ST. GEORGE BALLPARK

FEBRUARY 4, 2008

Over 25 members attended the meeting with food and soda/water provided. Randy Bence opened the meeting at 6:45 pm. The purpose of the meeting was to make several announcements regarding the club's upcoming bus trip to Scranton and matters to be voted on at the annual meeting scheduled for March 3rd, 2008.

1. Bus trip to Scranton-Wilkes Barre on May 3, 2008:

There have been a couple of changes that had to be made regarding the plans for the club’s bus trip to Scranton-Wilkes Barre. Mike Dutz had gotten a quote of $1,100 from Academy tried to send a deposit in November but they would not accept a deposit until after 1/1/08. When Randy and Mike called after the first of the year to send the deposit they were informed that the price had increased to $1,700. Jane Rogers had suggested that we switch to Coach USA, which the team is now using. Mike contacted them and was quoted a price of $1,337, so a refundable deposit of $100 was sent in. The Romanelli Family suggested Raritan River Tours, which they have used for group tours with another organization and are less expensive. Mike will call them and if they offer a better price, Mike will cancel with Coach USA.

Originally the club had booked the bullpen area for the club trip to Scranton, but a change was necessary. Mike and Randy explained that Scranton changed their policy on the bullpen seats, making it now mandatory that we take a food package ranging in cost from $13 to $26 per person. Also, if we had more than 50 but less than 100 people, the overflow would have to sit elsewhere if the other half of the bullpen area was occupied by another group. We chose to purchase regular seats in the upper tier near the Scranton dugout. We will still be given a meet-and-greet with the players and team hats, as had been promised in the bullpen area.

Members of the Board have called and/or e-mailed all club members to inform them that there were still seats available and if they were interested. Everyone who signed up for the trip (either at the 10/17/07 meeting or later) was contacted to request that they send in their payment so we could send deposits on the bus and the tickets. Some members and their relatives who will be in Pennsylvania have purchased tickets and will meet us there. There is room on the bus for 49 people, but we around 40 people since several people who signed up for the trip had to drop out. If anyone is interested they should contact Randy Bence at (718)448-3064 immediately. The cost is $44 per person for the bus and game ticket. Most people have paid already but if you have not, please do so soon so we can move on to other trips.

2. Other trips:

It is necessary to sell out the Scranton trip with all money collected before announcing other trips. As we have stated all along, the club cannot afford to lose money on trips as in the past. The board is considering two dates to Trenton and opening day in Brooklyn. An e-mail will be sent out soon with all the info about these self-drive trips and members should let Randy know if they are interested so that tickets can be purchased.

3. Christmas Dinner:

The Booster Club Christmas party was held on December 17, 2007 at the Burrito Bar on Forest Avenue and was very successful. The Booster Club presented James LaSala’s uniform shirt to his family (James was supposed to attend but had a conflict at the last minute). John Davidson from the Front Office attended and brought a basket of SI Yankees items that was raffled off. Thanks also to the Burrito Bar who gave the club a big discount and everyone who worked hard to make this one of the club’s best events ever. Pictures from the event are on the club’s website at www.baby-bombers.com

4. Fund Raising:

In past years, the Booster Club has done one or more 50/50 raffles at the stadium. This was our primary method of funding club events such as our meet-and-greets with the team. This year, the Staten Island Yankees have put a new policy in place that any group wanting a 50/50 must first sell 300 tickets for that night. Since this would mean $3000 in order to have a chance to raise around $800 - $1000, it is not practical for us. The team has promised to give us a 50/50 if the scheduled organization drops out at the last minute. If this happens, we would need members to help out on short notice. Jane gave us this last year with the stipulation that some money raised goes to the charity program, Kids Night Out. The club earned around $250.

Randy Bence and Robert Pimpsner have put together a proposal for an auction at the stadium of team jerseys or a retro uniform. They have several designs prepared and will be meeting with the Front Office very soon. Robert and his father did a similar auction in the past, which raised over $3000 for the club and the New York Penn Leagues Charities. Without the 50/50s, this proposal is an absolute priority for the continued success of the club. However, the proposal hinges on the support of both the Staten Island Yankees and the parent team to have the jerseys made and to allow the club to hold the auction at the stadium. It is therefore imperative that we maintain a good relationship with the Front Office in order to insure the continued success and survival of the club. This fact has guided all actions of the Board.

Anthony Caratozollo and Randy Bence have been working on pricing for a Booster Club shirt. Jane Rogers suggested contacting the company that makes the team’s uniforms. Whatever price is cheaper we will go with. The Board is also working on obtaining donations of baskets, dinners and sports items for the club to raffle off to raise funds. Jane reminded everyone that raffles and other fund-raising activities have to be done off-site. Videos of last year’s Welcome Dinner will be available for purchase soon.

