Castlegram
The Voice of the Manor
Fall 2020
Dear Homeowners,
The Labor Day weekend is now behind us and a most unusual summer season has also passed. In Montauk however, The Fall season is the best months to be here. The crowds have thinned, the ocean is still warm and the weather is mild. If you like fishing, Montauk in the Fall has some of the best anywhere.
We have had a terrific summer season with the weather having little rain and most days being sunny and pleasant. Our rental guests at the Manor have been great and very considerate of the protocols in place. They have been respectful of their fellow guests and have been compliant with our strict enforcement of Corona safety precautions. Even with restrictions, a good time was had by all.
The Montauk Manor Rental Program has had the most profitable season ever. In part, this was due to vacationers not traveling to long-distance
locations. Also, many popular vacation destinations were closed due to the Corona virus. An important factor in our popularity this year more than ever is that each of our units has a full kitchen. Vacationers staying elsewhere in Montauk endured waits of two hours or more to get dinner at reduced capacity restaurants.
Your Board of Managers has been on the job making certain the Manor remains the premier resort on the East End. Since the last Castlegram, the board has had conference call meetings on March 28th regarding the budget, April 18th regarding reopening and safety plans, May 16th to evaluate our reopening strategies, June 27th regarding issues with our planned new restaurant and August 29th regarding our ongoing building improvements. Approved minutes of all meetings are available on the Montauk Manor website. As previously reported in the Castlegram the Rental Committee inspected all rental units back in January. We are happy to report that all homeowners who received suggestions for improving their rental units had completed that work before the start of the summer season.
The Board of Managers has met virtually again on October 3rd, which was the date we had planned for our Annual Meeting and Wine Tasting. We were probably overly optimistic in our postponement of our annual event to October. The virus is still a threat and large gatherings are still prohibited. Consequently, for the safety of our homeowners, we have now postponed the annual meeting, elections and wine tasting party to the last week of this coming June 2021.
The new Hill Top restaurant is still working towards opening and hoping to open soon. We are looking forward to enjoying dining at the Manor again.
If you haven’t been to the Manor recently then you will be astounded to see the completely restored tower and dome. The dome is high polished copper restored as it was when first built in 1926 except that it is now coated with a modern finish to maintain its shine for many years. Our thanks go to Board Vice President and Director of Construction, Don Kershan and to Rental Committee member Nick Ceo, both of whom visited the Manor regularly throughout the Winter and Spring to supervise the ongoing projects to restore and improve our building. The Board is currently evaluating our next major construction project for Spring 2021. We are also evaluating a total upgrade to our computer system which we plan to have in place prior to the 2021 season.
The Manor is a special place. Our General Manager, Janice Nessel, and our staff are especially to be congratulated for the incredible job they did this summer season with a severe staff shortage and the many new regulations in place. Your Board of Managers will keep working to maintain and improve Montauk Manor as the Iconic one of a kind “Castle On The Hill.”
Very truly yours,
The Board of Managers