Minutes of Board Meetings in 2020
January 2020 Minutes
Minutes of the Meeting of District 17 Board
January 25, 2020at the Marriott Pyramid Hotel, Albuquerque,NM (subject to confirmation at Denver, May 2020)
Present: John Grossmann(President), Cindy Shoemaker(National Board), Liz Hamilton,Lakin Hines, JoAnne Lowe,Felicity Moore, Steve Nordberg, Jennifer O’Neill, Bill Phillips,Steve Reynolds, Rod Southworth
Alsoin attendance: Scott Humphrey Area Manager for Districts 15,16,17Doug Couchman, member
The President called the meeting to order at 8.05am.
GENERAL
Opening remarks
John welcomed Scott Humphrey to the meeting. John also introduced Larry Bertholf, who has just been appointed at D17 Recorder. John advised the board that there was sad news from the Pueblo Unit 367,which has decided to start proceedings to disband their unit.
~ John Grossmann
Approval of October2019 Minutes
There was a motion by Jennifer, seconded by Steve R that the minutes be approved. Carried unanimously. Additionally, there was a motion by Jennifer, seconded by Steve R that the minute of the email meeting held in November (appointing Larry Bertholf as recorder) be approved. Carried unanimously.
Secretary’s Report
Nothing to report except the items covered under New Business.
~ Felicity Moore
Treasurer’s Report
Jennifer presented her report (distributed in the meeting folder). After discussion there was a motionbySteve R, seconded by Liz that the Treasurer’s Report be accepted. Carried unanimously.
~ Jennifer O’Neill
National Board
Cindy recounted her initial experiences at joining the ACBL Board of Directors. She has been appointed to the Strategic Planning and Governance committees and is the co-chair of the Executive Review committee. She advised that there will be an increase to regional sanction fees,approximately 6% and an increase to tournament director fees of 11%. These increases will become effective on 1 April 2020. Credit card payments for entry fees will be available at all regionals using “Squares”. At present they are commission free to the host units but this may change in future.
She advised that room take-up in Columbus for the NABC is healthy. Cindy reported that ACBL Live for Clubs is going well and from February, club billing will be via ACBL Live for Clubs.
Cindy advised the board that she checks her emails every day, is very responsive and will address any concerns from D17 board members as quickly as possible.
~ Cindy Shoemaker
WC and STaC report
In the December STaC, D17 participation was good,but in the other districts it was not as healthy. The Palm Springs Regional that was held at the same time was a factor. The Western Conference meets via videoconferencing and despite difficulty getting members to agree on a suitable time, the WC board did meet recently.At this meeting there was a discussion about whether the WC has outlived its usefulness and should disband. The board decided that there were still important areas of cooperation and that the WC should continue. John is the new president of WC and Cindy is also on the board, replacing Bonnie.Bonnie has agreed to continue coordinating the WC STaCs despite no longer being on the board. Tom Shulman will continue as ex-officio Secretary/Treasurer.
It was agreed that the two-tier STaC fees should be addressed in future and maybe financial incentives for non-WC districts should be considered. John remarked that the purpose of WC STaCs should be defined. Are they a fund-raiser or a fun event for our members?
The WC board has agreed that the WC cash reserve was substantial,and that the surplus should be divided equally and remitted to the 3 districts. The amount involved is approximately $22k. Ken Monzin go produces and possibly owns the WC website. Effective February 2020, the WC will no longer pay Ken a monthly stipend for this. Western Conference information will be accessible through the district websites.
Many D17 board members remarked that STaCs were not that popular in their clubs as the masterpoint awards were less than black points awarded in a regular club game.
NEW BUSINESS
Committee Appointments
John reported that most committees will remain the same but there were four that needed reassignment. It has already been agreed that the Recorder will be Larry Bertholf. Cindy has agreed to take on Communications, formerly steered by Bonnie. Liz will take on the Regional Tournament Committee from Lakin.Charity, formerly chaire dby Bonnie,will be under Special Administration which is handled by Felicity.
~ John Grossman
New Preliminary Agreement and Edited RTP for approval
Felicity presented a new document to be known as the Preliminary Tournament Agreement. Included in the meeting package. With one change to specify that the schedule for any tournament should published at least two NABCs prior to the tournament. A motion was made by Rod, seconded by JoAnne that the Preliminary Tournament Agreement be accepted and distributed to future tournaments. Carried unanimously.
Felicity presented the revised RTP for approval. This document was included in the meeting package. After discussion, a motion to accept the revised RTP was made by Rod, seconded by Jennifer. Carried unanimously.
~ Felicity Moore
Approval of RTPs for Phoenix 2020 & Las Vegas 2020
A motion to offer the RTP to Las Vegas 2020 was made by John, seconded by Steve R. Carried unanimously. A motion to offer the RTP to Phoenix 2020 was made by Felicity, seconded by Rod. Carried unanimously.
~ Felicity Moore
D17 Communication
Cindy observed that with the change to the Communications Committee is was a good opportunity to revamp D17 communications. She presented the open and click through rates for the Buzz and the D17 Scorecard. She advised that ACBL had rebooted their email list.When Cindy had sent out the Scorecard there had been a 50% open rates and increased click through rates.She stated that D17 needed a comprehensive approach and objectives should be defined by the board. John suggested that financial incentives may encourage engagement.
The board briefly discussed whether the expense of Scorecard was justified and whether its educational content should be channelled through the website. Further discussion on this should be on the Denver agenda.
~ Cindy Shoemaker
Phoenix NABC 2022 Fundraising Special Games
These games may be held by clubs throughout D17 to support the 2022 NABC. JoAnne had checked the calendars for conflicts and suggested that the following weeks were suitable for these games: Oct 7 -13,2020, Jan 11-17, 2021 and Jan10-16,2022. A motion that these dates be approved was made by Jennifer, seconded by Liz. The motion carried unanimously.
~ JoAnne Lowe
OLD BUSINESS
Review D17 Budget, 2020
Jennifer told the meeting that the budget that she had presented at the Taos meeting, had been revised to reflect an additional $2000 for the board duplication project including insurance.She had also reduced the income from the 2020 Taos Regional after receiving the Taos Regional budget.The board discussed and agreed to include in the 2020 budget, the following:
That the ACBL sanction fee component be increased by 6% from April 1, as per announcement from ACBL. That $3000 be included for the cost of sending district wide Pianola emails advertising D17 regionals. That $5000 be budgeted for a new website.
A motion to approve the 2020 D17 budget as amended was made by Felicity, seconded by Steve R. Carried unanimously.
~ Jennifer O’Neill
DIC Report
The DIC, Gary Zeiger joined the meeting. He reported that the tournament table count at Friday night was 1,333. He thought that there was a good chance that the final total could exceed 1700.
He remarked that the duplication was much improved and that he had experienced no problems except on one day when brand new decks were found to be defective.This was not the fault of the duplicator and was rectified quickly.
John told the meeting that he had heard from some players, who were unhappy that they always seemed to be placed in the bottom of the top bracket and found it discouraging to be “cannon fodder”. Gary advised that nothing could be done about this as brackets are always formed by total masterpoints of the entered teams. Scott Humphrey advised the meeting that the ACBL were looking at a new method of bracketing to avoid this problem but that a solution was probably a year or two away.
Jennifer asked Gary why the night sessions were so well attended here as all other D17 regionals had moved to daytime prime time. Gary said he was not surprised, as keeping prime time to 1 & 7 and holding an additional 9 & 1 two session pairs meant that the morning and evening were solid and the afternoon very good.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Elections
Bill reported that D17 needs to appoint a person to fill the Second Alternate Director position to replace Art McHaffie, who has resigned. There are four applicants for the position, Jack Burton, Doug Couchman, Murali Nair & Kyle Rockoff. A secret ballot was held and Doug Couchman was duly appointed as Second Alternate Director for the remainder of 2020.
Both First & Second Alternate Directors will be elected during 2020 for terms commencing in 2021. The ACBL will conduct these elections. Self-nominations will be invited to be made by May 31stand then the election will take place by August.
Three positions on D17 board will be elected this year. They are Mesa Unit 351, currently represented by Lakin, El Paso Unit 159 and Southern New Mexico, currently represented by Steve N and Wyoming Units421 &422 and Colorado at Large, currently represented by Rod. Bill will be conducting these elections commencing in May.
