MEMBERS PRESENT:
Fred
Dianne
John
Victor
Virginia
The minutes of the previous meeting (June 30, 2015) were modified using updated financial information, and then approved.
The treasurer's report was presented by Virginia, and we have a total of $1891 in funds available as of the end of July. There were no new reimbursements.
Victor presented a brief report on our two over-summer dances, which went quite well.
The regular mailing list and the Board mailing list were discussed, and we also decided to combine these two items into one on future meeting agendas.
We discussed publishing our booking policies on our website, and decided to do so, as recently edited by Marguerite.
We decided that our Safety & Comfort policies, which have already been posted at dances, can be posted on our website.
We decided to keep our new caller stand/ladder, even though it is not always needed.
We discussed the need to review (and if needed Write or rewrite) our mission statement, and also to develop a vision for the nearer term.
The "Newsletter" concept was discussed at length. We decided that in future, that we will forgo newsletter creation and dissemination, and replace this with:
1. email "notifications" (two per dance), one at 2 weeks and the other at a few days out from each dance, with all essential info in subject line, to minimize the spamming effect. This to be handled by Dianne.
2. Fliers, to be created (most likely) twice per season, then posted on our website (and other vehicles) for distribution, but not emailed out (unless requested). This to be handled by Virginia.
3. Event photos and videos, to be created on an ad hoc basis, and disseminated via postings to our website and facebook, to be handled by various people as available.
We discussed where our calendar should live, and decided to maintain our calendar on both Google and Facebook.
We discussed what happens when somebody tries to contact us, and decided there is no pressing reason to publicly list our board member names/positions. We can revisit this decision as needed.
We discussed having a local "combo band" centered on (constructed around) Fred, Dianne and John for the December dance, and that we will almost certainly be forced to hire an out of town band for the June dance.
We discussed having dances next summer, and trying out a live band on one of those dates. We also agreed that we would need to make a firm decision about that before the end of 2015.
The next meeting is scheduled for September 22, 2015
Meeting adjourned
Showing posts with label 2014-2015. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2014-2015. Show all posts
Thursday, August 20, 2015
Friday, July 31, 2015
Minutes, June 30, 2015
ContraCola Board
Meeting Minutes, June 30, 2015 - not yet approved
Meeting came to order: 7:45 pm
Present: Virginia, Marguerite, John, Fred, Dianne, Sandra, Connie (by phone)
Minutes approved.
Reimbursements: none.
Dancers' email list: up-to-date.
Treasurer's report was combined with an analysis of our situation. Predicted balance for end of June, including estimate of income/expenses for June dance, is $2162. We had a seasonal loss of $512, which would have been $805 had we not received extra donations. The extra dance at the end of April was a "wash". Given our current treasury balance and a loss
rate of approximately $50 per dance, we can operate for another 4 years.
Treasurer's report was approved with amendments to be submitted.
We decided not to change the policy regarding bands and rates. We plan to combine local bands for a fifth date -- i.e., for the season, five out-of-town bands, two dates each for two local bands, and the combined band on another date.
Marguerite will rewrite the booking policy to be posted on the website. Connie to continue doing Facebook and social media.
Motion passed: Due to the time crush, we are abandoning the proposed survey for summer dances and we will hold a dance event with caller workshop on the third Saturdays of July and August.
"Dance Etiquette" draft was presented to the Board for posting on the website. The draft will go out to the board via email for comments to be returned to Victor. It was suggested that the title be changed from "Dance Etiquette" to "Responsible Conduct".
John brought up whether we should buy a caller platform, and a couple of designs were discussed. Motion passed: Purchase a two-step stool for approximately $30.
Signatures were added to the thank you letter to the Methodist Church on Heyward Street. The letter thanks the church for the use of the facilities. Virginia will deliver the letter to the church.
There is additional parking for the Emerald Ballroom directly across the street. Virginia will make a sign with the words "More parking" and an arrow.
We discussed the problem of inebriated dancers. Any confrontation needs to be motivated by behavior or visible evidence of alcohol. Any such problem will be addressed on an as-needed basis.
Adjourned: 9:30 pm
Next meeting: 8/18/2015
Meeting Minutes, June 30, 2015 - not yet approved
Meeting came to order: 7:45 pm
Present: Virginia, Marguerite, John, Fred, Dianne, Sandra, Connie (by phone)
Minutes approved.
