Minutes 8/26/2008

Minutes for CoTMD Board Meeting, August 26, 2008

Attending

• Lucy Gordon
• Fred Druseikis
• Dianne Britton
• John Wetzel
• Virginia Winn
• Marguerite Frongillo
• Connie Robinette (hostess)
• Kenny Greer (via telephone)

Absent

• Stephanie & Scott McCravy
• Tim Sneed

Business

The meeting was called to order at 7:30pm. John Wetzel agreed to take minutes.

The minutes of the previous meeting were reviewed and approved as written.

The treasurer issued a report, the gist of which was:

1. $160 has been paid out to CDSS
2. $375 has been paid out to the city of columbia for the venue covering the next five months.

This report was approved by voice vote.

The dance at the art museum was discussed extensively, with the gist of the discussion being that the event went quite well.

The need for additonal support (publicity) for the upcoming season of dance events was discussed. The issues included:

1. The need to modify and then obtain 100 more copies of the current flier, which was well received (the flier, not the need).
2. Need for publicity outreach at Columbia College.
3. Need to identify any "holes" in Tim Snead's publicity efforts, and fill those somehow (with columbia college being an example of this).
4. Mention was made of inquiries by the "Columbia Historical Society" about a possible dance or dance+demo, resulting in some discussion.

The similarity of the problems faced by our board, versus those faced by our "neighbors" (particularly Charleston and Charlotte) was discussed. The gist of this was that we have done well overall, and our
problems are common problems, as are our solutions and attempted solutions. This included a detailed discussion about supporting and mentoring "budding" callers.

Connie talked at length about "Twitter". The gist of this is that we should all look into this, it may be a good fit for a lot of us. Connie is very enthused about the capabilities of this software tool on the Internet.

Fred will be undergoing surgery later this year. While he is going through this process, his duties will be handled by the vice-president (hopefully not the one advising Bush).

The group agreed by vote that the next meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 11, 2008.

The group adjourned promptly at, well, whatever time it was at that moment. The following agenda items were not discussed, and should be carried forward to the next meeting, to wit:

• The redesign of the Contracola.org website
• Support for house concerts.

The meeting ajourned at 8:55pm.
/s/ John Wetzel
(acting secretary)

Schedule for 2008-2009

date	$	location	band	caller
Sept. 13, 2008 Saturday 7:30-10:30pm	$8	Arsenal Hill Park Building	Cabin Fever!	Dean Snipes (Charlotte)
Oct. 11, 2008 Saturday 7:30-10:30pm	$8	Arsenal Hill Park Building	BonneTerre	Kenny Greer (Myrtle Beach)
Nov. 8, 2008 Saturday 7:30-10:30pm	$8	Arsenal Hill Park Building	Cabin Fever!	Janet Shepherd (Atlanta)
Dec. 13, 2008 Saturday 7:30-10:30pm	$8	Arsenal Hill Park Building	BonneTerre	Kenny Greer (Myrtle Beach)
Jan. 10, 2009 Saturday 7:30-10:30pm	$8	Arsenal Hill Park Building	Cabin Fever!	Dean Snipes (Charlotte)
Feb. 14, 2009 Saturday 7:30-10:30pm	$8	Different venue! Unitarian Universalist Fellowship	BonneTerre	Jonathan Watterson (Nashua, NH)
Mar. 7, 2009** Saturday 7:30-10:30pm	$8	Arsenal Hill Park Building	Cabin Fever!	Kenny Greer (Myrtle Beach)
Apr. 11, 2009 Saturday 7:30-10:30pm	$8	Arsenal Hill Park Building	Whistlin' Rufus	Doug Singleton (Atlanta)
May. 16, 2009** Saturday 7:30-10:30pm	$8	Arsenal Hill Park Building	Steamshovel	Linda Thomas (Wilmington)
June. 13, 2009 Saturday 7:30-10:30pm	$8	Arsenal Hill Park Building	BonneTerre	Kenny Greer (Myrtle Beach)
* Members get a discount on the cost of admission. ** Not the "second Saturday"

Minutes 6/24/2008

Attending:

• Fred Druseikis
• Dianne Britton
• John Wetzel
• Connie Robinette
• Stephanie and Scott McCravy
• Marguerite Frongillo
• Kenny Greer (via phone)
  

Meeting begins 7:30pm

Minutes of previous meeting reviewed and approved.