~ Bill Phillips
ByLaws
Steve R stated that this was a huge subject and that he had received information from Becky Rogers and that Doug Couchman was assisting the committee. He deferred to Jennifer to present two items, that were referred to as “house-keeping” that needed board approval to change.The necessary changes that Jennifer presented were:
Article I. Section 1.1: Change“District 17 ACBL Association”to “American Contract Bridge League, District17”to conform with the D17 registered name in Colorado.
Article VIII. Change“may be adopted by a vote of a 2/3 majority of the members present at any meeting of the members at which a quorum is present”to read“may be adopted by a vote of a 2/3 majority of the Directors present at any meeting of the Board of Directors at which a quorum is present”. Felicity questioned whether this amendments were legal. Doug Couchman was invited to comment,and he stated that although he was not practising as a lawyer, with his legal experience, he felt that this change reflected the original thought behind the Bylaws.
A motion to accept these amendments was made by Jennifer, seconded by Steve R. Motion passed unanimously.
Steve R advised that work on the Bylaws will continue.
~ Steve Reynolds
Grants
Steve N reported that he had received no requests for grants.
~ Steve Nordberg
Tournament Supplies
Bill reported that Bonnie had donated a complete set of table mats to be used in D17 regionals. The board thanked Bonnie for this kind gesture.John has designed and built timers to be used at D17 regionals. John presented Bill with the keys and instruction manual for the timers. It was agreed that Bill should label all district equipment using funds in his budget.
~ Bill Phillips
GNT
Rod advised that the D17 Championship GNT final will take place in Tucson on March, 6 & 7. He has received one entry so far but expects three more. He has used Scorecard and Buzz to promote the event. The finals for all other flights will take place at the Denver Regional.
~ Rod Southworth
NAP
Lakin reported that the NAP Flight A final will take place later this day. The winners of the B & C flights,that were decided in Taos, will be playing at the NABC in Columbus, OH in March.The 2020 D17 NAP Finals will take place at the Las Vegas Regional in November.
~ Lakin Hines
Regional Tournaments
Lakin,as outgoing chairperson of this committee, reported that Joanne had sought and been given permission to make a change to the Phoenix regional schedule,and that this had been approved. Taos schedule and flyer had been presented and approval was in progress. John suggested that some form of memorial to Bill Michael, who had died recently,be planned.
~ Lakin Hines
Tournament Coordination
JoAnne advised that the updated tournament schedules were in the meeting package. She encouraged members to ask their units to apply for sanctions for 2023.
~ JoAnne Lowe
Website
Rod reported that he continues to update the website when requested and that he would appreciate feedback on the content.
~ Rod Southworth
Communication
Already dealt with under New Business
Special Administrative
Requests for Goodwill nominations will be sent out in April.
~ Felicity Moore
COMPLETED TOURNAMENT REPORTS
Taos, 2019
The Taos regional made a profit of $18,000and was a successful event.
~ Felicity Moore
FUTURE TOURNAMENTS
| 1.Tucson | March2-8,2020 | Steve Reynolds |
| 2.Denver | May 19-25, 2020 | Jennifer O’Neill |
| 3.Phoenix | August 10-16, 2020 | JoAnne Lowe |
In closing John exhortedall board members to encourage participation in the Las Vegas Regional. The meeting was adjourned at 11.32am.
NEXT MEETING – Denver Colorado May 22nd, 2020 at 8am
May, 2020 Minutes
Minutes of the Meeting of District 17 Board
May 21, 22nd2020 via Zoom Conference (subject to confirmation at Zoom Conference, November 2020)
Present: John Grossmann (President), Cindy Shoemaker (National Board), Liz Hamilton, Lakin Hines, JoAnne Lowe, Felicity Moore, Steve Nordberg, Jennifer O’Neill, Bill Phillips,Steve Reynolds, Rod Southworth
Alsoattending: Scott Humphrey,Area Manager for Districts 15,16,17
The President called the meeting to order at 9.05am.
GENERAL
Opening remarks
In his opening statement John paid tribute to the members of Colorado Springs Unit who had been affected so badly by the Covid-19.
~ John Grossmann
Approval of January 2020 Minutes
There was a motion by Jennifer, seconded by Steve N that the minutes be approved. The motion was carried unanimously.
Secretary’s Report
Nothing to report.
~ Felicity Moore
Treasurer’s Report
Jennifer presented her report (distributed in the meeting folder). She advised that D17 had received $7k from the Western Conference when they distributed excess funds. That the tax return had been filed and that the books had been handed over to Jerry Ranney for audit. After discussion there was a motion by Felicity, seconded by Rod that the Treasurer’s Report be accepted. The motion was carried unanimously.
~ Jennifer O’Neill
National Board
Cindy advised that the ACBL Board was meeting every other week and that their priority has been to support the clubs and to get virtual bridge up and running so that members have an place to play and that clubs get an income in order to survive. Many ACBL staff members, including a substantial number of directors have been furloughed. The recent Stay at Home, Play at Home Online Regional was a success and realized an income for ACBL of $230k.Silver week is coming up and should provide some additional income.The Longest Day fundraiser for Alzheimer’s Association has been announced to be held online June 20, 21.
~ Cindy Shoemaker
WC and STaC report
John reported that the May STaC had been cancelled and it was unlikely that the August STaC would be held. Cindy added that the possibility of an online STaC was several months in the future. Cindy left the meeting for an important meeting with the ACBL President and ACBL Management.
NEW BUSINESS
COVID–19 Issues
Status Phoenix Regional
Joanne advised that the tournament was cancelled with no penalty from the hotel.
Taos Status Regional
Felicity reported that she had spoken to Winifred and that she had put the marketing of the tournament on hold but would be ready to turn it on if necessary. Holding the tournament will be dependent on State, City & Federal regulations. Felicity was fairly sure that the event would not go ahead.
Status Las Vegas Regional
Liz feels that Las Vegas will be cancelled but they do have a very good relationship with the hotel so should not have any financial obligations.She worries about legal liability if they were forced to hold the event.
D17 Communications Review
Postponed until 22ndMay when Cindy will have re-joined the meeting.
Website Re-design
Rod presented a document detailing the layout of the new website and asked for comments.A motion was made by Felicity, seconded by Jennifer, that the board approve this layout and instruct Cindy & Rod to proceed with the new website design and identifying a vendor.Discussion followed. John noted that Rod was leaving the board at the end of the year so that we would have to identify his replacement. JoAnne suggested that WC should not be one of the major buttons. Felicity argued that as long as we are a member of the Western Conference there should be a WC button. Opinion on the Western Conference button was divided and a decision on this was deferred. The motion was carried unanimously.
Approval of RTPs for Taos2020 & Albuquerque2021
A motion to offer the RTP to Taos 2020 was made by Jennifer, seconded by JoAnne. Carried unanimously.
A motion to offer the RTP to Albuquerque 2021was made by Felicity, seconded by Jennifer. Carried unanimously.
~ Felicity Moore
Goodwill Nominations
All nominations were included in the meeting folder. A motion to approve all the nominations en bloc was made by Felicity, seconded by Rod.Liz asked how the recipients are advised. Felicity advised that the goodwill pin, a letter from the Secretary and some free play vouchers were normally sent to the district representative for presentation at a suitable time. If the district representative cannot perform this, then the material is sent direct to the recipient. The motion carried unanimously.
OLD BUSINESS
Further review D17 Budget
Jennifer advised that she had rerun the budget using various scenarios and it seems that D17 will show a small profit for the year even if no further regionals were held this year.This is due to healthy income during the first quarter.
D17 has 134k cash assets, which includes 20k in NABC account being held to assist any unit hosting a NABC.
The meeting was adjourned at 10.47am.
The meeting was reconvened at 9.06am on May 22nd. The same attendees were present.
NEW BUSINESS continued
D17 Communication
Cindy referenced the communications data that was included in the meeting and discussed the open and click through rates for the Scorecard and the Buzz. She gave her overview of D17 communications and invited comments from the board. There was a very lengthy discussion in which it was quite apparent that the Scorecard should be phased out and that the new website and the Bridge Buzz will become the main communication vehicles for D17.
It was generally agreed that the last issue of the Scorecard should be February 2021. This would allow a time cushion to get the website up and running.Cindy agreed that this was a workable time frame.
There was a motion by Jennifer, that D17 discontinue the Scorecard as soon as reasonably possible given the parameters that have been discussed and that we continue with the website and Bridge Buzz and that we use Pianola or Constant Contact to direct members to the website. Seconded by Steve R. The motion carried unanimously.
