From lauriec15 at comcast.net Sat Jun 16 09:14:22 2018 From: lauriec15 at comcast.net (Laurie Clark) Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2018 11:14:22 -0400 Subject: [Board-2018] PYC Constitution In-Reply-To: References:

Message-ID: As the lifetime member here, I know I can’t vote on a dues increase and probably not on this application fee. But I agree with Scott and Jeremy...maybe an increase of a few more hundred but not as high as Ron has suggested. I would put this out for consideration: How about a $100/150 social dues fee? It would certainly make up for the members who don’t come and it would only be a once yearly amount. All would pay including lifetime members. It wouldn’t be a huge fix but I do think all members would and could afford it. Laurie Sent from my iPhone > On Jun 15, 2018, at 11:40 AM, Jeremy Small wrote: > > Very well put Scott. I think there a misconception of the demographics of the club. In my opinion, we need to be more open to getting younger active boating member in rather than increase the buy in. > > Jeremy > >> On Thu, Jun 14, 2018 at 10:46 PM, Scott Blidberg wrote: >> Hello all, >> >> First, allow me to apologize for my absence this evening - I started a new job this week and the schedule has been challenging to say the least. I had been anticipating the discussion this week and am sorry I missed it. That said, I look forward to a review of the meeting via the minutes! >> >> In response to the proposal above I'd like to strongly oppose an increase, particularly of such a degree. While some of the points may be valid for certain individuals (at least anecdotally), I would also like to point out that there are many, many members (myself included) that would have no possible way of joining the club should the application fee be anywhere near as high as proposed. While the situations mentioned may not be fiction, they are by no means the norm and do not, in my view, warrant such measures. >> >> One of the tremendous appeals of this club is that it is not a place where only those with large amounts of disposable income can be members. Members similar to myself, who are active and who very much feel the real impact of an annual expense in the thousands (when factoring in dues/slip/etc...), are not the type that we are going to gain more of by raising initiation fees. In fact, I would argue that they are very much the ones we will lose. Additionally, there is absolutely no guarantee that those who have the means to spend $2500 - $5000 simply to apply will be more active members or won't be interested in joining for exactly the reasons addressed! >> >> It is important that we not lose sight of exactly what the financial impact membership can truly be to other members. This club - in my experience through a lifetime of being in and around it - has never been a place where you needed to have a lot of money to be a member. I for one will always do my best to make sure that remains the case. We need to grow our membership based on the quality of the people we choose to let in and not their ability to fork over larger and larger amounts of money. >> >> As always, I look forward to the thoughts from the Board! >> >> -Scott >> >> >> >>> On Thu, Jun 14, 2018 at 9:54 PM Ron Laurence - Blueberry Bay Farm wrote: >>> Commodore Michael & Officers & Directors >>> >>> I would like to strongly recommend that the PYC Constitution be amended to rectify our absurdly low application fee. Our present fee does little to insure that applicants for membership truly want to participate in, and contribute to the Portsmouth Yacht Club. Without a more reasonable fee, such as $2500, or $5000, we will continue to discourage earnest applicants with a painfully long waiting list, largely, I feel, because of people who: >>> >>> - Want to gain a membership card in a bargain yacht club simply so they can have dinner at any reciprocating club in the country (world?); >>> >>> - Are local residents who think its great to be able to walk to dinner, so inexpensively; >>> >>> - Wish to be able to tell their friends they belong to a "Yacht Club", so inexpensively (and take pride in showing off their PYC sweatshirt or other garment); >>> >>> - Want to be able to show on their resume, and/or their obituary that they belong(ed) to a yacht club; >>> >>> In that our Steward claims there are at least 70 members, in his roughly ten years of service, that have never set foot once in the clubhouse, pretty much indicates the above situations are not fiction. Why not eliminate or greatly reduce these absentee members and give those on the waiting list who really want to belong (and contribute to our financial situation through participation) a chance to become accepted into membership in a more reasonable period of time, and not diminish their enthusiasm. >>> >>> Therefore I urge the entire board to approve this proposal so that the entire membership can affirm it. >>> >>> - >>> >>> -- >>> >> >> >> -- >> Scott Blidberg >> >> scott.blidberg at gmail.com >> Phone: 603.674.1179 >> http://www.linkedin.com/in/scottblidberg > > > > -- > Jeremy Small > 603.661.7371 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From glennwmichael at gmail.com Sat Jun 16 10:45:52 2018 From: glennwmichael at gmail.com (Glenn Michael) Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2018 12:45:52 -0400 Subject: [Board-2018] PYC Constitution In-Reply-To: References:

Message-ID: Great thoughts by all. I am collecting all of these and this will be on the agenda for July. Thanks to all of you for some good ideas for the club. Happy Fathers Day to all of the Dads out there!! Glenn On Sat, Jun 16, 2018 at 11:14 AM, Laurie Clark wrote: > As the lifetime member here, I know I can’t vote on a dues increase and > probably not on this application fee. But I agree with Scott and > Jeremy...maybe an increase of a few more hundred but not as high as Ron has > suggested. > I would put this out for consideration: > How about a $100/150 social dues fee? It would certainly make up for the > members who don’t come and it would only be a once yearly amount. > All would pay including lifetime members. It wouldn’t be a huge fix but I > do think all members would and could afford it. > Laurie > > Sent from my iPhone > > On Jun 15, 2018, at 11:40 AM, Jeremy Small wrote: > > Very well put Scott. I think there a misconception of the demographics of > the club. In my opinion, we need to be more open to getting younger active > boating member in rather than increase the buy in. > > Jeremy > > On Thu, Jun 14, 2018 at 10:46 