Please note that the next board meeting reported in these minutes has since
been changed. Tomorrow night's board meeting will be held in the common
area of Weter Hall, on the SPU campus, at 7:30. (See Bob's email from
earlier this week for online maps and directions.)
Greater
Seattle
Aquarium
Society Board Meeting Minutes: February 19, 2004
(at the home of Sandu Simion)
Board Members Present Absent
Bob Holmes
Susan Welenofsky
Rick Rose
Sandu Simion
Paul Winchester
Membership Observers
(None)
Preliminary Business
* (None)
Executive Committee Reports
* The Minutes of the previous two Board meetings (December 18, 2003 &
January 22, 2004) were accepted and approved.
* The Treasurer's Report (emailed prior to meeting by Susan):
1) Current Bank Balance: $3507.42
2) Cash Box: ??.00
3) Outstanding Bills - (Unknown)
4) Status of receipt book to be purchased for cash transactions -
(Unknown)
Meeting & Program Schedule
Month Topic / Activity
Fish-o-the-Month
SEP 9th Introduce yourself and your fish, solicit ideas, Nominations
($30 Dave-Dwarf/Pygmy Coreys)
OCT 21st Dave Sanford - Intro/Spawning of Killifish, Elections
(Dave & Bob)
NOV 11th Matt Kaufman - Slides of Various 2000 Activities
(Algae-eating Shrimp)
DEC 9th Christmas Party
(None)
JAN 13th Double-Feature Movie Night
(Sandy Gibson - $20-40)
FEB 10th Plant Auction
(None)
MAR 9th Yohan Fernando (Bay view Room)
(Wild Bettas - Victorea)
APR 13th General Auction
(None)
MAY 11th Tom Waltzek (loaches)
(__________________)
JUN 8th
(__________________)
(2004-2005 Club-Year)
SEP 14th
OCT 12th
NOV 9th
DEC 14th Christmas Party
JAN 11th
FEB 8th Plant Auction
MAR 8th
APR 12th General Auction
MAY 10th
JUN 14th
(*) Tentative, Special Dates
Bob notified Kelly that we have chosen to keep our regular March meeting
date and will accept the Bay view Room - we will need a screen.
Special Dates (in Red)
List of possible speakers:
* Pam Chin
* Steve Lunblad (African Cichlids) FOTM: Tanganyikan Cichlids
* ____________ (Livebearers, Bob will contact possible speakers
proposed by Frank Tomko.)
* Steev Ward (Freshwater Fish Diseases from a Practical Standpoint)
FOTM: Any nice tetra, barb, catfish, otocinclus
* Wayne Liebel - Cichlids, or History of the Aquarium Hobby
* Paul Louiselle
* Bob will ask Erik to explain how Manufacturer-Sponsored Speakers
work
* Bob will contact GPAS to see if they want to share
* Bob will contact Van Couver to see if they want to share
* Mel O'Meare (sp?) - Large Central American Cichlids (Dave) FOTM:
New World cichlids - NO CONVICTS, Blue Rams would be good.
* South American cichlids (broad selection. could be subdivided into
dwarf,pike etc.)
* Anabantoids (again, subdivide into bettas, gouramis etc.) -Catfish
(Lee Finley?)
* Asian fish (loaches, barbs, rasboras etc.)
* Gold Fish
* Lee Findley - Catfish
* Steve MacDonald - Discus (Paul/Susan will contact - possibly for
January) FOTM: Corey Cats, Tetras
* Yohan Fernando - Wild Bettas
* David Spector - Show Bettas (possibly for January)
* Tom Waltzek - Loaches (requested by Don Rudee)
* Lucanus (www.belowwater.com) - Sandu will get contact info to Bob
Meeting Ideas:
o Field trip to African NW (South Park Industrial Area - weekend
activity) (Sam is willing to set up - let him know when ready)
o Videos from Erik's library
o Double-feature Night with popcorn, etc..
