Lewis River Little League Board Meeting Notes for 1-15-15
Members Presents: Brian, Arwyn, Brent, Rhonda, Kevin, Joel, Bruce, Christy Angela
Guests:
Date of meeting: January 16, 2015, 5:30
Call to Order: Arwyn calls to order 5:45pm
New Business
Action Items:
Action / Who? / By When?Important Dates:
Registration is January 24th, 8-4. Requesting Player Agents to be available most of the day and other Board Support. This is the only in person registration date this year. There will be a flyer available with all the important dates to be handed out at registration.
Brian sent out an email about knowing who wants to coach by registration. Brian will let everyone know about the coaches and if we need to vote there will be a special meeting called.
February 7 is try outs. We will get more registration at try outs. Have the gym all day.
Draft will be February 1st.
Field days will be Sunday February 8th and after Draft Day, Draft weekend, Field weekend. Will talk to Oak Tree about volunteers. They had contacted the little league about having workers do volunteer work.
Jamboree, March 21
Discussion about when to have hit a thon and pictures – and if we want either on Jamboree day. Might do hit a thon in morning and jamboree a little later in the day. Talked about having hit a thon on minor’s baseball field because the announcer’s box could be used. Might not want to limit to one field. May use coach pitch and 50/70 fields. There will be further discussion about the hit a thon at the next meeting.
Season begins April 13, after spring break. Brian will be going to the scheduling meeting.
Little league night out is February 4 (Wednesday) at Fat Moose from 6-8pm. Little league gets 10% of receipts. Not sure if flyers will be needed to hand out at the little league night out. Will check that out. Also have flyers to hand out at registration.
Bylaws:
Changes to the bylaws includes flexibility for teams for all stars. Can maybe have 9-10 players or 10-11. Minimum 24 players from softball or baseball. If have enough players can possibly have 3 teams of 9-10 players each.
Added Board member decorum. Want to be able to resolve issues without social media and public opinion involvement. Added formal process to escalate disagreements.
50/70 information added.
Will have futures games for 7/8 year olds – future all-star players. Post season, 1-2 games.
Arwyn proposes to accept bylaws. 7 yes, 0 no.
Open Positions:
Still no president. Can possibly go entire season without as long as have board members to attend presidents meetings. Could possibly name Dan Baulch as honory president. Because have board in place, can run successful league even without president.
Arwyn checks the emails. President meeting is on the 25th. Arwyn will attend if no one wants to go.
Player agents probably would want to go to inner league meetings and could possibly cover these meetings. March 1st is the next meeting at the Firehouse. Meeting information will be forwarded.
Treasurer:
Would like to open separate account with debit cards for Costco purchases only. There is no cost for account and can only put money in that is needed. Brent motions, Brian Seconds – 8 yes, 0 no.
Lesa turned over the post office box key to Christy on December 17th.
Waiting to get taxes back before turning over the computer. A box of past treasurer stuff, printer, office supplies will either be given to Arwyn or Christy or dropped off at a board meeting.
Information Officer:
Concession Stand Volunteer Coordinator:
Freezer does not work. It kicked the breaker, after reset and turned on smelt burning. Costco has freezers for $150. Agreed to buy new freezer and recycle the old one.
Would like to see about getting a snow cone machine. These seem to be big hits at other snack shacks. Cost to purchase snow cone machine about $350-$500. Can purchase all supplies at Cash and Carry. Syrup is about 6-8 dollars a bottle. Can sell snow cones for about $1.50 - $2.00. If have ice machine, then profit should be 60% of cost. Should be able to recoup the initial investment rather quickly. Do not know turnaround time to get actual snow cone. There could be limited other items available for sale (ice cream). Proposed to rent a snow cone machine for Jamboree and keep the ice cream until and if the snack shack transitions to a snow cone machine.
Want to have snack shack sign ups at registration. Will be assigning teams to cover days. Like to schedule games on same days, Monday, Wednesday and Thursdays – not worth opening snack shack for one game. Will recruit parents for PIC’s.
Some other ideas for covering the PIC’s and snack shack are using non-profit volunteers at $50-$100 for a whole Saturday, have high school kids to cover front at the cost of the parent they are covering for. Snack shack still needs PIC’s with food handler’s card - a parent or adult at the snack shack.
Looking into having BBQ at Jamboree, just need to rope off the BBQ.
Would like to have bigger pretzels.
Contract with Corwin is open – talking to Longview Corwin and Kendal distributing in Longview for possible contract.
Equipment Officer:
Not Present
Umpire in Chief
Not Present
Baseball Player Agent:
Softball Player Agent:
Fields and Facilities:
Sent out notes to Managers from last year about managing or coaching this year. Have about 60-70% returning from last year.
High School baseball players are working with 7/8th graders. Getting together on Sundays with High School Coach. Trying to elevate games and keep them involved. Would like to expand this to younger kids. Will have clinics like last year. 2-3 clinics put on by high schoolers and 2-3 put on by little league.
Supplies have been ordered for the fields. Tarps for minors and majors covering home plate and pitchers mounds. Screens behind home plates (wind screens). New chalk machines, three. Two 100lb chalk bags. Markers on minors field as on majors and 50/70. Still trying to figure out what to do on back stop. Softball fencing contractor to do toper so balls don’t go into street. Until a shed can be built, a gate will be put on third base dugout with a lock to store chalker and drag rack. Some can go down on weekends, without much rain, fields should be easy to clean up. Lead tractor has been fixed. Mower sharpened. Little mower is being fixed and cleaned up and should be done soon.
