Unit Board Minutes

Unit 448 Board Meeting Minutes November 2015

The meeting was called to order at 11:30 a.m. by President Chris Kent at the SYSA Bingo Center.  Attending were Chris, Jodi Kimbrell Donna Carter, Marty Burdick, Louise Saylor and Norma Hols.  Absent were Sue Norton, Steve Sickel and Mick Soss.  Also attending was Charles Bennett, Unit web master.

The October minutes were approved as written.

The Treasurer reported a bank balance of $12,307.19 and said the Charity game netted $1,662 which was presented to the Salvation Army.  The report was accepted as presented.

The Christmas game was discussed and it was decided to change the membership meeting to occur after the dinner, during dessert.

Marty Burdick, Chair of the Nominating Committee, made a motion on behalf of the nominating committee, to add Lou Arevalo’s name to the list of candidates for the Unit Board.  The motion was approved.

Chris asked if the Board members had any reaction from the membership regarding the By Law amendments.  Louise mentioned a few questions she received.  The amendments will be presented as currently written.

The ballot for the membership was presented.  It was suggested and approved that the maintenance of several hundred dollars per year be added to the cost of the dealing machine on the ballot.  Charles Bennett said his preference would be for the Bridge Mates as being more useful to the Unit and the clubs than a dealing machine.

Some Club directors have asked about using Unit game sanctions for club games to increase master point awards.  The Unit now has 24 sanctions per year available and uses about 15 of them.  The Board approved letting clubs use some of the extra sanctions.  A sanction for a club would have to be requested by a Board member.

The Board approved a change of web site provider recommended by Charles Bennett after a trial run..  The new web site would cost $65 per year, nearly a third of the current cost, and be easier to change and update.

The dates of the 2016 Unit games were set: January 24, February 28, March 13, April 17, May 22, July 17, August 21, September 18, October 23, November 20, and December 11.

The site for the February 2016 sectional was discussed.  The Comfort Inn has raised the cost to $400 plus tax per day and this was felt to be excessive.  The Red Lion Inn at the Park has offered a room for $200 per day and Jodi was authorized to contract for this if she thought it appropriate.

A motion was made and passed that the Unit again sponsor a table at the Corbin Senior Center Health Fair.  The cost, if paid now, is $180 and will go up in a few weeks.  The motion was approved.  The people at the Fair expressing interest will be given a free bridge lesson and presentation by Brenda Simpson and Doyle Crook with volunteers from the Unit helping.

The Unit Policies and Procedures were briefly discussed by the Board.  It was generally recognized that the current Policies and Procedures need to be reviewed and updated. 

Respectfully submitted, Norma Hols, Secretary

Unit 448 Board Meeting Minutes October 2015

President Chris Kent called the meeting to order at 11:30 a.m., October 4, at the SYSA Bingo Hall.  Attending were Chris, Marty Burdick, Sue Norton, Donna Carter, Jodi Kimbrell, Mick Soss, Steve Sickel and Norma Hols.  Absent was Louise Saylor.  Also attending was Brenda Simpson, Education Liaison.

The September minutes were approved as previously presented via email.

The Treasurer reported a bank balance of $12,596 as of September 30, 2015.

The latest wording on the Unit Bylaws (which were “cleaned up” and revised by Louise Saylor) concerning Board meetings was approved.  The Board voted to present the updated bylaws to the membership for approval at the December 2015 membership meeting.  The bylaws will be put on the web site, David Rottmayer will be asked to email them to the membership and several printed copies will be made available at the clubs before the meeting.

A motion by Mick Soss was approved to ask the membership its opinion on two considerations of the Board: the purchase of 25 Bridgemates, at a cost of approximately $4,500, to be used at sectionals, unit games and available for the clubs to rent, or a dealing machine, costing approximately $4,750, for the same purposes. The measure would include the probable December unit bank balance of $11,000.  The membership would be able to vote “yes” or “no” for each item. This would not be a binding vote.

Norma will prepare a possible Unit game schedule for 2016 and send it via email to the Board before the November meeting.

Brenda reported that of the six calls received from the radio ad, four people had signed up to take lessons.