PM, Scott Blidberg > wrote: > >> Hello all, >> >> First, allow me to apologize for my absence this evening - I started a >> new job this week and the schedule has been challenging to say the least. >> I had been anticipating the discussion this week and am sorry I missed it. >> That said, I look forward to a review of the meeting via the minutes! >> >> In response to the proposal above I'd like to *strongly* oppose an >> increase, particularly of such a degree. While some of the points may be >> valid for certain individuals (at least anecdotally), I would also like to >> point out that there are many, many members (myself included) that would >> have no possible way of joining the club should the application fee be >> anywhere near as high as proposed. While the situations mentioned may not >> be fiction, they are by no means the norm and do not, in my view, warrant >> such measures. >> >> One of the tremendous appeals of this club is that it is *not* a place >> where only those with large amounts of disposable income can be members. Members >> similar to myself, who are active and who very much feel the real impact of >> an annual expense in the thousands (when factoring in dues/slip/etc...), >> are not the type that we are going to gain more of by raising initiation >> fees. In fact, I would argue that they are very much the ones we will >> lose. Additionally, there is absolutely no guarantee that those who >> have the means to spend $2500 - $5000 simply to apply will be more active >> members or won't be interested in joining for exactly the reasons addressed! >> >> It is important that we not lose sight of exactly what the financial >> impact membership can truly be to other members. This club - in my >> experience through a lifetime of being in and around it - has never been a >> place where you needed to have a lot of money to be a member. I for one >> will always do my best to make sure that remains the case. We need to grow >> our membership based on the quality of the people we choose to let in and >> not their ability to fork over larger and larger amounts of money. >> >> As always, I look forward to the thoughts from the Board! >> >> -Scott >> >> >> >> On Thu, Jun 14, 2018 at 9:54 PM Ron Laurence - Blueberry Bay Farm < >> info at blueberrybayfarm.com> wrote: >> >>> Commodore Michael & Officers & Directors >>> >>> I would like to strongly recommend that the PYC Constitution be amended >>> to rectify our absurdly low application fee. Our present fee does little to >>> insure that applicants for membership truly want to participate in, and >>> contribute to the *Portsmouth *Yacht Club. Without a more reasonable >>> fee, such as $2500, or $5000, we will continue to discourage earnest >>> applicants with a painfully long waiting list, largely, I feel, because of >>> people who: >>> >>> - Want to gain a membership card in a bargain yacht club simply so they >>> can have dinner at any reciprocating club in the country (world?); >>> >>> - Are local residents who think its great to be able to walk to dinner, >>> so inexpensively; >>> >>> - Wish to be able to tell their friends they belong to a "Yacht Club", >>> so inexpensively (and take pride in showing off their PYC sweatshirt or >>> other garment); >>> >>> - Want to be able to show on their resume, and/or their obituary that >>> they belong(ed) to a yacht club; >>> >>> In that our Steward claims there are at least 70 members, in his roughly >>> ten years of service, that have never set foot once in the clubhouse, >>> pretty much indicates the above situations are not fiction. Why not >>> eliminate or greatly reduce these absentee members and give those on the >>> waiting list who really want to *belong* (and contribute to our >>> financial situation through participation) a chance to become accepted into >>> membership in a more reasonable period of time, and not diminish their >>> enthusiasm. >>> >>> Therefore I urge the entire board to approve this proposal so that the >>> entire membership can affirm it. >>> >>> - >>> >>> -- >>> >> >> >> -- >> Scott Blidberg >> >> scott.blidberg at gmail.com >> Phone: 603.674.1179 >> http://www.linkedin.com/in/scottblidberg >> > > > > -- > Jeremy Small > 603.661.7371 > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From info at blueberrybayfarm.com Sat Jun 16 10:55:07 2018 From: info at blueberrybayfarm.com (Ron Laurence - Blueberry Bay Farm) Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2018 12:55:07 -0400 Subject: [Board-2018] PYC Constitution In-Reply-To: References:

Message-ID: Laurie:I'd rather see a fee (or surcharge) to those _who don't show up_ after a certain long period. This might bring about some resignations and thus clear some membership spots for these who really want to belong. Ron On 6/16/2018 11:14 AM, Laurie Clark wrote: > As the lifetime member here, I know I can’t vote on a dues increase > and probably not on this application fee. But I agree with Scott and > Jeremy...maybe an increase of a few more hundred but not as high as > Ron has suggested. > I would put this out for consideration: > How about a $100/150 social dues fee? It would certainly make up for > the members who don’t come and it would only be a once yearly amount. > All would pay including lifetime members. It wouldn’t be a huge fix > but I do think all members would and could afford it. > Laurie > > Sent from my iPhone > > On Jun 15, 2018, at 11:40 AM, Jeremy Small > wrote: > >> Very well put Scott. I think there a misconception of the >> demographics of the club. In my opinion, we need to be more open to >> getting younger active boating member in rather than increase the buy >> in. >> >> Jeremy >> >> On Thu, Jun 14, 2018 at 10:46 PM, Scott Blidberg >> > wrote: >> >> Hello all, >> >> First, allow me to apologize for my absence this evening - I >> started a new job this week and the schedule has been challenging >> to say the least. I had been anticipating the discussion this >> week and am sorry I missed it. That said, I look forward to a >> review of the meeting via the minutes! >> >> In response to the proposal above I'd like to *strongly* oppose >> an increase, particularly of such a degree. While some of the >> points may be valid for certain individuals (at least >> anecdotally), I would also like to point out that there are many, >> many members (myself included) that would have no possible way of >> joining the club should the application fee be anywhere near as >> high as proposed. While the situations mentioned may not be >> fiction, they are by no means the norm