The meeting was held at the home of Charlotte Eddy.
Present were David Abraham, Mary Beale, Charlotte Eddy, Marvin Hass, Sara and Charlie Huggins, Bob Knopes, David Lerner, Jan and Bob Marx, Ray McKinley, Dick Schwartzbard, Burr Schuler, and Mike Strand. The minutes of the last meeting were approved as corrected.
David Abraham welcomed newly elected ExCom members and the new secretary. He set forth the rules: 1) don’t take ourselves too seriously and 2) give of our time, ideas, and presence to PVS activities. ExCom meetings held on the 4th Tuesday of the month will follow the same general format – approval of the minutes, discussion of old business, and presentation of new business.
Jan Marx presented the notebooks (Volume I and II) she assembled to reflect the history of PVS. Anyone interested in viewing them should get in touch with Jan.
Ray Jones’s Treasurer’s Report was brought up for discussion. The 2006-2007 operating budget as currently projected forecasts a deficit of $660 over 2 years. David would like to return to this at the next meeting after he has had an opportunity to speak with Ray.
Ray Jones has proposed moving the Club’s CD and checking account from Sandy Spring Bank to either Sun Trust or Cardinal Bank where interest rates would be higher. A motion was made for Ray to proceed with his investigation and the transfer if appropriate. It was approved.
Ray McKinley provided a rundown of meetings and events scheduled for the months ahead. The Williamsburg weekend is May 5-7. The May meeting will be at the home of Edith Rabinowitz’s daughter, Alice Crites. David and Rachel will host the May ExCom meeting. Spamalot evening is June 16. The June meeting will be at Ilse Keel’s house in Potomac. Sara and Charlie Huggins will host the June 27 ExCom meeting. Marianne and Kerry Hines will hold the All Trips party July 15 at their home in Delaplane, VA. Jean and Reg Heitchue will host an event August 12 at their Annapolis home. Betty Lawrence has offered her home once again for October fest on September 2.
Ray told of a recent conversation he had with the president of Capital Golden Skiers (formerly Over the Hill Gang). They spoke of doing shared events. One idea was to attend some of the dances at Glen Echo. Specifics could be put in TOOT. David said he would like to come back to this.
At the recent Annual Meeting, eleven applicants were approved as members, bringing the total membership to 187. This includes 4 associate, two honorary, and 30 absentee members.
The Ski Trips Committee is reviewing proposals for next year. Specific selections will be announced at the next ExCom meeting. Bob Marx said that there would be 5 trips, two of which will be sponsored by BRC but will have PVS leaders. There is also a proposal for a trip to Argentina in 8/07. The BRC (Blue Ridge Ski Council), explained Bob, is a club of ski clubs, twenty-one in all, established to foster camaraderie and to provide economical trip opportunities. There are 2 BRC trips a year, one to Europe (Euro fest) and one to western United States (Western Carnival). BRC has an all day meeting in the spring, which up to 3 PVS members can attend. Bob goes when he can. Charlie Huggins, Dick Comerford, Dave Lerner, and John Smith have also attended.
Marvin Hass related that posting of PVS photos on the Internet is expanding. There are more members with digital cameras. Marvin tries to post all the photos that are submitted to him. He hopes to give a slide show of selected photos at the Christmas meeting.
Marvin reflected on how often a printed version of membership information should be mailed out versus sending updates via email. Some members prefer not to have their names on the PVS web site.
David returned to the topic he had opened at the Annual Meeting, i.e. the changing interests of the members. Participation in Club events is declining. One example is the Annual Meeting where attendance of local members has fallen from 50% to 35% in the last two years. The change coincides with the fact that members are getting older and their residences are more widely dispersed. David emphasized the need for innovation to keep the Club strong.
At the Annual Meeting, members indicated with a show of hands the kind of activities they would like to attend. There was strong support for local events such as plays, concerts, and musicals. There was enthusiasm for non- ski trips from spring to fall and for day trips to special theater or musical performances.
David suggested aiming for 1 or 2 Club activities per month. Promotion beyond publication in TOOT might be needed. Approximately 25 members do not receive email. David cited the upcoming Williamsburg trip and last year’s Finger Lakes trip as examples of good fits with the membership. Both events were oversubscribed to. It’s uncertain whether enough people will come forward to host or lead a non-skiing event to meet the new goals. There are approximately 150 local members, many of whom hosted events in the past but can no longer do so. This year 83 members skied.
To implement these ideas, David has asked Mike Strand to serve as mid week coordinator. Suggestions will be solicited from the membership and 6 to 8 specific events will ultimately be chosen. Individual members will be asked to oversee the events.
A motion was made to adjourn.
Minutes submitted by Mary Beale, Secretary