Due to a schedule conflict, the Open House has been changed to

Friday, May 3rd, 5 – 8pm.

BIDDEFORD-SACO COUNTRY CLUB

BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING

Date: February 28, 2013

Call to Order: 6:00

Present: Dean DeMario, Mary Pirkola, Fabien Dube, Mike O’Leary, Ray Dube, Tim Dutil, Andy Gelinas, Tim Angis, John Dion, Jayne Condon, Gary Parrill

Approval of Minutes: Minutes for December approved.

Superintendent’s Report – John Dion

John reported that his crew has been working on equipment maintenance. New golf carts and equipment have been delivered.

Treasurer/Finance Committee – Fabien Dube

Fab reported that the budget is finished. He has met with Bob S. and John D. $30,000 has been added to the budget to cover the kitchen upgrades.

Discussion followed regarding long range planning. The mortgage will be paid off in January 2017, freeing up money for long range projects. If there is a major refinance needed, the vote would have to go through membership for approval.

Pro Shop, Tournament Committee – Mary Pirkola/Tim Angis

SMMC request for their annual tournament was discussed;  also, a one- time memorial tournament for Bob Brochu.

Cart and range fees will be increased; greens fees will remain the same.

House Committee – Gary Parrill

Gary reported on the improvements that have been made in the kitchen and snack bar. Friday happy hours will resume as soon as the kitchen is up and running.

Grievance Committee – Dean DeMario

There was a complaint made regarding the increase in Couples’ fees.

Membership Committee – Stephanie Babin/Jayne Condon

Six people were voted in to full membership status, replacing those who have resigned.

Three members were granted their requests for Honorary Lifetime status.

There was discussion regarding Social member status. Invoices will be mailed to those members, with a due date of April 1^st. As with full membership, there will be a late payment fee of 15% to those not paying on time.

New Business

Dean reported that the development abutting the first fairway has been given approval.

Tim Angis will take care of Spring marketing for the club

Meeting adjourned at 7:20pm

Next Meeting: April 24^th – 6pm/Presentation Night 7pm

Dear Fellow Member-
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> Mid- winter greetings; as I write this we've just had another snow event and it seems colder than usual. However- good news is golf is right around the corner. I wanted to get out some information on the upcoming 2013 season- and address some concerns on the date for this season's dues being moved to MAR 1st. We are excited for another successful golf season- and appreciate yours as well. A couple of things-
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> Dues Date- March 1st; the by-laws committee met throughout last summer on the process of reviewing and updating. After discussion with the Finance Committee and the Board, the recommendation to move the date to MAR 1 was presented to the membership at the Annual Meeting in SEPT. After discussion- the membership overwhelmingly supported the idea; and voted for the by-law change. It was presented from two perspectives; First- it allows us to get everything in early enough so the membership committee can begin the process of looking at the number of available play slots for those temp and waiting list members, in a more timely fashion. In years past we have noticed several people had committed to other courses- paying dues, or made other means for golf for the season. Their feedback was they were notified too late that there was a spot open and available- and did not want to miss any other opportunity to play somewhere. With us no longer having a true "waiting list"- this could prevent us from getting to the optimal membership level for a season. I must stress- this was by no means a quick, reflexive decision; it was debated for a few months, and eventually presented to the membership that attended the Annual Meeting for vote.

> Secondly- after membership dues, our next largest income comes from course play, cart rental and house food and beverage sales. All of those come to an end by early to mid November; but our bills don't take a break. We have expenses to pay- including a hefty monthly mortgage payment- through DEC into MAR- with little to no income. Moving the dues date up allows cash flow earlier to catch up; and begin preparing for the upcoming season in the month of MAR- so we can be ready to go for APR 1st should need be. This year it has allowed us to address two major house safety concerns- replacing an increasingly dangerous flooring situation in the snack shack- and also replacing antiquated electrical and cooking equipment in the kitchen; that were becoming troublesome for safety reasons. With the dues moved up- these projects have been started and will be complete and ready to go by APR 1st.
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> Long Range Planning- feedback from the Annual Meeting was there is an interest in comprehensive long range planning to prepare for a positive shift in our financials a few years from now. I'm happy to say 12 members have volunteered for this ad-hoc committee- and already have had several meetings; and have made great progress in that planning, with lots of enthusiasm and ideas. Both course and facility changes and/or improvements are rapidly being discussed- and the goal is to have a comprehensive plan set out to be presented to the Board and membership for the SEPT Annual Meeting.
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> Waiting List- We hope to have openings for Membership opportunities immediately; based on LOA's, resignations and changes- to be determined in MAR. This would mean new prospects could apply and pay the initiation and dues- and be playing under the Temp status for this season. Stay tuned for news on that in late MAR. Student/Junior memberships are available- as well as Social Memberships. A Social allows someone who is not ready to fully "commit" to a full membership- or the initiation, but has interest in playing, socializing and getting a feel for our club. It is $800 first year- $500 for the Social membership initiation- which also goes towards a future full member initiation- and $300 goes towards 10 rounds of golf. Last year it was not really advertised, but we still had 16 Social Members- some of whom will be becoming FT this season. Applications are available through the office and pro-shop.
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> Lastly- I have been attending some Saco Planning Board Meetings the past few months regarding a proposed housing development that will abut the right side of our first hole. It has been approved, and I expect things will start happening over in that direction soon. Nothing we could really do about it; we don't own that particular parcel and the developer does. We have walked the entire area- and met with the developer- and fortunately it does not appear it will be all that intrusive- or visible, from the course. Just a heads-up.
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> It is a privilege to be a member owned course- and there is much we can be proud of. There is also some responsibility, accountability and work involved- and our Committees and Board are voluntary. These people put in much effort to keep things moving and improving- and I would urge you to consider providing input through these channels- and attending the SEPT Annual Meeting to help keep our future on track. As always- please reach out to me or any other board member/ committee chair with questions or concerns.
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> Thanks for your support- see you on the first tee soon.
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> Dean DeMario