and do not, in my view, >> warrant such measures. >> >> One of the tremendous appeals of this club is that it is /not/ a >> place where only those with large amounts of disposable income >> can be members. Members similar to myself, who are active and who >> very much feel the real impact of an annual expense in the >> thousands (when factoring in dues/slip/etc...), are not the type >> that we are going to gain more of by raising initiation fees. In >> fact, I would argue that they are very much the ones we will >> lose. Additionally, there is absolutely no guarantee that those >> who have the means to spend $2500 - $5000 simply to apply will be >> more active members or won't be interested in joining for exactly >> the reasons addressed! >> >> It is important that we not lose sight of exactly what the >> financial impact membership can truly be to other members. This >> club - in my experience through a lifetime of being in and around >> it - has never been a place where you needed to have a lot of >> money to be a member. I for one will always do my best to make >> sure that remains the case. We need to grow our membership based >> on the quality of the people we choose to let in and not their >> ability to fork over larger and larger amounts of money. >> >> As always, I look forward to the thoughts from the Board! >> >> -Scott >> >> >> >> On Thu, Jun 14, 2018 at 9:54 PM Ron Laurence - Blueberry Bay Farm >> > wrote: >> >> Commodore Michael & Officers & Directors >> >> I would like to strongly recommend that the PYC Constitution >> be amended to rectify our absurdly low application fee. Our >> present fee does little to insure that applicants for >> membership truly want to participate in, and contribute to >> the _Portsmouth _Yacht Club. Without a more reasonable fee, >> such as $2500, or $5000, we will continue to discourage >> earnest applicants with a painfully long waiting list, >> largely, I feel, because of people who: >> >> - Want to gain a membership card in a bargain yacht club >> simply so they can have dinner at any reciprocating club in >> the country (world?); >> >> - Are local residents who think its great to be able to walk >> to dinner, so inexpensively; >> >> - Wish to be able to tell their friends they belong to a >> "Yacht Club", so inexpensively (and take pride in showing off >> their PYC sweatshirt or other garment); >> >> - Want to be able to show on their resume, and/or their >> obituary that they belong(ed) to a yacht club; >> >> In that our Steward claims there are at least 70 members, in >> his roughly ten years of service, that have never set foot >> once in the clubhouse, pretty much indicates the above >> situations are not fiction. Why not eliminate or greatly >> reduce these absentee members and give those on the waiting >> list who really want to _belong_ (and contribute to our >> financial situation through participation) a chance to become >> accepted into membership in a more reasonable period of time, >> and not diminish their enthusiasm. >> >> Therefore I urge the entire board to approve this proposal so >> that the entire membership can affirm it. >> >> - >> >> >> -- >> >> >> >> -- >> Scott Blidberg >> >> scott.blidberg at gmail.com >> Phone: 603.674.1179 >> http://www.linkedin.com/in/scottblidberg >> >> >> >> >> >> -- >> Jeremy Small >> 603.661.7371 -- -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Auto signature copy.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 133438 bytes Desc: not available URL: From adjd at aol.com Sat Jun 16 11:38:09 2018 From: adjd at aol.com (Arthur Dionne) Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2018 13:38:09 -0400 Subject: [Board-2018] PYC Constitution In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <16409acfc92-c94-11cd6@webjas-vab171.srv.aolmail.net> Laurie, I am onboard with your thoughts; particularly a Social Fee. I brought it up once and I know that it was brought up to the BOD at least a second time. A $100 fee would be used up by many in the first month the Club is open! Art -----Original Message----- From: Laurie Clark To: Board of Directors Sent: Sat, Jun 16, 2018 11:15 am Subject: Re: [Board-2018] PYC Constitution As the lifetime member here, I know I can’t vote on a dues increase and probably not on this application fee. But I agree with Scott and Jeremy...maybe an increase of a few more hundred but not as high as Ron has suggested. I would put this out for consideration: How about a $100/150 social dues fee? It would certainly make up for the members who don’t come and it would only be a once yearly amount. All would pay including lifetime members. It wouldn’t be a huge fix but I do think all members would and could afford it. Laurie Sent from my iPhone On Jun 15, 2018, at 11:40 AM, Jeremy Small wrote: Very well put Scott. I think there a misconception of the demographics of the club. In my opinion, we need to be more open to getting younger active boating member in rather than increase the buy in. Jeremy On Thu, Jun 14, 2018 at 10:46 PM, Scott Blidberg wrote: Hello all, First, allow me to apologize for my absence this evening - I started a new job this week and the schedule has been challenging to say the least. I had been anticipating the discussion this week and am sorry I missed it. That said, I look forward to a review of the meeting via the minutes! In response to the proposal above I'd like to strongly oppose an increase, particularly of such a degree. While some of the points may be valid for certain individuals (at least anecdotally), I would also like to point out that there are many, many members (myself included) that would have no possible way of joining the club should the application fee be anywhere near as high as proposed. While the situations mentioned may not be fiction, they are by no means the norm and do not, in my view, warrant such measures. One of the tremendous appeals of this club is that it is not a place where only those with large amounts of disposable income can be members. Members similar to myself, who are active and who very much feel the real impact of an annual expense in the thousands (when factoring in dues/slip/etc...), are not the type that we are going to gain more of by raising initiation fees. In fact, I would argue that they are very much the ones we will lose. Additionally, there is absolutely no guarantee that those who have the means to spend $2500 - $5000 simply to apply will be more active members or won't be interested in joining for exactly the reasons addressed! It is important that we not lose sight