Reimbursements: none.
Dancers' email list: up-to-date.
Treasurer's report was combined with an analysis of our situation. Predicted balance for end of June, including estimate of income/expenses for June dance, is $2162. We had a seasonal loss of $512, which would have been $805 had we not received extra donations. The extra dance at the end of April was a "wash". Given our current treasury balance and a loss
rate of approximately $50 per dance, we can operate for another 4 years.
Treasurer's report was approved with amendments to be submitted.
We decided not to change the policy regarding bands and rates. We plan to combine local bands for a fifth date -- i.e., for the season, five out-of-town bands, two dates each for two local bands, and the combined band on another date.
Marguerite will rewrite the booking policy to be posted on the website. Connie to continue doing Facebook and social media.
Motion passed: Due to the time crush, we are abandoning the proposed survey for summer dances and we will hold a dance event with caller workshop on the third Saturdays of July and August.
"Dance Etiquette" draft was presented to the Board for posting on the website. The draft will go out to the board via email for comments to be returned to Victor. It was suggested that the title be changed from "Dance Etiquette" to "Responsible Conduct".
John brought up whether we should buy a caller platform, and a couple of designs were discussed. Motion passed: Purchase a two-step stool for approximately $30.
Signatures were added to the thank you letter to the Methodist Church on Heyward Street. The letter thanks the church for the use of the facilities. Virginia will deliver the letter to the church.
There is additional parking for the Emerald Ballroom directly across the street. Virginia will make a sign with the words "More parking" and an arrow.
We discussed the problem of inebriated dancers. Any confrontation needs to be motivated by behavior or visible evidence of alcohol. Any such problem will be addressed on an as-needed basis.
Adjourned: 9:30 pm
Next meeting: 8/18/2015
Saturday, June 27, 2015
Minutes, May 19, 2015
ContraCola Board
Meeting Minutes, May 19, 2015 - approved June 30, 2015
Meeting came to order: 7:40pm
Present: Marguerite, John, Fred, Dianne, Sandra, Tim P., Virginia, Connie, Victor (by phone).
Absent: Kenny
Minutes read and approved.
$1616.92 end of April
$105 loss/dance avg.
Donations received at Emerald Ballroom dance in April.
At current rate of loss, estimate 12-15 dances left.
May dance had a profit of $53.
Virginia presented a table of season costs for bands, sound, callers which showed moderate increase in cost relative to use of out-of-town bands.
Agenda item for next meeting: variety of bands, rate, policy, student rate, etc.
There were no reimbursements requested.
COTMD Board list - no change. It was noted that this agenda item needs occur annually, in the first meeting following the election of officers and board members.
ContraCola dancer email list: Outstanding updates to the list are to be sent to Dianne. Dianne is to send email reminder each month to the contracola dancers list. Victor will research a self-service email list, which will become a future agenda item.
The board voted that the Vice President would be the booker generally.
Connie agreed to be re-added to the slate.
Motion unanimously passed to elect entire slate of officers and members-at-large as amended, to whit:
President: Victor
VP: Marguerite
Treasurer: Virginia
Secretary: John
Members at large: Fred, Sandra, Dianne, Tim P., Kenny, Connie
The booking policy was amended, in agreement with Marguerite.
July and August: It was briefly discussed why we abandoned holding dances in July and August, citing historical poor attendance of dancers and unavailability of key board members during those months. Victor offered to call dances in July and August of this year for free, using recorded music, if there is enough interest from the dancers. The dances would also function as a callers' workshop with an "open mike" for would-be callers. Donations would be accepted but not mandatory. The dances would be on 3rd Saturday of July and August, with reservations available through EventBrite. To determine a likely attendance number, Victor will put together a survey, pass it through the board for comment, and email it out subsequently.
Virginia read suggestions/feedback on the Demo Dance at Red Bank Elementary
The draft of the document concerning our "slowly developing 'emergency'" needs to be revised for a more positive tone. Everyone agreed to the "So, What to Do" section, which promotes community. Sandra and Virginia are to rework this document, written by John, with the intent of disseminating it to the dancers via as many means as possible - email, FaceBook, Twitter, website, etc.
Agenda item concerning our disruptive dancers policy skipped.
Health risks of dancing: Discussed signatures and a warning sign. Sandra came up with a wording that we all liked: "Contra dancing is a strenuous activity! Please be mindful of your own health and respect your dance partners by dancing safely."