* National Geographic video - Jewels of Tanganyika - tape ordered and
on the way
* Collecting on the Rio Negro
o Home Video Night (10 minute presentation by various members)
o Rain Forest Aquarium Presentation by Sandu
o Erik and Kathy's collection trip in the Amazon [Dwarf cichlids,
Corey cats, tetras]
o Florida Aqua Farms Presentation
o Anthony Calfo - from Pennsylvania - Saltwater (friend of Sandu)
o Advanced Killifish Presentation - Dave Sanford/Kate Breimayer
Next Meeting: March 9 , 2004
The March General Meeting topic will be a Presentation on Wild Bettas by
Yohan Fernando from Chicago. Bob will email Yohan for a picture and bio
information to be used by Rick for promotional items.
Old Business
* Recap of February General Membership Meeting - Plant Auction
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-gsas-board@thekrib.com [mailto:owner-gsas-board@thekrib.com] On
Behalf Of Erik Olson
Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2004 10:56 AM
To: gsas-board@thekrib.com
Subject: plant auctopsy
Time again for the annual "what happened" post plant auction.
What worked:
* the new scanners - didn't hear any complaints
* auctioneers/recorders - good working relationship, Matt jumped right in,
that was great. Gilead was very good about stepping back when we needed to
use Paul as a checkout person.
* Paul as the "swing computer guy". This made the difference between
things getting completely out of hand and being manageable. For those who
didn't know, Paul did late check-ins, recorded the bogwood purchases after
they all happened, did early check-outs, and fixed a few items that were
mislabelled and such. He also worked as recorder for Gilead when he was
auctioning.
Room for improvement:
* computers brought in by other people was a complete bust. Worst case
we've ever seen with neither of them working. I think for future auctions,
perhaps I need to test and install drivers the weekend before. This zapped
a LOT of time in the setup.
* Need to be on the same page for checkout. Lots of new people, so I
understand how it got chaotic. But what has worked in the past has been for
the recorders to take peoples' money, with the treasurer shuttling around if
they need change, but the key being that the treasurer is nowhere near that
printer. Once the person has paid, THEN the recorder pulls down the payment
list and hits the button that causes the printout to start in the back area.
A runner picks up the printout and brings up their stuff. This is always
the bottleneck, so let's keep people OUT of
that area and.
* Wasn't clear on split checks. This is my fault. There are two options
here. If the person is doing an early checkout and wants their splits
later, the recorder can pull down "pay XXX now and receive check later". If
the person wants to get their split immediately (and the treasurer is
willing to give this to them), then the recorder can pull down the "pay now
including split" option.
* It was hard to get info from the manula recorder (Judy) because she was
sitting on one end instead of the middle.
* THe new version of the software is incompatible with Auto Complete. We
should make sure this is off in the future.
* BIG problem with people checking out early and then bidding on more
stuff WHILE IN LINE WAITING FOR THEIR STUFF. Not good. Any suggestions on
how to combat this? Keep their card? Just announce this at the beginning?
* Bogwood sales should probably be done in the style of "silent auction"
with a computer and recorder. I wanted to do this, but didn't anticipate
that all three" of the extra computers wouldn't work. We do NOT want to
have to have the bidder pay twice. Thankfully, because Paul backfilled
these from the receipts, only one bidder (Sandy Gibsobn) was affected by
this.
Checking the numbers, things look complete. It says Joe Hughes is owed a
split check for $67.80 -- I don;t know if this was paid already.
Stats from the computer:
Gross was $1636.78, less $453.60 split to sellers, less about $500 for
plants and bogwood. 322 items, 43 bidders. I beleive in previous years the
bogwood didn't count in these numbers. Pretty cool though, a record number
of items sold yet again:
2004 2003 2002 2001 2000
bidders 43 30 34 39 38
lots 322 264 259 231 260
gross $ 1636 1327 1180 1624 1479
splits $ 453 265 150 403 413
That's over two items per minute, by the way...
- Erik
(email feedback...)
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-gsas-board@thekrib.com [mailto:owner-gsas-board@thekrib.com] On
Behalf Of Bob and Judy Holmes
Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2004 3:33 PM
To: gsas-board@thekrib.com
Subject: Auctopsy
Good critique Erik. Always room for improvement. We'll try to work the bugs
out by general auction time.One thing we might try is to pass out an
"auction rules and procedures" handout to each participant along with their
bidding card.