of exactly what the financial impact membership can truly be to other members. This club - in my experience through a lifetime of being in and around it - has never been a place where you needed to have a lot of money to be a member. I for one will always do my best to make sure that remains the case. We need to grow our membership based on the quality of the people we choose to let in and not their ability to fork over larger and larger amounts of money. As always, I look forward to the thoughts from the Board! -Scott On Thu, Jun 14, 2018 at 9:54 PM Ron Laurence - Blueberry Bay Farm wrote: Commodore Michael & Officers & Directors I would like to strongly recommend that the PYC Constitution be amended to rectify our absurdly low application fee. Our present fee does little to insure that applicants for membership truly want to participate in, and contribute to the Portsmouth Yacht Club. Without a more reasonable fee, such as $2500, or $5000, we will continue to discourage earnest applicants with a painfully long waiting list, largely, I feel, because of people who: - Want to gain a membership card in a bargain yacht club simply so they can have dinner at any reciprocating club in the country (world?); - Are local residents who think its great to be able to walk to dinner, so inexpensively; - Wish to be able to tell their friends they belong to a "Yacht Club", so inexpensively (and take pride in showing off their PYC sweatshirt or other garment); - Want to be able to show on their resume, and/or their obituary that they belong(ed) to a yacht club; In that our Steward claims there are at least 70 members, in his roughly ten years of service, that have never set foot once in the clubhouse, pretty much indicates the above situations are not fiction. Why not eliminate or greatly reduce these absentee members and give those on the waiting list who really want to belong (and contribute to our financial situation through participation) a chance to become accepted into membership in a more reasonable period of time, and not diminish their enthusiasm. Therefore I urge the entire board to approve this proposal so that the entire membership can affirm it. - -- -- Scott Blidberg scott.blidberg at gmail.com Phone: 603.674.1179 http://www.linkedin.com/in/scottblidberg -- Jeremy Small 603.661.7371 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From lauriec15 at comcast.net Sat Jun 16 12:58:08 2018 From: lauriec15 at comcast.net (Laurie Clark) Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2018 14:58:08 -0400 Subject: [Board-2018] PYC Constitution In-Reply-To: References:

Message-ID: But Ron...some of these members are boaters only...we need them too. I wish they’d use the club more but some do on the weekends, I do see them. Sent from my iPhone > On Jun 16, 2018, at 12:55 PM, Ron Laurence - Blueberry Bay Farm wrote: > > > Laurie:I'd rather see a fee (or surcharge) to those who don't show up after a certain long period. This might bring about some resignations and thus clear some membership spots for these who really want to belong. > Ron > > >> On 6/16/2018 11:14 AM, Laurie Clark wrote: >> As the lifetime member here, I know I can’t vote on a dues increase and probably not on this application fee. But I agree with Scott and Jeremy...maybe an increase of a few more hundred but not as high as Ron has suggested. >> I would put this out for consideration: >> How about a $100/150 social dues fee? It would certainly make up for the members who don’t come and it would only be a once yearly amount. >> All would pay including lifetime members. It wouldn’t be a huge fix but I do think all members would and could afford it. >> Laurie >> >> Sent from my iPhone >> >> On Jun 15, 2018, at 11:40 AM, Jeremy Small wrote: >> >>> Very well put Scott. I think there a misconception of the demographics of the club. In my opinion, we need to be more open to getting younger active boating member in rather than increase the buy in. >>> >>> Jeremy >>> >>> On Thu, Jun 14, 2018 at 10:46 PM, Scott Blidberg wrote: >>>> Hello all, >>>> >>>> First, allow me to apologize for my absence this evening - I started a new job this week and the schedule has been challenging to say the least. I had been anticipating the discussion this week and am sorry I missed it. That said, I look forward to a review of the meeting via the minutes! >>>> >>>> In response to the proposal above I'd like to strongly oppose an increase, particularly of such a degree. While some of the points may be valid for certain individuals (at least anecdotally), I would also like to point out that there are many, many members (myself included) that would have no possible way of joining the club should the application fee be anywhere near as high as proposed. While the situations mentioned may not be fiction, they are by no means the norm and do not, in my view, warrant such measures. >>>> >>>> One of the tremendous appeals of this club is that it is not a place where only those with large amounts of disposable income can be members. Members similar to myself, who are active and who very much feel the real impact of an annual expense in the thousands (when factoring in dues/slip/etc...), are not the type that we are going to gain more of by raising initiation fees. In fact, I would argue that they are very much the ones we will lose. Additionally, there is absolutely no guarantee that those who have the means to spend $2500 - $5000 simply to apply will be more active members or won't be interested in joining for exactly the reasons addressed! >>>> >>>> It is important that we not lose sight of exactly what the financial impact membership can truly be to other members. This club - in my experience through a lifetime of being in and around it - has never been a place where you needed to have a lot of money to be a member. I for one will always do my best to make sure that remains the case. We need to grow our membership based on the quality of the people we choose to let in and not their ability to fork over larger and larger amounts of money. >>>> >>>> As always, I look forward to the thoughts from the Board! >>>> >>>> -Scott >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>>> On Thu, Jun 14, 2018 at 9:54 PM Ron Laurence - Blueberry Bay Farm wrote: >>>>> Commodore Michael & Officers & Directors >>>>> >>>>> I would like to strongly recommend that the PYC Constitution be amended to rectify our absurdly low application fee. Our present fee does little to insure that applicants for membership truly want to participate in, and contribute