Board Meeting Minutes – June 26, 2013
Bayport Marina Association
Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
Marina Clubhouse
June 26, 2013
Board present:
Brad Baune
Morgan Fudge
Sandor Csallany
Michelle Lemanski
Jim Mondry
Steve Paquette
Eric Pederson
Absent:
Val Fuller
Amy Tolbert
Also present, former Commodore Marcus Gernes.
Meeting called to order at 6:30 pm by Commodore Morgan Fudge.
Morgan started the meeting by having each of the Board Members introduce themselves providing the length of time he/she has been at Bayport Marina and Board tenure.
Board Meeting Minutes – motion by Steve to approve, seconded by Michelle. Unanimous approval.
2. Financials – Steve presented an overview of May financials he presented at the Annual Meeting. Year-to-date reflects $43k short on budgeted income, but expenses are controlled. Most of the shortfall is weather-related i.e. Gas Dock is way down. Miscellaneous income i.e. Marine Max commissions – is also under Budget. Expenses are in line with sales with the exception of holding inventory in fuel.
Brad inquired why A/R was so high when the policy is Members are to have a credit card on file allowing for outstanding invoices to be automatically processed on cards. Kathy explained only 15-20 members authorized the automatic processing. She also stated there are some boaters who have not provided their credit card information. Morgan recommended when the Launch packets are sent, all forms i.e. Credit Card, Insurance, Launch, etc., be sent together. It was the consensus of the Board to mandate all forms be completed and returned before a boat will be launched in 2014. Discussion of this topic was tabled until the October 2013 Meeting.
Election of Officers
Morgan requested volunteer for Board offices. Brad volunteered for the Vice Commodore position, Eric for Secretary, and Steve stated he would remain as Treasurer. In Val’s absence, Morgan elected her to continue to be the Social Chair as she has done such a great job in the past.
Morgan informed the Board he had been questioned by Member Patrick Moore about the voting process and the 2/3rds majority to pass By Law changes. Morgan stated he had several discussions with Bill Kranz regarding the language of the By Laws and his interpretation. Bill explained the 2/3rds applies to the Members Votes not to the 119 total Membership. At the Annual Meeting, 80 member votes were received by Proxy or in person. More than 2/3rds of the 80 votes received voted in favor of both By-Law changes and thus, the amendments were passed.
Committee assignments:
Sandor, Jim and Eric volunteered to serve on the Grounds Committee. Michelle requested she be added to the Social Committee. The consensus of the Board was Amy would be the best fit for the Marketing Committee.
The question was raised if a new committee for the BMRP should be established. Brad recommended a Project Manager for BMRP because of it’s magnitude. Michelle stated Cliff should oversee the project as this is his job and he’s capable of doing. Cliff stated he is comfortable handling the project, however, he is uncomfortable with the vast amount of input for getting things done. He further stated all the involvement is like “reinventing the wheel at each stage.”
General Manager’s Report
a. Current and upcoming priorities
· Storm cleanup – Grounds crew are cleaning up after the Friday and Saturday storms which blew over trees and took three covers completely off A Dock slips. Two more covers were damaged and should be replaced.
· B Dock Floats – the floats on 4-5 slips have been replaced. Should finish this summer. With the new floats, docks are floating better and are 6 inches higher.
· Tree trimming – the crew have been busy trimming the trees on the northeast side of the Marina property (bank on Mallards side). Cliff stated the DNR will allow trees less than 6 inches in diameter be removed without a permit. This project has been one put off in the past but has now made its way to the priority list.
· Electrical current monitoring options – Cliff checked with almost 40 operators across the country to find a ground monitoring meter. No one has been able to provide information on what we need. Cliff informed Sherm checks the outlets on the docks every year. Brad recommended Cliff contact Steve Kuzj. From his comments at the Annual Meeting, he seemed to know of a device we could use.
b. Operations Update
· Cliff stated nothing is going our way this year. However, in spite of the late start, rainy weather, high water, we are still doing well with only 2 slips open. Shop continues to keep busy.
· Marketing – Morgan, Tavia, and Cliff have been working on a Newsletter to get more traffic to transient. Cliff emailed newsletter to 30 Marina operators he knows. Unfortunately, no feedback has been received. Cliff stressed boaters need to remain upbeat and go boating when the sun’s shining. He further stated Marine Max continues to sell boats.
· Saturday there will be training of all Gas Dock staff. Cliff is working with Dani, the Lead Gas Dock Staff Attendant, to develop a training manual for BMA. Tavia and Cliff will work on making a video of procedures. Morgan stressed there has to be a tightening of safety issues i.e. wearing protective eyewear, wearing gloves when pumping waste, etc. He further stated, the Gas Dock is the face of the Marina and needs to be “over the top” in all aspects of service and safety. Cliff stated none of the other area marinas have a training manual and is working on getting one for future training.
