Narragansett Chapter Board Meeting
May 12, 2015
235 Promenade St . Providence, RI
Call to Order – 6:00
Attendance: Bob Tessitore, Mike Krabach, Debra Huntington, Chris Shafer, Gregg O’Brien, Russ Miller, Linda Pease, Dav Cramer, Bill Rafferty, Ken Hamel
Business Meeting
Minutes - The minutes for the meeting approved as written. Chris approved and seconded by Mike K.
Treasurer’s Report – Bill reported that the WFA bills have been paid, the first installment for Wanakee will go out next week. Gregg had a question regarding the budget for membership, she voiced a concern that the pins and plaque were taken out of it. She has a limited budget to hold events and if other items are taken out of she will not be able to hold events. She was assured that there would be enough money to support the events she has planned. The budget was approved with minor changes.
Chapter Chair Report –
Bob reported that there has been progress made on the forming the committee for the 2016 Fall Gathering. They will have their initial committee meeting next week, May 19. Bob is confirming with Alton Jones and will coordinate the deposit. One of the initial items he will discuss is the coordinating a site visit to Alton Jones.
New Business
National Trails Day/Weekend – Scheduled for the weekend of June 6-7. They will be working on a number of trails in the Arcadia and Rockville management areas. Chris mentioned that he is trying to get people involved as co-leaders on trail work and hopefully they will become leaders.
AMC Spring Gathering - Gregg handed out information and discussed the schedule for the day. There was a discussion regarding whether there should be a kayak demo. Mike said he would be putting the event on Meetup. Gregg reported that Chris is working on getting the insurance straightened out. Linda reported that she has already purchased the paper goods. Money for the paper goods was donated by her workplace. Gregg said that she is looking for help with setup at 9am. There was a discussion on the wording of the advertisement on the webpage. Mike will add wording about the information sessions. She also handed out flyers that can be posted at libraries and/or retail stores.
Annual Meeting Speaker – Bob asked Russ to look into the speakers. Ken recommended Ed Webster, he will email Bob with Ed’s contact information. He will then forward to Russ.
Leader Assistance – Chris reported that a committee approached him requesting the club fund the membership for an individual who is an active leader but is in a situation where s/he needs financial help to continue his/her membership. There was a motion to assist this leader by paying his/her membership. The motion was voted on and passed. Chris will coordinate.
Leadership – Chris proposed that we provide incentive for prolific leaders by paying their membership. He proposed that leaders who lead 6 trips a year have their membership paid. The committee chair would need to review or approve the trips. Chris would approve if the leader is a committee chair. There was some discuss about the differences between trips, ie. It is very different leading a weekend trip versus a day hike. There was additional discussion regarding the budget impact. There was a discussion to announce it at the annual meeting. There was motion to pay the membership for leaders who lead 6 trips. It will be announced at the annual meeting.
Cardigan lodge – Trail weekend is scheduled for Oct. 24 – 25. This is a weekend that the AMC organizes so that chapter membership can do trail maintenance. There is a small fee (approximately $40) which would cover food and lodging. Chris has not received a lot of interest in the weekend but will keep it on his radar. Bob said that he recently attended a trail weekend, there was a lot of standing around.
Committee Reports
Paddling: They are a number of trips on the calendar.
Family: Committee chairperson is needed.
Trails: The Wood River bridge project is coming along. They should be pouring the abutments. New England Tech will be filling the process. They received a grant to (see last month) but do not return the grant they can use it towards rebuilding shed.
They will be helping the church people build a trail around their facility.
They are also planning on having a potluck recognition in November.
Membership: Gregg reported that she has seen an uptick in membership.
Climbing – They have held a couple of climbing training events. They also have a weekend trip planned to the ‘Gunks’. Bob asked Ken to participate in the Annual Gathering in 2016 by conducting a rappelling workshop.
Other Business
Russ brought up the point of getting involved with local college outing clubs. There was some discussion on this. Chris proposed that we form a sub-committee over the summer. Russ, Debra, Bob, Gregg volunteered to be on a committee. Chris also suggested that we contact AMC headquarters to see if they have done something like this before. Russ will contact the AMC.