There was a discussion of special games that can be offered by the clubs and the Unit, and perhaps shared by the Unit. Research is needed before a more productive discussion can be held.

A motion was approved to subsidize the 2015 Unit Christmas Party at $10 per person attending.

The meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted, Norma Hols, Secretary

Unit 448 Board Meeting Minutes September 2015

President Chris Kent called the meeting to order at 11:30 a.m., September 13, 2015 at the SYSA Bingo Hall.  Attending were Chris, Marty Burdick, Susan Norton, Steve Sickel, Mick Soss, Jodi Kimbrell, Norma Hols and Louise Saylor.  Absent was Donna Carter.  Also attending were Brenda Simpson, Education Liaison and Charles Bennett, Web Master.

The August minutes were approved as written.

The Treasurer’s report stated the bank balance was $12,793.24

Jodi reported on the September sectional.  The Unit lost $242.67.  The attendance was down 36 tables overall.  We lost $90.84 on the February Sectional and $371.58 on the June sectional. A discussion was held on how to improve attendance at the sectionals and how to cut expenses. Nothing concrete was settled on. A motion was made and approved to raise table fees $1 to $10 per session.

Jodi also announced that the Comfort Inn was raising the rent on the space we have been using by $25.18 per day. With the $80.45 increase in 2015 it makes a total of $107.63 per day increase in two years. Although she has a verbal agreement with the Comfort Inn about 2016 she will investigate other locations, possibly the Eagles, where the Christmas party is held.

Norma suggested that the 2016 Board appoint someone to promote the Unit games.

After discussion of the four candidates listed, the Board voted on a representative from District 19 to the ACBL Board of Directors.  The vote was by written ballot which each member placed in a sealed envelope with the member’s name and ACBL number on the outside.  These will be sent by FedEx to the District Elections chairman.

Brenda said that the radio ad was playing and she had received several positive comments and six calls concerning lessons.  She showed us the ad in the Inlander magazine, as well, from which she has received three calls.  She mentioned that she had sent the ACBL” In & Out” report to each Board member.

Charlie Bennet said he was still looking into the best web site option available.

Charlie reported on his research of dealing machines and “Bridge Mates.”  He liked the European dealing machine which was half the $4,700 cost of the US one, until he heard that they didn’t hold up well.  He also liked the European (Per Jannerstron) scoring machine method which uses software  and small computer pads on each table and which cost $50 per station. (20 Bridge Mates would cost circa $4,500.) He will try to investigate further when he is in England next month.  Mick proposed that we ask the membership at the Christmas meeting whether or not to proceed with either project.  The Board will vote on this proposal in October when we have the final wording of the motion.

The nominating committee, Chaired by Marty Burdick, with Lynn Hays and BJ Kolkman, recommended three candidates for the 2016 Board of Directors: Karen Frogner, Charles Bennett and John Adams.  The recommendation was accepted by the Board.

Louise led a discussion on the Unit bylaws which she has been working on.  She cleaned up the grammar, redundancy and cohesiveness and added a section on absentee balloting. The Board approved of what she presented. She will send us a final corrected copy that will be presented to the membership at the annual meeting.  Copies will be distributed by email and available at SYSA on paper before the annual meeting.

The meeting was adjourned at 1:00 pm.

Norma Hols, Secretary

Unit 448 Board Meeting Minutes August 2015

Vice President Marty Burdick called the meeting to order on August 2, 12:00 noon, at the SYSA Hall.  Members present were Marty, Norma Hols, Jodi Kimbrell, Louise Saylor, Mick Soss, Steve Sickel, Donna Carter and Sue Norton.  Absent was Chris Kent.  Also present was Brenda Simpson, Education Liaison and Electronic Contact.

The July minutes were approved as written.

The Treasurer reported that the Unit bank balance is $13,105.97.  She is going to post the monthly Treasurer’s report on the Unit bulletin board at SYSA.

Louise presented the edited version of the by-laws which includes a change in the election process. Further changes will be implemented and discussed at the next meeting for approval of the Unit members at the December membership meeting.

Marty announced that Lynn Hays and BJ Kolkman will join her on the nominating committee.