~ Cindy Shoemaker
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Elections
Bill reported that it was nearing the end of the nomination period and that it looks like there will not more than one nominee for each position. Lakin Hines was standing to represent Mesa Unit 351. Steve Nordberg was standing to represent El Paso Unit 159 and Bill Curtis was the only nominee to replace Rod Southworth who is not running for Colorado at Large and Wyoming. Requests for nominations had been posted in both the D17 Scorecard and the Bridge Buzz.
~ Bill Phillips
Recorder
Felicity reported that she had spoken to Larry and that he had not received any matters since January and that his files were clear.
~ Larry Bertholf
Bylaws
Jennifer made a motion that Section 5.6 of the Bylaws be replaced by the following:
“Section 5.6. Regular and Special Meetings. The Board shall establish a schedule for regular meetings. Regular meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held, with proper notice, not less frequently than three per year and not less frequently than one every six months.
Special meetings of the Board may be called at any time by the President, or upon the written request of 25% or more of the members of the Board of Directors.
Members of the Board of Directors may participate in any meeting of such board by means of a video or telephone conference as long as all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other at the same time.
Proper notice is required per Section 5.7.
In an urgent situation the President may present motions for vote via e-mail.
All motions by any means must follow Roberts Rules of Order.
“Seconded by Steve R. The motion carried unanimously. Steve R advised that work on the Bylaws will continue when needed.
~ Steve Reynolds
Grants
Steve N reported that he had received just one request from Santa Fe Unit 383 for a beginning bridge workshop. It was decided not to act on this as it involved a face to face function. Unit 383 should be invited to reapply next year. Cindy felt that the grant program should be re-evaluated and maybe expanded.
~ Steve Nordberg
Tournament Supplies
Bill took the board through the supplies document that is included in the meeting folder. He reported that he had managed to obtain insurance for all the equipment for approximately $400. There was a discussion about the possibility of purchasing a second-hand bidding machine for back-up. The general feeling was that a maximum of $1000 should be expended on a back-up machine.Bill has labelled all the boards.
~ Bill Phillips
GNT
This tournament has been cancelled for this year. Rod made a motion that the 2020 Championship flight team should move on to the National Finals in 2021 and that we restart qualification in September for A, B & C flights. Seconded by Jennifer. After discussion, the motion carried unanimously.
~ Rod Southworth
NAP
This event has been cancelled for 2020. All qualifiers for this year are now invited to the 2021 finals at the Spring NABC.
~ Lakin Hines
Regional Tournaments
Liz referred the board to her report in the meeting folder.Liz asked the board what the position would be if the Taos Regional was cancelled this year. After discussion it was agreed that Taos Regional could be moved to 2021as long as the ACBL were in agreement. Liz advised the board that Las Vegas would be interested in hosting an I/N Regional.It was agreed that I/N regional allocations should be discussed at a special purpose meeting in the near future.
~ Liz Hamilton
Contract Review
Nothing to report
~ Steve Reynolds
Tournament Coordination
JoAnne advised that the updated tournament schedules were in the meeting folder. Tourney Trax is down at the moment and several tournaments have been cancelled.
~ JoAnne Lowe
Website
Rod reported that he continues to update the website when requested and that he would appreciate feedback on the content as current content will be transitioning to the new website.
~ Rod Southworth
Communications
Already dealt with under New Business
Special Administrative
Nothing to add, Goodwill nominations had been covered earlier.
~ Felicity Moore
COMPLETED TOURNAMENT REPORTS
Tucson 2020
Final report is not ready. Anticipated profit of approximately $10,000.
~ Steve Reynolds
Albuquerque, 2020
The Albuquerque regional made a profit of $19,000 and was a successful event.
~ Felicity Moore
FUTURE TOURNAMENTS
| 1.Denver | May 19-25, 2020 Cancelled | Jennifer O’Nei |
| 2.Phoenix | August 10-16, 2020Cancelled | JoAnne Lowe |
| 3.Taos | Sept 28-Oct 4, 2020 | Felicity Moore |
The meeting was adjourned at 11.20am.
NEXT MEETING – Las Vegas, Nevada, Nov 2020
September 2020 Minutes
Minutes of the Meeting of District 17 Board
September 26th, 2020 via Zoom Conference (subject to confirmation at Zoom Conference, December 2020)
Present: John Grossmann (President), Cindy Shoemaker (National Board), Liz Hamilton, Lakin Hines, JoAnne Lowe, Felicity Moore, Steve Nordberg, Jennifer O’Neill, Bill Phillips,Steve Reynolds, Rod Southworth
Also in attendance: Sharon Smith
The President called the meeting to order at 9.05 am
GENERAL
Opening Remarks
John welcomed everyone to the meeting including Sharon Smith who will be joining the board in January. He advised the board that Felicity had advised him that she is resigning effective 31 December due to ill health. After a lengthy discussion, it was established that Bill was interested in the position of Secretary. It was agreed that Felicity would continue as Secretary until the end of the year but that she would probably request that Bill took the minutes for the final meeting of the year. Formal election of the officers would be made at the final 2020 meeting.
~ John Grossmann
Approval of January 2020 Minutes
John suggested two amendments to the minutes. On page 2, “Status of Las Vegas Regional” should read “Status of Las Vegas Regional 2020” and on page 4 under Tournament Supplies, “bidding machine” should read “dealing machine”. There was a motion by Jennifer, seconded by Rod that the minutes be approved with these amendments. The motion was carried unanimously.
Treasurer’s Report & 2019 Audit Report
Jennifer presented her report (distributed in the meeting folder). Jennifer advised that the 2019 Audit review had been completed by Jerry Ranney and that he was satisfied. Jennifer suggested and it was agreed that all funds should remain as “cash” for the time being. There was a motion by Steve N, seconded by Liz that the Treasurer’s Report be accepted. The motion carried unanimously.
~ Jennifer O’Neill
National Board
Cindy advised that the report is included in meeting package. Building and shoring up membership is a National Board priority. She went through her report and took questions and comments from the other board members. The board thanked Cindy for all her work on the National Board.
~ Cindy Shoemaker
NEW BUSINESS
Stipend for Key Positions, Travel Reimbursement in a Virtual World
John confirmed to the meeting that there would be no expense reimbursement for the D17 Board’s online meetings. He advised that in future we may have to consider a stipend for other key positions other than newsletter production.
~ John Grossmann
D17 Role in Membership Building & Bridge Education
John led a lengthy discussion on what should be D17’s role in outreach and education programs. Sharon described her experience with the teaching platform on Shark Bridge. Cindy advised that the ACBL was in favor of clubs running social bridge programs alongside duplicate bridge. Discussion on this topic will continue at another meeting.
~ John Grossmann
Future of Western Conference
John advised the board that the Western Conference had decided to go “into hibernation” for the duration of the pandemic or until STaCs may be available to be held on-line.
~ John Grossmann
Colorado-at-Large Election Representation
Bill advised that at present two D17 Board members for Colorado-at-Large/Wyoming were selected from seven units. Bill made a motion that one board member should be selected from Unit 360 (ColoradoSprings), Unit 363 (Northern Colorado) and Unit 367 (Pueblo) and that one board member should be selected from Unit 359 (Boulder), Unit 364 (Colorado West), Unit 421 (Cheyenne) and Unit 422 (Laramie). The motion was seconded by Jennifer. Following discussion, the motion carried by a majority.
~ Bill Phillips
Bylaws update relevant to Pandemic and Online Meetings
Nothing for this meeting
~ Steve Reynolds
OLD BUSINESS
Future Direction of Grants Program
Steve advised that he had not received any requests. After discussion, nothing was decided as to the future direction of the program. John advised Steve N that he would like to work with him as to the program direction.
~ Steve Nordberg
Status of Scorecard phase out
John advised that December 2020 would be the final edition of Scorecard. Nextbook are comfortable with that.
~ John Grossmann
Status of New Website
Cindy advised that the home page has been completed and that she was comfortable with a January roll-out.
~ Cindy Shoemaker
GNT Decisions based on Request from ACBL
Rod advised that the Championship Flight team that qualified for 2020 would automatically be qualified for the national finals at the Summer NABC in 2021. Rod made the motion that the A, B and C teams who were qualified for the 2020 D17 finals should be qualified to participate in the 2021 D17 finals. Seconded by Jennifer. The motion carried unanimously.
~ Rod Southworth
Budget for Denver Regional 2021
Jennifer presented a budget for Denver Regional 2021. Break-even would happen at 700+ tables. A motion was made by Jennifer, seconded by Steve R. to approve the Denver 2021 budget. After discussion, the motion carried unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 12.30 pm.
