AGM RECAP
We did not have a quorum at last Saturday's AGM and therefore could not vote for new Board members. The Board has called for a special meeting April 1st at 10AM to complete the vote for new Board members. Voting can be in person or by proxy. For those who had submitted a proxy, you may attend the meeting and rescind your proxy to vote in person. We will be sending out proxies to everyone who had not submitted a proxy and request that you send in your proxies if you can/will not be able to attend the April 1st meeting. We will run the meeting only as long as it takes to collect and count votes and announce the new Board members. Your cooperation would be very much appreciated.
Since we do not have new Board replacements, the following individuals will continue their roles until new Board members have been approved.
- Josie DiLena will continue as Secretary
- Peter Brina will continue as Membership Chair
- Bob Farkas will take over as Lieutenant' Robert Bischoff will complete projects he has started and will provide guidance to Bob as needed with vendor management.
Board Nominees
Two of the three members nominated to the Board are
Allison Zolnowsky and
Gerri Zhang. A third nominee will be announced soon. Anyone who would like to be considered, please send in your request to president@nereidbc.org.
Gerri Zhang background and interest.
Dear fellow rowers,
Please accept my apology for missing the AGM. I am very sorry about my absence. I've been a Nereid member for two years, which is about a third of my very long and exhausting rowing career with no notable rowing achievements to brag about. I learned to row during high school in Ann Arbor, Michigan, we were called the Huron River Rats. They had a saying, "once a River Rat, always a River Rat"...I agree, the number of times I've gone swimming at Nereid definitely qualifies me as a Passaic River Rat.
When Bob asked if I was interested in joining the Board, I was absolutely surprised and that surprise soon turned into excitement. I would love to have the chance to give back to the club and rowers who added color to my life. I moved from the bright lights of NYC to a glorified high-rise jail cell in an urban food desert, this was before Whole Foods came to Newark. Reaching out to Nereid was the best decision I made that year. The membership chair answered my email inquiry within hours, drove over just to show me around the boathouse and got me started on private lessons that led to group lessons where the coaches and club members welcomed me with encouragement and open arms. I went from a night owl to an early bird because I wanted to row. From just two years, I'm already deeply indebted to the boat club and the many individuals who shaped my experience. I can't imagine the amount of work individuals have put into the club behind the scenes; to me, changes to the boathouse, boats and oars often appear like magic.
I don't believe it's a coincidence that some of the nicest and most dedicated individuals I've met are rowers at Nereid. I look forward to furthering Nereid's mission and the club's culture of inclusiveness and compassion.
Thank you,
Gerri
Allison's background and interest: (to follow soon)
AGM Meeting Minutes
The following is a summary of the meeting notes from last week's AGM.
Meeting Called to Order: 10:35 AM
Meeting chaired by Nereid President Bob Farkas. Attending board members: Bob Farkas, Julian Canha, Peter Brina, Ian Hawkins, Julian Fernandez and Josie DiLena. Per Nereid by-laws, the agenda proceeded as follows:
Roll Call
Secretary, Josie DiLena took the roll and confirmed we did not have a quorum as only 21 members were in attendance and 9 registering their participation via proxy.
Glenn Gero presented Bob Farkas with a baseball cap to honor his presidency, with the insignia “Make Nereid Great Again”.
Approval Minutes of Previous Meetings
The decision to read/waive reading the minutes from the 2016 meeting will take place at another time.
Report of Officers and Committees
- Dylan Gould, Nereid’s Head Coach, introduced the coaches at Nereid: Allison Zolnowsky and Kat Francis. Discussed upcoming fundraisers, including dinner with silent auction. Announced Nereid’s online gear store will remain open until Tuesday night (March 14/17).
- Julian Canha, Programs, reported the programs are picking up steam, and continue to evolve in trying to figure out what works best. Announced Juniors had their first win last summer at the Independence Day regatta. Masters program will continue to run in the morning, and are unable to provide an afternoon session as the Juniors are on the water at that time. Masters program’s fee is being reduced to $150 this spring.
- Julian Fernandez, Captain, reported Nereid will be enforcing the restriction usage of certain boats this year in order to hold down insurance and repair costs. Indoor rack spots are available. A quad has been purchased. Plan to buy oars for the quad, and a double this year.