The Unit game in September will be a NAOP qualifying event.  David Rottmayer will announce this via email to the membership.

Doyle Crook, the Charity game Chair, discussed some of his ideas for raffles, etc.  He named the Salvation Army as the 2015 charity.  The Board voted to contribute $100 to the event.

The Board also voted to contribute $500 for hospitality for the April Spokane Regional tournament.

Brenda gave the Board a list of members who had been sent reminder notices for dues. She reported that the current Unit membership is 244.  She also discussed the radio ad and said the American Bridge Teachers Assoc. felt this type of ad was not successful.  The Board will wait until Chris Kent returns to decide whether to go ahead with it, or concentrate on printed ads and booths at events. She also said since she could not attend the National ACBL teachers meeting this year the Board can cancel the $200 registration fee given to Unit teachers attending.

Norma announced that the Election Materials for the Dist. 19 representative to the ACBL Board of Directors will be sent to her and the Unit Board will vote for this representative at the September Board meetig.

Mick reported on the expense of a dealing machine and found them listed at circa $4,500.  Charlie Bennett is going to investigate at the Nationals if there might be a better deal somewhere.

The new club game was announced – Lou Arevalo’s Monday night game at St. Aloysius.  Charlie is having the game added to the Unit web site.

The meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted, Norma Hols, Secretary.

Unit 448 Board Meeting Minutes July 2015

The meeting was called to order at 11:30 a.m. by Vice President, Marty Burdick, at the SYSA Bingo Hall. Attending were Marty, Louise Saylor, Donna Carter, Jodi Kimbrell, Mick Soss and Norma Hols.  Absent were Chris Kent, Sue Norton and Steve Sickel.  Also attending was Unit web master, Charles Bennett.

The May Unit meeting minutes were approved as written.

The Treasurer, Jodi, stated that the Unit bank balance is $13,538.  The June sectional was down 10 tables and we lost $371.50.  The Unit games have netted $48.75 so far this year.  The report was accepted as presented.

Louise presented the by-laws as she has edited them.  A change in election procedures was discussed.  The final version of the by-laws to be presented to the membership may include this change, so approval by the Board was deferred.

Norma will present a proposal for absentee ballot voting at the August Board meeting.

The Board agreed to ask Doyle Crook to take over as Chair of the Charity Unit game.

Mick will research the cost and desirability of purchasing a dealing machine.

Marty will Chair the nominating committee for candidates for Board of Directors members.  She will ask two members at large to serve on the Board with her.

In regard to the District 19 election for a representative to the ACBL Board of Directors, the Unit Board chose to vote at the September meeting, rather than on-line.  Norma will ask for the election materials to be sent by FedEx.

Concerning updating the Unit web site, Charlie said that certain changes can only be made by the company we pay to maintain the site.  The charge is $45 an hour and that is a minimum. The Board authorized him to have the changes made as he feels necessary.he meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted, Norma Hols, Secretary

Unit 448 Board Meeting Minutes May 2015

The Unit 448 Board meeting was called to order at 11:30 a.m. on May 17 at the SYSA building by President Chris Kent.  Attending

were Chris, Jodi Kimbrell, Norma Hols, Marty Burdick, Donna Carter Steve Sickel, Mick Soss and Sue Norton.  Louise Saylor was absent.  Also attending was Charlie Bennett, Unit Web Master.

 The April meeting minutes were approved as written.

 Because of lost keys, the Treasurer had no written report, but will give copies to the Secretary later and to the Board at the July meeting.  She reported no significant changes from April.

Louis sent in a report on the By-Laws update.  She has edited them for grammar matters and is researching Robert’s Rules of Order on proper by-law procedures.  She asked that the Board discuss the “elections” section.  The Board discussed the matter of notifying the membership concerning Board candidates and by-law changes before the annual membership meeting. The Board will consider changing the by-laws to allow a special issue of the “Grand Slammer” and the web site to be sufficient notification.

Bridge Mates were discussed again with no decisions made.

The election committee (Donna Carter and Marty Burdick) suggested that the annual membership meeting be held in October rather than December, so that more of the “snow birds” would be able to vote.  Absentee ballots were also mentioned. After much discussion, no decision was made at this time.

