LCIHA Board Meeting Minutes

Time/Place: 4/8/02, 7:00 P.M., Jett Hall Room 204, NMSSU

Present: Eli Best, Chris Christeson, Tom King, Ray Meyer, Danny Miranda, Dave Rockstraw, Gabe Sanchez, Hugo Vilchis Jr., Hugo Vilchis Sr., Patty Walters, Derrik Wootton.

Minutes:

· Derrik received an e-mail request from one of the coaches to consider moving the tournament from the weekends of May 11th and 18th to the weekend of May 25th to accommodate players who are playing in out of town tournaments. Brief discussion ensued and it was pointed out that other players and their families have already made plans around the season schedule as it stands, and it would be too disruptive to the majority to push the tournament back this far, particularly since the weekend of the 25th is Memorial Day weekend. A motion was made to keep the tournament schedule as it is; motion was seconded and passed unanimously.

· The new dasher boards purchased by the City for the league are slated to arrive in about 2 weeks. The storage shed donated by Coke will need to be in place by the time the boards arrive. Derrik has arranged for the shed to be transported at a cost of around $150.00. We are waiting for the City to make some final preparations (fencing, etc.) for its arrival, and as soon as we get their go-ahead it can be moved. The type of boards purchased are not constructed in such a way that they can tolerate constantly being set up and torn down. Therefore, they will be set up upon arrival (Derrik will contact Danny Miranda & Gabe Sanchez for help, among others) and left up until the end of our season. The fenced in area around the rink will need to be kept locked when not in use. Coaches using the rink for practices will need to obtain keys and take responsibility for securing the facility when they are done using it. A Board Member or Association Officer will open the rink on game days. More specific information on the procedures to be used will be passed on to concerned parties as they are fine-tuned.

· Derrik briefly discussed the hockey facility in Durango, CO. It was brought to his attention that the NHL Player’s Association financed much of it. Dave will put together a proposal for this group to see if the LCIHA might be able to garner some funds from this source. Everyone agreed that we need to continue to pursue funding for improving the Meerscheidt facility so that we do not become totally reliant on the proposed indoor facility for all practices and games. The City has also proved to be a valuable “partner” and it will be in the League’s best interest to continue to nurture our relationship with them.

· The need to rent a P.O. Box for the league was raised once more. This expenditure has been approved but no one has found the time to do it. Patty volunteered to get the box, and it was decided that the most convenient place for it would be the University Post Office.

· Derrik is going through the By-Laws and highlighting areas that have been suggested for amendment or revision. These proposed changes will be posted on the website for comments/questions/suggestions for a month or so before a meeting is held to ratify the changes. This way, everyone will have ample time to provide input to the Board before changes are implemented.

· Registration forms for summer and fall leagues were discussed. The existing registration form will be used for the summer, and a “cleaned up” version will be generated for the fall. Registration dates for the fall league will be Saturday, Aug. 10th and Saturday Aug. 17th, the latter date being for late registration. All forms and fees will be due at these sessions. Tentative location will be a table inside Meerscheidt Rec Center.  Dave will be conducting registration for USA Hockey InLine over the next two weekends at the rink on game days. USAHI memberships expire in May and need to be renewed. He will have the preprinted forms available and all that will be needed for returning players is a signature and a check. Re-registration and re-certification for referees was touched on briefly. The league needs to ascertain how often refs need to be tested and if their registration period is one or two years. The league will likely continue to pay registration and testing fees for qualified referees.

· Awards for the end of the season were discussed. It was decided that first and second place awards will be presented for the tournament only, and all players will receive a participation award. Tom King will handle the selection and purchase of these awards.  Dave has once more lined up sponsors for sportsmanship and special category awards (highest scorer, best goalie etc.) The possibility of purchasing T-shirts was once more raised and discussed. The general feeling was that purchasing T-shirts for everyone is too cost-prohibitive for our league at this time. However, Dave suggested that we buy a limited number of shirts, give 20 or so out as special awards and sell the rest to interested parties. All agreed that this is a great idea and Dave will spearhead this project.

· Coke is still willing to provide a concession trailer for the sale of snacks and beverages on game days. Patty pointed out that this is a very ambitious and labor-intensive undertaking and should not be attempted without careful planning. One suggestion was to try to get someone to take the responsibility for the operation of it for 50% of the profit. It was decided that fall would be the earliest we would be ready to set up a concessions operation if the league decides to pursue it.

· Derrik proposed a motion that ALL goalies play for free starting in the summer league. The rationale is that goalie gear is very expensive and we have trouble recruiting goalies to play due to the high cost of the equipment needed.  After some discussion, the majority felt that the goalie shortage was really only an issue in the adult league, and the motion was amended to all ADULT goalies will play for free starting in the summer league. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.

· The possibility of needing to increase fees for the fall season was discussed. A figure of  $5.00 per player category was kicked around, and a motion to raise fees by this amount was made. Everyone agreed that it would be helpful to look at a proposed budget before deciding how much fees might need to be raised. It was decided that we would ask Kevin McNelis, Treasurer if he would be willing to put such a budget together for the Board’s review before deciding on a fee increase. Some of the expenses that the budget will need to take into consideration are wages for refs and set-up/tear-down crews; new equipment purchases; lights for Meerscheidt; new scoreboard; increased advertising and the projected costs for moving the league indoors. The motion for the fee increase was tabled until the budget information can be gathered and presented.

· The end of the season party plans were discussed. It was decided that the awards would be given out, as always, on the last Saturday of the tournament at the end of play at Meerscheidt. A party will be planned for the weekend of May 25th or June 1st at the White Sands Missile Range pool.  Chris will check out the availability of the pool on each of these dates, then we’ll see what day is better for everyone. Those wanting to attend will pay $1.00/person at the door to get in, and the format will likely be pot-luck with the league providing some food and the participants the rest. More details will be posted on the Website as they become available.

· An expenditure of $40.00-$50.00 for tarps to shade the spectator area at the rink was approved. Chris will handle the purchase and set-up of the tarps.

· Dave reminded everyone that Board Member and League Officer terms for our inaugural year expire soon, and we need to give some thought to elections for these positions for the coming year.

Respectfully submitted by Patty Walters, Secretary, LCIHA