The numbered chairs system seems to work quite well, but there were a couple
of screwups in getting the right numbered item to the right chair. I think
we need to double-check that the numbered items are placed in the correct
chair.
All things considered, I think the auction ran pretty smoothly with about
the usual number of "b****es and glitches". Thanks everyone for all your
help!
Bob
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-gsas-board@thekrib.com [mailto:owner-gsas-board@thekrib.com] On
Behalf Of welenofsky@comcast.net
Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2004 6:25 PM
To: gsas-board@thekrib.com
Subject: Re: Auctopsy
An auction rules hand-out would be great. Maybe there could be one for the
treasurer as well. I didn't know where I was supposed to be, so I just used
the one table and kept tripping over the whale bones.
o Bob will develop "Auction Rules" with feedback from everyone on the
Board, then Rick will print them in booklet/pamphlet form.
o Bob will send out a "Thank You" on the members list to all those who
supported the Plant Auction.
o Rick will make a sign for the doorway leading into the back room
that says "Auction Staff Only" in order to help retain organization and
control in the work area.
o We need better bags! The club will buy plastic bags with
draw-strings to be used in place of the sometimes-torn and often leaky used
grocery bags.
* June Olberding (from the membership) requested that the kid's
coloring contest winning entries be displayed on the table near the
entrance. Rick will do this. (Outstanding)
* Susan is considering the BAP Committee Chair. She will research the
BAP requirements on the GSAS website and present a proposal for restarting
this program. - Tabled until the March 2004 meeting.
* Rick passed out copies of the General Auction Job Description /
Checklist.
* Trish Pierce was unanimously approved as the new Hospitality Chair
Rick will email her to let her know.
* Bob will ask Tori and Florian to be the Hospitality Backup when
Trish is not able to attend.
* Rick will notify Holly of the Board's decision about a Message Board
- Outstanding
* Rent Increase
o Rick created GSAS Letterhead (initially to be used for a letter to
the Seattle Aquarium.) The board discussed the suggestion made or supported
by most of the members to move the logo to the top of the page. Rick did
not come up with the idea of putting it on the bottom of the page on his
own; but rather, the layout was based on a professional design template.
Repeated attempts to move the logo to the top of the page did not seem to
"fit" with the rest of the design (in Rick's opinion.) Ultimately, Sandu
moved that the design be left as is for now. The motion was seconded and
unanimously approved. In discussing the letterhead design, it was decided
that a tag line would be used that says "Serving Northwest Aquarium Fish
Hobbyists Since 1971."
o Bob still plans to write the text of a letter that will be reviewed
by the board on the email list and printed onto the new letterhead by Rick
for mailing.
o Bob has researched possible meeting places in Seattle.
o Bob developed the following criteria to assist in our search...
1. Space for average of 40 people, yet must be able to accommodate 80 -
100 for the Holiday Party, Plant Auction, and General Auction.
2. Tables and Chairs available for our use
3. Permanent storage for our library cabinet (Approximately 5' high, 4'
wide, and 1' deep)
4. Long-term Availability - Meetings held September - June, Cabinet
storage required year-round.
5. Free and SAFE parking
6. Family-friendly
7. Accessibility - Large auction items, potlucks, etc.
8. Available movie screen and the ability to darken the room would be a
big plus since so many of our meetings feature video and/or slide
presentations.
9. Cost (less than $100/month for the months that we meet)
* Home Show (Status) - There was no update. A flyer was available at
the last meeting but we don't think many people noticed. Erik has made the
flyer available for download on the website.
* Bob would like to put together a Library Handout. Once it is
developed, we might also be able to publish it from a link on our website.
* Rick will email a copy of the Articles of Incorporation to Bob.
New Business
* Newsletter Update
1) Fish Food Recipes - (Idea for future content)
2) Feb 2004 was June's last newsletter due to computer hardware
failure.
3) Article Contest - Fish Yarns - Unusual Stories and Experiences with
your Fish - Deadline April 30, 2004
4) Until the Newsletter Editor position is filled, Rick will send out a
reminder pamphlets. Content suggestions...
o Thank You for Successful Plant Auction
o Upcoming Events
1) Home Show "Become a part of your club's history!" - a
member-friendly, fun event.