Jodi reported that the June Sectional tournament is ready to go.

Charlie Bennett reported on the Unit Web Site.  He said that as it is currently set up he can make some changes and not others.  He said the changes he can’t make have to be made by the company that hosts the site and they are very slow in reacting to requests.  He will research the possibility of either setting up the site on our own, or getting a different company.  This will take some time.  He asked for suggestions for improving, correcting and adding to the site.  He can only put on the site what we give him.  It was suggested that the teachers’ page be alphabetized, and he will do that.

Sue, the I/N chair, said that she has been asked to have the Unit host an I/N only game (up to 299 points).  We will solicit more feedback on that.

The Board reaffirmed that David Rottmayer was doing a good job of directing the Unit games.

We still do not have a Charity Game chair and October is getting closer.  As discussed before, the format needs to be changed and we will do away with the auction. With this change a chairman may be more willing to take it on.

Chris will be out of the country for the July and August meetings.

Respectfully submitted,  Norma Hols, Secretary

 Unit 448 Board Meeting Minutes April 2015

The meeting was called to order on April 12, 2014, 11:30 am by President Chris Kent at the SYSA Bingo Hall.  Present were Chris, Norma Hols, Jodi Kimbrell, Louise Saylor, Marty Burdick, Mick Soss, Donna Carter and Steve Sickel.  Sue Norton was absent.  Also attending was Charlie Bennett, Web Site facilitator.

The March minutes were approved as amended.

The Treasurer reported a bank balance of $13,666.65 and the report was accepted as presented.

Jodi mentioned that the March Unit game netted $100.

Brenda sent in her report. The Corbin Senior Center Fair, March14, at which she and Doyle Crook had a table, was well attended and they handed out bridge literature.  The cost of the table was $180. She also had a table at the Valley Senior Fair on April 10, which didn’t cost anything. At the Free Bridge Lesson event at the Bingo Hall, March 29, there were two and one/half tables (despite the Zags game) and several helpers from the Unit.

Sue, I/N chair, also sent in the report that she has been asked about having a Unit game just for I/N players.

The July Unit game will be an Individual using only the Yellow Card.  Jodi made flyers advertising the game and printed out Yellow Cards for use in the game.  She also made a poster for the May Unit team game and potluck.

Donna reported that she is trying to get more email addresses on the Unit Roster but has had a slow response.

The By-Law Committee and the Election Committee had nothing to report this month.

Charlie Bennett asked for input about the Unit Web site.  He asked how long we wanted to keep minutes posted from the Board Meetings and it was decided one back year was enough.  There was a discussion about the way to list the local bridge teachers and their plans.  The Board approved listing each teacher with their names, contact information and a brief statement of their class offerings.

The meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,

Norma Hols, Secretary 

Unit 448 Board Meeting Minutes March 2015

President Chris Kent called the meeting to order at 11:30 a.m., March 15 at the SYSA Bingo Hall. Attending were members Chris, Marty Burdick, Norma Hols, Jodi Kimbrell, Louise Saylor, Donna Carter, Steve Sickel, Mick Soss and Sue Norton.  Also present was Brenda Simpson, Education Liaison and Electronic Contact.

The February Minutes were approved as corrected.

 The Treasurer’s report listed the Unit bank balance at $13,625.87 and was accepted by the Board.  Jodi said she had obtained a Food Handler’s Certificate and the Board approved reimbursing her the $15 fee for taking and passing the test.

Jodi presented a draft of the Labor Day Tournament flyer.  The Board agreed to making the Saturday team game “Board a Match” and the flyer was approved.

It was decided to make the July Unit game an “individual” contest.  All players will use the “yellow” card, a plain, no frills system, and Jodi will make copies for all players.  We will ask the club directors to announce the game and explain it.  We will make posters for the club room, as well.

The new roster was passed around and Jodi had printed enough copies to hand out at the Unit game.

Charles Bennett is the new Web Master and it was agreed to ask him to attend the Board meetings.

