May 2003 Board Meeting Minutes by Tom Blinn May 7, 2003
Members Present:
Allen Goddu (President), Phil Brown (Vice-President), Tom Blinn (Secretary), Patty Bixby (Activities), Lee Walsh (Autocross), Martin Callahan (Profile Editor), Susan Dugdale, George Bixby, Duane Sword, Al Legerlotz Sr., Paul Michali, Dick Cadieux, Ted McGlynn, Rob Greer.
Allen Goddu called the meeting to order at 6:35pm.
Old and new business:
Minutes from the April, 2003 meeting (printed as posted on the chapter web site) were distributed. The minutes were approved as presented.
Mike Lussier (Treasurer) was not present.
Allen Goddu reported that membership levels remained nearly constant this month, with almost as many new members as non-renewals. Peter Duffy has resigned as membership chairman, so that position is open and a volunteer from among the membership would be welcomed to contact Allen.
Martin Callahan asked if it would be possible to get membership renewal notices in an electronic form. Allen Goddu said that it will be done.
Bruce Smith tendered a resignation from his position as Driving Events registrar so that he can focus on some of his new club responsibilities such as the BMW CCA Foundation work and his race chair work, as well as have time for his family. Several members commented that Bruce has done an excellent job in organizing and running the registrar position. Al Legerlotz Sr. volunteered to assume the registrar position next year, with training by Bruce during the balance of his current term. Al was approved by acclamation by the board members present.
The chapter has been contacted by a group of club members (from another chapter) who wish to establish a central web source for BMW and club information. It was not completely clear from the information available what involvement, if any, they were seeking from the chapter. Some discussion ensued. The consensus seemed to be that we wish them well, and have no other involvement committed at this time.
It was noted that the Boston Chapter is running a concours on June 22 at the Lars Andersen Museum of Transportation in Brookline, MA. Additional information can be found on their web site.
The efforts of Martin Callahan and Dick Cadieux to improve The Profile distribution were noted and praised.
There was renewed discussion around the chapter email lists. The general consensus was that we should try to use the lists to promote the club's social events and other activities, without overwhelming members with the volume of mail. Paul Michali was authorized to obtain "admin" privileges for the chapter web site and to investigate whether we can add to the existing "bulletin" mailing list the ability to filter mail based on user preference, e.g., so that a member can select to receive social events notices but not driving events, or vice versa. He will also find out if there is a way to grant an "email" privilege that would less powerful than full "admin" privilege, to allow posting event notices but not have all the other "admin" role capabilities. Susan Dugdale again noted that she had done some email list maintenance as a follow on to the holiday party notifications. She volunteered to do the email list maintenance for the chapter.
Driving events status was reported in absentia. The Advanced Driving Skills School on May 24th was filled as of May 6th, additional entrants are being wait listed. The Start Of Summer Driving School on May 30th still has some openings. The club race on May 2nd and 3rd had 17 entrants and the SCCA wants our continued participation in the race series.
It was noted that the national chapter has "Gear" brand BMW CCA logo products available on the national web site at and that purchases of this merchandise through the web store result in a rebate to the local chapter.
The Northeast 8er SpringFest 2003 is scheduled for the May 17th weekend in Delaware, and was posted on the chapter website.
Phil Brown reported he is working with the chapter's advertisers and sponsors to get their billing status current.
The "Ultimate Drive" event will be July 9th at Holloway BMW in Stratham, NH. Contact Allen Goddu agoddu@wmc-bmwcca.org if you wish to participate and especially if you are willing to help shuttle the test fleet to Bill Dodge BMW up near Portland, ME. Every mile driven during the event, including the shuttle, results in a $1.00 donation to the Komen Foundation.
Patty Bixby reported that the Social Events committee meeting on Thursday, April 24 took place as planned. They are still working to organize a road rally and lobster bake on the NH seacoast, and are targeting a mid-September date. They hope to organize a Nova Scotia tour in the summer of 2004. There is a wine tasting dinner scheduled for Friday October 17th, again at the Bedford Village Inn. The Canterbury Shaker Village lunch will be planned for summer 2004. There is still interest among the committee in organizing an overnight road trip to one of the hotels in the White Mountains, but no specifics were reported.
Rob Greer asked for guidance regarding the "logo" on the wearables that will be ordered for the upcoming driving events. It was moved and seconded that we should continue using the present design.
Lee Walsh reported that the autocross program's first event, planned for April 26th at NHIS, was cancelled due to weather. The Autocross Series is presented on the chapter web site with the full schedule.
The meeting adjourned at about 7:55pm.
All members are reminded that everyone is welcome to attend the board meetings. The usual venue is "The Yard" restaurant at 13500 South Willow St., Manchester, NH, about a mile south of the Mall of New Hampshire (see the web site for a map and directions). Be sure to check the chapter web site for any last minute changes in schedule or location.