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Members Present: Keefer Welch, Matthew Havens, Kathy Curley, William Friend
Others Attending: Nora Berard, Ted Alexiadis, and Jack Manning
With a quorum present, the meeting was called to order at 6:30 pm.
Keefer Welch, chairman of the committee, commenced the meeting by referencing his memo of July 15, 2008, summarizing the preliminary FY 2008 Financial Results for the South Shore Country Club. This memo, which had been circulated to the committee members and others earlier in the day, is attached and is hereby incorporated as part of these minutes. Keefer Welch then noted the positive results and the difficulties encountered by the Country Club management team during the fiscal year and congratulated Nora Berard, Jay McGrail, Holly Taylor and their associates on the results they achieved.
The negative variances and the slight shortfall in revenue highlighted in the memo and reflected in the Year to Date Budget Report were reviewed and the cost saving measures employed to produce the positive results were then discussed. As part of these discussions, the $151,212 in expenditures on seasonal labor, the $28,689 spent on building repairs and maintenance, and the $17,365 in equipment repairs and maintenance were all further explained by Nora Berard. Ted Alexiadis, at the request of the chairman, followed with an explanation of the $17,365 sewer bill paid by the Country Club that was not in the budget and also noted an outstanding real estate tax bill that had not yet been paid by the Country Club’s food service provider.
Concluding these discussions, Ted Alexiades reminded and cautioned every one that these are still preliminary numbers and that there will be changes associated with a review and capitalization of some of the expenditures as well as depreciation adjustments. He also commented that, while payment on the restructured debt relating to the irrigation project undertaken by the Country Club in 2007 did not occur in FY 2008, a payment would be due in FY 2009. Keefer Welch further cautioned the committee, advising that some of the cost saving measures can not be continued, as an example, the cut back in care and chemical treatments for the greens. He also reminded everyone that a payment of $20,000 for one of the wells dug as part of the irrigation project would be due in FY 2009.
Following the committee’s discussion of the year-end results versus the budget, the committee focused its attention and consideration on the business plan and how best to proceed. A round table discussion ensued, involving everyone present at the meeting. During the course of this discussion, the members expressed their concerns about any planning process that results in a fixed annual contribution amount “baked” into future Country Club budgets.
Keefer Welch then commented that, also on the agenda for this meeting were to be discussions of the business plan format, which was to be given to the committee by the Board of Selectmen, a definition of “care, custody and control”, to be provided by town counsel and a review of he rewrite of the “Charge of the Country Club Management Committee” which was discussed and amended at the Committee’s last meeting with the Board of Selectmen. Noting the absence of all of these documents, Keefer Welch expressed his hopes that the documents would be available for the committees’ next meeting, in August.
Matthew Havens and Nora Berard then updated the committee on the progress made with regard to the hiring of the replacement for Holly Taylor, who resigned as the golf pro of the Country Club effective the end of June. They confirmed that the candidate whose resume was presented at the committee’s last meeting had been offered the position and had indicated that he was eager to begin. In fact, he was expected to be at the Country Club the next day. They also stated that steps remained, such as obtaining the Board of Selectmen’s approval, before he could be officially hired.
Upon conclusion of this discussion, and the scheduling of the next meeting for August 5, 2008, on motion duly made and seconded, the meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
William K. Friend