Treasurer's Report reviewed and explained. We have $1,339 in the checking account, $54 and some change in cash, and $165 is due for CDSS fees by the end of July. Treasurers report was approved.

Operations summary was presented, and it shows that we have had better attendence with the higher admission rate. However, we are highly dependent on out-of-town callers. The board agreed that there should be a formula for paying said callers for the distance they have to drive. After much discussion the tentative formula is $10 per 60 miles one way or $5 per 30 miles one way in addition to the regular fee for calling.

In-depth discussion then ensued about the Art Museum event. It was confirmed that Doug Singleton will be the caller with Whistlin' Rufus as the band. Connie had put in much time and effort negotiating this event with director(s) of the museum, and there were several issues that needed ironing out in regards to explaining to the directors and coordinators the logistics of the whole event. The museum said they only have room for 20 dancers, but they did not take into account the fact that at least 24 dancers would be required, as most people like to sit out for a dance or two. Ultimately the board agreed to divide up responsibilities concerning the exhibition dance so that Connie would have more time and energy to devote to the project. Marguerite agreed to head the effort to recruit dancers, with Dianne's help.

John had to take one of his amplifyers in to be checked out and repaired. A motion was made and approved to reimburse John for the repair, and Dianne wrote him a check for $30.

The next meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, August 26, 2008.

Fred, Dianne and Connie are going to work on redesigning the website.

Meeting adjourned 9:00pm.

/s/ Stephanie McCravy
Secretary

Minutes 3/3/2008

Minutes of COTMD Board

March 3, 2008

Attending:

• Fred Druseikis
• Dianne Britton
• John Wetzel
• Lucy Gordon
• Stephanie and Scott McCravy
• Connie Robinette (via phone)
  

Meeting begins 7:30pm

Minutes of previous meeting reviewed and approved.

Treasurer's Report reviewed and explained. Suggestion was made to include a category for the Dance Card admissions.

Dance cards were discussed. Fred had an idea to make a poster to put up at the door explaining/advertising the option of buying a dance card. Lucy suggested assigning someone the responsibilty of explaining and selling the cards. When dancers come to pay at the admissions table, the "vendor" could give them a choice of paying regular price for just that night or purchasing a card to use on future dances. The person responible for administering the cards would then explain the benefits/regulations of the card and subsequently complete the transaction should the dancer choose to purchase one. It was also suggested that a reminder about the cards should be announced at the break, as well as putting information up on the monthly email and on the website homepage. John suggested that the expiration date be changed from one year from date of purchase to two years from date of purchase. This idea was supported by those board members present.

We then contacted Connie on the phone to find out about the special Art Museum dance. She informed the board that the dance was scheduled for a Friday in the first part of July. There would be twenty dancers with Whistlin' Rufus providing the music and Doug Singleton calling. The board decided it was best to invite experienced dancers ranging in ages to display the type of dancers that attend the Columbia Contra. The dance would last one to two hours and would be a great opportunity to advertise the dance. Connie mentioned that there would certainly be mention/display on a website, one or possibly two articles written, and perhaps even television coverage, as ETV works closely with the art museum.

The board then discussed the nominations for next year's board. Connie agreed to continue as Vice President, and I (Stephanie) agreed to continue as Secretary. We decided to scout out and recruit at least one nominee each for the offices of President and Treasurer. Scott tentatively put his name in the running for President. There needs to be a ballot list by the end of the April dance.

Meeting adjourned 8:45pm.

/s/Stephanie McCravy
Secretary, COTMD