Washington Area Roadskater Meetings

WAR Board Meetings

January 28, 2002 7:00 PM
Washington Area Roadskaters (WAR) held a Board of Directorıs Meeting at the Irish Channel Pub, (@ Red Roof Inn ­ Chinatown)

The following members of the Board of Directors were present:

The following WAR Members were present:

The following agenda items were covered:
  1. Carl called the meeting to order.
  2. Approval of Minutes was waived as there were no minutes from the January 21, 2002 Board Meeting.  That was a closed meeting whose sole purpose was to transition the responsibilities of the previous Board Members to the newly elected Board Members.  Former Board Members John and Emily passed on information to the new Board Members.
    3.  
  3. There were no additions to the agenda.
  4. Old Business
    1. 2002 Budget
      1. 2001 Actuals vs. 2002 Budget
        John's proposed 2002 budget was discussed (a copy of which is attached).

          The Board approved a subsidy of $10 toward each member's National Skate Patrol (NSP) annual certification fee (which represents a possible expenditure of $420 if we have the 42 NSP memberıs as we did last year). 

          The Board failed to pass a motion to continue last year's practice of providing a $3.50 subsidy for each member who registered for Freedom Skate through WAR.  Freedom Skate is no longer providing group discounts so it was decided that members will have to individually register for Freedom Skate this year.

      2. 2002 Dues
          The Board approved an increase in the cost of family memberships to $20 per family member from $15 per family member.  The regular membership cost will remain at $25 per person.
        3.  
      3. Fundraising
          Jubran was authorized to purchase for WAR a carton of 100 lighted wheels for $450.  The wheels are to be sold to members and non-members and we expect income to be generated from the sales of these wheels. 

        Carl mentioned the possibility of participating in an MCI Center fundraising opportunity wherein members of a charitable group (WAR is a qualifying organization) operate a concession stand for an event and receive the all the profits from doing so.  Carl will investigate this further.  

        John agreed to send out a contact list of the usual suspects (Technica, Solomon, etc.) from which we have asked for sponsorships in the past to people working to get sponsorships for thisyear. 

    2. Winter Party Date & Site Selection
      The Winter Party venue was chosen to be Babe's Billiards Café, 4600 Wisconsin Avenue N.W., Washington, DC 20016.  The party will be at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 23, 2002.  The cost of the party will be $15 for members and $20 for non-members.  Non-members can join WAR that night and take advantage of the member price.  A $300 subsidy for the Winter Party was approved.

      George agreed to create a Winter Party Announcement e-mail as soon as Jubran finalized the arrangements at Babe's.  Donna, Eryx, and Carl agreed to generate a flyer based on the announcement and distribute it along with the upcoming membership solicitation.  

    3. 2002 T-Shirts: Logo & Shirt Selection
        Blaze, a bright orange color, was selected as the color of the t-shirt for 2002.  Details of the design remain to be worked out by Rica with the same design firm she dealt with last year.  Generally the design will feature on the front a small figure known as the "skater dude" (originally designed by Claudia) along with WARıs web site address.  The back of the shirt will feature the modified runner-up design from 2001 basically consisting of an oval in which the skater dude will again appear.  The oval also contains outlines of famous Washington landmarks such as the Washington Monument, Capitol, etc.  Rica will report back with recommendations from the design firm regarding colors of the printed design.

        It was decided to purchase 200 coolmax shirts from Duofold.  It was also decided not to purchase any cotton shirts this year.

      A shipping charge of $3 per shirt will be instituted for those members wishing to have their t-shirts mailed to them this year.  The intent is to distribute the t-shirts to all members at the Inaugural Skate, April 7, 2002.

      4.  
    4. Edits to WAR Flyer for 2002
        Suggestions included removing the year from the guide so as to enable the same guide to be used for more than one year.  It was decided to revisit the skate descriptions perhaps using something similar to the current descriptions on the web site.  Other minor editorial changes were proposed.  Joe will be in charge of the printing of the flyers.
      5.  
    5. Edits to WAR Website for 2002
        David mentioned that he is very interested in ongoing suggestions and photo submissions from users of the site. Emily indicated she had proposed changes she would present to David outside the meeting. A comment to update the skate leader list was made. 
      6.  
    6. Other Old Business: None.  
  5. New Business  
    1. Inaugural Skate Planning
        The first Sunday in April, April 7, 2002, was proposed as the date for this event.  Froggy Bottom Pub was tentatively selected as the venue.  T-shirts for 2002 will be distributed at this event.  This event will be discussed in more detail at the next meeting.  
    2. Memorial Day weekend Planning
        Rosemary informed the Board that Chuck Operman is preparing an updated version of his last year's Memorial skate.  Rosemary agreed to investigate getting DC government sanction for a Memorial Day skate event.   It was discussed that we could invite other regional skate clubs to a Memorial Day weekend skate event (New York, Philadelphi, Pittsburg, Boston, etc.) to Washington for a much less organized version of Freedom Skate or the Great Escape.  Basically we would be helping with hotel arrangements, possible group dinners, and of course, offering several organized skates over the course of the weekend (featuring Chuckıs Memorial skate).
      3.  
    3. Club Insurance
        Emily presented some information about a liability insurance policy provided by the National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA) that would offer WAR some protection against possible liability claims.  This policy is currently in use by the Inline Club of Boston.  Our coverage would come under the youth and adult street hockey category.  The policy also apparently includes Officer Insurance.  A question was raised about whether such insurance could be offered in the DC metro area in light of the current legal status of skating in the streets.
      4.  
    4. Officer Insurance
        Officerıs insurance would cover possible liability claims specifically against the officers of WAR, i.e., the Board Members.  The NRPA  policy would include such protection.  Carl indicated a desire to further investigate this issue.
      5.  
    5. Revision of Bylaws
        Due to the fact WARıs bylaws no longer accurately reflect how WAR conducts business, a committee was approved to revise the bylaws.  Danny, Carl, George, and Eryx agreed to serve on the committee.
      6.  
    6. Other New Business: None.
     
  6. There was no correspondence.
  7. Set Date of Next Meeting
      The next Board Meeting will be held on Sunday, February 17, 2002, at 7:00 p.m., at the Channel Inn (same location as the current meeting; see above for address).  There is parking available after 6:30 pm, and the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro is one block away.  

    Proposed agenda items for this meeting will include:  final WAR Winter Party preparations, 2002 membership drive, final 2002 shirt design details, and Inaugural Skate plans.

    8.  
  8. Adjourn and finish our beers
Minutes Prepared by WAR Secretary: George Marinkovich