Adjourned: 9:18pm
Next meeting: 6/23
-- Dianne
Meeting Minutes, May 19, 2015 - approved June 30, 2015
Meeting came to order: 7:40pm
Present: Marguerite, John, Fred, Dianne, Sandra, Tim P., Virginia, Connie, Victor (by phone).
Absent: Kenny
Minutes read and approved.
$1616.92 end of April
$105 loss/dance avg.
Donations received at Emerald Ballroom dance in April.
At current rate of loss, estimate 12-15 dances left.
May dance had a profit of $53.
Virginia presented a table of season costs for bands, sound, callers which showed moderate increase in cost relative to use of out-of-town bands.
Agenda item for next meeting: variety of bands, rate, policy, student rate, etc.
There were no reimbursements requested.
COTMD Board list - no change. It was noted that this agenda item needs occur annually, in the first meeting following the election of officers and board members.
ContraCola dancer email list: Outstanding updates to the list are to be sent to Dianne. Dianne is to send email reminder each month to the contracola dancers list. Victor will research a self-service email list, which will become a future agenda item.
The board voted that the Vice President would be the booker generally.
Connie agreed to be re-added to the slate.
Motion unanimously passed to elect entire slate of officers and members-at-large as amended, to whit:
President: Victor
VP: Marguerite
Treasurer: Virginia
Secretary: John
Members at large: Fred, Sandra, Dianne, Tim P., Kenny, Connie
The booking policy was amended, in agreement with Marguerite.
July and August: It was briefly discussed why we abandoned holding dances in July and August, citing historical poor attendance of dancers and unavailability of key board members during those months. Victor offered to call dances in July and August of this year for free, using recorded music, if there is enough interest from the dancers. The dances would also function as a callers' workshop with an "open mike" for would-be callers. Donations would be accepted but not mandatory. The dances would be on 3rd Saturday of July and August, with reservations available through EventBrite. To determine a likely attendance number, Victor will put together a survey, pass it through the board for comment, and email it out subsequently.
Virginia read suggestions/feedback on the Demo Dance at Red Bank Elementary
The draft of the document concerning our "slowly developing 'emergency'" needs to be revised for a more positive tone. Everyone agreed to the "So, What to Do" section, which promotes community. Sandra and Virginia are to rework this document, written by John, with the intent of disseminating it to the dancers via as many means as possible - email, FaceBook, Twitter, website, etc.
Agenda item concerning our disruptive dancers policy skipped.
Health risks of dancing: Discussed signatures and a warning sign. Sandra came up with a wording that we all liked: "Contra dancing is a strenuous activity! Please be mindful of your own health and respect your dance partners by dancing safely."
Adjourned: 9:18pm
Next meeting: 6/23
-- Dianne
Friday, May 8, 2015
Minutes, April 21, 2015
COTMD Board
Meeting Minutes -- April 21, 2015 - approved 5/19/2015
Attendance:
John W.
Victor G.
Marguerite F.
Fred D.
Sandra K.
Virginia W.
Absent:
Dianne B.
Kenny G.
Tim P.
Connie R.
Fred agreed to take minutes in Dianne's absence.
Previous Meeting Minutes were approved.
Treasurer's Report:
$1774.92 balance in checking account
$821 loss for dance operations as of 4/21/2015
No Reimbursements
John & Virginia will formulate an e-mail to the dance community regarding our financial health.
List Maintenance:
General discussion about "Who should be able to send to the general e-mail list?"
All board members? or some subset?
There are currently three people authorized.
Add John Wetzel to the general list.
Discussion about potentially setting aside moneys for restart after an extended suspension of operations.
No specific action was decided.
Discussion about our disruptive dancer policy.
Victor will send a recommendation to board consisting of two parts:
(1) what we say about our policy in the way of a small sign at the gate (i.e., one or two sentences);
(2) what we say as a fully elaborated (lengthy, several paragraphs) policy published on our website.
Demo Dance May 9.
Five men, three women volunteers.
It's a Saturday. But it's also USC Graduation day.
Planning to have flyers at the Emerald Ballroom dance.
Venues:
Dance at Emerald Ballroom -- drive before we buy.
Prospect of Trinity Cathedral
Slate for next year's Board:
President: Victor
VP: Victor to explore possibilities.