~ Jennifer O’Neill
NEXT MEETING – Online, December 2020
Minutes of Board Meetings in 2019
Tucson Minutes - February, 2019
Minutes of the Meeting of District 17 Board
March 2, 2019 at the Viscount Hotel, Tucson AZ
Present: John Grossmann (President), Bonnie Bagley (National Board), Lakin Haines, JoAnne Lowe, Felicity Moore, Steve Nordberg, Jennifer O’Neill, Bill Phillips, Becky Rogers, Rod Southworth Apologies: Steve Reynolds Also in attendance: McKenzie Myers, ACBL Area Manager
The President called the meeting to order at 8.05 am.
GENERAL
Opening Remarks
John welcomed those present and asked Becky to give an update on Steve Reynolds as she had visited him in hospital the previous evening. She reported that he was in very good spirits and would be home soon. The meeting sent him good wishes for a speedy recovery.
John introduced McKenzie Myers who is the ACBL Western Area Manager and is responsible for recruiting and training directors as well as acting as a liaison between Unit and Districts and ACBL.
~ John Grossmann
Approval of May 2018 Minutes
Steve N proposed that the minutes of the Denver meeting be approved. This was seconded by Lakin and approved unanimously.
Secretary’s Report
Felicity advised that the meeting packet had been sent out as a file and that she hoped that the board members will welcome this. So far there have not been any negative comments.
~ Felicity Moore
Treasurer’s Report
The report is included in the packet with a bottom line of approximately $117,000. $7,300 will be received soon from the Western Conference as our share of the December STaC profits.
Jennifer advised that the transfer of funds from the Savings account to Schwab should be completed very soon and that Jerry Ranney is performing the audit which should be concluded by our meeting in Denver. Bonnie proposed that the Treasurer’s Report be approved, seconded by Felicity. There were no further comments and the report was approved unanimously.
~ Jennifer O’Neill
National Board
As predicted, the Hawaii NABC was a financial loss. Accounts are not yet finalised but will show a loss of between 550k and 650k. The 2019 ACBL President, Russ Jones, is focusing on increasing membership and cost reductions. The Board of Directors (BOD) meeting in Memphis will be shorter than in the past and there will be discussion on reducing the size of the BOD.
ACBL is running a pilot program which allows clubs to use any scoring program that they wish. It seems that most clubs will stick to ACBLScore which should function satisfactorily as long as there are no major changes to Windows.
During the Memphis BOD meeting there will be motions to vacate titles of convicted cheaters. Bonnie has taken advice from some senior players in D17 and this will guide her vote. She mentioned that the ACBL hope to raise additional revenue from BBO (Bridge Base Online) when the contract comes up for renewal. Incidentally BBO has been purchased by FunBridge, a similar organisation based in Europe.
~ Bonnie Bagley
Western Conference
Bonnie reported that the Western Conference board had met via video link which had mainly been a discussion on a new WC website. She feels that a new website would be an unnecessary expense and this topic will be revisited during the next WC video link meeting later in March.
It was agreed that Bonnie would give the STaC Report at this point of the meeting. She advised that the December STaC had been very successful for D17 and will receive a profit share of $7,300. D17 had the largest participation at the December STaC. Bonnie will pursue having overall awards at the club level.
Bonnie feels that the time may be approaching when STaCs are run by districts rather than the Western Conference. The WC STac is getting smaller as Districts 19 and 20 will no longer participate and District 18 will reduce their participation. There was a discussion as to whether D17 should “go it alone”. No decision at this time but something to think about. This year D22 will not participate in December due to it being so close to their Palm Springs Regional.
~ Bonnie Bagley
NEW BUSINESS
Revised RTP and D17 Policy Manual
Felicity advised that she had updated the D17 Policy Manual and converted it a PDF and that it is included in the meeting folder. She requested that the board members go through them and make notes of anything that needs updating so that motions may be made at the meeting in Denver.
Jennifer made a motion to allow that regional tournament starting times to be set by the host unit based on their own experience and local conditions. Seconded by Becky. Discussion followed. Motion was approved unanimously.
Felicity presented an updated RTP. Following a discussion as to when it should be given to host units and what should be included. Becky agreed to rewrite the RTP for presentation to the board in Denver.
The meeting agreed that the Bylaws need revision. John advised that Becky had been working on updating them and suggested revisions should be available by the Denver meeting.
~ Felicity Moore
Two GNT teams qualifying in Flights B & C
Rod reported that ACBL now allows a second team to attend the national finals from the B & C flights as long as there are at least 8 or more teams in the district finals. There was a discussion about the lack of qualifying events for some members in rural areas. Rod advised that he does sometimes grant exemptions to players who were unable to play in club qualifying games. Bonnie advised that these exempted players would be unable to play at the national level if they qualified at the district level. Rod was advised to inform players of this. There was a motion by Felicity, seconded by Jennifer to award a second team in Flights B and C $1,500 each towards their expenses at the national finals. After discussion the motion was passed unanimously.
~ Rod Southworth
Future Committees
John suggested that there should be less committees as the board is now smaller and that some D17 business should work with ad hoc committees rather that standing committees. He suggested that the Finance Committee be absorbed into the Executive Committee and that the Contract Review Committee should come under the Regional Tournament Committee. Becky made a motion that for a term of one year the D17 board will not designate an Executive Committee but that the full board should be involved in decisions outside of board meetings, seconded by JoAnne. John commented that he felt there was a case for an Executive Committee but that it may be less important than before. After a lengthy discussion, the motion passed with one abstention (Bonnie).
John summarized that there will be no Finance Committee and that the Contract Review will come under the Regional Tournament Committee. Jennifer will send out regional reports, that were previously reviewed by the Finance Committee to the entire board for review before approval at the next board meeting.
John stressed to importance of each committee chair having a back-up person so that there is a method of keeping track of the process. He requested that all committee chairs advise him as soon as possible as to who their back-up is. (Revised listing of the D17 committees is attached to these minutes.)
~ John Grossmann
OLD BUSINESS
Future Regional Allocation
Bonnie advised the board that Colorado Springs can no longer hold regional tournament as they are unable to find a suitable venue as the costs would be too high. Winifred Stebbins (Taos Regional Chair) had approached Bonnie and requested that Taos be permitted to hold a regional in 2020.
Bonnie proposed a motion to offer Taos a sanction for a regional tournament in 2020, seconded by Felicity. John commented that Northern Colorado has a suitable location and may be considered for a regional. At this time the board thought that this should not be considered until the Northern Colorado unit made a formal request for a regional. After further discussion, the motion was passed unanimously.
A motion was made by John, seconded by Felicity, to offer the RTP to Phoenix for their 2019 regional. Passed unanimously.
~ John Grossmann
Legal Status of D17
Jennifer made a motion for District 17 to become a Not for Profit Corporation in the State of Colorado. Seconded by Becky. Jennifer advised there were many positives to becoming a Not for Profit Corporation including limiting director liability and tax benefits. Jennifer had worked closely with Dave Caprera on this matter and that he did not foresee any problems with this. Passed unanimously.
~ Jennifer O’Neill
Website Upgrade or Replacement
Bonnie asked Bill, a member of her Communications committee, to report on this matter. He advised that after due consideration, the D17 website would benefit from a ground up rewrite. To be effective it needs to be transparent across many platforms and to be easy to maintain. Cindy Shoemaker is working hard on her unit’s website update, she is very experienced in this area and is very willing to work as a consultant. The committee will continue to work on this and will have an update for the Denver meeting. Bonnie complimented Phoenix on their website.
John mentioned that our website is eight years old but still compares favourably with many other ACBL districts, but an upgrade is a priority for 2019 whether a final decision is made in Denver or in Taos.
~ Bonnie Bagley
Board Duplication
Bill briefly described his proposal to do “in-house” board duplication. (His proposal document is attached to these minutes). D17 would purchase all the necessary equipment and supplies. It was generally agreed that there must be a back-up in case of illness.
Becky moved that we accept Bill’s proposal, with the proviso that there is a suitable back-up arrangement, to be effective January 1, 2020. After discussion it was approved unanimously. John will prepare a contract to be approved at the Denver meeting by which time a back-up procedure will be formulated. Dan Williams requires a minimum of 90 days of notice to terminate the contract with him but the general feeling was that he should receive closer to 180 days notice.
~ Bill Phillips
Credit Card Payments at Regionals
There was a discussion about Purple Pass versus a voucher system. Denver will be using Purple Pass for free in May. With a voucher system, there is a cost based on equipment and also transaction fees. Gatlinburg does not charge an additional transaction fee. Becky advised that Las Vegas plans to offer credit card payment with an additional 3% convenience fee. Jennifer asked the meeting if she should do some further research before the Denver meeting. The meeting decided to table the matter until the Denver meeting.