to the Portsmouth Yacht Club. Without a more reasonable fee, such as $2500, or $5000, we will continue to discourage earnest applicants with a painfully long waiting list, largely, I feel, because of people who: >>>>> >>>>> - Want to gain a membership card in a bargain yacht club simply so they can have dinner at any reciprocating club in the country (world?); >>>>> >>>>> - Are local residents who think its great to be able to walk to dinner, so inexpensively; >>>>> >>>>> - Wish to be able to tell their friends they belong to a "Yacht Club", so inexpensively (and take pride in showing off their PYC sweatshirt or other garment); >>>>> >>>>> - Want to be able to show on their resume, and/or their obituary that they belong(ed) to a yacht club; >>>>> >>>>> In that our Steward claims there are at least 70 members, in his roughly ten years of service, that have never set foot once in the clubhouse, pretty much indicates the above situations are not fiction. Why not eliminate or greatly reduce these absentee members and give those on the waiting list who really want to belong (and contribute to our financial situation through participation) a chance to become accepted into membership in a more reasonable period of time, and not diminish their enthusiasm. >>>>> >>>>> Therefore I urge the entire board to approve this proposal so that the entire membership can affirm it. >>>>> >>>>> - >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> Scott Blidberg >>>> >>>> scott.blidberg at gmail.com >>>> Phone: 603.674.1179 >>>> http://www.linkedin.com/in/scottblidberg >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> Jeremy Small >>> 603.661.7371 > > > -- > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dgingras at comcast.net Sat Jun 16 13:01:01 2018 From: dgingras at comcast.net (Dan Gingras) Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2018 15:01:01 -0400 Subject: [Board-2018] PYC Constitution In-Reply-To: References:

Message-ID: <000401d405a4$5f051110$1d0f3330$@comcast.net> The average age of club members at the last survey was 64. While we have a few younger members who have grown up in the club, it’s unlikely that we’re going to attract a very young membership, there are lots of reasons for that but it’s generally the situation for many organizations. Young families are simply too busy. If we’re going to attract boaters, then~$2000 is insignificant. So many people on the waiting list that PYC is the “best deal in town” and we all know that costs are rising, and at a much faster rate than in the past, so focusing on increasing revenue by any means possible is absolutely necessary. It will not be long when the dues have to approach $1000 if we’re going to continue to break even, and increasing the application fee will have the beneficial effect of screening out people who are joining for reasons other than participation, and might delay the need for a serious dues increase. I think $650 application fee is ludicrously low, particularly given that waiting list members can participate in events for 4 years or more (with a member). Our facilities are absolutely top notch, and joining should be more than an afterthought, it should require a commitment. I think we should make the application fee enough to insure a committed member. From: Board On Behalf Of Jeremy Small Sent: Friday, June 15, 2018 11:41 AM To: Board of Directors Subject: Re: [Board-2018] PYC Constitution Very well put Scott. I think there a misconception of the demographics of the club. In my opinion, we need to be more open to getting younger active boating member in rather than increase the buy in. Jeremy On Thu, Jun 14, 2018 at 10:46 PM, Scott Blidberg > wrote: Hello all, First, allow me to apologize for my absence this evening - I started a new job this week and the schedule has been challenging to say the least. I had been anticipating the discussion this week and am sorry I missed it. That said, I look forward to a review of the meeting via the minutes! In response to the proposal above I'd like to strongly oppose an increase, particularly of such a degree. While some of the points may be valid for certain individuals (at least anecdotally), I would also like to point out that there are many, many members (myself included) that would have no possible way of joining the club should the application fee be anywhere near as high as proposed. While the situations mentioned may not be fiction, they are by no means the norm and do not, in my view, warrant such measures. One of the tremendous appeals of this club is that it is not a place where only those with large amounts of disposable income can be members. Members similar to myself, who are active and who very much feel the real impact of an annual expense in the thousands (when factoring in dues/slip/etc...), are not the type that we are going to gain more of by raising initiation fees. In fact, I would argue that they are very much the ones we will lose. Additionally, there is absolutely no guarantee that those who have the means to spend $2500 - $5000 simply to apply will be more active members or won't be interested in joining for exactly the reasons addressed! It is important that we not lose sight of exactly what the financial impact membership can truly be to other members. This club - in my experience through a lifetime of being in and around it - has never been a place where you needed to have a lot of money to be a member. I for one will always do my best to make sure that remains the case. We need to grow our membership based on the quality of the people we choose to let in and not their ability to fork over larger and larger amounts of money. As always, I look forward to the thoughts from the Board! -Scott On Thu, Jun 14, 2018 at 9:54 PM Ron Laurence - Blueberry Bay Farm > wrote: Commodore Michael & Officers & Directors I would like to strongly recommend that the PYC Constitution be amended to rectify our absurdly low application fee. Our present fee does little to insure that applicants for membership truly want to participate in, and contribute to the Portsmouth Yacht Club. Without a more reasonable fee, such as $2500, or $5000, we will continue to discourage earnest applicants with a painfully long waiting list, largely, I feel, because of people who: - Want to gain a membership card in a bargain yacht club simply so they can have dinner at any reciprocating club in the country (world?); - Are local residents who think its great to be able to walk to dinner, so inexpensively; - Wish to be able to tell their friends they belong to