Treasurer: Virginia
Secretary: John
Booker: Margurite
At large members:
Fred
Sandra
Connie ?
Dianne ?
Tim ?
Kenny ?
Carry-over Agenda topics:
Liability declaration vs. signatures taken at the gate.
Booking document to be settled by John, Marguerite, and Virginia.
Next Meeting: May 12, 2015
Location: Virginia's
Meeting Minutes -- April 21, 2015 - approved 5/19/2015
Attendance:
John W.
Victor G.
Marguerite F.
Fred D.
Sandra K.
Virginia W.
Absent:
Dianne B.
Kenny G.
Tim P.
Connie R.
Fred agreed to take minutes in Dianne's absence.
Previous Meeting Minutes were approved.
Treasurer's Report:
$1774.92 balance in checking account
$821 loss for dance operations as of 4/21/2015
No Reimbursements
John & Virginia will formulate an e-mail to the dance community regarding our financial health.
List Maintenance:
General discussion about "Who should be able to send to the general e-mail list?"
All board members? or some subset?
There are currently three people authorized.
Add John Wetzel to the general list.
Discussion about potentially setting aside moneys for restart after an extended suspension of operations.
No specific action was decided.
Discussion about our disruptive dancer policy.
Victor will send a recommendation to board consisting of two parts:
(1) what we say about our policy in the way of a small sign at the gate (i.e., one or two sentences);
(2) what we say as a fully elaborated (lengthy, several paragraphs) policy published on our website.
Demo Dance May 9.
Five men, three women volunteers.
It's a Saturday. But it's also USC Graduation day.
Planning to have flyers at the Emerald Ballroom dance.
Venues:
Dance at Emerald Ballroom -- drive before we buy.
Prospect of Trinity Cathedral
Slate for next year's Board:
President: Victor
VP: Victor to explore possibilities.
Treasurer: Virginia
Secretary: John
Booker: Margurite
At large members:
Fred
Sandra
Connie ?
Dianne ?
Tim ?
Kenny ?
Carry-over Agenda topics:
Liability declaration vs. signatures taken at the gate.
Booking document to be settled by John, Marguerite, and Virginia.
Next Meeting: May 12, 2015
Location: Virginia's
Friday, March 20, 2015
Minutes, February 10, 2015
COTMD ContraCola Board Meeting - approved 4/21/2015
Meeting convened 7:30-ish
Present: John, Connie, Virginia, Sandra, Fred, Dianne
Absent: Kenny, Tim, Victor, Marguerite
Minutes: Minutes of December 9, 2014 Board meeting were reviewed and approved.
Treasury: The treasurer reported that we have had a $891 loss for the 2014-2015 season so far. January's available balance is $1,737.92. The treasurers report was approved.
Reimbursements: There were no reimbursements.
Email lists: Virginia reported that a few additions to the dancer email list still need to be sent to Dianne. The board email list was not reviewed this time.
Scheduling: The need for a local band to play for the May dance was discussed. Bonne Terre is unavailable to play for it, and whether Cabin Fever can play for it is questionable due to the undecided timing of Fred's upcoming surgery and recovery. It was decided that if Cabin Fever cannot play in its usual configuration with Fred playing piano, that John would play guitar instead.
Logo and branding: A vote was taken, approving the use of the high-contrast (black and white) "Rhett and Julie" (two dancers doing a contra swing) as our official logo. When words are used, "Contracola" will be in large-ish letters with, optionally, the phrase "Columbia Traditional Music and Dance" in smaller letters.
Fred volunteered to research the word "contracola" as trademark, to be reported at next meeting.
Financial woes: At the rate we are losing money, there are only 9.75 dances left until we are broke. This led to the following discussions.
a) Raising the use of local bands next season. Currently we use local bands for four of the ten dancers. Next season we can raise that to six or eight.
b) Raising student rate. We would not do this until next season.
c) Emerald Ballroom Special Dance, scheduled for the fourth weekend in April. The out-of-town band has already been hired.
Venue:
a) Still trying to contact McKissick Museum representative regarding the AME church which is near Baptist Hospital and is now owned by McKissick Museum as a general arts space.
b) Emerald Ballroom. In light of our financial situation, we discussed cancelling this dance, even though the band has already been hired. After much discussion, a vote was taken, the result of which is not to cancel the dance.
c) Discussed possibility of partnering with Lake Murray Contra to put on contra dances. This led to the topic of liability. Sandra will bring a copy of the liability document she signs for swing dancing to the next meeting.
d) Sandra noted there is a building, formerly a church, for sale on Two-Notch Road. John knew of the building and nixed it as a venue for us.
