CALL TO ORDER
Montie Elston, Treasurer and acting Chairman, called the meeting to order at 11:10 a.m. on Sunday, March 15, 2015 at Lagunitas Brewery, 1280 N. McDowell Blvd, Petaluma, CA 94954.
Before beginning the meeting, Montie clarified that the number of Board members required to meet quorum is four, not six as assumed. California State Code allows a quorum to be as low as one-fifth of the Board.
ROLL CALL
Board Members Present: David Brace, Montie Elston, Steve Goldfield, Dave Gooding, Mark Hogan, Jack Hyland, Maria Nadauld, Larry Phegley
Board Members Absent: Tim Edes, Jim Ingram, Geoffrey Sargent
Officers Present: Colleen Hogan, John Hettinger
Members Present: Debra Slagle, Steve Slagle
SETTING OF THE AGENDA
The Board approved the agenda with six additions.
APPROVAL OF THE FEBRUARY 2015 BOARD MEETING MINUTES
The February minutes were approved as written.
PERSONS DESIRING TO ADDRESS THE BOARD ON UNAGENDIZED ITEMS
None
OLD BUSINESS
Website Update:
Montie reported that he has seen mock ups of the front page. It is cleaner and more professional looking. He feels the team is off to a good start. The goal is to launch on 6/1/2015.
TIX Update:
The TIX program is now live and there have been ticket sales processed through the new software. Purchasers receive an email with their barcode, which they can print and present at the gate, or it can be scanned from their smart phone. Gate personnel will have the ability to look up purchase information at the gate.
Spring Campout:
David Brace reported that Marcos Alvira is busy lining up volunteers for the Spring Campout. The Saturday night dinner and concert will be held in a different building from what the CBA has used in the past. It is an expectation that Board Members will help serve the meal.
NEW BUSINESS
2015 FDF Update:
– The Fairgrounds contract has been received.
– The contracts for sound, security, cleaning, porta-potties and fencing are set to go.
– There will not be a new volunteer t-shirt this year, however the daily volunteer breakfast will occur.
– DeMartini RV will hold a RV show.
– Kids Camp is moving to a different spot.
– Coordinators are asked to make sure they clean up their area.
– David Brace is making a trip to Grass Valley to meet with the Nevada County Fairgrounds in April. Pricing for the stage scrims need to be finalized before that time so he can present to potential sponsors.
– Less expensive advertising prices are available: $100 for a business-card sized ad in the program and $300 for advertising on the People Mover.
– The preferred seating area will be preserved for Lifetime Members and Super-Volunteer Award recipients and their spouses, to honor people who have given exceptional service to the CBA over time.
Bluegrass Leadership Report:
Maria Nadauld gave an overview of the 3-day Bluegrass Leadership course she took through IBMA. She felt it was a valuable experience and worth the fee.
2015 Old Time Campout:
Steve Goldfield reported that he plans to check out the new campsite at Lake Sonoma in April. The camping area itself is nicer and may be free to the CBA if he can get people to jam at the Visitors Center. The main drawback is that it is 4-5 miles to showers, although it is closer to the lake.
Cloverdale Old Time Fiddle Festival:
Mark Hogan asked if the CBA will sponsor two contest divisions for the Cloverdale Old Time Fiddle Fesival as it did in 2014. The Board approved sponsoring the Pee Wee and Twin Fiddle Divisions.
Jim Carr Memorial Service at FDF:
Linda Carr has asked to hold a small memorial service at FDF 2015 for her husband and longtime CBA member Jim Carr, who passed away a few months ago. It is possible this will happen on Thursday noon when the Pioneer Stage is available.
REPORTS
Executive Committee Report:
Montie Elston reported that no significant discussions or decisions were made by the Executive Committee between meetings.
Membership Report:
The current membership count is 2575. The letters that Maria Nadauld is sending out are helping with renewals. A request will be made to the web redesign team to add an auto-renew option on the website.
Treasurer’s Report:
The bank account is healthy and the CBA financials are in good shape. Ticket sales for FDF and Music Camp are ahead of where they were this time last year.
Music Camp Report:
Geoff Sargent did not attend the meeting and there was no report.
Area Activities VP Reports:
John Hettinger (South Bay) – John’s area is very active with 5 weekly jams and 7 monthly jams. He held four house concerts last year and plans to hold more in 2015.
Larry Phegley (South Bay) – Larry reported that March has been unusually active in his area. There are lots of concerts coming up at Don Quixote’s in Felton. Night at the Grange went well.
Mark Hogan (North Bay) – The Sonoma County Bluegrass & Folk Fesival went well yesterday with higher attendance early in the day than usual. There was standing room only at a few points during the show. The Cloverdale Old Time Fiddle Festival is 4/11/15. There are fiddle and non-fiddle competitive divisions. There is a great entertainment lineup and workshops. More information can be found on the website: http://cloverdalefiddles.com/.
President’s Report:
Darby Brandli was not present but sent a report via email. Highlights are as follows:
– Right now there are 10 spaces left for the Youth Academy. There is still scholarship money available.
– Signage is needed to keep dogs out of the inner Fairgrounds.
– The Kids On Bluegrass FDF shirts are on order.
– The plan to inventory and digitize the lending library instruments is on track.
– The suggestion to produce bluegrass trading cards for FDF is not moving forward due to expense.
Chairman’s Report:
Tim Edes could not attend the meeting but sent a financial report for the “Night at the Grange”, detailing the revenue and expenses. Overall it was a good night and the CBA came out ahead.
CONFIRM TIME AND PLACE FOR THE NEXT BOARD MEETING
Next meeting will be held Saturday, April 18th at 10:00 AM, CBA Spring Campout at Stanislaus County Fairgrounds, 900 N. Broadway, Turlock, CA 95380.
ADJOURNMENT
Meeting adjourned at 2:00 PM.