Minutes of the Long Cove Point Association
Board of Directors Meeting
August 16, 2021
DRAFT
1. Call to Order
The first in-person meeting since 2019 was called to order at 10:00 am by John Mulcahy, Chairperson and President. Present in addition to John were Elizabeth Vercoe (Secretary), Mark Jones (Treasurer), Tim Peele, Bonnie Potter, Amy Rolfe, and new board members Carol Kirby, Marcia Kagan, and Claire Mocarski.
2. Approval of Minutes for Board Meeting
The minutes for the meeting on June 21, 2021were approved.
3. Treasurer's Report (Mark Jones)
a. Current Checking: $21,431
b. Current Capital Account: $14,736 plus an additional $3,850 ($5,460-$1610 for the water heater) to be transferred in September
c. 273 renewals received to date including 16 new memberships..
d. Charitable donations to date: $5,273.
1. Voluntary charitable contributions to date: $3,635
2. Club charitable contributions: $1,638 (20% of $30 membership fee) X # renewed memberships
4. Committee Reports
a. Membership (Claire Mocarski, chair)
1. There are 16 new membership applications to date. Applications for new memberships are down.
2. Clarification of lapsed membershp policy
a. The Bylaws state:
"A member who fails to pay dues by the third Saturday after the Annual Meeting shall be deprived of all rights and privileges of the Association. Members in arrears, following that date, shall be dropped after due notification, but may be reinstated by payment of the annual dues plus an additional one year's annual dues."
b. Current Renewal Form states:
"For those who wish to rejoin after a lapse in membership: pay the check total from above (current membership dues) plus $50 per adult member as renewal fee."
John agreed to clarify the language in the bylaws for consideration at the next board meeting. The language regarding payment for children under 21also needs clarification. Mark indicated that some families regularly pay for adult children while others seem confused or forget that children are no longer eligible under their parents' memberships. Some board members thought that there should be a separate, all-inclusive family fee but others felt this would be hard to monitor. Since this is the final year of the special assessment to fund the septic system, revised forms for membership renewals and new membership applications will be needed for next year. There was some discussion about limiting the number of new memberships a person could recommend in a given year but the issue was tabled. Jack Campbell was nominated and approved for Golden Parachute status for his contributions to the club.
b. Social Committee (Catherine and Chris Gram, co-chairs)
The Grams report that the increased number of events this year compared to last year has been appreciated. The schedule included four Klondike days with one more this week, averaging 20 attending and costing $109.03. The wine and cheese social in June had 70 in attendance and cost $625.52. The Pizza Party in July was a new and popular event that cost $538 with income of $10. July was also time for the potluck dinner. The lobster dinner in August brought in 80 people and $1,860 in income and cost $1,773.66. Lastly, club member Dr. Caroline Bruzelius is giving a talk on August 17 on her recent trip to review the damage to Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris following the fire last year.
c. Tennis (Martha Hebert, chair)
The tennis pro has continued giving private lessons and leading triples. Triples have been very successful and included up to 24 participants ranging in age from 11 to 82. The success of triples has led to scheduling an additional two nights of triples in August. However, the tennis clinics did not happen for lack of interest. Signups for tennis via yourcourt.com has worked well and costs $150 per year.
There was some discussion about eligibility for use of the court by non members. Current policy states that non members who are not staying with a member may play twice per season with a member at $10 per person per session. The board suggested making the fee a voluntary contribution. The box for this is already in place.
The budget request for next year is $1500. Maine Track and Tennis will assess the court again in the spring, but the surface is expected to last another year or two. Search for a new chair of the tennis committee is underway.
d. Bridge (Jane Wallace, chair)
Jane reported that there have been 8-12 players enjoying bridge since mid-June. There are several new players and two playing duplicate bridge. New scoring sheets cost $35. She also suggested a coaching session for beginners with Martha Ehrenfeld or herself as tutors on Monday or Wednesday afternoons. An additional card table will be required if there are more than 12 players. There was some discussion about limiting the group to club members or limiting non-member participation to the new beginner group. Another suggestion was to offer the book, Beginner Bridge, to participants for $20.
e. House Committee (Amy Rolfe, chair)
Amy and her daughter have been sanding and painting the porch railings and promise to finish before the Bruzelius wedding this weekend.
John mentioned the degraded pavement at the edge of the parking lot and said that the town manager has agreed to schedule a paved "apron" at town expense and has also agreed to fill the large hole in the beach parking area. Screens are being replaced in the club windows. Amy has had one estimate for removing the dead trees on the side of the clubhouse and Carol volunteered to call to see if CMP will remove them.. A second estimate was suggested as well. There was some discussion of the problem of excessive heat at club events with several possible solutions such as skylights and turbine roof vents. The vents appear to be the cheaper solution.There was considerable concern about major repairs and renovations in the future such as replacing the windows which are in poor condition. Tree work will also be costly if the club pays for it. There are also rotting support posts and the possibility of a more durable railing material instead of wood in constant need of maintenance. Mark reminded us that there will be about $18,600 in the capital account in September with about half earmarked for the tennis court resurfacing. Suggestions included cladding the support posts instead of replacing them, checking with Bill Mullen about the type of windows that would be best, establishing priorities for repairs, and considering costs before deciding if dues should be increased.
f. Yoga (Marcia Kagan, chair)
Yoga is proceeding as scheduled. The budget request is for $560 and there is a search for a new instructor. There was discussion about limiting attendance to club members only, but there was concern that the club mission to encourage community involvement was being lost if non-members were excluded. Someone suggested including non-members in some bridge activities instead.
g. Nominating (Kit Reno, chair)
Several second terms are expiring in 2022 (Mulcahy, Vercoe, and Peele), and Bonnie Potter's first term is ending.
5. Other Business
a. Pest control update: There is a need for a more reliable pest control company. The Nervous Ticks service will be renewed.
b. Rental update: Wedding on August 20-21 and Memorial Service for Dick Stebbins on September 4 (no charge).
c. The board voted to approve the budget requests for tennis ($1500), Yoga ($560), and Bridge (modest expense).
d. There was a brief discussion of the way both new members and the board slate are approved but the current system was retained.
e. There was general agreement to use outside vendors for more maintenance work and a reminder that there is liability insurance for the board.
f. The distribution of charitable contributions totaling $5,273 (compared to $4,352 last year) was approved as follows:New Harbor Food Pantry, $1,318 (25%)
Caring for Kids, $1318 (25%)
Bristol Fire and Rescue. $1.055 (20%)
Bristol Historical Society, $264 (5%)
Bristol Area Library, $264 (5%)
Community Energy Fund, $527 (10%)
Chip Inc., $527 (10%)
The meeting was adjourned at 11:45 pm
Elizabeth Vercoe
Secretary