Demos: Thirteen people have signed up so far. Lucy G. suggests we would need to have twenty dancers signed up to guarantee eight dancers for a given demo event. Demo signup needs to be announced at each dance.
Facebook: Andrew is Lake Murray Contra's Facebook person. Connie has communicated with him in an effort to get more Facebook "press" for our group. She has also communicated with Susan at Lake Murray.
Meeting adjourned at 9:46pm. Next meeting scheduled for April 14.
Submitted 3/20/2015 by Dianne
Meeting convened 7:30-ish
Present: John, Connie, Virginia, Sandra, Fred, Dianne
Absent: Kenny, Tim, Victor, Marguerite
Minutes: Minutes of December 9, 2014 Board meeting were reviewed and approved.
Treasury: The treasurer reported that we have had a $891 loss for the 2014-2015 season so far. January's available balance is $1,737.92. The treasurers report was approved.
Reimbursements: There were no reimbursements.
Email lists: Virginia reported that a few additions to the dancer email list still need to be sent to Dianne. The board email list was not reviewed this time.
Scheduling: The need for a local band to play for the May dance was discussed. Bonne Terre is unavailable to play for it, and whether Cabin Fever can play for it is questionable due to the undecided timing of Fred's upcoming surgery and recovery. It was decided that if Cabin Fever cannot play in its usual configuration with Fred playing piano, that John would play guitar instead.
Logo and branding: A vote was taken, approving the use of the high-contrast (black and white) "Rhett and Julie" (two dancers doing a contra swing) as our official logo. When words are used, "Contracola" will be in large-ish letters with, optionally, the phrase "Columbia Traditional Music and Dance" in smaller letters.
Fred volunteered to research the word "contracola" as trademark, to be reported at next meeting.
Financial woes: At the rate we are losing money, there are only 9.75 dances left until we are broke. This led to the following discussions.
a) Raising the use of local bands next season. Currently we use local bands for four of the ten dancers. Next season we can raise that to six or eight.
b) Raising student rate. We would not do this until next season.
c) Emerald Ballroom Special Dance, scheduled for the fourth weekend in April. The out-of-town band has already been hired.
Venue:
a) Still trying to contact McKissick Museum representative regarding the AME church which is near Baptist Hospital and is now owned by McKissick Museum as a general arts space.
b) Emerald Ballroom. In light of our financial situation, we discussed cancelling this dance, even though the band has already been hired. After much discussion, a vote was taken, the result of which is not to cancel the dance.
c) Discussed possibility of partnering with Lake Murray Contra to put on contra dances. This led to the topic of liability. Sandra will bring a copy of the liability document she signs for swing dancing to the next meeting.
d) Sandra noted there is a building, formerly a church, for sale on Two-Notch Road. John knew of the building and nixed it as a venue for us.
Demos: Thirteen people have signed up so far. Lucy G. suggests we would need to have twenty dancers signed up to guarantee eight dancers for a given demo event. Demo signup needs to be announced at each dance.
Facebook: Andrew is Lake Murray Contra's Facebook person. Connie has communicated with him in an effort to get more Facebook "press" for our group. She has also communicated with Susan at Lake Murray.
Meeting adjourned at 9:46pm. Next meeting scheduled for April 14.
Submitted 3/20/2015 by Dianne
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Minutes, December 9, 2014
COTMD ContraCola Board Meeting - minutes approved 2/10/2015
December 9, 2014
Meeting was convened at 7:37pm.
Present: John, Tim, Sandra,
Victor, Marguerite, Virginia
Absent: Fred, Dianne,
Connie, Kenny
Minutes: The minutes of the
November 11, 2014 Board meeting were reviewed. A motion to accept the minutes
as written was made and seconded. The
motion was approved.
Treasury: The treasurer
reported that we have had a $650 loss for the 2014-2015 season so far. We
presently have an available budget of $2026.92. A motion was made to accept the
treasurers report. The motion was seconded and approved.
Reimbursements: There
were no reimbursements.
Email lists: Dianne
reported via email that the Board email list and the dancer reminder email list
were up to date.
Seasonal Losses: There
was a discussion of what to do about the losses we are incurring this season.