DIC Report
Due to the location of the meeting, the DIC, Eric Bell was unable to be present. Becky advised that he reports that the number of tables is down approximately 2% . He estimates that the total will be just under 1500 while last year there were 1526 tables. Players have reported that the playing area was spartan but acceptable.
~ Jennifer O’Neill
COMMITTEES
Elections
This year, Arizona at Large, Tucson and Las Vegas will have elections for D17 representatives. All three incumbents will stand for re-election. During April, Bill will be sending election information to the relevant unit presidents.
~ Bill Phillips
Recorder
Becky reported that she has had a fair amount of activity but nothing too serious at this time. The National Recorder has been sent all the information.
~ Becky Rogers
Grants
No grant results received so far this year.
~ Steve Nordberg
Tournament Supplies
Thanks to Becky, Bill advised that he has retrieved a couple of hundred D17 bid boxes from unit storage in Las Vegas. The dual area bid box system is working well.
~ Bill Phillips
GNT
Rod advised that Steve Nordberg has volunteered to be Rod’s back-up. GNT participation is waning, Rod requested that D17 representatives should encourage clubs and units to hold qualifying games. Bonnie reported that her unit is not up-charging for GNT qualifying games. Felicity reported that Duke City and Unit 374 do not charge either. Rod reported that eight is enough has been successful in encouraging team games in Wyoming.
~ Rod Southworth
NAP
Lakin reported that the pairs representing D17 at the NAPs in Memphis NABC are set. There had been a communication breakdown between the ACBL with the 4th place in the C flight. Their invitation was late.
~ Lakin Hines
Bylaws
Becky reported that work has started on D17 Bylaw revision. John has agreed to help.
~ Becky Rogers
Regional Tournaments
The Las Vegas legal issues have been settled and the 2020 Regional has been handed over to Angie Clark, the tournament chair. There was a very lengthy discussion concerning charity games on the first day of full 7-day regionals. It appears that further clarification is required and Becky will send out the regulations to D17 board members.
~ Becky Rogers
Contract Review
In Steve’s absence, nothing to report.
~ Steve Reynolds
Tournament Coordination
JoAnne reported that there had been updates in February, since the schedules that are included in the meeting package. These will be reflected in the schedules presented at the Denver meeting. JoAnne will await the sanction request from Taos for 2020.
~ JoAnne Lowe
Website
Rod reported no problems with the website, he requested that the board members continue to send him any information that should go on the website.
~ Rod Southworth
Communication
Scorecard and Bridge Buzz running well, open rate not as robust as we would hope for. Felicity made a motion that insertion fees for ads for D17 regional and sectional tournaments should be free. Seconded by JoAnne. Approved unanimously. JoAnne asked McKenzie what was happening with ACBL’s communication method with the members. He had no information but would try and get an answer. John advised that he will be investigating how to improve the D17 email distribution list and will be meeting with Cindy Shoemaker to get her suggestions as to how D17 can improve in this area. Should we do this internally and bypass ACBL? John hopes to be able to present something on this topic at the next meeting.
Charity
Bonnie will be sending out letters to the unit presidents who have not yet responded. All the proposals pertaining to the distribution of the national funds will be presented at the Denver meeting.
Special Administrative
Felicity Moore Requests for Goodwill nomination will be going out to D17 representatives asking for nominations before the end of April. These nominations will be ratified at the Denver meeting.
I/N & Education
Nothing to report. John suggested that the board give some thought to this before the Denver meeting.
~ John Grossmann
COMPLETED TOURNAMENT REPORTS
Colorado Springs
Bonnie reported that it had been a successful tournament, despite some bad weather. They realised a profit of $7K+ and had 1100+ tables. John complimented Bonnie on a very well-run tournament. He mentioned apropos that D17 tournaments need to have more clocks.
~ Bonnie Bagley
Albuquerque
Felicity reported that it had been a good tournament; 1620 tables, 15k+ profit. John complimented Albuquerque on a great venue and an enjoyable tournament. Jennifer proposed, seconded by Bonnie, that the Albuquerque Regional budget for 2020 budget be approved. Unanimously approved.
~ Felicity Moore
The meeting was adjourned at 12.05pm
NEXT MEETING – Denver, CO, time and date to be decided
Denver Minutes - May, 2019
Minutes of the Meeting of District 17 Board
May 24, 2019 at the Renaissance Hotel, Denver CO
Present: John Grossmann (President), Bonnie Bagley (National Board), Lakin Hines,
JoAnne Lowe, Steve Nordberg, Jennifer O’Neill, Bill Phillips, Becky Rogers,
Rod Southworth Apologies: Felicity Moore
The President was unavoidably detained so the Vice President, Becky Rogers called the meeting to order at 6.40 pm. She varied the agenda to start with Committee Reports until John arrived.
COMMITTEES
Elections Bill Phillips
Bill reported that three D17 board positions were up for election. They are Arizona-at-Large, Tucson and Las Vegas. At this time only the incumbents had indicated that they would run. The nomination period for these positions will close on 30 May so it appears, at this time, that no elections will be necessary. Bill will advise the board of the outcome after 30 May.
Recorder Becky Rogers
Becky reported that it had been relatively quiet. Any problems were referred to the National Recorder, Robb Gordon, in a timely fashion and dealt with expeditiously.
Grants Steve Nordberg
Grant requests have been received from, Unit 359 Boulder, Unit 421 Cheyenne, Unit 383 Santa Fe and Unit 363 Northern Colorado. Steve suggested that $1000 be awarded to Unit 359 and $500 to each of the other three units. John advised that a late request had been received from Unit 381 Northern New Mexico. (This request is attached to these minutes). He felt that this late request should be considered as it requested funds for membership building in Los Alamos. Bonnie asked if Unit 381 received any share of the profits from the Taos Regional. The board had previously discussed this and that it had been established that Unit 381 had not received any funds from the Taos Regional since the first year that it was held. John requested that $500 be awarded to Unit 381. A motion was made by Steve N, seconded by JoAnne, that all five units be awarded the requested amounts, a total of $3000. Passed unanimously. This would exhaust the grant budget for 2019 and no other grants will be considered until 2020. Then President, John Grossman, joined the meeting during the discussion on grant awards and took the chair.
The DIC, Gary Zeiger, joined the meeting
Gary reported that the table count stood at 1069, down approximately 100 tables. He projected that the final table count would in the 1750-1800 range. Numbers had been predictable except today’s unexpected increase. Some tables have been lost by changing the night team games from 2 sessions to single session, but not by as much as he had expected. Gold Rush teams had not proved popular (50% of pairs) but pairs appeared to have played in the Open Pairs. Upon request, he advised that changing the evening side pairs to fast evening side pairs, made sense and the numbers were stable. The board thanked Gary for attending and he left the meeting. The meeting reverted to the original agenda.
GENERAL
Opening Remarks John Grossmann
John presented some statistics from 2001, that he thought may be of interest to the board. They concerned regional table counts, income and other matters. He noted that Bonnie was the only board member to have continuously served since that year.
Approval of March 2019 Minutes
Bonnie asked if there were any corrections. John requested that there be an change to “Board Duplication” on page 4, to read “John will prepare a contract …….”. JoAnne proposed that the minutes of the Tucson meeting be approved with that amendment, seconded by Steve N. The motion was approved unanimously.
Secretary’s Report Bonnie Bagley
Bonnie advised that Felicity was in Costa Rica and sends greetings.
Treasurer’s Report Jennifer O’Neill
Jennifer presented her report and noted that the budget for 2019 was on target. She has found an account containing approximately $15,000 that actually belongs to Denver as excess income from the last NABC. John reported May STaC will yield about $5,600.00.
Steve R proposed that the Treasurer’s Report be approved, seconded by Lakin. There were no further comments and the report was approved unanimously.
National Board Bonnie Bagley
Bonnie presented a very positive article from Bridgewinners that she had previously circulated. She formally advised the board that she would not stand for re-election and that two persons had nominated themselves to stand for D17 District Director. They are John Grossmann and Cindy Shoemaker. Unit board members will cast votes which will be weighted by unit size.
She advised that another REACH (Regional at Clubs) is planned for July. ACBL is in the process of overhauling the appeals process and that Robb Gordon has a prominent role in this.
ACBL has switched its housing management for NABCs from On Peak to Conference Direct.
