ACBL Unit 503 Minutes 10/7/2008
Present were Steve Lubeck, Dave Wheeler, Alan Cummings, Alan Templeton, Trina Bowman, Ginger Herrick, and Susana Krulevitch. Also present were Betsy Steel and Phyllis Gaffney, the latter a Board candidate for 2009.
Bridge Pads – Frank Gonzales was present to answer questions, i.e. what have the ACBL and Unit 21 decided about the use of Bridge Pads? Apparently both favor their use but it takes time to push the process through. Some Board members objected to the cost of the Bridge Pads, somewhat offset by the cost of pick-up slips. Steve Lubeck mentioned that, considering our assets, an outlay of $8000.00 over five years is not bad. A vote was taken and the majority of the Board members present were in favor of the pads. David will poll the rest of the Board members for a final decision.
Last month’s minutes were approved.
Kibitzer – Elinor mentioned that we had to throw away 50 and 100 copies in the last two months.
Alan T. gave the treasurer’s report. We lost a slight amount of money on the Anniversary game. Unit income for last month was $2200, income for the year, $11,500, mostly from the Education program. Bridge Center income is $3100 for the year excluding $9000 we paid for the A/C unit. Total Bridge Club assets are $37,000, of which $18,000 is deposits and A/C costs to be reimbursed by Twisters. Table count through August is up 3.5% over last year. The Education Fund is handled totally apart from other assets.
Membership update – Nita was not present but she sent out 30 welcome packets to new members, with free play vouchers included. New players have been attending games.
Susana gave an update on the Owners’ License Agreements. Eight of the ten Agreements have been returned. Susana will follow up on the remaining two.
Trina – Board Election – Candidates are Phyllis Gaffney, Eric Mayefsky, Jeannette McNeil, Grant Spaeth and David Wheeler. Election party will be on December 7th.
Steve – Firecrackers Tournament – Steve signed a contract with the Convention Center for the 2009 tournament and sent in a check for $3000. Tournament will be held July 1st to 5th. It will start with an afternoon and evening session. Cost is going up, i.e., $2000 more for rent and $600 for water service. If we charge $10.- per play and have the same number of people as the previous year, we will break even. Steve is working with the Hyatt on a preferred rate for overnight guests. Alan C. suggested to get an additional proposal from the Hilton across the street.
The Pot Luck game will take place on November 23rd. It was agreed to provide a roasted turkey. There will be a sign-up sheet for side dishes.
Holiday and Election party – Dec. 7th. Will be restricted to Unit members. If there is still room by Dec. 3rd, it will be open to outsiders. There will be a toy drive.
Alan C. gave an update on the Education Fund. The first two lectures were attended by 62 and 53 people respectively. A roster of attendees is being kept. Jim Leuker will lecture on October 16th and 23rd. January and February lectures are being worked on. The Library has had a successful start. The Fund is complying with all the requirements of the ACBL Educational Foundation.
Some equipment for the lectures, such as a laser pointer and a lectern, might be desirable. The lectern could be in the form of a music stand. It would be more appropriate to pay for these items with Bridge Club funds, since they would be used for multiple functions. It was agreed to get these items. An LCD projector would also be desirable, but will have to wait until a future date. The Kibitzer will feature a request for tax deductible donations to the Fund.
Other clubs have inquired about putting up flyers about their activities at our club. It was decided that this is OK as long as it is educational, beneficial for our members and does not interfere with our activities. Our mailing list shall not be used for commercial purposes. Designation of a proper place to display these flyers was shelved until the next meeting.
It was emphasized that we always try to improve upon keeping a pleasant environment during the games. Will remind Directors of general etiquette. Snippets of etiquette will be published in the Kibitzer, for everyone’s consideration.
Alan T. mentioned that the microphone system needs updating. It was agreed to buy a second, wireless, mic for $250 if desired. We will also reroute existing mike and put it on a stand and install a switch so that the mic can be used in different locations in case of co-existing activities.
Players’ Rating Systems were discussed – one by CK Champion. The board is concerned that this may be an invasion of privacy.
Meeting was adjourned at 5:20PM
Respectfully submitted,
Susana Krulevitch
Secretary