>>Fliers: Board members are encouraged to do whatever they can to
get fliers posted around the community. They are also to encourage other
dancers to help post fliers at gyms, exercise classes, dances classes and events,
bookstores, coffee shops, etc. These fliers will be made available at the front
desk and/or the refreshment table. An announcement should be made at each dance
saying the fliers are available.
>>Business cards: Board
members are encouraged to carry and pass out card as appropriate. These cards
will be made available to the other dancers at the front desk and/or the
refreshment table. An announcement should be made at each dance saying the
cards are available.
>>USC: Sandra is going to
continue pursuing permission to post
fliers on the USC campus. Presently we do not have an official USC sponsor.
>> Social Media: We all
agreed that Connie is doing a good job getting our events posted to all the
avenues.
>>Present Venue: A
discussion was held concerning the pros and cons of our present venue.
Pro: It is centrally located and the size of the
room is excellent.
Pro: The cost is in line with the cost of our last
venue.
Con: The floor is linoleum over cement. Some of
our former dancers have said they no longer come because of the flooring.
Con: AC/Heating problems. Sometimes it just doesn't
work. In the summer you cannot drop the AC below 75. In the winter you cannot
turn the AC on at all. There is a specified date in the Spring and in the Fall
when the unit is converted between AC and heat.
Con: The windows will not open. This prevents
using them for ventilation especially in the summer.
Con: The folks that have to setup the room must
come extra early so they can tear down
whatever is presently there. Tables and chairs have to be moved and the
floor/room has to be cleaned up. The stage has to be cleaned up to accommodate
the musicians/caller. After the dance everything has to be put back the way we
found it.
>>Emerald Ballroom: Because we need to keep looking for a
possible new venue we again revisited checking out the Emerald Ballroom. We agreed
to ask at the next dance if folks would
be interested in having an extra dance in early Spring as an exploratory dance.
Victor will ask about this at break
time. John is to contact the Emerald Ballroom about a possible extra dance in April
either on the 2nd or the 4th Saturday.
>>Fundraisers: We
discussed several ways we could try and offset our losses. The one that got the
most momentum was selling
Tee-Shirts/Tank Tops. Victor said he would look into this.
Real Estate: We revisited
John's desire to purchase some real estate property and convert it to a dance
hall. John said he could not find
anything on the internet that would suit our purposes.
Disruptive Dancers: We
revisited this issue. It was decided
that even though we have not had a problem in the past, it would be advisable
to have a written policy on the topic.
The policy would provide Board members an acceptable standardized reaction. It was agreed that we
would need two forms of this policy. The first one would be a short, user
friendly document that expresses the essence of the policy in very positive
terms. This will be posted on the website where the public can easily access
it; posted at the front desk where dancers can read it; and, posted in the
newsletter. The second document would be
fleshed out and be posted on the website for Board members to access. It would
not be available to the general public. Victor said he would write it up for
review.
Volunteer Dancers: In response
to an email from Lucy Gordon (Charleston) that Victor had forwarded to the
Board concerning new dancer recruitment and volunteer dancers for demo dances,
Virginia designed a poster and sign-in sheet for volunteers. Virginia pointed
out that we have had to turn down requests because we don't have a pool of
dancers to draw from. We discussed the importance of showing people what contra
dancing is all about which could lead to recruitment of new dancers. It was
decided that we needed a source of responsive dancers so that we can accept
requests for "demo" performances.
Next Meeting: January 13,
2014
This meeting was adjourned at 8:45pm
Monday, December 8, 2014
Minutes, November 11, 2014
COTMD Minutes 11/11/2014 - approved at 12/09/2014 meeting
Meeting convened at 7:50 pm.
In attendance: John, Virginia, Connie, Dianne, Sandra, Victor, Marguerite.
Minutes reviewed and approved.
Treasurer reported a balance of $2238.92. Approved.
Regarding new dancer email addresses -- John encouraged Virgina to get the new email addresses to Dianne asap generally, since we need the new dancers.
Sandra Keller was voted in as new board member. And on Victor's report that Kenny Greer wanted to be on the board, we also voted him in. We discussed using some kind of call conferencing so that Kenny could take part in the board meetings remotely.
Our current venue has AC/heating problems. The setting is changed from "AC" to "Heat" (or vice-versa) just twice a year and is out of our control.
