Bloomington Community Band Board Meeting Minutes
In Attendance: Jerry Jerome, Julie Kraft, Lloyd Orr, Doug Davis, Bob Appelman, Phyllis Solnzeff, Don Talbott, Richard Van Arsdel, Andrew Felt, Tim Bitzer, Ron Hardesty, Anita Elsey, Charles Davis, Joseph Car, Dominic Thompson
Absent: Jenn Strayer
Meeting called to order at 9:13 PM.
DATE: Feb 26, 2018
- Minutes for Jan. 2018
- Bob moved to approve the minutes. Tim seconded.
- Minutes approved.
- Treasurers Report
- Andrew moved to approve. Julie seconded.
- Treasurer’s report approved
- Doug noted that auxiliary groups contributed almost $2,000 in revenue.
- Insurance
- Ron noted that the insurance policy currently covers only $10,000 in mobile equipment and about $32,000 in stored equipment. Our policy is not enough to cover all the equipment that travels with us regularly.
- Bob noted that we travel with almost everything. We need to be able to cover about $20,000 in mobile equipment. This doesn’t include the value of the sheet music.
- Ron estimated that the extra cost would be about $100 more per year.
- Bob motioned that we increase the mobile insurance coverage by $10,000; Andrew seconded.
- Motion approved.
- Ron noted that the insurance policy currently covers only $10,000 in mobile equipment and about $32,000 in stored equipment. Our policy is not enough to cover all the equipment that travels with us regularly.
- Be More Awards
- The BCB has been nominated for this community award. The reception is Tuesday, March 27, at 6 PM at the Buskirk Chumley.
- Both the band and Jerry have been nominated.
- The invitation asks for a specific number of people who will be representing the band. We must RSVP by March 23.
- Jerry will share the news with the band.
- Tim: Calendar
- The Farmer’s Market concert has been moved to July 21.
- Conrad said that Carmel won’t be holding its festival this summer because his group is traveling to Germany.
- Bicentennial will be April 29, 12:00-4:00.
- We’ve requested to go first because we need more than 15 minutes of set up time.
- Chairs and PA system will be provided.
- We’ll need to figure out alternate arrangements for the stage because it’s not big enough.
- We’ll need someone to haul the trailer because Bob will be out of town.
- Andrew said he could haul if needed.
- Tim is checking out the Warehouse for doing a charity gig.
- Andrew said the acoustics in the main area wouldn’t work.
- There’s another separate area for music to check out.
- Please let Tim know about other possible venue ideas.
- Section leaders
- Phil or Mike could be possible trumpet section leaders. Dominic will be speaking to Jim.
- We should consider combining oboe, bassoon, bass clarinet into one section or other sections.
- Oboe could go with flutes.
- Bassoon could go with sax, especially since Jenn is a sax player.
- Bass clarinet already tends to go with clarinets.
- The first section leader meeting will be the second week in March.
- Brochure
- Jerry has updated price lists that we can hand to advertisers.
- He has reached out to people who’ve worked with advertisers in the past.
- Existing advertisers get priority on keeping their previous spaces.
- Regular advertisers (May Agency, Melody Music, and Meadowood) get a $50 discount for their loyalty.
- We’d like to replace some advertisers who have stopped supporting us in past years.
- We’ve budgeted an expected $2,500 in income for the ads.
- If we skip passing the brochures out at the Bicentennial, we have until June to put the document together. The printer only needs a week.
- Julie can help with the brochure design.
- Monroe County History Center
- Tim: The History Center is doing a “community voices” exhibit. A representative asked if we are interested in putting together a display that would be up for three months.
- Phyllis and Andrew will look into what the History Center wants, the allotted space, the cost of a display, deadlines, etc.
- Dominic: Messaging
- Would we like to have a text messaging service to let people know about cancelled concerts, concert reminders, etc.?
- Dominic has worked with a system called Remind at his school. It is anonymous and can be broken into smaller groups.
- Jerry said we might not need a system so complicated since our main need is to reach out to the whole group about weather cancellations. Our website can already handle some of these other services.
- Don will contact Ryan to see if we can take over the texting system that we were already using for updates.
- This system would still need updated information for new members.
- Jerry: Swing Time wants to buy sound system, especially for its vocalists.
- It has been using Jerry’s personal system.
- The full band’s PA system wouldn’t work for Swing Time because it’s too big.
- Other groups would be able to use the system too.
- We might even be able to use it in place of the band’s main system. We often don’t use it because it is so large and hard to set up.
- Bob suggested getting a wireless microphone too.
- Jerry pointed out wireless ones are much more expensive for good ones, but Bob thinks he could find one.
- Lloyd pointed out that there’s money for the affiliated groups that Swing Time could spend.
- Cost would be $400-$700. Jerry will shop around before officially asking for approval to buy a specific system.
- Richard: Library
- Lloyd moved that the Board approve a $300 increase in the music budget to cover the extra costs of music we want. Phyllis seconded.
- Motion approved.
- Doug: Social
- Tonight’s social went well. People talked to individuals they don’t normally interact with.
- Phyllis suggested that we ask for sections to volunteer for the next month.
- Nametags might be helpful.
- Andrew: Facebook
- Our current page is essentially a business page, meaning that members can’t really post things that get widely seen by others.
- He’s created a group page for the BCB that anyone can join. He still needs to develop the page.
- He and Don have moderator powers.
- Andrew can have something ready next week so that members can start using it.
- Andrew: Charity event
- He talked with a representative of the Boys and Girls Club.
- They do a big gathering at Camp Rock near Unionville where we might be able to do a concert.
- We’d be providing entertainment for donors attending the party.
- It could be hot since it’s in August.
- Tim and Andrew will continue researching the charity concert possibility.
- Julie: Minutes
- Be on the lookout for bolded items in the minutes that mark actions people have committed to doing.
- Julie will send a message to the band about where to find minutes from past meetings.
- Dominic: Dinners
- Dominic is interested in doing dinners where members can come to meet the leadership of the band.
- Everyone would still pay for their own meals.
- Jerry and Dominic will talk more about this.
Meeting adjourned 10:12 PM.