Locations for future NABCs are being decided but it is unlikely that Denver will be asked to host one in the foreseeable future. With regards to the Denver NABC excess funds that had been discovered recently, she suggested that we should consider making them available to other NABCs that might be hosted in D17, namely Las Vegas and Phoenix.
Western Conference Report Bonnie Bagley
Owing to Bill Michael’s health problems, the May STaC was directed by Marilyn Wells. Marilyn did an adequate job but did not do as well as Bill has in the past. The May STaC had 5857.5 tables with was 938.5 down from last May. 1725 of those tables were in D17.
Western Conference will be meeting via a video link June 8th.
NEW BUSINESS
Goodwill Nominations Bonnie Bagley
Bonnie advised the board that all the nominations were very good and asked the board if there were any objections. There were no objections so Bonnie made a motion that all the nominations should be ratified by the board. Seconded by Rod Southworth. The motion passed unanimously. All the board members, with the exception of Bill, requested that Felicity should send the awards directly to them so that they could make presentations.
D17 Charity Grants Bonnie Bagley
Bonnie explained that the ACBL has asked us to distribute $30,000 to charities within our district. All D17 units had been asked to nominate a charity. All those nominated are worthy but only six will be awarded $5000 each. Bonnie conducted a voting process and the following charities were chosen to receive a donation.
Soldier’s Art Workshop, El Paso
Santa Fe Animal Shelter and Humane Society
Paws and Stripes, Albuquerque
Mesilla Valley Community of Hope, Las Cruces
Verde Valley Homeless Coalition, Cottonwood AZ
Carlsbad Transitional Housing and Homeless Shelter
Suggested Date Change for NAP District Finals Lakin Hines
Lakin advised that several A players had voiced concerns that the NAP D17 finals in Taos conflict with the World Championships. He presented the result of the survey that he had conducted with some flight A players. Lakin made a motion that the NAP Flight A finals be moved to the Albuquerque regional in January 2020, but the Flight B & C finals be held as scheduled in Taos. Passed unanimously.
Approval of RTPs for Albuquerque 2020 & Tucson 2020 John Grossmann
Bonnie made a motion, seconded by Rod, that the RTP be offered to Unit 356, Tucson, to hold the 2020 regional tournament. Passed unanimously.
Becky made a motion, seconded by JoAnne, that the RTP be offered to Unit 374, Albuquerque, to hold the 2020 regional tournament. Passed unanimously.
The RTP for the Phoenix regional, 2019 was amended to reflect an entry fee of $14.
Request for Financial Assistance from Unit 373 Rebecca Rogers
Becky described the financial situation with Unit 363 since their lawsuit with Caesars was settled. Any financial assistance to Unit 373 would be used for pre-tournament expenses for their 2020 regional. Steve R proposed a motion that D17 make a grant of $6,000 to Unit 373, Las Vegas. Seconded by Jennifer. Passed unanimously.
John thanked Becky for all her efforts in reenergizing the Las Vegas unit.
Tournament Committee Procedures and Proposed RTP Changes Rebecca Rogers
Tabled until a future meeting.
Proposed Revisions to D17 By Laws Rebecca Rogers
Tabled.
OLD BUSINESS
Website Upgrade or Replacement Bill Phillips
Bill presented the report that was included in the meeting package. Since he prepared the report, he has been in touch with Cindy Shoemaker, who has a lot of skill in this area. He learnt from Cindy that the expense may not be as high as he had initially thought. He requested that all members make some time to analyse our current website and make suggestions to Rod to for additions, deletions, corrections and suggestions. In the meantime, the committee will search for a company to work with for the redesign. WordPress was suggested as a suitable platform. Jennifer requested figures by 9/1/2019 for the 2020 budget. There was a lengthy discussion. The committee will continue to work on a proposal.
Board Duplication Bill Phillips
Bill presented a slide show of his board duplication proposal, which includes District 17 purchasing at least one board duplicating machine, boards, board cases, cards, printer, 2 laptop computers, a trailer in which to transport the boards, and miscellaneous expenses. The approximate expense for 2019 would be $21,269.00 and the approximate expense for 2020 which included the hotel room for Bill at all D17 Regionals and playing cards would be $8,659.00.
The board discussed the merit of plastic rather than plastic coated cards. It was agreed that initially 50% of the purchased cards should be plastic with a view to converting to all plastic if there were not too many negative comments from the players. Bill advised the board that he is prepared to prepare boards for 6 years. Feasibility and insurance were also discussed.
A motion was made by Jennifer, seconded by Becky to accept Bill’s proposal modified to have 50% plastic cards. The motion passed.
Credit Card Payments at Regionals Jennifer O’Neill
Jennifer reported that the ACBL Purple Pass system for entry purchases by credit card is being used at the Denver Regional, but she did not know how many players were getting their entries via Purple Pass. The matter of D17 having their own credit card system was tabled.
STaC Tournament Status Bonnie Bagley
Reported in Western Conference Report.
COMMITTEES - continued
Tournament Supplies Bill Phillips
Bill reported that he has ordered 60 bid box inserts.
GNT Rod Southworth
Rod stated the D17 GNT Final entries were ten Flight C teams, eight Flight B teams, three Flight A teams and one Championship Flight. The competition started Friday and finishes Saturday. Since there were at least eight teams in Flights B and C, D17 may send a second team to the National Finals in July at the Las Vegas NABC. There was discussion concerning the Flight B Team who sent in an entry for the Championship Flight and participated in the D17 Flight B Finals as well. Rod reported he updated the dates and location of the D17 and National Finals in the D17 GNT Conditions of Contest for 2019/2020 and added the following:
“Exemptions from Club Qualifications: At the end of the qualifying period (May 1st), D17 members may make a written request to the GNT Coordinator for an exemption from club qualifying for the district finals. Exemptions have been made in the past for two types of circumstances, as follows:
1. No GNT Qualifying games were held within 60 miles of their home.
2. A significant business or personal reason prevented them from participating.
The district finals champions of each flight will reasonably cooperate in promoting the event, if requested. This would include making a public appearance and/or supplying a short-written report of their GNT experience for publication in the District publications.”
A motion was made by Jennifer O’Neill, seconded by Steve Reynolds to approve the D17 2019/2020 GNT Conditions of Contest. The motion passed. A link to the C of C may be found at the end of these minutes.
NAP Lakin Hines
Reported above under New Business.
Regional Tournaments Becky Rogers
Tabled with the suggestion of a video conference before the Taos meeting.
Contract Review Steve Reynolds
Steve is happy with the process. No contracts have been submitted for review since the Tucson contract.
Tournament Coordination JoAnne Lowe
JoAnne reported the yearly tournament schedules have been updated.
Website Rod Southworth
Rod noted he is constantly updating the website and, as always, appreciates board members sending him information to be posted on the website.
Communication
There remains concern about reaching all D17 members via the Scorecard and Bridge Buzz.
I/N & Education John Grossmann
John reported that while there are no clear-cut programs, there are educational articles in the ScoreCard and there are Pro-Am games at the Denver Regional. JoAnne noted that the Phoenix Unit will conduct two youth bridge camps with beginner bridge classes for grades five to eight. Susan Kay Schultz is the chair for this program.
COMPLETED TOURNAMENT REPORTS
Tucson Steve Reynolds
Steve noted that the table count of 1487 was only 39 tables fewer than 2018’s 1526. A surplus of $18,707.00 was realized for the Tucson Unit. Steve experimented by doing different menus for lunch each day, which was not received as well as that it could have been. He will go to sandwiches, but different kinds each day. Steve=s experienced volunteers carried on well in his absence the last three days as he had emergency gall bladder surgery.
A motion was made at 10:02 p.m. by JoAnne and seconded by Bonnie to adjourn the meeting
NEXT MEETING – Taos, NM, time and date to be decided.
GRANT REQUEST FROM UNIT 381, NORTHERN NEW MEXICO
For the past several years, the membership of the Los Alamos Bridge Club has rapidly dwindled, mainly due to advancing age.
In an attempt to try to start to reduce this trend, the bridge club will pursue two main initiatives later this year.
First, we want to improve the program we started in a couple of our elementary schools and in our middle school. We’d like to purchase student texts for these students, as many of them have played enough that they are ready to incorporate some formal training in their regimen. In addition, we would like to help incentivize our volunteer teachers/mentors by offering them full reimbursement for their out of pocket expenses. A grant of $150 from District 17 would make it possible to achieve this goal.
