SMAC Board Meeting Minutes, meeting of March 22, 2007      Bement School, 7:00 P.M.

Note to board members.  As you will recall, we had a lot of discussion about the important matter of insurance.   I hope you will actually read the paragraphs on this subject below. (Set off between double lines.)   I thought it important to enter our general conclusion about policy officially into our minutes. I don’t want to prolong the discussion unnecessarily, but the subject is indeed important.   If there is disagreement with what I wrote, as I tried to get the sense of the meeting, then the time to officially discuss that is at the next meeting, where - if we wish - we can formally amend what appears below. I have no emotional commitment to my exact wording.  If, at the next meeting, you do want to amend these minutes, I urge you to come with your amended version written out so that we will all know what we are considering.  (For perhaps the first, and perhaps the last, time, what appears in my minutes really is to be taken seriously.)

Bob R

Minutes of the Feb. 21 meeting were approved.

            The 10-Miler.  Barry reported on our big race of the year.  The race was great, the weather was terrific, glitches were few.  Net positive (!) proceeds of about $4K.  Next year we’ll go with 1.5 slices of pizza per person.  Questions for next year: Do we want it to be a part of the Grand Prix (as it was in ‘99)?  Other suggestions re next year came from various quarters. Donations to be made from this year’s income?  This was postponed to the next meeting.

            At this point, we began a lengthy discussion of the important topic of insurance coverage (both on the specific issue of coverage for the Tuesday night XC races for the coming year and more generally, on policy concerning insurance coverage for all SMAC races.)  The discussion was initiated by a motion from Chuck that we pay from SMAC funds $750 to cover the cost of insurance for the XC series for 2007. 

            About an hour later, we passed Chuck’s motion.  Along the way, we had intense discussion of insurance in general.  Barry asked what exactly is the level of exposure of a board member?  He is not certain, though he thinks that our status as a non-profit gives us some protection. Various board members expressed their distress that the 2006 XC series had in fact been run without insurance coverage. 

            At some point, I suggested that the following was club policy: A SMAC RACE ABSOLUTELY MUST BE INSURED.   To put it in other terms: IF THE INSURANCE COVERAGE DOES NOT EXIST, THE RACE CANNOT START.  I invited anyone to voice dissent, if any; no dissent was voiced.

            As a further comment on that, it was agreed that races that lots of people think of as SMAC races had to be considered as such for insurance purposes.  All or most of us on the board think of the XC races as SMAC races (put on for all these years primarily through the dedication of the Grant family); even if in some quarters they are thought of as “Don’s XC races”, there is more than enough association with SMAC so that the XC series is governed by our newly reinforced policy on insurance coverage.  (And even if we tried to maintain that they are “not really SMAC races”, such a claim would be unlikely to protect the club in the event of a law suit.)  No one wishes to interfere with Don’s autonomy in how the races are done, EXCEPT that they MUST have insurance coverage.  The same rules apply to any other races for which SMAC is a sponsor. 

            Treasurer’s report.  A brief one, just for the most recent month.

            Membership.  Now stands at 248.  Those are separate memberships; if you count all the people who are members because of family memberships, it’s about 380.  We seem to have lost about 35 members who have either really left us or who are just overly delinquent in paying their bills.  (My question as to which of the board members were in this last group this year was, appropriately, more or less stone-walled.)

            The new SUN is ready to mail.

            The website.  Donna wondered why no minutes later than August, 2006 were on the website.  (I have wondered, too; when I take the minutes, I email them to the appropriate person - now Dave Martula, who then sends them on to our web person.)  Don asked about putting Sue’s song on the web.  Answer: It’s there, under “SMAC Radio”.

            Winter track meets.  The last one has just been held.  The series went well.

            Youth track.  There was a lengthy discussion, led by Sidney.  I am afraid that I did not capture all the nuances of this discussion.  There was a successful winter program.  How are we going to do the April and May practices?  Perhaps we can get the $840 that is needed to provide a coach by getting Northampton Running to sponsor the series.  As a general observation, it was noted that as the children of parents who have been especially active with youth track go off to college, get married and move to Kansas, etc., those parents sometimes exhibit a diminished interest in really spending so much time on this, so new “active parents” are likely to be a continuing need.  (Even Jim Clayton is likely to be moving on in a few years.   Actually, it’s not that Jim is moving to Kansas; it’s his kids who are growing up and, one way or another, leaving youth track behind.)

            Barry talked about the practice program of the SMAC track team. Coaches will be needed.  He is thinking of charging $20 for the summer (25 workouts), a proposal that everyone seemed to think was very reasonable.

            Upcoming races.  Seven Sisters?  Scott (in his inimitable management style) said: “The Seven Sisters Race is probably going to happen this year.”  On other races, there was brief - but slightly more extensive - discussion.

            The NoHo Cycling Club.  There was general agreement on having mutual website links, giving out each other’s fliers at races.  We will think more about possible connections here.

            After a rather intense meeting, we adjourned at about 8:45, with empty pizza boxes.  (If we started the evening with 1.5 slices per person, then someone else got my 0.5.)

                        Bob Romer, Secretary

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