Board Meeting Minutes – February 9, 2011
Bayport Marina Association
Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
Marina Clubhouse
February 9, 2011
Board present:
Michelle Lemanski
Russell Sheaffer
Marcus Gernes
Rachael Harvey
Chris Ridgway
Steve Paquette
Ron Hopfensperger
Matthew Kasinkas
Absent:
Morgan Fudge
1. Meeting called to order by Commodore Michelle Lemanski at 6:30 p.m.
2. Motion by Rachael to approve the January Meeting Minutes, seconded by Russell. Unanimous approval.
3. Group 41
Group 41 requested an amendment to the Conditional Use Permit issued for the land where the marina and restaurant are located. The public hearing for this request was held January 18. Michelle, Joel and Bill Kranz attended the meeting. Michelle stated the meeting was basically to formalize the settlement made back in September between Group 41 and the City. The CUP clarifies the property is used for conducting the business of a marina, restaurant and condos. It does not address liquor license, lift station, etc. Representatives from Waterford were present at the meeting. However, their concerns could not be addressed. Per Nick Vivian, the City attorney, the settlement had already been made and since the condos were not privy to the settlement, it was too late for them to present requests. The request by Group 41 was approved and passed on to the City Council.
Bill Kranz attended the City Council meeting and stated it was uneventful. The Council unanimously approved the Amendment to the CUP. On his way out of the meeting, Bill spoke briefly with Group 41’s attorney. Group 41’s attorney stated his client is interested in resolving the sign and lighting issues by spring. Bill reiterated BMA does not want to “parcel the pieces” of the case – it’s “all or none” negotiations.
Scanlon
Bill Kranz wrote a Request for Summary Judgment. A copy of the court filed papers was sent to Gregg. Kathy will scan and email to all Board Members for review. The hearing is set for March 4.
4. Budget
Rachael presented the proposed budget and explained changes that were made when she and Morgan met:
– Legal fees were increased to $40k
– Depreciation was removed from the Budget
– Increased capital improvements
– BMA Social Events was increased to $8k
– Yellow page advertising will be phased out over 2011
Chris stated he felt the Social Events will be less than $8k. He stated he plans to restructure the parties to make them more casual and to lower ticket price to increase attendance. Discussion included purchasing our own tent, table and chairs rather than renting for each event.
Question was raised if the budget included the expense of WiFi hardware. Rachael explained there are monies in Capital Improvement to cover the installation/hardware expense. The Communication & Data expense line includes the monthly service expense.
Gregg addressed that there needed to be some funding allocated to Travel Expense. He stated the service techs typically travel for marine certification. Gregg also informed his successor should attend some of the Marina Association events to stay connected with local marinas. After Board discussion, agreement was made to move $5,000 from the Capital Improvements expense and allocate $2,500 for Travel – Service, and $2,500 to Travel – Other. Motion by Matthew to approve Budget after changes to Travel Expense. Seconded by Ron. Unanimous approval.
Once Kathy makes the change to the Budget, it will be sent out in letter format to all BMA members for approval. It will also be posted on the website for review by members only.
5. November and December Financials
Board members were instructed to review financials and if any discrepancies were found, to forward to Michelle.
Signature Cards
US Bank has requested that each time there is a change in the Board, a new signature card be completed. A new card was made and signed by Michelle, Russell, Rachael, Gregg and Kathy.
Feltl reports will be sent to Executive Committee each month. Currently, only Morgan and Gregg are authorized to make transactions. Motion by Russell to appoint Morgan Fudge as Assistant Treasurer of the BMA Board. Seconded by Marcus. Unanimous approval.
Michelle contacted Roberto at M&I to transfer funds into the marina checking account for use in paying fuel when it was discovered Gregg was the only signor on the account. M&I faxed a new signature card to allow both Gregg and Michelle to make transactions on the account. M&I will only allow two signors on the account.
6. Capital Improvements
Women’s locker room was updated. Cost was approximately $500.
The back wall of boardroom that had been damaged by water leak was repaired.
Michelle, Kathy and Sherm met with We Dig Plants regarding landscaping for this season. They will compile a proposal for removing bushes and shrubs around clubhouse and pool and replanting. Marcus recommended we clean up dock area in front of the restaurant.