Second, we must attract new players if we are to survive. We hope in the fall to offer a full eight week beginner course for people who have never played bridge before. Our goal would ultimately be to teach the beginning ACBL club series and to get this group of people playing duplicate in a novice game of their own. We’d prefer not to charge for this, in the hope that it would help us attract more students. We would plan to furnish student texts and to reimburse the instructor’s expenses. If successful, there would be startup costs in running a novice game, as well as recurring costs. A grant of around $600 from District 17 for this activity would give us the push we need to launch this program.
Our consideration of our requests is appreciated.
Jerry Fleming Unit 381 President Los Alamos Bridge Club President
Taos Minutes - September, 2019
Minutes of the Meeting of District 17 Board
September 27, 2019 at the Sagebrush Hotel, Taos NM
Present: John Grossmann (President), Bonnie Bagley (National Board), Lakin Hines,
JoAnne Lowe, Felicity Moore, Steve Nordberg, Jennifer O’Neill, Bill Phillips, Steve Reynolds, Rod Southworth, Becky Rogers joined part of the meeting via telephone.
Also present: Liz Hamilton, D17 Board member designate, Las Vegas Unit 373
Robert Vetter, Vice President, Denver Unit 361The President called the meeting to order at 6.15 pm.
GENERAL
Opening remarks
John handed out two documents (attached) one with some ACBL tournament statistics and the other with the results from a national survey about bridge playing. He also discussed an informal survey that he took in Denver. John welcomed Liz Hamilton to the meeting.
~ John Grossmann
DIC Report
The DIC, Gary Zeiger, joined the meeting. He reported that at this point the tournament had recorded 942.5 tables which was up over 2017 when Taos conflicted with Sparks NV. He anticipated that the final table count would be about 1200. He mentioned that the venue was at capacity and that any increase in future attendance could be problematic. He mentioned that he was no longer a member of the D17 Regional Planning Committee, but that in his opinion there was a severe flaw in this year’s schedule. This was not holding the side game series as horizontal events as has become the norm in D17. This affects players who only want to play one session per day and conflicts with the main events.
Gary made a couple of observations on the proposed Denver schedule. First, that should the GNT finals be split between two different venues then this should be very clearly stated on the first iteration of the flyer. Secondly, he queried why there was no charity pairs on the first afternoon as these had been very well attended.
Becky Rogers joined the meeting by telephone.
John advised Gary that the Sagebrush Hotel had given the agreed week for Taos 2020 to another organization and that a new date had to be chosen. The possible new dates conflicted with Santa Clara regional, Seaside regional and Sparks regional. Two other suggestions were probably too late in October and would probably be affected by weather. Gary was asked which of the three conflicts would affect us less and after discussion, he felt that competing with Seaside would have less of a downside. The alternative of not holding a Taos regional in 2020 was debated.
Gary advised that all flyers should indicate that all I/N games would be stratified at the director’s discretion.
Approval of May 2019 Minutes
Rod suggested a grammatical correction.
Motion by Rod, seconded by Steve N
That the minutes be approved. Carried unanimously.
Secretary’s Report Felicity Moore
Motion by Felicity, seconded by Jennifer
That D17 Board meetings revert to being held on Saturday mornings unless there was a conflict with either the GNT or NAP district finals. Should there be a conflict then an alternative morning would be selected. Carried unanimously
Treasurer’s Report Jennifer O’Neill
Jennifer reported that D17 in great financial shape. She had replaced all the bank accounts to reflect the D17 legal status and had discovered a separate account that held approximately $15,000 that were funds collected by the NABC Committee in either 2005 and/or 2015. There was a discussion as to how these funds should be dispersed and it was agreed that further research was necessary to ascertain the origin of these funds.
Motion by Steve R, seconded by Bonnie
That the Treasurer’s Report be accepted. Carried unanimously.
National Board Bonnie Bagley
Bonnie thanked the board for the function that was held in her honor on the previous evening and told the board that it had been a very great pleasure to serve as District Director for D17. She advised that one of her most agreeable duties was to make nominations for appointment to the Aileen Osofsky ACBL Goodwill Committee. During the Las Vegas NABC she had appointed Liz Hamilton and her husband, Rolf, to the Committee and was now very happy to appoint Felicity Moore. Felicity was awarded a Goodwill pin.
WC and STaC report.
Bonnie advised that the STaC statistics are included in the package. She told the meeting that Bill Michael has resigned from ACBL due to health issues and that Henry Falk has been appointed as DIC for the December STaC.
The Western Conference will have a video meeting in October. John mentioned that serious discussion should take place about the future of the WC. Bonnie suggested that maybe D17 could run their own STaCs and invite other units/districts to participate.
Bonnie advised the board that she had designed and donated a new set of table mats for use at D17 Regionals. The board thanked Bonnie for this most generous gift.
NEW BUSINESS
Appointment of Chairperson for Fall NABC 2022, Phoenix JoAnne Lowe
Motion by JoAnne, seconded by Felicity.
That Ken & Joanne Titow be appointed as joint chairpersons of the 2022 Fall NABC to be held in Phoenix. After a short discussion, carried unanimously. Approval of Schedule and Flyer for Denver Regional 2020 Rebecca Rogers.
Becky advised that the temporary membership was to be replaced by a free guest membership. ACBL will be instituting this very soon. The flyer should be amended to state “Entry fee: $13, Unpaid members $17.00”. The flyer should also state that I/N events would be stratified at the director’s discretion. There was a lengthy discussion on holding a pairs event alongside the Pro-Am on Tuesday afternoon.
Motion by Jennifer, seconded by JoAnne
That the Board approve the schedule with changes discussed and to include a Pro-Am and a 0-1000 Pairs event on Tuesday afternoon. After discussion with one abstention and one opposed the motion carried.
Appointment of Bylaws Committee John Grossmann
John said that he would probably appoint a bylaws committee before the Albuquerque meeting. Jennifer will draft a bylaw amendment reflecting the D17 incorporation for consideration either before or at the Albuquerque meeting.
Proposed Regional Tournament Committee Procedures Rebecca Rogers
Bill spoke for Becky. Becky has developed a comprehensive regional tournament planning document. There are several motions contained in that document (in the Meeting Package Taos 2019).
MOTION by Rebecca Rogers
Move that District 17 establish a Standing Committee, called the Regional Tournament Committee (RTC), with the mission and composition as detailed in I.A., I.B. and I.C. above.
The motioned was seconded by JoAnne. After discussion, the motion carried unanimously.
MOTION by Jennifer O’Neill
Move that recommendations coming out of subcommittees and then from the full RTC be immediately
distributed to the full D17 Board by email or other means. In the absence of a negative response and/or
a request for further consideration within seven (7) days, and with a favorable vote of at least 2/3 of those eligible to vote, the RTC recommendations shall be considered approved and implementation commenced.
Not seconded. After discussion, the motion was withdrawn
MOTION by Steve Reynolds
Move that D17, through the Regional Tournament Committee, make available a Provisional Regional Tournament Plan (PRTP) to Host Units for the sole purpose of committing to contracts further out than one year.
The PRTP shall be available to Host Units with a proven track record and/or a clear expectation of success in all areas. The full RTP shall be awarded if
(1) the pre-approved contractual agreements remain unchanged (or revisions are subsequently accepted) and
(2) the Tournament Financial Report for budgeting has been submitted and accepted no more than 11 months out from the Tournament Dates.
This motion was withdrawn. Felicity agreed to rewrite the RTP and draft other required documents for presentation at the Albuquerque meeting.
Benefits provided by D17 to the District Director effective 2020 Rebecca Rogers
John recused himself for this agenda item and left the room. Steve R took the chair. Becky advised that at present, the District Director gets the same benefits as the other board members and in addition D17 provides a hotel room for 7 nights at every regional at which a meeting is held. Jennifer pointed out that the D17 President enjoys the same hotel room benefit.
Motion by Rod, seconded by Steve R
That D17 provide 7 nights hotel for the D17 President and 4 nights hotel for the District Director at the regionals where D17 meetings are held. After discussion with one abstention, the motion carried.
Motion by Jennifer, seconded by JoAnne
That as a token of appreciation, Bonnie be awarded free plays for all 2020 regionals.
With one abstention, the motion carried.
Becky’s participation via telephone ended.
D17 Budget 2020 Jennifer O’Neill
Jennifer presented a proposed budget for 2020. Even with significant purchases to support the board duplication project, projected net income for 2019 is only $1000 less than budgeted. She is projecting a net income of about $31,000 for 2020.
