June 2015

President Jody Williams called the meeting to order at 3:47pm. Present were Board members Paul Davis, Leslie Altick, Todd Makler, Jim Harris, Kevin O’Leary and Dave Puryear. Also in attendance were Gill Barsley, John Schwartz, Alan Templeton, and John Prior.

The minutes from the May 12, 2015 Board meeting were approved.

The next Board meeting was rescheduled from July 14th to July 7th.

Pianola: As follow up to the demonstration of Pianola software presented last Thursday by Brian Samuels, the Board set up a Committee to define our technology needs and compare options for meeting those needs. Three specific areas of concern were identified: email management by the Unit and Club Directors, calendaring issues, and reservation systems. Jody Williams will chair the Committee. Alan Templeton agreed to serve and Jody will approach several others with expertise or interest in this issue. Paul Davis and John Schwartz will serve ex officio.

2015 Firecracker: Gill Barsley reported that the tournament is ready to go. Set-up begins Wednesday morning and play begins later in the day. Good luck to all.

2016 Firecracker: Talks continue with IFES and the dates for the 2016 Firecracker are reserved with the IFES Hall. We will be able to use the parking area at the nearby Bhuddist temple as well as the IFES parking. With some sort of shuttle system, we can accommodate as many tables as we have had in the past. The financial arrangements are still being worked out, but the cost will be substantially less than the Convention Center.

Jim Harris and Paul Davis have been negotiating with the Rent Manager for IFES regarding a possible prepayment of our rent to help IFES with their mortgage. We stand to gain free use of the Hall for a certain number of days each year and possibly an extension of our lease. The Finance and Investment Committee has been asked to investigate ways to raise funds to prepay our rent in exchange for these concessions and others.

Education Funding: Paul Davis reported that the Education Fund activities of the Unit, which are free to members and cost the Unit several thousand dollars each year, could achieve 501(c)3 status for less than $2000 initially and relatively modest annual outlays thereafter. The Board approved moving forward with this step, provided Paul can complete the process for this amount. The benefit to members would be tax-deductibility of contributions to the Education Fund.

President’s Report: Jody reports that signs by the parking slots immediately in front of the entrance can be marked “Courtesy Parking” without incurring any legal liability as long as there is no explicit reference to handicapped status nor any enforcement. The ACBL has changed insurers and we will consider following their lead for our D&O coverage when our renewal gets closer. Our agent will provide quotes in early October. Jody noted a scheduling conflict with IFES recently because no one is monitoring their calendar. Dave Puryear will take responsibility for this and for updating our calendars appropriately so we can avoid scheduling conflicts in the future.

Skills Survey: The skills survey is expected to be ready for distribution in the next few weeks. We hope members will respond thoughtfully so we can use it as a recruiting tool when we have specific tasks to complete.

Fragrance Survey: Leslie Altick reported on the survey. Results were mixed. About one-quarter of our respondents chose a zero-tolerance policy. About 40% were at the other end of the spectrum: no change necessary, just make people more aware. About 15% voted for the honor system and another 15% wanted to leave it up to individual Directors. Many in the zero-tolerance group felt very strongly and included comments. For now, the Board will pursue greater awareness, emphasizing courtesy toward fellow players and raising awareness that allergic reactions are a real problem for some players. If this policy is not effective, the Board encourages those affected to let your Director or a Board member know. We will continue to monitor the situation.

Directory Survey: Leslie reported these results also. They were clear-cut. Few members rely on the front and end pages of the printed Directory for information about the Unit, the Center , or its games. We will not spend the extra money in the future. All of this information is available in the website and can be updated more easily there.

Member Communication: Dave Puryear provided updated language for our rental fee policy to accommodate events such as NAP District Finals. Paul Davis also had updated language. Dave will consolidate them for the next Board meeting. Dave also offered a draft policy statement regarding SiVY and its fundraising. The Board approved it informally. Dave will share it with Debbie Rosenberg for her input.

Financial Committee: Leslie Altick reported that the Committee has received the entire Jean Flocks bequest and will hold it as a cash deposit for now.

Unit Games: Jim Harris reported that scheduling more frequent Unit games has increased table counts from 149 last year (January through May) to 201 this year. Revenues for the same period were $3370 compared to $2106 last year. Jim also reported that the Unit has used 53 free plays so far this year, roughly on track for the 100 authorized for the entire year. These are used to reward certain volunteer activities.

Facilities: Kevin O’Leary noted that the carpet will be cleaned this week while the Center is closed for the Firecracker. Members are urged to clean up their spills. We can only clean the carpet a few times each year and it often looks terrible between cleanings. It was suggested that we mark the carpet with yellow tape by the men’s room door where it swings open. It was noted that purses are sometimes left in the exit doorways along the wall closest to the IFES Hall. This violates fire/quake safety and should not be permitted.

Treasurer’s Report: Todd Makler reports that May was a good month. Both income and table counts are up. We have ample reserves and are in a position to prepay rent if it helps us with next year’s Firecracker. If the Firecracker breaks even, we will be in even better financial shape because we have prepaid $15,000 for its expenses.

The next Board of Directors meeting will be July 7 at 3:45pm at the Bridge Center.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:38pm.