September 2009
Minutes from Board Meeting on September 3, 2009
Attendees
Mary Cooperman, Steph Belleveau, Jay Chu, Martha Corneck, Lisa Krakoff, Sydney Hunter, Kathy Santarella, Ron Wimer, David Blansfield, Sheila Stolarski, Ellen Johnston, Kelsey Slater, Jacquie Tumminia, Mark Sedlak, Cindy McNab, Adrienne Williams, Sandy Morrison, Chris Gannon, Jeanne Bowles, Cyndy Moyer, Althea Seaborn.
Introduction of New Members and Mark Sedlak
New Board members were introduced along with our new AG Coach, Mark Sedlak. Mark discussed his background and is looking forward to getting started with the swimmers. We’re all glad to have him on board.
Approval of Minutes
The minutes from the July 8 meeting were approved.
Bylaws Change
Ron presented a copy of the bylaws to new members. The wording was changed to reflect the fact that we do not need to send copies of changes to the bylaws and new amendments to the IRS and Connecticut Secretary of State. The Board agreed to this change in wording.
Nominating Committee
The Board unanimously voted in Althea Seaborn as our new AG Rep. Welcome Althea!
USA Swimming
Chris up to date, (will get any remaining checks at Expo) and will print out yearly reports for the treasurer.
Treasurer’s Report
There was approximately $17,000 in net expenses for June and July. This was largely due to coaches’ expenses and compensation, Pet-Wrat refunds and a donation to the Strong Kids Campaign.
Jay reported, though, that our YTD net income is $2512 versus a budget of $0. The very successful LCI meet, favorable Pet-Wrat variances and general reduced spending in several areas (especially coaches expenses and equipment) helped offset the website design expenses and helped us generate positive numbers. We have a very clean balance sheet with just a few outstanding items. Jay will take care of the final bank reconciliations as soon as the bank statements come in. He passed the books over to Martha Corneck and commended the board and committee chairs for staying on budget.
PET-WRAT
Steph gave a four-year overview of the Pet-Wrat program. She recommended that we do not assign timing slots this year and that we do not continue the zero-points program. She also recommended that we require Sr. parents to complete at least half their points by the end of the SC season so we don’t get stuck with families who do not complete their requirements and do not pay. Steph also noted that the grocery program is not doing well. The Board did, however, vote to continue the program another year and will try and publicize it via the website, team reps, etc.
The Board discussed how to best communicate to parents what their responsibilities are. David Blansfield, Jacquie and the other coaches are looking at the coming year as a new era for the team and a perfect time to build awareness and enthusiasm. The Parent Reps will need to stress the importance of the point system, volunteering, etc. Other ideas included splitting the time needed to volunteer at meets (timing slots for instance), having the Seniors work at 8/Under meets and providing training opportunities at the Blue/Red Intrasquad Meet.
A motion was made to get rid of the zero points requirement and the motion passed. The Board will continue to look for ways to encourage a “culture of participation.”
Coaches’ Report
So far, Jacquie expects 130-140 returning swimmers for 2009-10. Depending on the final numbers we may need to hold another swim meet to add to our budget. For those families that have not yet responded, she is following up with phone calls. However, there were about 70 kids at tryouts, which should put our final number at around 170-180. Next year Jacquie will hold tryouts a week later since some families were still out of town for the summer. We can also put the registration materials out earlier next year, too.
Jacquie is planning to mix the coaches and groups a bit so that the groups mesh and the coaches get to know all the swimmers. The coaches are currently solidifying assistant coaches, preparing training plans etc and will be sharing them with Jacquie.
The meet schedule should be ready in a few days. There is a new suit for the AG team, which is now available at MetroSwim Shop.
Jacquie and Jeanne Bowles presented the new Wrat logo. Seymour Schachter designed it and everyone loved it. Jeanne plans to use it on logo wear and it will be on the new team t-shirt.
Co-Presidents’ Report
Website Improvements: Ron registered “wrat.org” so that if you wrat into a search engine, our site will come up. He also discussed possible changes/improvements to the website. These include finishing the inside home pages, creating a “team blog,” dating entries properly and using Twitter feeds. He has spoken to the web designer who estimated that these changes would cost about $2500. The board discussed and several members were concerned there would be cost overrun. Everyone agreed that oversight is essential. One idea is to backdate $1500 of the cost so that we can use some of last year’s $2000 profit. The board agreed to allocate the funds and backdate the cost.
IRS 990 Form: The IRS 990 form has been reworked. Ron proposed forming a committee to look at the impact on the PC as a non-profit. The committee will report by January. Committee members are: Ron Wimer, Adrienne Williams, Mary Cooperman, Chuck Katter, Martha Corneck, Bonnie Strittmatter, Peggy Mevs and David Blansfield. Shin Miyoshi, CFO of the Y will also participate as an observer and advisor.
Meets: The team was awarded all the meets we requested. They are: The Freestyle Frenzy, Nov. 7-8, 2009; the Pentathlon, Jan. 23-24, 2010; and a Q Meet, February 6, 2010.
Expo: All committee chairs and board members are expected to help out at Expo. We will have the same table set-up as in the past.
The next meeting will be Thursday, October 1, 2009.
Respectfully Submitted,
Mary Cooperman
Secretary