a "Yacht Club", so inexpensively (and take pride in showing off their PYC sweatshirt or other garment); - Want to be able to show on their resume, and/or their obituary that they belong(ed) to a yacht club; In that our Steward claims there are at least 70 members, in his roughly ten years of service, that have never set foot once in the clubhouse, pretty much indicates the above situations are not fiction. Why not eliminate or greatly reduce these absentee members and give those on the waiting list who really want to belong (and contribute to our financial situation through participation) a chance to become accepted into membership in a more reasonable period of time, and not diminish their enthusiasm. Therefore I urge the entire board to approve this proposal so that the entire membership can affirm it. - -- -- Scott Blidberg scott.blidberg at gmail.com Phone: 603.674.1179 http://www.linkedin.com/in/scottblidberg -- Jeremy Small 603.661.7371 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From info at blueberrybayfarm.com Sat Jun 16 14:38:01 2018 From: info at blueberrybayfarm.com (Ron Laurence - Blueberry Bay Farm) Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2018 16:38:01 -0400 Subject: [Board-2018] PYC Constitution In-Reply-To: <000401d405a4$5f051110$1d0f3330$@comcast.net> References:

<000401d405a4$5f051110$1d0f3330$@comcast.net> Message-ID: Right On, Dan! Ron On 6/16/2018 3:01 PM, Dan Gingras wrote: > > The average age of club members at the last survey was 64. While we > have a few younger members who have grown up in the club, it’s > unlikely that we’re going to attract a very young membership, there > are lots of reasons for that but it’s generally the situation for many > organizations. Young families are simply too busy. If we’re going > to attract boaters, then~$2000 is insignificant. So many people on > the waiting list that PYC is the “best deal in town” and we all know > that costs are rising, and at a much faster rate than in the past, so > focusing on increasing revenue by any means possible is absolutely > necessary. It will not be long when the dues have to approach $1000 > if we’re going to continue to break even, and increasing the > application fee will have the beneficial effect of screening out > people who are joining for reasons other than participation, and might > delay the need for a serious dues increase. > > I think $650 application fee is ludicrously low, particularly given > that waiting list members can participate in events for 4 years or > more (with a member). Our facilities are absolutely top notch, and > joining should be more than an afterthought, it should require a > commitment. > > I think we should make the application fee enough to insure a > committed member. > > *From:*Board *On Behalf Of *Jeremy Small > *Sent:* Friday, June 15, 2018 11:41 AM > *To:* Board of Directors > *Subject:* Re: [Board-2018] PYC Constitution > > Very well put Scott. I think there a misconception of the > demographics of the club. In my opinion, we need to be more open to > getting younger active boating member in rather than increase the buy in. > > Jeremy > > On Thu, Jun 14, 2018 at 10:46 PM, Scott Blidberg > > wrote: > > Hello all, > > First, allow me to apologize for my absence this evening - I > started a new job this week and the schedule has been challenging > to say the least. I had been anticipating the discussion this > week and am sorry I missed it. That said, I look forward to a > review of the meeting via the minutes! > > In response to the proposal above I'd like to *strongly* oppose an > increase, particularly of such a degree. While some of the points > may be valid for certain individuals (at least anecdotally), I > would also like to point out that there are many, many members > (myself included) that would have no possible way of joining the > club should the application fee be anywhere near as high as > proposed. While the situations mentioned may not be fiction, they > are by no means the norm and do not, in my view, warrant such > measures. > > One of the tremendous appeals of this club is that it is /not/ a > place where only those with large amounts of disposable income can > be members. Members similar to myself, who are active and who very > much feel the real impact of an annual expense in the thousands > (when factoring in dues/slip/etc...), are not the type that we are > going to gain more of by raising initiation fees. In fact, I would > argue that they are very much the ones we will lose. > Additionally, there is absolutely no guarantee that those who have > the means to spend $2500 - $5000 simply to apply will be more > active members or won't be interested in joining for exactly the > reasons addressed! > > It is important that we not lose sight of exactly what the > financial impact membership can truly be to other members. This > club - in my experience through a lifetime of being in and around > it - has never been a place where you needed to have a lot of > money to be a member. I for one will always do my best to make > sure that remains the case. We need to grow our membership based > on the quality of the people we choose to let in and not their > ability to fork over larger and larger amounts of money. > > As always, I look forward to the thoughts from the Board! > > -Scott > > On Thu, Jun 14, 2018 at 9:54 PM Ron Laurence - Blueberry Bay Farm > > wrote: > > Commodore Michael & Officers & Directors > > I would like to strongly recommend that the PYC Constitution > be amended to rectify our absurdly low application fee. Our > present fee does little to insure that applicants for > membership truly want to participate in, and contribute to the > _Portsmouth _Yacht Club. Without a more reasonable fee, such > as $2500, or $5000, we will continue to discourage earnest > applicants with a painfully long waiting list, largely, I > feel, because of people who: > > - Want to gain a membership card in a bargain yacht club > simply so they can have dinner at any reciprocating club in > the country (world?); > > - Are local residents who think its great to be able to walk > to dinner, so inexpensively; > > - Wish to be able to tell their friends they belong to a > "Yacht Club", so inexpensively (and take pride in showing off > their PYC sweatshirt or other garment); > > - Want to be able to show on their resume, and/or their > obituary that they belong(ed) to a yacht club; > > In that our Steward claims there are at least 70 members, in > his roughly ten years of service, that have never set foot > once in the clubhouse, pretty much indicates the above > situations are not fiction. Why not eliminate or greatly > reduce these absentee members and give those on the waiting > list who really want to _belong_ (and contribute to our > financial situation through participation) a chance to become > accepted into membership in a more reasonable period of time, > and not diminish their enthusiasm. > > Therefore I urge the entire board to approve this proposal so > that the entire membership can affirm it. > > - > > -- > > > -- > > Scott Blidberg > > scott.blidberg at gmail.com > Phone: 603.674.1179 > http://www.linkedin.com/in/scottblidberg > > > > -- > > Jeremy Small > 603.661.7371 > -- -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Auto signature copy.