We voted to pursue the Emerald Ballroom as a possible dance venue. It is located just off Dutch Square and is available on 4th Saturdays. Advantages would be better AC/heat, better parking, and less setup/teardown. The floor - wood over concrete - is also somewhat better than in our current venue. Victor offered to call for a free extra dance, and Marguerite offered to look for possible dance dates for an extra dance which would to be held at the Emerald Ballroom.
There was a suggestion to advertise our dance at yoga studios.
We discussed having a themed dance. We agreed it was generally a good idea, but felt we shouldn't go overboard as it could turn people off.
There was a discussion of obtaining our own building ("building project"), which would be self-sustaining through rentals. John will look into to find out whether there is someone who specializes in finding/building buildings for non-profits, and if so, talk to him/her.
Victor passed out a handout on "Problem Dancers and Written Policies", which included three different existing policies from other dance groups, ranging in length from brief to medium to verbose. It was generally agreed that we need to decide what things are important for our situation. There was a spirited discussion about appropriate behavior and appropriate responses. We want our written policy to have specificity without wordiness. All board members are to read this handout, and are invited to email any related thoughts and/or verbiage to the board at cotmdboard@googlegroups.com.
Meeting adjourned. Next meeting scheduled for 12/9/2014.
-- Dianne
Meeting convened at 7:50 pm.
In attendance: John, Virginia, Connie, Dianne, Sandra, Victor, Marguerite.
Minutes reviewed and approved.
Treasurer reported a balance of $2238.92. Approved.
Regarding new dancer email addresses -- John encouraged Virgina to get the new email addresses to Dianne asap generally, since we need the new dancers.
Sandra Keller was voted in as new board member. And on Victor's report that Kenny Greer wanted to be on the board, we also voted him in. We discussed using some kind of call conferencing so that Kenny could take part in the board meetings remotely.
Our current venue has AC/heating problems. The setting is changed from "AC" to "Heat" (or vice-versa) just twice a year and is out of our control.
We voted to pursue the Emerald Ballroom as a possible dance venue. It is located just off Dutch Square and is available on 4th Saturdays. Advantages would be better AC/heat, better parking, and less setup/teardown. The floor - wood over concrete - is also somewhat better than in our current venue. Victor offered to call for a free extra dance, and Marguerite offered to look for possible dance dates for an extra dance which would to be held at the Emerald Ballroom.
There was a suggestion to advertise our dance at yoga studios.
We discussed having a themed dance. We agreed it was generally a good idea, but felt we shouldn't go overboard as it could turn people off.
There was a discussion of obtaining our own building ("building project"), which would be self-sustaining through rentals. John will look into to find out whether there is someone who specializes in finding/building buildings for non-profits, and if so, talk to him/her.
Victor passed out a handout on "Problem Dancers and Written Policies", which included three different existing policies from other dance groups, ranging in length from brief to medium to verbose. It was generally agreed that we need to decide what things are important for our situation. There was a spirited discussion about appropriate behavior and appropriate responses. We want our written policy to have specificity without wordiness. All board members are to read this handout, and are invited to email any related thoughts and/or verbiage to the board at cotmdboard@googlegroups.com.
Meeting adjourned. Next meeting scheduled for 12/9/2014.
-- Dianne
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Minutes, September 16, 2014
COTMD Minutes 9/16/2014 - approved November 11, 2014
Meeting convened at 7:40 pm.
In attendance: John, Marguerite, Dianne, Fred, Virginia, Victor.
Following a discussion about current board membership, Victor agreed to contact board members going off the board this year.
The board reached a consensus that meeting minutes should be specific enough to be useful. For example, the total balance from the treasurer's report should appear in the minutes.
Several mistakes/omissions from last month's meeting minutes were noted: misspelling of Dianne's name, "scheduler" should be "booker", missing Treasurer's report total balance. Virginia to communicate these changes to last season's secretary for correction.
There was discussion about whether or not to publish summaries of the operational reports. A yearly summary document was suggested.
Minutes from last month's meeting, as corrected (see above), were accepted by unanimous vote.
Virginia noted that the $75 check to CDSS has not been cashed yet. The total balance is $2578.92 as of 8/31/2014.
The treasurer's report was approved by unanimous vote pending changes to year dates in the detail sheet distributed at the meeting.
Wrist bands have been paid for. They seem to be well-accepted by the dancers.
