May 2004 Board Meeting Minutes by Tom Blinn May 5, 2004
The meeting was called to order at 6:30 by Rich Davis. In attendance were Rich Davis, Phil Brown, Tom Blinn, Paul Michali, Mike Lussier, Dick Cadieux, David Harrison, George Bixby, Patty Bixby, Bruce Smith, Geoff Pascoe, Janet Levenson, Walter Wolf, Reid Douglas, and Deborah Adams.
Minutes from the April 2004 meeting are available on the website. Printed copies were distributed at the meeting. The minutes were approved as posted.
Mike Lussier provided a financial report. He had updated status on the advertising revenue budgeted, showing amounts billed and paid to date. Mike noted that we had about 80 registrants for the recent track event and a modest profit was realized.
Social Committee:
Phil Brown provided an update on the committee's activities. Details are on the web site.
The charity golf tournament plans are well under way. Volunteers are needed to help both with pre-event preparations and on the day of the event. Contact Melanie (mbrown@wmc-bmwcca.org or 603-528-5444) or any social committee member by email or phone to get more information or sign up. The event will be June 26th at the Lochmere golf course in Tilton, NH www.lochmeregolf.com. The beneficiary will be a local family, through a grant from "The Weber Foundation of Helping Hands", a New England based charity that will use 100% of the contributions for charitable purposes. The grand "hole-in-one" prize will be a 2001 X5 3.0 underwritten jointly by Concord Motorsport and the White Mountain Chapter. Additional sponsors for holes, carts, and raffle prizes are being sought.
The fun rally planning is underway and the date will be Saturday August 14th. The theme will be covered bridges. The route will visit many scenic parts of the state and should be a fun time for everyone.
New to the proposed social events schedule are a August 28th cookout at the home of Dave Dubiel and Janet Levenson in Goffstown, NH, and a getaway weekend February 25-27 at the Applebrook B&B in Jefferson, NH www.applebrook.com.
The annual wine tasting dinner is planned for November 5th at the Bedford Village Inn.
Additional information on these and other social events is available on the web site.
Driving events committee was represented by Phil Brown. Driving events for 2004 are posted on the chapter web site. The next driving events meeting was listed on the chapter web site as Monday, May 10 but has been changed to Monday, May 17th.
Reid Douglas provided an update on the 2004 BMW Vintage Marathon, a 2500 mile road rally that will feature many European participants. A copy of the registration flyer can be accessed at http://www.druckdesign.de/BMW-Club/Veranstaltungen/Marathon-USA/Registration-Leaflet.pdf where you will find an 8 page color PDF. A BMW NA press release is found at http://uk.us.biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040407/nyw095_1.html and the BMW Vintage and Classic Car Club web site is at www.bmwvccca.com and has information on the event.
Reid asked the chapter to organize a reception in Concord on the evening of Sunday, September 5th, at or near the Holiday Inn, and a separate reception on Thursday, Sept. 9th in Lincoln, NH at Loon Mountain. There will be some 50 to 80 cars participating with 2 people per car. Warsteiner will be donating kegs of beer. We need to arrange a tab and a location, and members are encouraged to participate to meet the teams and see the cars. George Bixby moved that the chapter host these events, Janet Levenson seconded, the motion was approved by a majority of those present. There is an expectation that there will be some sponsorship from the BMW CCA regional level. Patty Bixby noted that a postcard announcing the events should be used to invite member participation.
Membership:
Paul Michali reports that for April we had 31 expirations, 29 renewals, 23 new memberships, and some transfers in and out. The total active membership at month end was 791. Paul noted that he follows up with non-renewing members to encourage them to rejoin, and that in at least one case the member was waiting for information from the national office before renewing.
Several ideas were identified to increase member participation. Paul noted that there are three major concentrations of members, centered around Manchester, Nashua, and along the seacoast. There was discussion about the merits of hosting membership meetings in each of the three areas, instead of always having the meetings in or near Manchester. No clear support was evident. Some people felt it was important to have the meeting in the place and at the same time to avoid confusion. Most people felt that the Manchester area was relatively easy to access on a week night, and that for at least some members having the meeting in either of the other areas would be quite inconvenient due to the additional travel effort. The discussion was tabled with no action planned at this time.
Profile:
Martin Callahan has received the new high-resolution monitor that was approved for purchase at the last board meeting. Martin met with Rich Davis and Paul Michali and they worked to develop a new Profile operations manual and a complementary web site that should significantly facilitate Profile production going forward. Details can be found on the chapter web site.
New Business:
Bruce Smith reported on the Street Survival skills training event planned for June 5th at NHIS. Additional information and registration through the BMW CCA Foundation web site at http://www.bmwccafoundation.org. Bruce says there is room for more students. School fee is $125 per student.
See http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2004/04/13/41176.htm for a press release about the program.
The Komen event (see BMW USA web site) is reportedly planned for a July date at Holloway, with participation by Exeter Hospital. Neither the BMW NA web site nor the Komen Foundation web site are showing a committed date at this time.
Meeting was adjourned at 8:40 pm.