Safety Officer:
Concussion training has been completed. It is highly recommended that all managers complete concussion training. It is online training and get a certificate upon successful completion. It is free. It is real informative on signs to look for, warning signs, how to deal with parents and kids on why you’re pulling them out of the game. Discussed to make training mandatory – however it may be hard to track. The positive coaching training had a database that the league could see all who completed and passed the training. Possibly have 20 minute summary on draft day or at managers and coaches meetings.
Positive Coach Training – this needs to be renewed.
Sponsorship Coordinator – Interim
Not Present.
Deadline for sponsorships – just need time to get uniforms.
Uniforms & Equipment:
Not Present.
President:
Not Present
Misc:
Meeting adjourned at 6:40
Next Board Meeting: Monday, Feburary 9, 6PM
Old Business:
Budget:
The biggest budgeted items are Fields and Maintenance and Equipment and Uniforms. Fields and Maintenance will cost about $12-$13 thousand. Equipment and uniforms will cost about $18-$20 thousand.
Fields and Maintained
Needed is a top for the softball fence. 6-8 feet. ½ to 1 ton surface turf.
Laser grading needs to be done weather permitting.
Rubber mats needed for minors. Rubber mats are heavy – Possibly use ¾ plywood clamp rubber mats so they are not hanging on the fence.
Majors bases need to be checked so they are not wobbly. – Baseball bases were rest last year; they will be checked to see if they need to be worked in more.
Need to repair or buy new chalk machines. Chalk is free. Two new chalk machines will cost $200 each. Bruce can repair one.
Need new catches gear for youth. Propose to get 6 sets. Brian 1st, Arwyn 2nds – 7 yes, 0 no.
Can possibly find better costs online.
Dan Baulch fixed the big mower and paid for it himself. Checking to see if Scott can possibly do mowing.
Poles and nets are needed to keep balls from going into the cow fields.
Home plate tarps needed and tarps needed for problem areas. Cost $200. Everyone has to put tarps back on fields when done with practice/games.
20-25 thousand to get water to fields and snack shack. Can possibly run from fire hydrant from Old Pacific Hwy.
If the fields are not used for youth sports, the property transfers back to owners.
L screens- two needed in batting cages and fields. Need one for minors. Need repair on majors.
Budget is done – purchase equipment/supplies in January to arrive in February for field days.
Discussion on putting a roof on the batting cages or see if there is a barn or warehouse available to put up nets for more practice.
Equipment and Uniforms
Jerry buys supplies/equipment in January and then gives out team packs to coaches/managers.
Tryouts/Draft/Registration:
An email vote was done on the fee for tee-ball. It passed that tee-ball will cost $75 and include a training book.
Tryouts will be February 7. Want to hold tryouts on the fields – better to judge on pop flies and throwing to first base.
Weather could be a problem but players will do better in actual playing environment.
Judging throwing, catching and running ability.
Best if coaches can do the judging – can run the players through some paces and let the coaches decide.
If can’t be done outside, can use balls that work inside.
If coaches cannot make tryouts – then their responsibility.
Draft is February 21.
Easier if split up times for tryouts between minors and majors. Or majors and 50/70. This will provide more room for the tryouts.
Tryouts for all-star team – Majors and minors. Manager has ability to put any three players on the team they want.
Players get to choose a certain number of players and coaches get to choose a certain number of players.
Need clarification on 50/70 and Majors. Players can play in both majors and 50/70 but player needs to play 60% of games on division he will be playing all stars for. This must be declared prior to the voting process as a player cannot be on both division ballets.
The board can excuse the 60% rule for medical or other significant reason.
Need to add question about committing to all stars to the registration form.
Registration is January 24 (Saturday) from 9-4. This will be our only in person registration day. Player agents, please try to be there.
There will be training for board members for registration on January 16, 6pm at computer lab at the school. League one and/or registration system training.
Will have hit a thon again. Need to be clear on expectations and will have the hit a thon on a different day from the Jamboree.
If want to be completive then need to play more with bigger leagues.
Will do fall ball this next season. It will be discussed in the spring.
Need to make sure there are coaches for fall ball. Fall ball does not fall under the district 6.
Firework Stand:
The league gets 50% from TNT. Need to decide if want to change location. Will check to see how well they did at Walmart, Safeway, the Church and other locations. Nappy might be a good spot. The car wash raised good money there. Do we want to do another year with a firework stand? Arwyn motions, Brian 2nds. 7 yes, 0 no.
Via email – TNT wants the league to move to the Walmart parking lot. TNT will give the league a tent, including set up and take down. The league will need to provide a generator for power or figure out how to hook up to power in the parking lot. Need to find fencing to put around the tent to make it more secure and have security. The tent is 20 by 20 and the league will be provided with bigger and better inventory, almost double what the league has had in years past. The league still gets the 50% cut, which normal would be 25% with a tent. Last year’s group made about $12 thousand. . .
Email vote – yes the league would like to have the stand at Walmart this 2015 season.
President:
Open Position
Vice President:
Fields and Facilities:
See above
Treasurer:
Not present
Information Officer:
See above
Concession Stand Volunteer Coordinator
Not Present
Equipment Officer:
Not Present
Umpire in Chief
Not Present
Baseball Player Agent:
Softball Player Agent:
Sponsorship Coordinator – Interim
Not Present.
Uniforms & Equipment:
Not Present.
Misc:
Meeting adjourned at 7:15