Dianne is to clean up the COTMD Board google group to reflect current board membership.
The status of band/caller schedule was reported by Marguerite, including a rundown of band costs. There was a discussion of holes in the schedule that need to be filled. A local band may be pulled together if other bands do not materialize to fill the gaps.
Virgina passed out flyers for us all to post before the dance, as well as Contracola business cards containing the web address www.contracola.org. Marguerite's suggestion to add the flyer as an attachment to the emailed newsletters was informally approved.
The planned discussion of WUSC as a dance host was largely tabled due to Laura's absence. There was some discussion of the possibility of a future dance at USC and the board was favorably disposed toward it.
Victor presented some feedback from other dance groups, e.g., River Falls. This led to a discussion of what constitutes a successful dance group - longevity? dancers per regional capita?
Virgina inquired as to whether we would be interested in pursuing a possible Arts Commission grant in the $5000 range. This led to discussion of a portable dance floor, building a dance hall, architectural plans for a dance hall, an annual dance weekend. Virgina is to get information on what kinds of things have been funded by the Arts Commission in the past.
The group showed some enthusiasm for a dance hall building or pavilion of our own. One idea would be to build a pavilion at a park. Another idea would be to move the Women's Tennis Center.
Victor brought to the group's attention the need for us to have an agreed-upon policy for dealing with disruptive dancers. He will attempt to find existing such policies to be used as a template for us to customize.
John will be holding sound equipment training sessions for Victor and Fred and whomever else is interested. Sessions, to be hosted by Virgina, are tentatively scheduled for Tuesday 9/23 or 9/30.
Meeting adjourned without objection at 9:47pm.
Next meeting is scheduled for 11/11/2014.
Meeting convened at 7:40 pm.
In attendance: John, Marguerite, Dianne, Fred, Virginia, Victor.
Following a discussion about current board membership, Victor agreed to contact board members going off the board this year.
The board reached a consensus that meeting minutes should be specific enough to be useful. For example, the total balance from the treasurer's report should appear in the minutes.
Several mistakes/omissions from last month's meeting minutes were noted: misspelling of Dianne's name, "scheduler" should be "booker", missing Treasurer's report total balance. Virginia to communicate these changes to last season's secretary for correction.
There was discussion about whether or not to publish summaries of the operational reports. A yearly summary document was suggested.
Minutes from last month's meeting, as corrected (see above), were accepted by unanimous vote.
Virginia noted that the $75 check to CDSS has not been cashed yet. The total balance is $2578.92 as of 8/31/2014.
The treasurer's report was approved by unanimous vote pending changes to year dates in the detail sheet distributed at the meeting.
Wrist bands have been paid for. They seem to be well-accepted by the dancers.
Dianne is to clean up the COTMD Board google group to reflect current board membership.
The status of band/caller schedule was reported by Marguerite, including a rundown of band costs. There was a discussion of holes in the schedule that need to be filled. A local band may be pulled together if other bands do not materialize to fill the gaps.
Virgina passed out flyers for us all to post before the dance, as well as Contracola business cards containing the web address www.contracola.org. Marguerite's suggestion to add the flyer as an attachment to the emailed newsletters was informally approved.
The planned discussion of WUSC as a dance host was largely tabled due to Laura's absence. There was some discussion of the possibility of a future dance at USC and the board was favorably disposed toward it.
Victor presented some feedback from other dance groups, e.g., River Falls. This led to a discussion of what constitutes a successful dance group - longevity? dancers per regional capita?
Virgina inquired as to whether we would be interested in pursuing a possible Arts Commission grant in the $5000 range. This led to discussion of a portable dance floor, building a dance hall, architectural plans for a dance hall, an annual dance weekend. Virgina is to get information on what kinds of things have been funded by the Arts Commission in the past.
The group showed some enthusiasm for a dance hall building or pavilion of our own. One idea would be to build a pavilion at a park. Another idea would be to move the Women's Tennis Center.
Victor brought to the group's attention the need for us to have an agreed-upon policy for dealing with disruptive dancers. He will attempt to find existing such policies to be used as a template for us to customize.
John will be holding sound equipment training sessions for Victor and Fred and whomever else is interested. Sessions, to be hosted by Virgina, are tentatively scheduled for Tuesday 9/23 or 9/30.
Meeting adjourned without objection at 9:47pm.
Next meeting is scheduled for 11/11/2014.
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