Motion by Felicity, seconded by Bonnie
That the 2020 budget be accepted by the board with a review at the Albuquerque meeting. Carried unanimously.
Additions & Deletions from the list of D17 approved Directors Felicity Moore
Motion by Felicity, seconded by Jennifer
That McKenzie Myers be added to the list of approved directors and that Nancy Boyd, Matt Smith, Brian Russell and Bill Michael be deleted from the list of approved directors. Carried unanimously.
Approval of RTP for Denver 2020 Felicity Moore
Motion by Felicity, seconded by Jennifer
That the RTP for Denver 2020 be approved. Carried unanimously.
Email and Video Conferencing decision making Guidelines John Grossmann
John gave an overview of what is available for video conferencing and email decision making and suggested that this topic be tabled until the Albuquerque meeting. Jennifer said that she felt that these guidelines should be addressed by the Bylaws committee. Jennifer and Steve volunteered to be on the Bylaws committee.
OLD BUSINESS
Website Upgrade or Replacement Bill Phillips
No further progress on website replacement. Will be addressed in Albuquerque.
Board Duplication Bill Phillips
Bill presented a new budget for the board duplication project with a minor variation on the budget presented in Denver. John advised that Bill Koehler had been forced to withdraw his proposal due to ill health but has offered to supply boards. Bill advised that the Koehler boards are not cost effective. Bill will commence duplication in Albuquerque.
COMMITTEES
Elections Bill Phillips
Bill reported that Unit 373 had elected Liz Hamilton to replace Becky for a three-year term effective 1/1/2020. Bill and Steve R were elected unopposed for three-year terms commencing 1/1/2020. The terms for Lakin, Steve N and Rod will be ending on 12/31/2020, so the election cycle for their positions will commence in May 2020. The terms for John, Felicity, JoAnne and Jennifer will not end until 12/31/2021.
Recorder Becky Rogers – No report
Grants Steve Nordberg
Steve advised that he had received an application from the Bridge Club in Alamogordo for assistance in purchasing a dealing machine. He was advised by the board that grant requests should come from a unit not a club. He will revisit this request with Unit 388.
Tournament Supplies Bill Phillips
Nothing significant to report. Bill will be purchasing supplies to restock the bidding boxes in early 2020.
GNT Rod Southworth
Rod suggested that the Championship flight entries be made by January 1st so that arrangements could be made to hold the D17 final. There was a lengthy discussion on whether D17 should hold this final on-line rather than at a tournament. It was generally agreed that there would not be enough time to do this for 2020 but that an online final should be explored for future years.
Motion by Rod Southworth, seconded by Jennifer
That the 2020 Championship Flight D17 GNT final be held at the Tucson Regional on March 6,7,8 2020. Carried Unanimously.
NAP Lakin Hines
Lakin reported that the NAP B final was held earlier this day and that the C final will be held tomorrow. There were no major problems but the room where the B finals were held was very warm and poorly lit.
Regional Tournaments Becky Rogers (not present)
Motion by Felicity seconded by Bonnie
That the Phoenix unit be authorized to hold their regional in 2022 despite the Fall NABC being held in Phoenix that year. Discussion followed. Carried unanimously.
Charity Bonnie Bagley – Nothing to report
Contract Review Steve Reynolds
There are no contract reviews outstanding.
Tournament Coordination JoAnne Lowe
It was agreed that the 2020 Taos regional would be held 9/28 -10/4 subject to obtaining a sanction and a hotel contract.
Website Rod Southworth
Rod advised that the website has been updated and streamlined. 2000 visitors per month.
Communications Bonnie Bagley
Bonnie advised that Kitty Cooper has requested an increase in the fee that she charges for the D17 Scorecard. Jennifer has budgeted an increase of $100 per issue for 2020. Bonnie will discuss this with Kitty. John told the board that he has invited Cindy Shoemaker to address the board in January about emailing systems.
Special Administrative Felicity Moore
Nothing to report
COMPLETED TOURNAMENT REPORTS
Denver Jennifer O’Neill
The Denver regional reported a profit of $16,004 and a budgeted profit of $11.135 for 2020.
Motion by Felicity, seconded by Steve R
That the budget for Denver 2020 be approved. Carried unanimously
Phoenix JoAnne Lowe
The Phoenix regional reported a profit of $14,913 and a budgeted profit of $7,225 for 2020.
Motion by Felicity, seconded by Bill
That the budget for Phoenix 2020 be approved. Carried unanimously
FUTURE TOURNAMENTS
1. Albuquerque January 20-26, 2020 Felicity Moore
2. Tucson March 2-8, 2020 Steve Reynolds
3. Denver May 19-25, 2020 Jennifer O’Neill
ELECTION OF OFFICERS FOR 2020
Nominations for D17 President: John was nominated by Rod, seconded by Jennifer.
There were no further nominations; John was declared as D17 President for 2020.
Nominations for D17 Vice President: Steve R was proposed by Bill, seconded by Rod.
Bill was nominated by Jennifer, Bill declined.
There were no further nominations; Steve R was declared as D17 Vice President for 2020.
Nominations for D17 Treasurer: Jennifer was nominated by Bonnie, seconded by JoAnne.
There were no further nominations; Jennifer was declared as D17 Treasurer for 2020
Nominations for D17 Secretary: Felicity was nominated by Joanne, seconded by Bonnie.
There were no further nominations; Felicity was declared as D17 Secretary for 2020.
Nominations for Election Secretary: Bill was nominated by Felicity, seconded by Rod.
There were no further nominations; Bill was declared as D17 Election Secretary for 2020
A motion was made at 10:42 p.m. by Felicity and seconded by Bill to adjourn the meeting. Carried unanimously.
NEXT MEETING – Albuquerque, NM, January 25th, 2020 at 8am
ACBL Membership, Tournament Trends
ACBL Membership 164,514 Down 1.1 % year over year
(compared with 86 million baby boomers)
Club and Online Table Count
Regular Clubs 3.07 Million tables Down 1.66% year over year
Online Games 1.03 Million tables Down nearly 5% year over year
Tournaments Attendance
Average Table Count Total Table Count
Regionals Down 5.9% Down 8.8%
Sectionals Unchanged Down 3.2%
STACs Down 7.6% Down 11.8%
Education Foundation Survey
Survey Monkey – 2,550 people over age 45 with some college experience
Bridge Players
16 million Know how to play bridge
10 Not played in a long time
3 Played in the past year
2 Play regularly
What kind of bridge do people play
82 percent Social bridge
6.3 Club or tournament
9.9 Online Taos D17
12.1 Against a computer (bot) Sept 2019
Denver Regional 2019 – D17 Desk Survey
Are you an ACBL member living in District 17: 83% YES Total sample size 120
Masterpoints 0 to 99 6 Percent
100 to 199 8
200 to 499 33
499 to 1,000 25
Over 1,000 28
Do you have access to a computer for email , internet or WiFi? 96% YES
Which best describes your frequency of computer use?
None 2 Percent
Infrequent, a few times a month 5
Multiple times a week 8
Daily 85
Which best describes your experience of comfort level with computers
Not experienced 4 Percent
Limited experience, typically email , Facebook or reading on line 18
Active use 70
Addicted to computers for many functions 8
What describes you view about the cost of tournament bridge?
Not very expensive, or bargain entertainment 14 Percent
About what you would expect, tolerable 74
Expensive, much higher than I would expect 12
Source for information about upcoming tournaments? Tourney Flyers = “essential source”
What motivates you to play bridge?
Top Three Reasons checked
Competition/challenge
Friendships with other bridge players
Keep mind stimulated
What One Thing could make regional tourneys more enjoyable
Free coffee (4 times) More consistent/warmer temperature (4 times)
More morning games Start at 10 am (twice)
Smaller sandwiches, not hoagies Prefer 9,1,7 game times (twice)
Include lunch Dislikes 9:30 2:30 schedule (twice)
Healthier menu, hospitality Less down time between sessions (three times)
Snacks, hospitality (4 times) More starts in pairs, 0-750?
More social events (three) More afternoon evening double session KOs or pairs (three)
Sponsored reception Offer gold points in I/N or in general (twice)
Better cards More night games (twice)
Reduce chaos and noise levels
Lower price or discount for two session events
Train directors to smile more, avoid crabby directors (twice)
Have events like compact Kos that conclude in one day (twice)
Competing against same level opponents
Bracketed teams with extra teams in bottom bracket
Bigger, more readable signs (4 times)
Reduce lines to buy entries (5 times)
More lessons geared for under 500 masterpoints
Can there be a carpool App?
