The Annual Meeting of the Katahdin German Shorthaired Pointer Club of Greater Portland was held on Sunday, March 14, 2004 at the home of Peg and Lou Gagnon. The meeting was called to order at 3:35 PM by Tom Dwyer, President. In attendance were Fred Newcomb, Kim Leeman, Jeremy Thompson, Peg Gagnon, Lou Gagnon, Alison Jones, Tom Dwyer, Pauline Marcq, Steve Marcq and Pat Russell.
President's Report: The minutes of the last meeting were accepted as printed in the last newsletter. Tom reported that Tom White couldn't attend due to a dog emergency. A discussion was held about advertising the club in the GSP News - which all agreed was a good idea. Members help was requested in updating websites which have former Katahdin officers or contacts listed. Tom has been in contact with the AKC and their online event planner is working for our club. He passed out the password to the Board members.
Secretary's Report: Pat Russell reported on membership renewals to-date. At the last meeting the Board agreed to support the National Specialty Show in May by donating a "Doggy May Day" basket for their Club Basket Raffle. Members are requested to bring donations to the Training Day and Hunt Test. Pat will collect the donations.
Treasurer's Report: Jeremy Thompson reported a healthy account balance and handed out the Annual Report. We had less money at the end of the year than at the beginning and lost money on every event. Event fees were purposely kept low in order to stimulate interest. Jeremy will work with event chairs on the pricing of events in order to break even this year. Last year we paid taxes. He is working with Bill Bishop to see if we can recoup some of the loss since we lost money this year. Bill has done a terrific job of doing the club taxes for many years and upon motion made, amended, and seconded, Bill was unanimously awarded a lifetime membership in the club, as well as a gift certificate to LL Bean and a Katahdin hat. Jeremy provided the checkbook for members review.
Show Committee: Sandra Kretz was unable to attend, but sent an email to Jeremy with her report. The December show made a profit. There was a lot of support with trophy donations and a super raffle table.
Hunt Test Committee: Steve Marcq is working with Suzi Moore on the Hunt Test and is currently working on the Premium. Dates, cost and Jeremy's address will be on the website with a link to the AKC form for those who don't receive a premium mailing. Phone entries will not be accepted. We will put the running order on-line. Click here for a Hunt Test Premium
Rescue Committee: Peg Gagnon reported that Petfinder.com is working really well for rescue dogs and dogs seem to be placed quickly.
Club Championship Committee: Renewed member, Debra Broad, will be chairing the event.
Election of Officers: Following procedures outlined in the By-laws, the following officers were elected to serve a two year term until 2006: President - Tom Dwyer; Treasurer - Jeremy Thompson; Director - Alison Jones. The positions of Vice-President and Secretary were not up for re-election this year.
Election of New Members: Randy Rotermund of Southborough, MA was voted into membership. He has a puppy from, and is sponsored by, Pauline and Steve Marcq. Debra Broad of Deerfield NH, a former member, has renewed her membership with the club. Ann Michaud was voted a free membership since the club apparently dropped her from the roll by mistake.
Website Committee: Kudos to Kim for doing such a terrific job on the ever-expanding website. The club is considering putting litter announcements and classified ads on the site. The members voted to pay 12 months worth of site fees rather than by the month, which saves $48/year. Jeremy will ask Bill Bishop if we need to add sales tax when selling club hats and other merchandise through the website. A discussion ensued on what should or should not be on the website, with a concern for the privacy of members.
Training Committee: Jeremy is working on a checklist for our April 17th Training Day. Steve will be the Gunner. Tom has secured 50 birds for the day. Click here for a Training Day Application
· The new membership packets were approved. Pat will mail them out to the new members.
· We now have some great looking Katahdin hats in 3 color variations. They will be available at the Training Day and the Hunt Test, as well as through the website.
· Discussion of the AKC Training Seminar was tabled.
· Discussion of the Club Membership Drive was tabled
· Kim will follow up with Tom White about the Team shoot and the issue of liability insurance. If it doesn't work out, Steve Marcq will follow up with other dates.
· Discussion of the John Sarna Day Event was tabled
· Tom brought in sample Katahdin decals for your car.
Steve Marcq handed out awards for accomplishments of club dogs for the past year.
The meeting was adjourned at 5:45 PM.
