Following are the minutes to the February 19, 2002 Baord meeting. I had to retype them after being unable to get them out of my word processor. Sorry for the delay.
Tom
(As corrected and approved on March 19, 2002)
George Boisseau called the meeting to order at 7:05 PM.
Present: George Boisseau, Sara Schomp, Mark James, Suzy Heumann, Alan Siegle, Tom Hemphill, Patty Bedell, and Steve Weinberger
Public: Ken Knox, Barbara Deedler, and John Starkey
1. The January 22, 2002 Open Session minutes were approved with the following corrections:
a. Suzy Herman was corrected to Suzy Heumann;
b. Item #5, second sentence is corrected to begin "Annette's assumption is that...";
c. Item #7 is corrected to include that construction is to begin on February 20.
The January 22, 2002 Closed Session minutes were not reviewed and that action was layed over until the next meeting.
There was also a discussion of how the minutes will be reviewed and posted.
2. Pool Manager Report:
a. Revenue is down, partially due to the 6-week closure for repairs;
b. The heater filters to correct the gas smell are ordered;
c. The PG&E bill was high, but it is anticipated that the next billing should show come savings resulting from the new filter and heating systems;
d. Aquasize is way down and may need to be dropped on Tuesday and Thursday. Although Monday is stable, there is a sense that erratic attendance is related to instructor consistency. If Tues/Thursday Aquasize was dropped there would be a savings resulting from lower lifeguard expense. Aquatic therapy has increased, while lap swimming is very erratic and difficult to determine the reasons for the erratic usage.
e. There will be no scheduling conflicts until Rotary (4/29-5/23). The Rotary group will pay a higher fee this year.
f. The bathroom project may start February 25 and will start with the Men's side. Sara Schomp will attend a meeting on February 22 with Patty and the contractor and City engineering. $15,000 to cover the Board's share of the bat project has been generously donated by an anonymous party. Suzy Heumann will send a card thanking them for the donation.
g. The SSS now have three coaches: Lehla Irwin (groups 2-3), Maria Sallee (group 1) and Patty Bedell (the rest). Patty met with the seniors group and set up a plan for the season, which runs from Feb to May 18. The SSS have gained 6 swimmers. Flyers will go out soon for recruitment. The Mardi Gras fund raiser is scheduled for March 9.
h. Patty will try and start private afternoon lessons after the high school season ends.
i. More aggressive advertising is important. Patty is planning to put ads in the PD as well as other local publications. She will check with Alan (Treasurer) prior to putting in ads.
3. Treasurer's Report:
It was agreed to raise the Rotary group's fee to $2,000, which includes enhanced support and training by patty.
Alan stressed the need to increase some fees, most likely the high schools. He expressed hope that the new heater/filters will reduce the gas expense. He also intends on exploring ways to simplify the accounting system of the WSCS and SSS. It was agreed that Patty would investigate the level of support the City of Healdsburg give to their pool and Sebastopol compares. She will also explore the possibility of Sebastopol assessing a fee for the pool on new construction. It was agreed to establish a Capital Improvement Fund, which will consolidate the leftover monies from the Filter Fund and a dormant Pool Expansion Fund.
4. Public Comment:
Prior to public comment, it was agreed that there is a need to improve Board activity notices and meeting postings. Sara Schomp will be in charge of this important activity. The next Board meeting will be March 19, 7pm at Brookhaven School.
During public comment there were questions about the bath project, utilities, and alternatives to raising pool fees. John Starkey said he would write his ideas down and get them to the Board prior to the March meeting. It was also expressed that the pool environment could be more inviting and the bathrooms cleaner. Ken Knox asked when a response to his two letters from his legal counsel would be forthcoming. He is frustrated by the length of time without an official response from the Board about his concerns raised in two letters.
5. Pool Manager and SSS Head Coach Contracts:
The contracts are just about finished and Steve Weinberger will forward the final drafts to the Board. Final review and approval will have to be delayed until the March meeting. The Board raised various concerns about the duel job/burnout possibility and health insurance.
6. Budget:
The budget is almost completed. Alan will get the final draft to the Board within 2 weeks and discussion will be scheduled for the March 19 Board meeting.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:05pm
The Board then went into a closed session to discuss the letters from Ken Knox's counsel.