A Board Meeting of the Raritan Yacht Club was called to order at 20:00 on October 9, 2007.

(Revised)

 

1.     Roll Call

 

 

N

D

J

F

M

A

M

J

J

A

S

O

N

Commodore Vicky Jo Neiner

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

 

VC Dennis Meichel

X

X

X

X

X

X

O

X

X

X

X

X

 

RC Allan Jacobs

X

X

X

X

X

O

X

X

X

O

X

X

 

PC William B. Adams

O

X

X

X

O

X

X

X

O

O

X

X

 

Jim Bauer

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

O

X

X

 

Barbara Booz

O

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

 

Steve Buzbee

X

X

X

X

O

X

O

X

X

O

X

O

 

Dennis Driscoll

X

X

X

X

O

X

X

O

X

X

X

O

 

PC Dave Frizell

X

X

O

X

X

O

X

X

X

X

X

O

 

Paul Jedziniak

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

 

Bob Kennedy

O

O

O

X

X

X

O

X

X

O

X

X

 

Ann Myer

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

 

Skippy Paul

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

O

X

X

X

 

Jerry Solas

-

-

-

-

-

-

X

X

X

X

X

O

 

Dave Steward

X

X

O

O

X

X

O

O

X

O

O

X

 

x = present, o = absent

 

2.     The September meeting minutes were approved.

 

3.     Jim Woller presented the Financial Report.  Excess Revenues over Expenses YTD at September 30, 2007 were $12,504, and the cash balance was $19,659.  The balance is composed of the payroll account ($19,000), the Galley bond ($5,000), and the RYC Juniors ($1,000), which means the operating account was in the red for about $6,000.  In order to avoid overdrafts, checks were held until October (people were notified ahead of time).  The cash balance is always at its lowest point in September.

 

        The Sinking Fund balance increased YTD at September 30, 2007 by $10,743.  Vicky noted that net contributions to the Sinking Fund have been less this year compared to the average over the previous ten years.  The same amount has been going into the Fund this year, but more is coming out.

 

        Jim distributed handouts, “Proposed List of Capital Projects for Member Approval” and a first draft of the RYC 2008 budget.  The total cost for the all the items on the proposed list is $122,250.  He noted that there is only about $10,000 for capital items with this budget and that projects must be properly allocated over the course of the year in order to remain within the budget.  The $7,000 surplus from the Grill room is included in this amount.  There was a discussion of the proposed capital projects, and some of the comments included, the whaler engine may be a safety issue because of the need for another chase boat, the trophy case may be a Sinking Fund item, the house is suffering from a lack of maintenance, and the north float is literally sinking.  Dennis summarized the proposed Point of Service system.  Jim related the recommendation of the Finance Committee, which was a dues increase of $110 and an assessment of $90.

 

        Jim also distributed a handout, “Raritan Yacht Club Billing Dispute Process Rules …”, but for lack of time, discussion of it was postponed until a future meeting.

 

4.     Al Jacobs presented the Rear Commodore’s Report.

 

a.     The yard roller gate was ordered from National Fence a while ago, but they have yet to install it.  If the project is not completed in 30 days, Al may cancel the order.

b.     Work continues on Great Beds, but humid mornings have prevented the Awlgrip job.  The Coast Guard inspected Lou Booz and Great Beds.  The minor items they found are being addressed.  A suggestion was made to cover the launches during the winter, and Ann recommended tarps from Harbor Freight.

 

5.     Dennis Meichel presented the Vice Commodore’s Report.

 

a.     Work on the vent is taking place this week. It will cost about $500, which will be charged, as of today, to the house budget.

 

6.     Vicky Jo Neiner presented the Commodore’s Report.

 

a.     Vicky summarized the Special Meeting.  The membership is looking for better communication, especially for fee increases, which they want to be by membership approval.

b.     There will be a brief Board Meeting immediately after the November Annual Meeting.

 

7.     Committee Reports.

 

a.     Ron Gort spoke about the Galley.  The Grill room is used much, and it is difficult to accommodate the membership in the Surf room.  There will be a new menu by next Friday.  The Galley operator was asked whether he will renew the contract and whether he would enter a two year contract.  He will let RYC know soon.  A suggestion was made to place a barrier at the top of the stairs from the Grill room into the Surf room when there is a private party.  The barrier could be a small chain with a sign that reads, “Members Only”.  The Galley will be closed on Wednesday nights when racing stops and in January.  Ron also reported that an unauthorized person(s) is entering the Galley, when it is closed, to use Galley equipment.

 

b.     Joann Breef-Marks reported that the Bar revenue for September was $14,300 and the net profit was $4,610.

 

c.     Ann reported on Entertainment.  The Wednesday Night Racing “End of Season Bash” will be held on October 24th at 6 p.m.  There will be a buffet, slide show, and DJ.  All are welcome.  On the evening of Haulout, October 27th, there will be a Halloween Party (come with costume).  The Galley was asked to provide a special menu.  On Saturday night, November 10th, there will be a “Music on the Grill” party.  Hopefully, Steve Buzbee’s band will play for the event.  In December, the Trim-A-Tree Party will include a youth “barbershop” group.  The tree will be trimmed that evening, and new decorations are needed.

 

        A motion was passed that “$2,000 of the unspent minimum be approved for Entertainment”.  The money would go for the “Music on the Grill” and to help cover the cost of the band at the New Year’s Eve Party.

 

        Bob Kennedy reported that the cruiser’s “End of Season” party will be held on November 3rd.  Members of the NJ Lighthouse Association will make a presentation.

 

        Ann also reported that a tactics seminar by North Sails is planned for February or March.  Bob noted that a racing class for cruisers would be welcome.  Vicky suggested that Paul Beaudin of Doyle Sails be contacted, as he has offered to hold such a class, as well as a class in heavy weather boat handling.  Vicky also mentioned that Tucker Thompson has a slide show presentation of the America’s Cup.  His fee is about $1,200 - $1,500.

 

d.     Dennis reported on the Point of Sales system.  RYC currently has a convoluted system that was put in place 3-4 years ago and that involves manual operations by Joann.  All our Galley operators have said RYC needs a POS system.  Six companies were interviewed, four made presentations, and two were selected as the best.  They are Club Tech and ClubSoft.  Both are fully integrated systems, which would link the Galley, the Bar, and the office.  The cost would be in the $30,000 to $50,000 range, but some money could be saved with ClubSoft by adding on to the ClubSoft accounting package already installed in the office.  The system would include five terminals, as well as printers in the kitchen.  Approximately $3,500 could be saved by the use of the two current terminals.  The cost for the ClubSoft package would be about $20,000 to $25,000.  Alternatively, the system could be leased for about $700/month.  Questions were raised as to whether the Galley would share the cost, and a few suggestions were made.  Dennis recommended that the Board present the POS system to the membership.  There were concerns that the membership would not accept a capital budget of $122,000 with only $10,000 available and that it was premature to present the entire budget to the membership.  In view of the late hour, further discussion was reserved for a Special Board Meeting to be held on Monday, October 15th, at 7:30 p.m.

 

8.     Old Business.  None.

 

9.     New Business. None.

 

10.   The meeting was adjourned at 23:18.

 

Respectfully Submitted,

Fred Hartner,

Secretary

 

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