Michelle stated she asked We Dig their recommendation for replacing the planter boxes on the docks that have deteriorated i.e. timbers, rock or paving stone. The conclusion was the excavating of the project would be disruptive to the boaters and therefore, this project should be delayed until fall. Russell suggested to wait with the dock planters until the Board “walk-about” is done. Chris suggested pouring the boxes may be a good option rather than timbers. Marcus stated due to all the work that needs to take place with the replacement of the docks, the dock planters may need to be part of the long-range capital improvement plan.
The service crew will look at things that can be done around the clubhouse and buildings.
Wifi – recommended to get a proposal for the installation and timeframe of installation by next meeting.
Jim Long is talking with Mike about replacing the service truck.
Proposals have been received for the repair of the pool as well as the drain replacement. Bids came in at approximately $3,500. The 2011 budget has an allocation of $10,500 for repairs.
7. Minneapolis Boat Show
According to the Show promoters, this year’s attendance was over 31,000 which is 26% higher than last year. There was good traffic at the BMA booth. We gave out 400-500 transient slip coupons. Slip purchase/lease information was also handed out.
8. By-Laws
Russell distributed a draft revising the current By-Laws. Each member should review and bring feedback to the next meeting. Changes to the By-Laws need to be approved all BMA members at the annual meeting in June. Due to the By-Law requiring member approval of the Budget, it may be necessary to change the fiscal year from a calendar year to mid-year. Michelle will contact Mike Mullen to find out any tax ramifications with doing so.
9. Board Director
Michelle and Joel presented the Board consider having a “permanent” director that will oversee the General Manager and the Board. This position would provide stability and continuity of the vision and direction with each new Board in the future. The Director would recruit more input from past Commodores. Consensus was to put this topic on the agenda for the next meeting.
10. Bonus/Pay Structure
Russell stated in the past there has not been a structure for bonuses given to BMA staff. It has always been something that was “given” at the end of the year and did not tie into performance. Russell also made note bonuses are given at a time when cash is tight. He recommended implementing a variable compensation program that:
a. Is understandable to the staff
b. Gives an incentive to motivate staff
c. Rewards staff for goals met/exceeded
Russell stated the idea behind the program is to generate more internal revenue from members and thus continue compliance with the non-profit designation. Russell will email his proposal to Board Members to review and work with numbers. Members will bring feedback to next meeting.
11. Spring Launch
Launch letters have been mailed as well as assessments and lease agreements.
The Corp of Engineers is predicting there will be a flood. BMA does not have flood insurance. To obtain flood insurance, an engineer would have to do an elevation survey certification. There is also an application that has to be completed and sent with the certification to FEMA for their approval before a quote from an insurance company can be given. Flood insurance has to be in place at least 30 days before a flood occurs. Due to the process above, the Board decided not to pursue insurance. Discussion regarding how to handle the flood i.e. sandbag (which could result in the driveway exploding) or to let it come up and do clean up afterwards. Mike will begin clearing out the shop and equipment in preparation.
12. Other
GM search – Michelle stated she had discussion with Gregg and it is his intention to retire in March 2012 as planned. He will stay on to get the next person trained. Gregg has also offered to work part-time in 2012 for additional training. Michelle has contacted a recruiter in Florida that was recommended by Mr. Huber. Christy has begun the search process and she is committed to only sending qualified candidates (no maybes) for review. Her fee for securing a new GM will be $2,000. She also guarantees that if within 6 months of hire, we don’t like the new hire, she will find a new one at no additional charge. Russell stated the GM job description does a good job of describing tasks, but doesn’t list the skills we are looking for. The candidate needs to have hospitality, management, and budgeting experience. As resumes come in, Michelle will evaluate and forward to other Board Members the ones that meet at least 50% of requirements.
Rental of Point – Kathy has received inquiries from individuals that would like to rent the Point for weddings. She will work with Michelle to develop a rental agreement that will include pricing, rules of rental, Hold Harmless Agreement, parking, etc. The draft rental agreement will be brought to the next meeting.
Motion by Marcus to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Rachael. Meeting adjourned at 9:05 p.m.
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