Brenda announced that the radio ad will be postponed again to take advantage of the fall season.  She and Doyle Crook had a booth at the Corbin Senior Center Wellness day and handed out at least 50 flyers for a free bridge lesson on March 29 at the Bingo Hall.  She asked for volunteers to help that day with the new players.  We would also like cookies to go with the coffee provided.  She showed the Inlander ad and will have some print styles changed for the next issue.

An Editor for the Grand Slammer is still needed.  Cristina Gallotti agreed to help someone get started, with formatting, etc.  We also need a Charity game chair and some new ideas for fundraising.

Donna Carter offered to Chair an elections committee and Marty Burdick offered to help her.

There was a discussion about the matter of “Bridgemates” which was not resolved at the membership meeting.  A motion was made and approved to continue renting “Bridgemates for the sectionals. It was suggested we buy enough for the Unit games (15?) and make arrangements for the clubs to use them.  Steve and Mick are going to bring a proposal concerning such a purchase to the next meeting.

The awards will be presented before the Unit game starts, instead of between sessions.

Respectfully submitted, Norma Hols, SecretaryUnit 448 Board Meeting Minutes February 2015

The meeting was called to order by Chris Kent, President, on February 15, 12:00 p.m., at the SYSA Bingo Hall.  Also present were Louise Saylor, Donna Carter, Mick Soss, Jodi Kimbrell, Sue Norton and Norma Hols.  Absent were Martha Burdick and Steve Sickel.  Also present was Brenda Simpson in her capacity as Education Liaison.

The minutes from the January meeting were approved as written.

Jodi presented the Treasurer’s report.  The balance in the Unit’s bank account is $14,179.16.  The Unit received $899.68 from ACBL as our share of the membership dues from 2014.  The January Unit game netted $29.13.  She also reported that the February 2015 Sectional netted $53.43.  The table count was up a few tables from 2014.  The report was accepted by the Board.

There was a discussion about recruiting people for various appointed positions, including Discipline Chair, Charity Chair, Grand Slammer editor and Web Master.

The ACBL privacy update was mentioned, and it stated that if a member is already listed in a roster he/she does not have to OK it again.

Brenda Simpson presented a picture of the Education expenses.  The Board had already approved the radio ad and the Corbin Senior Center wellness program entry.  The Board approved $200.00 for the ABTA Convention fee, which may or not be used, and $150 for Inlander ads.  It was decided to wait on the Bridge Jamboree hospitality expense and see how much is needed.

The Board had no objection to Dick Yager’s application for a ACBL-wide Matchpoint Game in October, 2015.

The flyer for the June Sectional, presented by Jodi, was approved with the change of I/N to 0-299ers.

The charity game was discussed and all agreed that a change in fund raising is needed.

It was suggested that the terms of the Board members be more regular.

The next Board meeting will begin at 11:30 a.m.

The meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,

Norma Hols, Unit 448 Secretary

PS  The presenting of awards before the game worked out very well.

Minutes of Unit 448 Board Meeting, January 4, 2015

Chris Kent, senior Board member, called the meeting to order at 11:15.  Present were Chris, Sue Norton, Steve Sickel, Louise Saylor, Donna Carter, Mick Soss, and Marty Burdick.  Also attending were Brenda Simpson, Education Liaison & Communication Contact with ACBL and the Unit Education Chair, and Jodi Kimbrell, 2014 Treasurer, Tournament Chair and Hospitality.

Chris welcomed the new members to the Board.

Ron Krueger’ s resignation last month from the Board created a vacancy for the remaining year of his term.  Jodi Kimbrell was appointed to complete the term.

The November Board and December General Meeting minutes were approved as written.

The Treasurer’s report with a bank balance of $13,330.17 was submitted by Jodi.  The report was accepted as presented.  A summary will be posted on the bulletin board.

The new, or continuing, Unit officers are Chris Kent, President; Marty Burdick, Vice President; Jodi Kimbrell, Treasurer; and Norma Hols, Secretary.

Brenda submitted and the Board discussed the various membership data she obtains from ACBL. 

ACBL’s privacy policy dictates that each member must agree to the inclusion of personal information in a local membership or directory.  Discussion explored how best to obtain the necessary membership release for the Unit’s roster.

The February Sectional will be at the Comfort Inn.  The Unit will rent Bridgmates for the Friday and Saturday games.