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 133438 bytes Desc: not available URL: From info at blueberrybayfarm.com Sat Jun 16 14:41:12 2018 From: info at blueberrybayfarm.com (Ron Laurence - Blueberry Bay Farm) Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2018 16:41:12 -0400 Subject: [Board-2018] PYC Constitution In-Reply-To: References:

Message-ID: <73dc77b0-aeca-83cf-0495-c2eddb0d2758@blueberrybayfarm.com> Laurie: If we can believe Jerry, there 70 (+ or -) memberships that have not used or been in the club for 10 years(including boating). These people should either pay more or make room for those who will participate. Ron On 6/16/2018 2:58 PM, Laurie Clark wrote: > But Ron...some of these members are boaters only...we need them too. I > wish they’d use the club more but some do on the weekends, I do see them. > > Sent from my iPhone > > On Jun 16, 2018, at 12:55 PM, Ron Laurence - Blueberry Bay Farm > > wrote: > >> >> Laurie:I'd rather see a fee (or surcharge) to those _who don't show >> up_ after a certain long period. This might bring about some >> resignations and thus clear some membership spots for these who >> really want to belong. >> Ron >> >> >> On 6/16/2018 11:14 AM, Laurie Clark wrote: >>> As the lifetime member here, I know I can’t vote on a dues increase >>> and probably not on this application fee. But I agree with Scott and >>> Jeremy...maybe an increase of a few more hundred but not as high as >>> Ron has suggested. >>> I would put this out for consideration: >>> How about a $100/150 social dues fee? It would certainly make up for >>> the members who don’t come and it would only be a once yearly amount. >>> All would pay including lifetime members. It wouldn’t be a huge fix >>> but I do think all members would and could afford it. >>> Laurie >>> >>> Sent from my iPhone >>> >>> On Jun 15, 2018, at 11:40 AM, Jeremy Small >> > wrote: >>> >>>> Very well put Scott. I think there a misconception of the >>>> demographics of the club. In my opinion, we need to be more open >>>> to getting younger active boating member in rather than increase >>>> the buy in. >>>> >>>> Jeremy >>>> >>>> On Thu, Jun 14, 2018 at 10:46 PM, Scott Blidberg >>>> > wrote: >>>> >>>> Hello all, >>>> >>>> First, allow me to apologize for my absence this evening - I >>>> started a new job this week and the schedule has been >>>> challenging to say the least. I had been anticipating the >>>> discussion this week and am sorry I missed it. That said, I >>>> look forward to a review of the meeting via the minutes! >>>> >>>> In response to the proposal above I'd like to *strongly* oppose >>>> an increase, particularly of such a degree. While some of the >>>> points may be valid for certain individuals (at least >>>> anecdotally), I would also like to point out that there are >>>> many, many members (myself included) that would have no >>>> possible way of joining the club should the application fee be >>>> anywhere near as high as proposed. While the situations >>>> mentioned may not be fiction, they are by no means the norm and >>>> do not, in my view, warrant such measures. >>>> >>>> One of the tremendous appeals of this club is that it is >>>> /not/ a place where only those with large amounts of disposable >>>> income can be members. Members similar to myself, who are >>>> active and who very much feel the real impact of an annual >>>> expense in the thousands (when factoring in dues/slip/etc...), >>>> are not the type that we are going to gain more of by raising >>>> initiation fees. In fact, I would argue that they are very >>>> much the ones we will lose. Additionally, there is absolutely >>>> no guarantee that those who have the means to spend $2500 - >>>> $5000 simply to apply will be more active members or won't be >>>> interested in joining for exactly the reasons addressed! >>>> >>>> It is important that we not lose sight of exactly what the >>>> financial impact membership can truly be to other members. This >>>> club - in my experience through a lifetime of being in and >>>> around it - has never been a place where you needed to have a >>>> lot of money to be a member. I for one will always do my best >>>> to make sure that remains the case. We need to grow our >>>> membership based on the quality of the people we choose to let >>>> in and not their ability to fork over larger and larger amounts >>>> of money. >>>> >>>> As always, I look forward to the thoughts from the Board! >>>> >>>> -Scott >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> On Thu, Jun 14, 2018 at 9:54 PM Ron Laurence - Blueberry Bay >>>> Farm >>> > wrote: >>>> >>>> Commodore Michael & Officers & Directors >>>> >>>> I would like to strongly recommend that the PYC >>>> Constitution be amended to rectify our absurdly low >>>> application fee. Our present fee does little to insure that >>>> applicants for membership truly want to participate in, and >>>> contribute to the _Portsmouth _Yacht Club. Without a more >>>> reasonable fee, such as $2500, or $5000, we will continue >>>> to discourage earnest applicants with a painfully long >>>> waiting list, largely, I feel, because of people who: >>>> >>>> - Want to gain a membership card in a bargain yacht club >>>> simply so they can have dinner at any reciprocating club in >>>> the country (world?); >>>> >>>> - Are local residents who think its great to be able to >>>> walk to dinner, so inexpensively; >>>> >>>> - Wish to be able to tell their friends they belong to a >>>> "Yacht Club", so inexpensively (and take pride in showing >>>> off their PYC sweatshirt or other garment); >>>> >>>> - Want to be able to show on their resume, and/or their >>>> obituary that they belong(ed) to a yacht club; >>>> >>>> In that our Steward claims there are at least 70 members, >>>> in his roughly ten years of service, that have never set >>>> foot once in the clubhouse, pretty much indicates the >>>> above situations are not fiction. Why not eliminate or >>>> greatly reduce these absentee members and give those on the >>>> waiting list who really want to _belong_ (and contribute to >>>> our financial situation through participation) a chance to >>>> become accepted into membership in a more reasonable period >>>> of time, and not diminish their enthusiasm. >>>> >>>> Therefore I urge the entire board to approve this proposal >>>> so that the entire membership can affirm it. >>>> >>>> - >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> Scott Blidberg >>>> >>>> scott.blidberg at gmail.com >>>> Phone: 603.674.1179 >>>> http://www.linkedin.com/in/scottblidberg >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> Jeremy Small >>>> 603.661.7371 >> >> >> -- >> -- -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Auto signature copy.