Meeting Minutes

February 2012 Club Minutes

Space Coast Paddler’s Meeting Minutes, February 15, 2012

The meeting was called to order at 6:30 pm; newcomers and guests were welcomed. Minutes of the January meeting were approved; the Treasurer provided the financial report.

A short explanation of the meeting agenda was made, emphasizing the scheduled kayaking orientation presentation.

Announcements for events were made; the Memorial Red Cedar planting for Virgil Hall on Tuesday, February 28^th 8:30 AM at Thousand Islands; and 10 AM at Ballard Park. Thanks to Rick Follet for providing the information.

Sampsons Island clean-up is scheduled for Saturday, March10; members voted to participate in the event. Additional information will be provided regarding specifics and responsibilities.

Paddle for Autism: April 28^th, Suwannee River Rendezvous Resort and Campground, starting at the Hal Adams Bridge. All shuttles will be free. They will be selling tickets for door prizes ($10.00) and there will be entertainment starting at 4pm with "Mean Mary" and the "Salt Water Cowboys" from 7-11pm. There will be a Kayak for the grand prize. Call for reservations. (Website)

Jim Williams is surveying members to help determine favorite trips, and other trips to take locally and as paddling trips.

Club publicity: Volunteer needed to work on publicity for the club: paddles, special events, put SCP in the public eye, update business cards and pamphlets and design new Paddler’s stickers. Works with Board and attends board meetings. Volunteers for this post should contact one of the club Officers.

Members were asked to consider the type of programs they would enjoy at future meetings and contact an Officer to express their ideas.

Presentation: Kayaking, basics of How-to, what’s needed, things to be aware of; upcoming training and coaching sessions Saturday Feb 18th, Ballard Park, all under the direction of Lenny Lieberman.

Special thanks to Lenny for his EXCELLENT and entertaining presentation!

The meeting was adjourned – in the dark – a few minutes after eight o’clock PM.

Check the SCP web site regularly for updates and trip information.

Remember to Get Out and Paddle!!

January 2012 Club Minutes

Minutes from Club Meetings

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012 - Happy New Year!

The meeting was called to order at 6:35 pm; newcomers and guests were welcomed, paddles made since the last meeting were shared, future scheduled paddles were announced.

Changes in the planned meeting to provide training were briefly discussed and the training postponed until the February 15^th meeting, to be followed the next Saturday, the 18^th, with on-water training with coaches at Ballard Park and followed by a paddle, again with coaches, up the Eau Gallie River. The revised agenda was briefly explained.

Treasurer’s report was given providing the balance of the club’s account, and copies of the Annual Financial Report were made available.

The club had a lengthy discussion about the new club structure, the projected budget and the amount of dues.

The following concerns were raised:

- The new dues of $25 and $40 were still too high, and would discourage members from joining or renewing.

- The dues structure would leave the club with more extra funds than needed.

- The entire budget and dues process should have been done in a more transparent fashion, with more yes/no votes along the way.

- Having a "family" rate of less than double the single rate would discourage single club members from joining.

The following points were also raised:

- The budget and dues structure had been made clear to those who routinely attended meetings over the past 6 months.

- The dues were not unreasonable, as long as the club had something to offer, such as more scheduled paddles and educational opportunities.

Ultimately, a consensus/compromise was reached along the following lines:

- The board should have taken more steps to convey the entire budget and dues process through meeting minutes, or other announcements, especially for those who had not regularly attended meetings to hear the information verbally.

- The membership voted to accept the budget and dues for 2012, and to revisit the budget and dues for 2013 rather than accepting the 2012 numbers as perpetual.

- The board stated intention to increase the size of the board from the four elected officers to include a larger number during the course of 2012, and task the larger board with considering 2012's actual financial record while proposing the budget/dues structure for 2013.

Election of Officers: The proposed slate of officers, having no opposition, was approved by acclamation.

Commodore: Sean Phelan

Vice Commodore: Jim Williams

Treasurer: Judi Craig

Secretary: Dwight Ruttledge

Members were reminded about the training during the next meeting followed by the Saturday on-water, coach-assisted training for new paddlers and those wishing to become more proficient and comfortable in their paddling. Paddle on the Eau Gallie River and lunch are also on the agenda on Saturday, 18th. Members should invite anyone they know who are interested to attend both events; additional boats will be available for the Saturday event, and there may be need to have additional boats. It is not required to attend the Wednesday meeting to participate in the Saturday training.

Check the SCP web site regularly for updates and additional trip information.

There being no additional business the meeting was adjourned.

Next SCP meeting February 15, 2012