Board of Directors Meeting Minutes ACBL Unit 503
Tuesday, April 14, 2026, via Zoom
Directors Present
Liz Koh, Marc Cervellino, Dan Thatte, John Schwartz, Stephanie Youngquist, Geraldine MacDonald, H. Paul Davis and Dianne Giancarlo.
Directors not Present
Dana Shelley, Alex Narasin
Others Present
Alan Templeton, Allen Simon
M/S/P = Moved/Seconded/Passed
Call to Order
Liz Koh, President of the Board, served as Chair of the meeting, called the meeting to order at 4:00 PM and announced that a quorum of the Board members was present and that the meeting, having duly convened, was ready to proceed with business. Dianne Giancarlo served as Secretary of the meeting.
Approval of Meeting Minutes
Dianne G. announced that the minutes of the March 10, 2026, Board Meeting were approved via email.
Financials Update
Marc C. reported that table count has been strong since our February Board meeting. This has been aided in great part by the Monday morning EZ games that started in February. John S. reported that Dana S., Alex N., Phil Abrahamson, Chris Chung and several more volunteers worked hard to get this off the ground and that Chris Chung is providing short pre-game lectures to the group when Phil Abrahamson is not available. Marc C. and John S. suggested that we compensate Chris for his time from funds we receive from PBEF.
Marc C. also noted that the four-week average table count since the beginning of the year is tied for the highest since Covid. Although the Unit has suffered a year-to-date loss for the last three months, it is less than budgeted. Hopefully the four-day Sectional coming up at the end of April will be sufficiently profitable to reduce the Unit’s YTD loss. The Adam Parrish lecture last week and the upcoming Barbara Seagram lecture will provide additional non-table rent revenue for the Unit.
More supplies (e.g. cups and plates) are needed for the higher table count.
State and Federal Reporting
Marc C. has prepared and e-filed state and federal tax returns for the Unit which Liz K. has reviewed and approved. Liz thanked Marc for his hard work putting all this together.
Tournaments at PABC
Unit 507 March sectional: Silicon Valley Unit 507 hosted its Sectional in March at the Bridge Center, drawing about 34.5 tables on Saturday morning and 28 on Sunday. The licensing fee we received from this event is a meaningful addition to our revenues.
Update of Sectional April 23-26: Marc C. reported that we have sufficient volunteers for this event. He is hoping for a good turnout over the four days of play.
Royal STaC May 4-9: Liz K. reminded the Board that Royal StaC games will be held at the Bridge Center May 4-9.
Firecracker Site: Liz K. reported that she had asked IFES to reconsider the increased price that they quoted us last year to use their space for the Firecracker. They still have not given us a quote. Given required planning, Marc C. proposed that we no longer wait for a response and that the Unit hold 100% of the Firecracker in the Bridge Center in 2026. M/S/P
GNTs: Liz K. reported that in 2025 we started helping D21 market the GNTs. Last year and this year, we hosted the A and B teams at the Bridge Center drawing a significant increase in the number of participants. Next year we will host the Flight B and C teams.
2028 Sectional Dates: Marc C. reviewed the Unit’s 2026, 2027, and 2028 tournament dates. The 2027 dates have already been approved by the Board and have been sanctioned by D21. The 2028 dates had been selected by Liz K. and Marc C., and these dates have been sanctioned by D21. Marc C reviewed the rationale for those dates and sought Board approval (2028 dates can be changed if necessary). M/S/P
Bridge Center Updates
Toilet Issue: Marc C. discussed that we are having an ongoing problem with a toilet in the men’s room that continuously runs. IFES hired a plumber who used inferior products and left us with a worse situation than we started with. Marc C. will propose to the IFES that the Unit will identify a licensed plumber and deduct the cost of the repair done correctly from our next utility payment to IFES.
BlueBot water monitor and Blink camera: Marc C reported that the BlueBot water monitor was indispensable in identifying the excessive water usage due to toilet issues. Liz K indicated that the Blink camera has been very useful to ascertain who is coming in and out of the Bridge Center.
Food Handler Cards: Liz K. noted that Paul Davis and other helpers in the kitchen need to take a course to obtain their Food Handler cards if they have not already done so.
Volunteers recruitment
Liz K. emphasized the need to find more volunteers to help with the many tasks that so few are doing right now, including: running Sectionals and the Firecracker, running and help at the partnership desk, taking photos at Unit events, posting on Facebook, Bridge Center maintenance. Gerry M. agreed to talk to the Tuesday 499er group about stepping up to some of these roles.
Celebrity seminar
Liz K. reported that the next celebrity seminar will be by Barbara Seagram on Sat. June 20th on the topic of end plays.
Status on New Initiatives
Next Free Lecture: Debbie Rosenberg will give a lecture on Thursday May 14th prior to the regular club game. Dianne G. had suggested the topic “Forcing vs. Non-Forcing”.
Golden Club Championship: Paul Davis and Allen Simon are holding two club games in 1 day, with gold rewards in the morning game that will be held on Saturday, June 6th.
Special events: Stephanie Y. is planning a special summer celebration at the club game on Friday, July 31. More details to follow. Stephanie Y. and Dianne G. discussed ideas to provide time for players to socialize more.
Status of EZ game: Dana S.’s report on the Monday EZ games were sent to the Board. Also see above.
Last Pro-Am Pairs: H.Paul D. reported that the March 12th Pro-Am game was extremely successful with 40 pros and 40 ams. He and Denise Pitsh are looking for a date to hold the next one.
Local units team game competition: Still under consideration. Unit 507 suggested Saturday, October 5th for gold points in October.
The Board meeting adjourned at 5:20 pm.