Annual Meeting Recap
Kathy compiled a list of questions and comments during the Annual Meeting that were distributed to Board Members. Morgan stated one item not on the list was the carbon credit selling. He inquired if anyone had heard of this practice of powerboaters buying credits because of the carbon emitted. No one had knowledge of the carbon credits.
Brad added another question presented at the meeting was whether Members should establish an LLC for slip ownership.
Morgan presented another issue not addressed – Storm Shelter Plan. Cliff is working on finding the best place for Members to take shelter during a storm. He is checking with Bayport Fire Department for their input. He feels the northwest corner of the shop would be best. Cliff will report back with his findings at the July meeting. Question was raised if sirens should be installed at the Marina.
Steve informed he was approached after the meeting by a group of Members inquiring what the rules were for attending Board Meetings. After discussion of the policy, Morgan concluded if Members have an item they wish to present to the Board, they contact Kathy one week prior to the meeting. Kathy will forward to the Commodore for adding to Agenda. Visitors will be allowed at the meetings as long as they are respectful and refrain from Board discussion until their item is addressed. When a Member requests an item be added to the Agenda, Kathy will inquire how much time they need for their discussion.
Voting procedures – voting will be conducted following protocol outlined in the By-Laws. This will be addressed in detail at a future meeting before next year’s Annual Meeting.
6. Committee Updates
Social Committee – Michelle informed everything is set for the Antique Boat Show. She stated DeGidios will be catering the food and Ali Washington has been booked for the entertainment. Michelle inquired how many boats had reserved for the Show. Kathy stated she has only received two reservations. Michelle will contact the BSLOL to generate more response. Cliff stated the Bayport Fire Department has committed to attending again this year. He also informed Val and Lorrie have several artisans coming to the event.
7. Past Commodore’s Party
Morgan stated the PC Reception will be another opportunity to give an update on BMRP. The date for the Reception has been set for Wednesday, August 21. Light appetizers, beer and wine will be provided. This will be a time for Past Commodores to share their comments on the project.
It was noted the regular Board Meeting will be held Wednesday, August 14 at 6:30pm.
8. Dock Revitalization Project
Brad stated to avoid confusion amongst the membership, the project should have one title. His opinion, because the revitalization is not just the docks but the whole marina, the project should be referred to as Bayport Marina Revitalization Project. BMRP will be the acronym used in all future discussions.
Former Commodore Marcus Gernes walked through the history of where the project was at when he joined the Board six years ago and where it is today. Marcus explained his second year on the Board a Dock Committee was established with Jim Long as Chair. Unfortunately, the “Marsh issue” came up and the project was pushed back to the back burner. Then the Clyde’s/Group 41 lawsuit arose which pushed the project back further. While Vice Commodore and Commodore, the project was resurrected. However, the current Board did not know how to proceed. They enlisted Cliff’s contact, Smith JJR Group to do an assessment. Within a 90 day period, JJR was onsite with engineers, divers and staff to inspect and compiled the report of the Marina’s condition. JJR’s Assessment with recommendations estimated a renovation of $4+ million. After review of the Assessment, local contractors were consulted for the electrical and plumbing bids. By prioritizing renovations, utilizing the local contractors and in-house labor, the estimate for the project was cut to $2.4 million. Once the analysis of costs was completed, the Board hired a market research group, DiedrichRPM to audit BMA Members for their input. Marcus summarized now is the time for the current Board to pick up and move forward with the project. He recommended preparing an amended plan which would be presented to the Membership for a vote.
The Board concurred the biggest issue of the project is how to pay/finance the project. The consensus was to split some of the burden by selling slips, increasing assessments and financing. Steve will develop a model with this scenario for the next meeting. Brad recommended contacting Andy at First State to develop a model to present to renters to show it would be more cost effective to become an owner of a slip. Steve expressed a concern of the timing – will we be able to sell slips to generate the capital to pay for the project in 3 years. Dues would have to be $70/ft to make a payment on a $1.4 million loan.
Question was presented if there are any items that are not in the plan that are being overlooked i.e. asphalt? Board Committee will rollup sleeves to do the hard work to develop a plan and bring to vote within 90 days before Members leave to go South. Morgan will setup some BMRP meetings – two before August 18.
New Business
Brad suggested appointing an historian to capture the history of the Marina especially as we celebrate the 25th Anniversary. Michelle volunteered to do. Kathy will solicit Member input in the Marker 19 Newsletter i.e. have Members write a page or submit pictures.
Closed Session
Motion by Morgan to adjourn, seconded by Brad. Meeting adjourned at 9:25pm.
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