Board Minutes July 5, 2011
Members attending were Mike Atherton, Valerie Baldwin, Steve Barash, Sue Barkley, Keith Burnett, David Crosley, Sue Griswold, Bev Nuding and Allen Wollman. Also attending were Lori Spaeth, Eleanor Tanck and Alan Templeton.
New Business
New Building Mike updated the progress of the new bridge center. He had a second meeting with the zoning administrator and the neighbors. Many legitimate concerns were expressed by 5 speakers; traffic, parking overlap on some occasions and low frequency noise from bands at rentals in the main hall. The City will meet with a sound engineer who will be retained by IFES. Alan T said the neighbors are very positive about the Bridge Club but have problems with noise from the main hall. It was recommended that neither building be occupied until the soundproofing is completed. Mike sent a letter requesting a waiver for our use. No decision has been reached yet.
Alan T said that the city inspector was abusive toward our contractor. The IFES paperwork was inadequate and all construction was halted. We suggested that Steve Krong get involved and he will work on getting the documentation up to date. As our moving date into the new facility is in doubt the board looked into contingencies: 1) Roy Robinson will talk to the Lutheran church regarding playing our games there and storing our supplies. 2) We could ask Twisters to extend our lease and Mike will confer with them. 3) If our delay is short term only, we could look into storing items with Dymond. 4) We could rent a pod and leave it either at our current location or at IFES. JCC is not an affordable option. Further complications: our moving date conflicts with the Santa Clara Regional tournament. Sue said we need someone to oversee the move. Lori will contact people who offered to help including Lee Haze and Kevin O’Leary. Club owners should take responsibility for moving the contents of their cabinets. Allen Wolman offered to buy boxes and Sue offered to call a group of day workers for which we would need liability insurance, The board concluded that we can pack our own boxes and hire movers. The board approved a motion authorizing the president to conduct a vote by email if necessary for any quick decision.
Request for Funds for Building Sue then said that IFES is concerned about expenses for improvements that the City could require. It was suggested that we front construction money to IFES if necessary in exchange for repayment with reduced rent. A legal document would be needed The board approved a motion to authorize the President and committee to offer up to $50k to the IFES board to speed construction.
Club Owner License Agreement Dave brought up suggested changes in the contracts with the club owners. First, our address needs to be changed. The contracts now state that the owners have right of refusal of changes we make to their contract. Many issues stem from this. Among them how we should deal with an owner not fulfilling expectations. There should be qualifications to keep running a game. The Unit needs a means for canceling a contract. It was agreed that we will change our address and have an interim agreement to continue the terms of the lease for 1 year to allowing us time to modify the agreement. It was suggested that the directors be a member of our unit or carry liability insurance. The agreement should be signed by the director and the club representative each year.
Administrative The June board minutes were approved.
Kibitzer Eleanor said the Firecracker tournament news would be in the September Kibitzer. We are 1st in District 21 in membership increase percent. Steve Lubeck and Lu Isaacs put together the “Why Join the ACBL” pamphlet.
Unit Game Schedule Keith said there will be no 199er Swiss game August 14. On September 25 Keith does not think there should be a 199er game if we have a mentor/mentee game and an open game. Kathie Shaw is getting back to confirm the mentor/mentee game on the date. October 16, Swiss Game – no 199er. November 13, Pairs, 199er – Pot Luck. December 18 Pairs, 199er – Holiday Party
Treasurer Bev reported the total liabilities and equity in the Unit Bridge Center account is $115,128.00 and the total liabilities and equity in the Education Fund is $3,216.97. Alan C. no longer wants to do the ED fund. We will need to find a replacement.
Bridge Center Manager Update John called ACBL. There is no way to cross reference Palo Alto and Mountain View at present. They will think about how it might be done. Change of address forms need to be sent to the directors.
Items Initiated by BOD Members Firecracker Tournament Steve has all the needed manpower and caddies for the Firecracker tournament. He hopes to equal or better the 1000 tables from 2010. There may be a problem next year getting the 4th of July.
Wish list for the new Bridge Center Lori would like to announce in the Kibitzer that we need volunteers for the move and also list items needed (chairs, tables, defibrillator) and the cost.
The meeting was adjourned at 5:25
Respectfully submitted,
Sue Barkley, Secretary