5. Non-Profit Status:

The previous Treasurer of the club received a letter from the IRS and passed it on to the current Treasurer. It informed the club that our non-profit status was in jeopardy due to a new law in effect this year. The law mandates that any non-profit organization with an annual budget under $25,000 submit an annual statement to the IRS. Randy contacted the IRS to take care of this and was told that the form must be submitted electronically and would be available soon on the IRS website. When it becomes available, Randy will immediately send it in. If an organization fails to file this form, it will lose its non-profit status. An addendum stating that the Treasurer must the file this form with the IRS each year will be added to the revised by-laws that are slated to be voted on at the next general membership meeting on March 4th. We plan to have the addendum available on the Baby-Bombers.com website and to send it to members for review before the meeting.

6. E-Mail Issues:

Randy raised the issue that board members have been calling all members by phone with news as a backup since some members are not getting all e-mails. Spam rules are becoming stricter and e-mails, especially with attachments, may be blocked. We have particularly had problems with AOL and Earthlink. E-mails from the club were automatically sent to members’ spam folder due to the number of addresses on them. The solution to this problem is that all members are encouraged to sign up for newsletters from baby-bombers.com. This will allow club e-mails sent from the website to bypass spam rules. Around 50% of the membership has done so already. Robert will send out another request and if you have not already signed up, please do so.

7. Magazine:

Randy and Robert are producing a full color magazine that will be distributed to all club members when they renew their membership this year. They are hoping to do two more issues during the season. The first will be ready at the Welcome Dinner in June. This is a first for the club. Jane informed the club that there would be no yearbook this year. The club magazine will be your best source of info on the new team.

8. Number of Members on the Board:

Anthony Caratozzolo brought up the issue of the number of members on the Board. Randy said that the current by-laws call for 4 elected members and that a Sergeant-at-Arms was optional at the discretion of the Board. The Board felt that although Bill Klapach’s position was honorary, he acts as the fifth Board member. The revised bylaws state that the Sergeant-at-Arms position exists at the discretion of the Board. We can vote on the need to change this at the next meeting when we take up the new bylaws. The Board felt that Anthony had a point and that it should be up to the members to clarify the issue of Bill being a full voting member of the board. The Board and the membership present affirmed this in full support of Bill. This issue will be clarified in an addendum that will be added to the proposed bylaws.

9. Front Office News from Jane Rogers:

The Booster Club Autograph table will probably be moved again this year, possibly more than once. Club members will continue to get a 10% discount in the team store. The team has changed their logo, uniforms, etc. Ticket plan sales are up from last year and most purchasers are opting to take the food plan. Management is pushing smaller packages rather than full season plans since new purchasers are more likely to purchase single tickets or a small package. Management hopes they will return next year and take a larger package. The team will not issue a yearbook because they lose too much money. They will continue to issue Playball at each game. Management is planning to revive the Back to Baseball Bash in April or May.

10. Upcoming General Membership Meeting March 3, 2008:

This is the most important meeting of the year and is scheduled for 7pm on Monday, March 3, 2008. Several subjects will be taken up.

The first is membership renewal, as usual; we will begin to collect membership dues that evening. The price will stay the same for this year- $15 for individual and $25 for family memberships.

Particulars for the June 16, 2008 Welcome Dinner will be announced and we will begin collecting money for it. The price will most likely be $30. Anyone who has not already signed up should contact Mike Dutz and add their names to the list as it has almost reach the limit and will have to be closed out. The limit is 80 people and we already have 70. The dinner is still subject to approval by the Yankees. Jane said that she is doing everything to make this possible and it looks like it will happen. This was the best club event ever and we hope to make this an annual event.

The revised by-laws will be voted on. Copies of the proposed bylaws were given out at the October meeting and made available on the website. Members can obtain a copy there or by request to Randy. Addendums concerning the IRS report and other matters will be posted as soon as possible. They will also be available at the meeting. The membership will vote on the proposed bylaws and addendums that evening.

It was announced at the meeting that since Pam Cocozello resigned from the Board, Mike Dutz moved up to President according to the bylaws and Kathleen Sturgis to Vice-Pres.,

with Randy Bence still Treasurer and Bill Klapach as Honorary President. This opened the position of Secretary. Robert Pimpsner is helping temporarily. The current by-laws allow the board to appoint members to fill empty positions on the board. The Board feels that it is the members’ club and that they should vote for all board members. This is why we revised the bylaws to begin with. Therefore the election will take place after the new bylaws are voting on at the next meeting. Any member can run for the position, however they should be aware that the job requires skill with electronic communication, i.e. e-mail and the website.

Please remember to attend this important meeting on Monday March 3, 2008 at 7pm in the conference room at the Office of the Staten Island Yankees – 75 Richmond Terrace. Any questions call Randy Bence at 1-718-448-3064 or e-mail the club at boosterclub@baby-bombers.com