May 2018

May 10, 2018

Call to Order and Approval of April 12, 2018 meeting minutes: President Dan Thatte called the meeting to order at 3:50 pm. The minutes of the April 12, 2018 meeting were approved as submitted. Other board members present included Leslie Altick, Kip Kado, Anne Keyser, Geri MacDonald, Alan Polish, Dave Puryear, John Schwartz, and Susan Zhang. Jody Williams also attended the meeting. The minutes of the February 8th meeting were approved as submitted.

Technology Committee: Jody reported that the guidelines for substitute directors on how to enter game results are in process with a draft in review. The project to develop the new website reached the point at which it was necessary to test running it on a server. Therefore, it was time to pick where to host the new website. The committee selected Bluehost, which came well recommended and is less expensive than the current plan. Jody will find out the location of the facility where the website will be hosted. Cheryl Haines will help select the pictures that will be used on the website. There will be a final review of the website and the Board members were invited to participate. Launch is the final milestone on the project. The Board thanked Jody and the Committee for all their efforts.

Finance report: Susan reviewed the April and YTD actuals and comparison with 2017. The good news is that table fees are up versus the same period of 2017. Education revenue is also on track. The income expected from the North American Pairs game we expected in the first quarter is delayed to the fourth quarter due per the District’s rescheduling. The Unit has also made most of the payments for the software development planned for the website. If the Firecracker has a good turnout, the unit is likely to be on budget.

Update on the Firecracker sectional and NAP final: Dave reported that everything is on track. Parking arrangements have been finalized, although volunteers are still needed to man the lots. The Board asked for a timeline showing how marketing/ promotion for the event will be ramped up. The Board also authorized Kevin O’Leary to hire a handyman to fix the small things before the sectional, e.g., sticking bathroom door in the ladies room, the broken water dispenser at the rear of the hall, the faucets in the bathrooms. Dan will talk with Kevin. The North American Pairs were delayed by the District until the fourth quarter. The new dates are December 8-9. The financial results from the Non Life Master Sectional have not been tallied yet.

Mentor – Mentee Program: Anne Keyser reported that there are many more mentees than mentors at present. An issue is the current one-year commitment. The ACBL guidelines are six months, one time per month. In discussion, it was agreed that its necessary to better understand the goal of the mentee in working with a mentor. The program is not meant to help mentees identify a new partner. And many newer players are too intimidated to play in the open section. The Board agreed its necessary to take a more proactive approach in screening mentees to determine their goals for bridge, their experience levels at present, and more. Anne will develop a draft of a screener.

New Business: The date for the Holiday Party is December 16. Details to follow much later in the year. The Conservative Forum will be renting the Bridge Center on June 12 from 4 pm until 10 pm. One potential volunteer has been identified for chairing the lecture series. The person is traveling currently, so confirmation awaits his return. Dan also took as an action item talking with Kevin about the responsibilities overseen by the Club Manager,

Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 5:01 PM. The next meeting will be on June 14.

Respectfully submitted,
Leslie Altick