A Task Force will be appointed to explore matters related to the Bridgemates question that was tabled at the December General Meeting.

The February Unit game date was changed to February 15^th.  The previously scheduled game conflicts with the Vancouver Regional.  Likewise the announced November game conflicts with the Leavenworth Regional.  The new date is the 8^th.

Appointments were made to the following positions:

Unit Director               David Rottmeyer

Tournament Chair       Jodi Kimbrell

Hospitality Chair         Jodi Kimbrell

Webmaster

I/N Chair                    Sue Norton

Education Liaison        Brenda Simpson

Electronic Contact       Brenda Simpson

Grand  Slammer Editor

Disciplinary Chair

Publicity                      Brenda Simpson & Sue Norton

Membership/Roster Chairs

Donna Carter and Jodi Kimbrell

Property Chair             Mick Soss

Recorder                     Doyle Crook

Charity Chair

Christmas Party Chair

By-laws Review Committee Chair

                                  Louise Saylor

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 12:45.

Respectfully submitted by

Louise Saylor, Board memberMINUTES OF DECEMBER 7, 2014, GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

The December 7, 2014, Unit 448 general membership meeting was held in conjunction with the Unit's Christmas part at the Eagles Lodge on North Lidgerwood.

President Ron called the meeting to order.  He recognized Jodi Kimbrell for the excellent job she did in putting the Christmas party together.  He also thanked everyone for coming.  There were 13 tables in the open section and five tables in the I/N section at the afternoon game. There were 11 tables in the open section at the evening game.

Ron recognized those board members who completed their terms:  Cristina Gallotti, Jodi Kimbrell, Nancy Edwards, and Marty Burdick.  He also paid tribute to board member Anne Henrichs who died unexpectedly in August and whose term was left unfilled.  He announced that the board nominated Jodi Kimbrell (3-year term), Sue Norton (3-year term), Marty Burdick (3-year term), Bill Rottmayer (3-year term), and Louise Saylor (2-year term) for the five vacancies.  Nominations were called from the floor, and Steve Sickel and Donna Carter were nominated.

There was some discussion of purchasing Bridgemates II.  Don Hanset, director of the club game at Sandpoint, graciously came to the meeting to offer any help in understanding the scoring devices (they are in use at Sandpoint).  There was a motion to table further consideration of making such a purchase.  The motion was seconded and passed.

Since there were more candidates for the board positions than vacancies, secret ballots were used.  Peter Barthels and Doyle Crook was asked to be ballot counters.

During the dinner the ballot counting was completed.  Peter announced that the winners were:  Sue Norton, Marty Burdick, Louise Saylor, Steve Sickel, and Donna Carter.

Respectfully submitted,

Ron Krueger, President

Unit 448 Board Meeting November 2, 2014

 Unit President, Ron Krueger, called the meeting to order at 11:30 am at the SYSA Bingo Hall.  Present were Ron, Nancy Edwards, Jodi Kimbrell, Marty Burdick, Mick Soss, Chris Kent, Norma Hols and Cristina Gallotti who participated on Skype from Italy. Also attending was Brenda Simpson, Education Liaison & Communication Contact with ACBL and Unit Education Chairman.

The minutes of the September meeting were approved as written.  There was no Board meeting in October.

The Treasurer’s report was submitted by Jodi, with a bank balance of $14916.30.  $842.48 will be deducted from that amount as part of the charity game money and be sent to Union Gospel Mission.  She is waiting to get the final amount of the charity game proceeds from Rita.  The report was accepted as presented.

The Charity Game was discussed and it was noted that the parties were a big success, but not the silent auction.

The Christmas party flyers were shown by Jodi and will be posted in the clubs.

Ron suggested that one Unit game be designated an individual game as something different that might attract more members to participate in the Unit games. After some discussion a motion was passed that approved an individual movement game to be held at the July Unit game with the Yellow Standard card being used.  The club directors will be asked to explain the Yellow card and the individual movement.  Jodi will design a flyer with this information and she will print Yellow cards for everyone.

Ron had asked Max Gallotti to research the feasibility of buying “Bridge Mates” for the Unit.

