February 2015

Jody Williams, President, called the meeting to order at 3:48 pm. Other Board members present were Leslie Altick, Jim Harris, Todd Makler, Paul Davis, Kevin O’Leary, and Dave Puryear. Also in attendance were John Prior, Merri Banks, and Margot Livensparger.

The minutes from the January 2, 2015 meeting were approved.

Jody Williams announced that District 21 had chosen our unit’s nominee, Margot Livensparger, as the recipient of its annual Goodwill Award. Margot thanked the Board for her nomination and expressed her surprise at being selected. Several Board members assured her she deserved it and congratulated her for her recognition and her contributions to the unit.

Having received several requests from unit members to host the Grand National Pairs and Teams at our Center, the Board discussed the issues involved. Concern was expressed that we not take away an event which another unit felt ‘belonged’ to them. The other impediment is financial. Paul Davis will talk to the District and explore some alternatives that would allow us to host without losing money and displacing our regular weekend games.

Until now, the unit has provided new ACBL members with a Recognition Packet including one free play at the Center. This Packet has not been provided to members who transfer from another unit. The Board voted to provide the same Packet to all new unit members, including transfers.

The organizers of this year’s Learn Bridge in a Day program requested some free play certificates to distribute as prizes. The Board decided to authorize up to $1000 for free play prizes for 2015. These will be used for unit games and special events as well as for LBIAD. This is a one-year trial, to be evaluated at the end of the year. The goal is to encourage play, especially for newer players. Jim Harris will coordinate the allocation of these prizes.

The Board clarified its policy on private lessons at the Bridge Center: the standard fee will apply (currently $3 per person) but the use of the Center is not exclusive and is limited to times when the Center is open.

The Board voted to provide $275 to the Stanford University Bridge Team which has qualified for the Collegiate Nationals. The funds will buy a new set of boards and tee shirts for the team members to wear during the competition. The shirts will acknowledge the Palo Alto Bridge Club in an appropriate way.

Officer and Committee reports included the following updates:

• During the President’s Day Regionals, the carpet and chairs in the Center were cleaned. Our kitchen also passed the County health inspection.
• We also passed our annual outside financial review.
• The Committee on the Future of the Firecracker will hold its first meeting on March 9, after the Monday game (approximately 3:00).
• Red Cross certification training on the AED has gone slowly, but John Prior will be offering the class again in March.
• The next Unit games will be March 7 and 8.

The next Board meeting is scheduled for March 10 at 3:45pm.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:50.