- Rowing season is not yet opened for club members using club boats. When it does open, hopefully in another week, it will with the following restrictions: four oars must be in the water, and a minimum of two boats. If weather warms up sufficiently by next week, may open up rowing without restrictions.
- Lieutenant position was reported by Bob Farkas. Bob announced that Robert Bischoff is moving, and has had to resign from his position as lieutenant, and will not rejoin Nereid this year. Prior to moving, Robert will finish taking care of the boiler and choose the ship ladder leading up to the attic. Bob reported the blinds for the boathouse were picked out and hung up by Reuben Mann. The new roof may be installed in late August 2017, or sometime next year. Plan to complete the structural reinforcement in 2018, unless another priority arises.
- Peter Brina, Vice President/Membership, reported membership is in the 90’s at this time. Reminded members are asked to volunteer a minimum of 6 hours annually. Announced a late fee will be charged for all late payments beyond a 30 day grace period.
- Peter Willcox, project manager for 550 and Bob Farkas provided an update: Rutherford signed the Right of 1st Refusal letter, waiving their rights to use 550. Seton Hall is the new tenant at 550, and they have signed a 3-year commitment. The racks are up, a new shed is in place, a sun canopy will be installed next week, and two porta-johns have been delivered. Nereid will provide a water tank.
- Ina Hawkins, Treasurer, reported the Capital Campaign has enabled Nereid to make repairs at 350 and upgrade 550. The 550 project cost about $70K, and plan to receive $18,250 from the IBOAT grant. Estimates Nereid needs about $15-20K per year to upkeep the fleet. The Nerites Scholarship fund was given to one junior last year, and plan to try to increase outreach for 2017. Reminded a $100 referral fee is given for bringing in a new full paying member. In view of total cash trending downwards annually, Bob Hoguet suggested forming a long range committee to address the financial future of Nereid.
Election of Directors
Bob Farkas announced three board positions have opened for 2017. Two nominees are Allison Zolnowsky and Gerri Zhang. A special meeting will be held on April 1/17 for voting in the candidates.
Unfinished Business
- Bob Farkas discussed new projects in the wings: refinishing the stairs and checking if they are stable, and will look into a new keyless entry system.
- Emergency plan is progressing. Requested members contact board members to voice their concerns/complaints.
- Requested members to handle the goose guards with greater care – i.e. push them to the back of the docks to prevent them from breaking.
- Thanked Eli for building the slings last year.
New Business
- Bob asked the members present their preferred form of communication. Most responded that Nereid News was the best way to communicate with the members. Bob is seeking a new volunteer to write NN hereon. Announced board members have their own email that can be used for communicating with members and community at large. Annual Spring Cleaning day will be held in April. Plan to have the Juniors paint the kitchen and bathrooms.
- Peter Brina asked members to sign up early if they are going to volunteer for HOPR. This will alleviate stress among the committee members.
- Bob Hoguet wants PVCS to address the floatables in the Passaic River. Unfortunately, PVSC experienced a budget cut, and have reduced their services.
- John Van Ter Tuin suggested reinforcing protocol for getting the boats in and out of the water and onto the racks to avoid congestion. Coaches to address this with the juniors.
- Proxies were collected from attending members, and new meeting was scheduled for April 1st to vote in new board members.
Meeting adjourned at 12:15PM
BOARD and Key Contact E-MAILS
Eight of the 12 "
nereidbc.org" e-mails are now active, as designated by the asterisk. When corresponding with the Board, Office Manager, Coach or other associated contacts please use their designated e-mail.
president@nereidbc.org (Bob Farkas)*
vicepresident@nereidbc.org (Peter Brina)*
treasurer@nereidbc.org (Ian Hawkins)*
secretary@nereidbc.org (TBD; contact Josie DiLena in interim)
lieutenant@nereidbc.org (TBD; contact Bob Farkas in interim)
programs@nereidbc.org (Julian Canha)
captain@nereidbc.org (Julian Fernandez)*
membership@nereidbc.org (Peter Brina)*
headcoach@nereidbc.org (Dylan Gould)*
nereidnews@nereidbc.org (Bob Farkas)*
officemanager@nereidbc.org (Jessi DiGuiseppi)*
socialmedia@nereidbc.org (Allison Zolnowsky)*
TALES OF THE SKEG