2) March Meeting - Yohan Fernando - Wild Bettas
3) General Auction in April
4) Deadline for Article Contest
5) May Meeting - Tom Waltzek - Loaches
o Need Newsletter Editor (any other open positions)
o Article Contest
o Welcome to new members
* New Members since last meeting - Susan
* Wes Hung
* Brian Hurd
* Board Member Elections for 2004-2005 Club-Year - Rick presented his
idea for developing a plan to designate the board positions to cover
two-year staggering terms. The goal is to ensure that there will always be
"carry-over" of experience into a new club-year. Since all the board
positions stood for election this past year, all are equal going into this
discussion. The board will designate two positions to expire this year and
the remaining three positions will continue for one more year. Which two
positions will expire this year will be established fairly by first allowing
volunteers and then by "drawing from the hat." Rick will write up a more
detailed proposal for presentation at next month's board meeting.
Announcements for the next General Meeting
* Paul - We need a new Newsletter Editor
* Sandu - New Article Contest: Fish Yarns - Unusual Stories and
Experiences with your Fish - Deadline April 30, 2004
* Bob - Need Ideas for alternate meeting location
* Rick - Trish is the new Hospitality Chair
* Jeff - Home Show (Become part of your club's history!)
* Paul - General Auction
* Bob - May Meeting - Tom Waltzek (Loaches)
Low-Priority and On-going Issues
(The following issues which may or may not have been addressed above will
continue to be listed here until they are completely resolved.)
* Official Bylaws - Rick
1. Dave has obtained a copy of GPAS bylaws and passed them on to Rick
2. Erik has obtained a copy of AKA bylaws and passed them on to Rick
3. Erik found a copy of the GSAS bylaws, scanned them, and gave them to
Rick
4. Rick has produced an editable text file from the scanned images - a
copy given to each board member and one to June Olberding.
* Promotional Materials for GSAS - Rick
* Poster Boards (for Fish Stores) and GSAS fliers are still
outstanding.
* Business cards will be produced for all board members plus the
Newsletter Editor. All new board members and June agreed to have their
phone numbers and email addresses included on their card. Paul would like
his cell phone number (206-383-2910) used rather than his home phone.
* GSAS Fliers
* Standard GSAS Thank You cards
* T-Shirts and Caps with GSAS logo
* Historian Project(s) - Rick
* History of Philanthropy Projects
* Probe the minds of Clay, Dave, Bob, and Erik
* Look for old article (on the 30-years CD), written by Laurie Hess,
about the "Providence Tank"
* Committee Chair - "Job Descriptions" - Rick has no progress to
report.
* Discussion on a future Philanthropy Project - Clay
* Clay has asked Diane Elliot how Rich (a lawyer) would advise us to
proceed with regard to Liability Insurance - Waiting for an Answer.
* Meeting Activities for younger kids - Dave, Bob, and Rick (Tori
Craig)
1. Dave - coloring book update - gave a folder full of artwork to Rick.
2. Rick - pages for the coloring book that promote GSAS
3. Rick - Aquarium-related word searches, puzzles, mazes
* Sandu - a presentation to introduce his idea for an "Aquascaping
Award Program." Brief discussion highlights from last month's meeting are
as follows: - Moved to "Low Priority" items at Sandu's request. Sandu will
prepare a short "blurb" for the January Newsletter.
o Submissions/entries would be pictures
o Entrants should have the option of being/providing their-own
photographer or requesting that a "club photographer" (one person, to be
determined) take the pictures. This would alleviate the potential problem
of "blaming" a non-winning entry on "which photographer was assigned to take
their picture."
o The contest could accept entries during the entire club-year,
culminating in a slide presentation at the June meeting, at which time the
membership would judge the entries and vote for the winner(s).
o Sandu will asked if there is enough interest in this idea at the
last general meeting.
* The "show of hands" of those interested in receiving an electronic
version of the newsletter was positive at the December 2003 meeting. June
will continue to investigate on a low priority basis.
Next Board Meeting Location
The location of the next meeting will be at Bob Holmes' home. The date will
be Thursday, March 18, 2004, starting promptly at 7:30pm.
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