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 133438 bytes Desc: not available URL: From roysail at hotmail.com Sat Jun 16 16:50:25 2018 From: roysail at hotmail.com (Roy Briscoe) Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2018 22:50:25 +0000 Subject: [Board-2018] PYC Constitution In-Reply-To: References:

Message-ID: I think social fees work well for yacht clubs with a dining room and bars they need to support but we have neither. Also we would have to implement an infrastructure to maintain tracking of the monthly billing and use, which will would have a cost associated with it. Raising the annual dues $100 seems like a simpler answer to me. A $100 increase would probably more than cover the additional payroll expenses we have incurred since the last increase. Roy Sent from my iPhone On Jun 16, 2018, at 11:15 AM, Laurie Clark > wrote: As the lifetime member here, I know I can’t vote on a dues increase and probably not on this application fee. But I agree with Scott and Jeremy...maybe an increase of a few more hundred but not as high as Ron has suggested. I would put this out for consideration: How about a $100/150 social dues fee? It would certainly make up for the members who don’t come and it would only be a once yearly amount. All would pay including lifetime members. It wouldn’t be a huge fix but I do think all members would and could afford it. Laurie Sent from my iPhone On Jun 15, 2018, at 11:40 AM, Jeremy Small > wrote: Very well put Scott. I think there a misconception of the demographics of the club. In my opinion, we need to be more open to getting younger active boating member in rather than increase the buy in. Jeremy On Thu, Jun 14, 2018 at 10:46 PM, Scott Blidberg > wrote: Hello all, First, allow me to apologize for my absence this evening - I started a new job this week and the schedule has been challenging to say the least. I had been anticipating the discussion this week and am sorry I missed it. That said, I look forward to a review of the meeting via the minutes! In response to the proposal above I'd like to strongly oppose an increase, particularly of such a degree. While some of the points may be valid for certain individuals (at least anecdotally), I would also like to point out that there are many, many members (myself included) that would have no possible way of joining the club should the application fee be anywhere near as high as proposed. While the situations mentioned may not be fiction, they are by no means the norm and do not, in my view, warrant such measures. One of the tremendous appeals of this club is that it is not a place where only those with large amounts of disposable income can be members. Members similar to myself, who are active and who very much feel the real impact of an annual expense in the thousands (when factoring in dues/slip/etc...), are not the type that we are going to gain more of by raising initiation fees. In fact, I would argue that they are very much the ones we will lose. Additionally, there is absolutely no guarantee that those who have the means to spend $2500 - $5000 simply to apply will be more active members or won't be interested in joining for exactly the reasons addressed! It is important that we not lose sight of exactly what the financial impact membership can truly be to other members. This club - in my experience through a lifetime of being in and around it - has never been a place where you needed to have a lot of money to be a member. I for one will always do my best to make sure that remains the case. We need to grow our membership based on the quality of the people we choose to let in and not their ability to fork over larger and larger amounts of money. As always, I look forward to the thoughts from the Board! -Scott On Thu, Jun 14, 2018 at 9:54 PM Ron Laurence - Blueberry Bay Farm > wrote: Commodore Michael & Officers & Directors I would like to strongly recommend that the PYC Constitution be amended to rectify our absurdly low application fee. Our present fee does little to insure that applicants for membership truly want to participate in, and contribute to the Portsmouth Yacht Club. Without a more reasonable fee, such as $2500, or $5000, we will continue to discourage earnest applicants with a painfully long waiting list, largely, I feel, because of people who: - Want to gain a membership card in a bargain yacht club simply so they can have dinner at any reciprocating club in the country (world?); - Are local residents who think its great to be able to walk to dinner, so inexpensively; - Wish to be able to tell their friends they belong to a "Yacht Club", so inexpensively (and take pride in showing off their PYC sweatshirt or other garment); - Want to be able to show on their resume, and/or their obituary that they belong(ed) to a yacht club; In that our Steward claims there are at least 70 members, in his roughly ten years of service, that have never set foot once in the clubhouse, pretty much indicates the above situations are not fiction. Why not eliminate or greatly reduce these absentee members and give those on the waiting list who really want to belong (and contribute to our financial situation through participation) a chance to become accepted into membership in a more reasonable period of time, and not diminish their enthusiasm. Therefore I urge the entire board to approve this proposal so that the entire membership can affirm it. - -- [cid:] -- Scott Blidberg scott.blidberg at gmail.com Phone: 603.674.1179 http://www.linkedin.com/in/scottblidberg -- Jeremy Small 603.661.7371 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: