.
To date, CRF has proactively pursued all loans and grants available as part of the CARES Act. In addition, CRF has applied for several local and state grants to help assist with our operating budget. Due to this unforeseen boathouse closure, now more than ever our future is dependent on donations during this challenging time. If you would like to donate to a specific fund or project, please contact me via email or by phone to discuss the many options available; any amount is greatly appreciated.
As always, the CRF board will continue to monitor the Orders as they are issued by Governor DeWine and Dr. Acton and will keep you updated if these orders allow a change to CRF’s position.
Kind regards,
Kirk Lang
CRF Executive Director