Meeting #34 of the Board of Directors - 2007-02-01

The meeting was called to order by the President, John Goold, at 10:05 a.m., Thursday, February 1st, 2007. Present were:

John Goold - President Marvin Sossin - Vice-President
Ian McLennan - Treasurer Maria Antonieta Mellado Fresard - Secretary
Patricia Miranda - Vocal Lee Riggs - Vocal*

* Joined the other directors at 11:10 a.m, more than 4 hours and 50 minutes early for his originally scheduled arrival time!

The President welcomed the members and proceeded to provide a list of the current Board members and an overview of his duties.

Minutes of the Last Meeting

The minutes of the last meeting, #33, were read. John Goold indicated they had been entered in the Actas book and had been signed by the former President and Secretary who had been at that meeting. Of those present, Patricia Miranda and Ian McLennan had attended. John Goold moved that the minutes be accepted as-is, Patricia Miranda seconded the motion and it was approved unanimously.

Treasurer’s Report

The Treasurer presented his report, and advised that the current assets of the ARNB were 2,186,780 colones, including the paid 2007 annual dues of 44 members, but excluding a small amount of bank account interest still to be determined. John Goold moved that the report be accepted as read, Maria Antonieta Mellado Fresard seconded the motion and it was approved unanimously.

Correspondence

The President indicated he had advised the WBF (Anna Gudge) and CACBF (Hugh Williams) of the current members of the Board of Directors of the ARNB.

The President reminded the members of an e-mail message from the WBF that had been forwarded to all the Board members by John Mac Gregor. It was about a charity simultaneous pairs that was held January 22nd and 26th to raise fund to build a school in Pakistan. The school is to be called the WBF School.

The Secretary indicated there was no further correspondence.

New Business

1. Thank You to Past Presidents

The Board discussed the proposal put on the agenda by Lee Riggs to thank John MacGregor for his contribution to the ARNB.

After a full discussion John Goold moved to thank both John Mac Gregor and Amalia Meltzer, former Presidents of the ARNB, for their work and contribution to the ARNB by presenting them, at a well publicized Friday game, with engraved, bilingual plaques to be purchased by the ARNB. Pat Miranda seconded the motion and it was approved unanimously.

2. Board Meetings

By way of introduction the President emphasized that the Board should meet monthly on a regularly scheduled date and time to allow members to make their plans to attend accordingly. He further commented as follows:

  1. Meetings should start promptly;
  2. Meetings should follow as closely as possible an agenda, circulated in advance of the meeting;
  3. All members should have an opportunity to voice their opinions;
  4. Preferably, meetings should be 2 hours or less;
  5. Minutes should be circulated within a week of the meeting to allow review while memories of the meeting are fresh;
  6. A quorum is 4 members. When less than a quorum discussions can take place but no motions or votes can be made.

Ian McLennan moved that the meetings be held on the last Thursday of each month at 10:00 a.m., and, for the time being, they will be held in the conference room of Edificio Vista Real, Curidabat. Marvin Sossin seconded the motion and it was approved unanimously.

It was noted that the next meeting will be held on Thursday, February 22nd, 2007.

3. Bridge Facility

Ian McLennan reported that the negotiations with John Mac Gregor to have the ARNB take responsibility for the facility did not bear fruit. John Goold moved that this be noted in the minutes and that the membership be advised of this, that the status quo will continue, and that should an opportunity to have an ARNB bridge facility come up in the future, it will be investigated and a proposal made to the membership. Ian McLennan seconded the motion and it was approved unanimously.

4. Membership

A discussion about what the membership appears to want in terms of bridge took place. It was generally agreed that most bridge players are competitive and want to win, but that the degree of formality (atmosphere) desired differs. Ian McLennan discussed reaching out to other groups of players such as those in Quepos, Samara and Los Reyes.

5. Schedule

John Goold introduced the subject, observing that the dates of national event have varied greatly despite attempts in the past to set repeatable dates. He proposed that the Board make a real effort to establish a schedule of events that can be repeated so that the membership can plan accordingly. He presented a summary, based on the minutes of past Board Meetings, of events both held, and proposed to be held. He particularly emphasized:

A lively discussion then took place, including the proposal to hold other special games that might appeal to the membership.

Patricia Miranda moved that the National Individual Championship be held on Saturday, Februrary 24th, 2007 and that, in future years, it be held on the last Saturday of February. Ian McLennan seconded the motion and it was approved unanimously.

Lee Riggs moved that John Mac Gregor be invited to direct the National Individual Championship this year. Pat Miranda seconded the motion and it was approved unanimously.

John Goold moved that a Committee formed of Patricia Miranda, Lee Riggs, and Ian McLennan be formed to arrange the National Individual Championship, with a maximum budget of $300 to cover such things as Director’s Fees and small individual trophies. Marvin Sossin seconded the motion and it was approved unanimously.

John Goold moved that a Committee formed of Patricia Miranda, Lee Riggs, and Ian McLennan be formed to propose a rational schedule of events that can be repeated in future years. Lee Riggs seconded the motion and it was approved unanimously.

Adjournment

The motion of John Goold to adjourn the meeting was seconded by Pat Miranda and approved unanimously. The meeting ended at 12:10 p.m.

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