From: Betsy Packard [bpack@suscom-maine.net]
Sent: Saturday, July 02, 2005 5:24 PM
To: Nancy McKinnen; Brad Burnham; Elizabeth Packard; Laura Lee; Frank Giustra; Kristina Morse; Hans Wendel; Pam Torrey; Barbara Murphy; Sandy Potholm; Sean Carter; Doug Roth
Subject: Minutes June 29, 2005
MINUTES OF THE MAINE MASTERS SWIM CLUB BOARD MEETING.  June 29, 2005 at 1 PM at the Bowdoin Pool.
 
PRESENT:
Brad Burnham, President                               Hans Wendel, Member           
Pam Torrey, Vice President                            Doug Roth, Pen Bay Pool Rep
Barbara Murphy, Treasurer                             Nancy McKinnon, Wiscasset Pool Rep
Betsy Packard, Secretary                              Sean Carter, Newsletter Ed by speaker phone
 
MINUTES of April 19, 2005 meeting were approved.
 
TREASURER'S REPORT from November 1, 2004 to June 29, 2005.  Receipts are $7071.38.  Disbursements are $8105.47  Check book balance is $4794.84.  All is on target according to budget outlines with the exception of a decrease in sales of merchandise.
 
MEMBERSHIP REPORT. We have 2 new members bringing our total to 163.  The Membership Chair was requested to prepare a print out of which pool members use to swim.
 
MEET SCHEDULES.  Doug Roth gave each person a 3 page document entitled "Here's Where We Are Right Now".  Two pages had circular diagrams, one showing the current Maine Masters swim meet schedule for the year 2005 and the other showing possible adjustments in future meet schedules.  Another page proposed some suggested goals in meet schedules for the next years such as having one meet per month with a minimum of a 2 week spacing between meets, having meets in Bangor and in Freeport, having meets in central and northern Maine and some other suggestions.  Doug said that currently meets are scheduled by Frank Giustra, MESC Meet Director, according to the request of the pool hosting the proposed meet.  All members present agreed that the MESC BOARD SHOULD TAKE A MORE ACTIVE ROLE IN MEET SCHEDULING.
 
MEMBERSHIP ISSUES.  Doug Roth gave each person a 4 page document entitled "Maine Masters Leadership".  Page 1 illustrated MESC's declining membership from 1996 to 2004.  The other pages contained 14 points of possible solutions to the declining membership problem.  In the first point, Board Members' attendance/participation at the Bath Meet, the Pen Bay Meet and the Boothbay Meet were listed; the implication was that meet attendance was an expectation of Board Members.  This was challenged and in the ensuing discussion reasons were cited as to why swimmers become members of Maine Masters at all with the conclusion that membership is to serve health and fitness goals or to prepare for competition -- or both.  Discussion also included the various demands on time and talent of Board Members and agreement was reached that attendance/participation in meets was only one of a multitude of factors that influence a person's decision to serve on the MESC Board.  The other 13 points of the "Leadership" document were not addressed except by an overall agreement that it is important to find good leadership at each pool.
     Brad will form a committee to find out who are pool representatives at each pool and beyond that, who could become one at pools that are unrepresented.  This committee would be a communication link between Brad and the pools.  It was recommended that the committee post posters/flyers at each pool that would include contact information about MESC and include an MESC application form.
 
NEXT MEETING will be in September at Bowdoin.  Recognizing that Augusta is more centrally located and assuming, therefore, that holding a meeting in Augusta would attract more members and reps to attend, the next Board Meeting after September 2005 will be held in Augusta, providing a suitable place can be found.
 
Respectfully Submitted,    Betsy Packard,  Secretary