April 2013

The meeting was called to order at 4 PM by Valerie Baldwin, Vice-President. President Brian Samuels was not in attendance because of illness. Present were Board members Valerie Baldwin, Margot Livenspargar, Todd Mackler, Susan Griswold, Steve Barasch, Kevin O’Leary, Robert Horowitz, and Lee Haze. Also attending: Elinor Tanck, Kibitzer; Jody Williams, Alan Cummings, Randy Ryals, and Helen Chang.

Several agenda items were skipped due to Brian’s absence.

All sanctioned games within the Unit’s jurisdiction will be listed on the Website. Those that are invitational will be marked with an asterisk.

Todd provided several treasurer’s reports. The current balance in the Unit fund is $79001 and in the Education fund, $6095.

Valerie presented the Rental policy for Teachers (moved to approve by Kevin, seconded, passed) and General (moved to approve by Kevin, seconded, with the occupancy number to be decided at a later date). These policies are attached at the end of these minutes.

A discussion was held concerning the request presented by Helen Chang from Frank Lin for support for his attendance at the International Youth Bridge program at the Atlanta National Tournament. After discussion, no motion was forthcoming, so the matter was dropped. Bob said he would talk to some individuals and see it they would contribute to Frank’s attendance.

Elinor announced that the Kibitzer will be 6 pages for the next issue. She announced that Chuck Lane, Mentor Chairman, would be holding a Unit Mentor/Mentee game on Sunday, June 16. There will be no Unit Swiss game in June. The fee will be $8. Elinor showed the one re-created trophy plaque (several had been lost during the move) and will be getting the others soon.

Previous Business

Val gave an update on the audio-visual installation. It is working well now that some of the components have been upgraded without charge. The larger screen approve for purchase at a meeting in 2012 has not yet been installed. The sense is that it is not necessary, so it will not be purchased.

Jody Williams presented initial language to consider for By-Laws revisions. Lee moved and it was seconded that Jody continue to work on the language for the By-Laws and policy statements. Passed.

Alan Cummings brought up the 499-NLM tournament (non-life masters, max of 499 masterpoints). The sense of the Board is that since there is no financially feasible place to hold the tournament except the Bridge Club. That would present other problems including possible conflict with IFES weekend activities and turning people away because of lack of room. The sense of the Board is that the idea be shelved for the time being.

New Business

Randy Ryals put forth ideas for cooperating with the ACBL charity program “The Longest Day”. He asked for permission to call his team promoting Alzheimer’s contributions “Team Unit 503”. A motion was made (Margot), seconded, and passed. Claire Coleman and Will Watson, directors of the Friday games at the Bridge Center have agreed to hold their games on June 21, 2013 as charity games with the ACBL charity of the year Alzheimer’s Foundation as the beneficiary. The EZ game will be included.

A discussion was held concerning funding for the Youth Bridge program proposed by Debbie Rosenberg. Information is needed as to how much funding is required. This discussion will be continued.

Bob brought up an issue concerning Unit Games and pre-sign ups. This is needed for organization by the director and the ordering of food by the committee. Participants will be strongly urged to sign up for the Unit games.

Kevin discussed some improvements that are needed to the Bridge Center. A paint job is needed. He and John Mattis will be installing chair rails at minimal cost with installation gratis. He also brought up the need for refurbishment or replacement of some of the five-year old bridge pads, particularly the 32K ones that don’t work for Swiss teams. He is awaiting a quote from the providers.

Sue Griswold announced that the entrance sign should be installed by next Tuesday.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:55 PM

The next regular meeting of the Board will be Thursday, May 2, 2013 at 4 PM at the Bridge Center.

Respectfully submitted,
Margot Livenspargar, Secretary

Bridge Center Class Rental Policy

This policy covers the use of our Bridge Center (BC) for bridge classes by an independent teacher (not unit-sponsored) and can be a single session (one day) or multi-session, both referred to here as a “class”. Rental of the club shall be governed by this policy. All teacher rentals require the approval of the Education Chairman. A Rental shall not exceed four hours, includes only the Banquet Room, and may not use any club services or supplies (except as listed below).

Class rentals can be requested up to 6 months in advance of the start date. Teachers will be given access to our Educational Calendar to check availability. All approved classes will be entered onto our Educational Calendar, given announcement space on our website, paloaltobridge.org, and announced in our monthly newsletter, The Kibitzer, if space is available.

Class Rental BC Fee: $3 per student per class, per session.

Bridge Center Rental Policy

This policy covers all use of our Bridge Center (BC) besides our regularly-scheduled, sanctioned games, unit-sponsored events, and classes. Rental of the club shall be governed by this policy. All general rentals require the approval by the BC Manager, or the Board of Directors. A Rental shall not exceed four hours, includes only the Banquet Room, and may not use any club services or supplies (except as listed below). Contact the BC Manager for rates exceeding this time.

Types of Rentals

• A Member Rental is a request by a BC member for a personal party or meeting with 10 or more people. Examples are birthday parties for a member’s immediate family.
• A Non-Member Rental is any event requested by a non-member of our unit. A BC member must act as the sponsor, be present at the event, and is responsible for turning off lights and locking up if necessary. This rental requires pre-approval by the Board of Directors.

2. Availability of the Club

The renter must check with the BC Manager and our online calendar(s) before requesting to schedule any event to insure that there are no conflicts.

3. General rental

Requests for rentals must be arranged with the BC Manager. Time should be allowed for review by the Board of Directors if necessary, which usually meets once a month. On approval of a rental request, the rental agreement must be completed and returned to the BC Manager, accompanied by payment and proof of insurance (if a non-member event), at least 14 days prior to the event date. Failure to comply may result in cancellation of the rental.

The refundable deposit may be used to cover any necessary cleanup, repairs or replacement of missing equipment, or any other costs incurred by club on behalf of the renter. An itemized list of all rental costs will be provided to the renter after the event with a refund of deposit or request for payment, as appropriate.

4. Duties of Rentee

• Making coffee and the use of the kitchen is included in the rental rate. Cups, dishes and utensils used by participants should be run through the dishwasher (90 seconds) and restocked. Chairs, bidding boxes, and BridgePads, if moved, should be replaced as originally found. Any litter should be picked up.
• If this is the last event of the day, the lights should be turned off and the building’s exits locked.

5. Insurance

A Member Rental will normally be covered by the club insurance policy. A Non-Member Rental must show that the Palo Alto Bridge Club is named as an additional insured during the period of rental for bodily injury liability and property damage. A Certificate of Insurance must
Bridge Center Rental Policy accompany the rental contract. This may be obtained from your insurance company. Renters
are responsible for their personal items.

6. Other Requirements

• The Bridge Center Manager will assure that all necessary arrangements have been made.
• The occupancy of the club TBD.
• Cancellation of a rental should be made as early as possible. Failure to comply may result in loss of rental fee.