[Board-2018] PYC Constitution

Sat Jun 16 11:38:09 MDT 2018

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 <lauriec15 at comcast.net>
To: Board of Directors <board at portsmouthyc.org>
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 <jsmall.105 at gmail.com> 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 <scott.blidberg at gmail.com> 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

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