Max recommended that we purchase these scoring machines to be used by the Unit at Sectional Tournaments and Unit games.  The clubs could use them for a small fee, e.g. $.25 per tale.  After much discussion it was decided by a motion to present this to the Unit membership at the Christmas meeting with the Board’s recommendation that it be approved.  The cost of 26 Bridge Mates would be approximately $4,000.

 Ron asked the Board’s opinion on reducing the number of Board members from nine to seven.  The Board’s opinion was to keep the number at nine.  A list of Board member candidates to be submitted to the membership meeting for the annual election are as follows:  Jodi Kimbrell, Sue Norton, Marty Burdick for 3-year terms, Louise Saylor for a 2-year term, and one candidate for a 3-year term to be determined. (After the meeting was adjourned Bill Rottmayer agreed to be this candidate and the Board members informally agreed.)

The radio ads have been approved by ACBL.  ACBL will furnish the script and pay 75% of the cost.  The ads will run in time for the winter lesson season.

It was decided not to choose a “Person of Merit” this year.

The meeting was adjourned.

 Respectfully submitted, Norma Hols, Unit Secretary.

Unit 448 Board Meeting Minutes August 2014

The Board Meeting was called to order by Cristina Gallotti, Vice President, at 11:45, August 3, 2014 at the Comfort Inn.  Attending were Cristina, Jodi Kimbrell, Norma Hols, Anne Henrichs, Mick Soss, and Ron Krueger (who arrived late).  Absent were Nancy Edwards, Chris Kent and Marty Burdick.

There was no Board meeting in June or July and the minutes of the May meeting were approved as written.

Jodi presented the Treasurer’s report which stated that the Unit bank account was $13,584.61.  She also reported that the June sectional netted $413.42, with 126 total tables.

The Christmas party was approved as meeting at the Eagles lodge on Lidgerwood, Sunday December 7.  The dinner will be prime rib and shrimp.  The fee will be $22 per person for two sessions of bridge and dinner, $15.50 for one session of bridge and dinner and $15.50 for dinner only.

Mick Soss agreed to take the position of Property Chair and the Board approved this appointment.  Mick, Jodi and Norma will take an inventory of the Unit property, most of which is currently stored in the basement of the Comfort Inn.

The club games currently held at the Comfort Inn, along with Brenda’s Tuesday valley game, will move to the Bingo place on Sprague after the Labor Day Sectional.  Jodi will talk to the management of the Comfort Inn to see if it will be possible to continue the sectionals there. If not, we will find another location for the sectionals and another place to store the Unit property, possibly the Bingo place. The Board agreed to help Mike Coopersmith with the move to the Bingo place.

There was a discussion about the mentor game and it is hoped that it can be revived with the help of the various directors.

Cristina adjourned the meeting.

Respectfully submitted,

Norma Hols, Secretary

Unit 448 Board Meeting Minutes May 2014

President Ron Krueger called the meeting to order at 12:00 noon on May 4, 2014 at the Comfort Inn.  Attending were Ron, Norma Hols, Cristina Gallotti, Nancy Edwards, Jodi Kimbrell, Marty Burdick and Anne Henrichs.  Absent were Mick Soss and Chris Kent.

The minutes were approved as written.

The Treasurer reported a bank balance of $13,338.75.  The report was accepted as presented and the backup documents were given to the Secretary to file.

Ron led a discussion about the possibility of storing the Unit’s tables and supplies at the Comfort Inn since club games held there will continue there for at least another year.  The consensus was that if the storage couldn’t be worked out with the hotel, other arrangements could be made.  Ron will talk to the new hotel management.

Jodi said everything was in order for the June tournament.  She has a caddy lined up in case the Director doesn’t bring scoring machines.  We will post a signup sheet for cookies as soon as possible.

Regarding the ACBL annual request for a nomination for ACBL Goodwill Person of the year, the Board decided to send in, again, our nomination of Marshall Mah.

Ron mentioned the great response we had at the “Movin & Grovin’ Fair at the Corbin Senior Center.  We will try to follow up to see how many of those responding, are taking lessons and/or are playing in club games.

The Board discussed the dates for Unit games and how to make sure, if possible, there were no conflicts.

The Board decided to recommend Ron Krueger for Dist. 19 Goodwill member.

The Christmas party will probably be at the Eagles again, mainly because of the cost factor.

Respectfully submitted,

Norma Hols, Secretary  

Unit 448 Board Meeting Minutes April 2014

President Ron Krueger called the meeting to order at 11:45 a.m., April 6, at the Comfort Inn. Attending were Ron, Nancy Edwards, Jodi Kimbrell, Chris Kent, Norma Hols, Marty Burdick, Anne Henrichs, Cristina Gallotti and Mick Soss. No absences.

The Board minutes for March were approved with the addition of the email vote by the Board approving a motion that the Unit not sign any leases for club games. Norma added that she had sent an item to the “ACBL Bulletin” about Kay Fergie, and a copy of the “Grand Slammer’s” item about Dennis Cohen hoping they would take it in place of an obituary for the In Memoriam

The Treasurer’s report was accepted by the Board. The Unit has $13,434.50 in the bank. The Unit was down $33 for the year-to-date mainly because of the expense of buying some new cards and boards, but is expected to get back on the plus side immediately. Peter Barthels completed the Unit 2013 financial audit and reported that everything was in order.

Space for the Unit games was discussed. The Comfort Inn wants the club games to remain there, contrary to what we had been told previously. Ron has looked at several possibilities, if it should prove necessary to move. One is the East Side Community Center and another is the Corbin

Doyle Crook submitted a report on our booth at the “Movin’ & Grovin’ Fair at the Corbin Senior Center. He and Brenda Simpson collected around 20 names of persons interested in bridge. This is a much better response than we have obtained at any previous “Health & Wellness” event. The interested parties were given information about bridge teachers and club games.

The hospitality for Unit games was discussed. It was decided that the Board would continue to provide desserts for pot lucks. Anne said the extra hospitality expense for April’s game was because food prices have gone up, and she bought cookies this time.

Chris reported on radio ads. ACBL and the radio stations recommended several ads spaced over a short time. To make the most of our money we should use one station. (ACBL will pay $750 for a $1,000 expense.) Chris narrowed the appropriate stations to two, and the Board decided on 101.1, a golden oldies station. He will make sure that the Unit web site meets the criteria of the ACBL funding. The board decided to start the ads in August, for the fall season.

The Unit Roster was discussed. Jodi has been entering data furnished by ACBL on Excel, and asked for some help proof reading. Ron volunteered for this job. Jodi can have it printed and the Board will help assemble it.  Nancy contacted some players taking lessons from Doyle and Brenda and will send out cards to the I/N players, as usual, before the spring sectional.

Respectfully submitted, Norma Hols, Unit Secretary

Unit 448 Board Meeting Minutes for January 2014

The following appointments were made for Calendar Year 2014:

 --Unit Director:  Dave Rottmayer

--Hospitality Chair:  Anne Henrichs

--Tournament Chair:  Jodi Kimbrell

--I/N Chair:  Nancy Edwards

--Grand Slammer Editor:  Cristina Gallotti

--Education Liaison:  Brenda Simpson

--Webmaster:  Gerry Krueger

--Disciplinary Chair:  Marshall Mah (interim)

--Property Chair:  Mike CooperSmith

--Publicity Chair:  Chris Kent

--Membership Chair:  Chris Kent

--Charity Chair:  Rita Guzzard

--Recorder:  Doyle Crook

--Christmas Party Chair:  Jodi Kimbrell 

Dave Rottmayer recommended that the Board recognize cumulative master point leaders from our three sectionals in 2014 by bracket.  He recommended that the three brackets be as follows: 

   0 – 299 masterpoints

The Board approved the suggestion and decided that each winner would be given a certificate at the February 2015 sectional, along with a $50 gift card  It was also decided that we would announce this race at each of the sectionals. 

The Board approved asking Peter Barthels to audit our books for 2013. 

Brenda presented the Board with a proposed budget for 2014 for Education/Advertising.  A decision will be made on it at our February meeting.

The meeting adjourned at 12:35 p.m. 

Respectfully submitted, 

Ron Krueger, President