Onondaga Ski Club

Board Meeting Minutes

November 5, 2008

Present: Mark Bidwell, Tom Button, Dave Devendorf, Christa Foster, Scott Foster, Lloyd Howse, Kay Kotwas, Jack Lancette, Leo Naylor, Marvin Patnode, Allan Smith, Bob Wiley, Marilyn Woyciesjes

Excused: Mary Clay, Marian LaPierre, Neville Sachs, John Sonne, John Tuttle

Absent: Bob Dewey

Guest: Kate Blundell, Garre Krayenhof

President Marv Patnode called the meeting to order at 7:06 pm.

Secretary’s Report: The October minutes were e-mailed to board members and also posted on the OSC web site. Jack made a motion to accept the minutes, Allan seconded. Motion passed.

Ski Hawks Dual Membership:

At this point, Marv asked to change the order of the agenda to allow Kate Blundell, president of the Ski Hawks Ski Club, to summarize a meeting she had with Marv where they discussed how the two organizations could work together for the benefit of both clubs. Dual membership would be a way to accomplish that. This would allow members who choose dual membership in Ski Hawks and OSC to attend each club’s events, trips, as well as the OSC lodge.

Marv proposed that we create a dual associate club membership with dues of $30 that would be shared 50/50 by each club. Per Kate, the Hawks board and membership have already fully endorsed this proposal. Garre Krayenhof, OSC’s parliamentarian, agreed that associate membership could be a viable option for OSC. It would require a by-laws change and he suggested the wording of the by-law change as follows:

An Associate Member shall be a member in good standing of an Affiliated Club. An Affiliated Club is an organization with interests and goals that are compatible with those of the Onondaga Ski Club and shall be afforded that status by the Board of Directors upon a reciprocal relationship being approved by the governing bodies of both clubs. The dues for an Associate Member shall be established by the governing bodies and approved by their memberships. An Associate Member shall be afforded all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of membership in the OSC.

Mark moved to accept the proposal, Tom seconded. All present were in favor and motion passed. The proposal of dual associate membership in Ski Hawks and OSC, as well as the proposal for $30 dues for such a dual membership, will be presented to the membership at the December meeting and brought to vote by the general membership at the January meeting.

Committee Reports

Finance: The financial report was received and filed. John reported that the cash flow is adequate to sustain the financial commitments of the club, even with the $9,615 outlay for Sugarbush tickets. We can expect approximately $1,200 return from them. Our Vanguard Fund as of 10/31/08 is down approximately $12,000. Jack moved to approve, Lloyd seconded.

Membership: Per Jack’s membership report, as of beginning of November, total active membership is 632. Of those 357 have paid their membership through October 2009, 275 haven’t renewed yet. Jack will send a reminder with a renewal form to them after the November general meeting.

Lodge: Allan reported on a very productive work weekend. There were three guests assisting with projects. The lodge is in very good shape for use during the upcoming busiest time. Accomplished projects: two windows were replaced to fulfill fire code requirements, the discharge on the sump pump was relocated and a back-up one installed, the house was thoroughly cleaned, supplies were replenished, some landscaping work was done, the roof was checked and minor repairs done, and more. Regarding the sales tax issue on Sugarbush lift tickets, Dave assured that the NJSC is paying the sales tax on lift tickets.

Marketing: Tom mentioned the ad in the NewTimes, as well as the club’s presence at the ski show in October. He also suggested publishing this winter’s NASTAR race results in the newspaper. Marv asked for a marketing plan and would like to see a coordinated effort between marketing and lodge to increase usage.

Trips: Leo is looking into organizing day trips. He is exploring an easy way to offer car-pool day and weekend trips.

Old Business

Mission Statement: Postponed to next month.

Vermont Land Use (Update): Lawyer Bob Gang worked with Art Zimmer to purchase the lodge and at the time filed 4-page zoning form with the purchasing contracts at the Town Clerks Office in Vermont. He did not keep a copy.

Vermont Sales Tax (Update): Based on circulation of correspondence with other clubs and investigating Vermont sales tax law, this is not an issue. We are not renting to the public and are therefore not subject to sales tax.

New Business

New Meeting Site: The December board meeting will be at Marv’s house, final meeting site discussion tabled until then.

Absentee Ballots: An earlier proposal for absentee voting was rewritten by Garre and Marv. It would allow members who are absent at the time of voting to cast an absentee ballot (for the election of officers only) after they follow the proper procedures for requesting an absentee ballot. Scott moved to accept the proposal, Al seconded, all in favor. The proposal will be printed in the December Boomer, presented to the membership at the December meeting, and brought to vote at the January meeting.

There being no further business to discuss, Mark moved to adjourn, seconded by Tom. The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Christa Foster

Recording Secretary