Suffield Little League
Board of Directors Meeting
Monday, February 12, 2007
Attendees:
The following board members were present: H. LaBarre, S. Pallotti, B. Schnepp, D. Beltramello D. Mercik, W. Pare, J. Dion, M. Voisine, S. Looney, S. Dallaire, K. Wagner, M. Guzzi. Also in attendance: Roxanne Mankouski, Joanne Stafford, Rob Rocco, Wayne Lancioni and Bill King.
Minutes:
Dave Mercik reviewed the minutes of the meeting held on January 8, 2007. Minutes were accepted and approved.
Spring Training Players Clinic:
Wayne Lancioni reviewed his idea for player’s clinics to be held at Sports World (“the bubble”) on Wednesday March 21 and Friday March 23, 2007, from 5:00 to 6:00 PM. The cost per player will be $20 and the proceeds will go to the League general fund after covering the $300 cost for rental of the facility. The reaction from the group was positive and Wayne will proceed with coordinating the event. Dave Yahne, John Leahy, Wayne Lancioni, Wayne Pare, Wayne Patterson and Dave Mercik plan to assist with the clinic.
Coaches Clinic:
Holly LaBarre noted that a coaches clinic will be held on April 24, 2007. From 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm a safety clinic will be held in the Suffield High School (SHS) commons area, with a coaches clinic from 8:00 pm to 9:30 pm in the gymnasium.
Fund Raising:
Joanne Stafford led the discussion on fund raising. An additional $122 was collected at the bottle & can drive bringing the total to $510.
Sponsor signs were discussed and it was agreed that we would not continue to practice of offering a $100 discount for sponsors with more than one sign. We also discussed the materials that could be used in the future to make the signs more cost effective to produce. Scott Looney agreed to look into metal signs as are used in other nearby leagues.
Joanne reviewed several fund raising activities. The following idea was reviewed and approved:
· T-Shirt sales from an organization called Fundraisingtees.com
· Dance at the Suffield VFW on May 5, 2007
· National Baseball Hall of Fame bus trip to Cooperstown, NY. Would cost approximately $51 for adults and $47 for children. Bus would cost approximately $375 for 54 people.
· Spring training players clinic noted above.
· Kids dance at the Suffield Middle School.
A Golf Tournament was also discussed. This idea will be discussed again as more details become available.
Joanne reviewed the status of sign and team sponsors. We have 39 paying sign sponsors at present. Somers Sanitation receives a free sign in exchange for providing the league with a dumpster and garbage removal free of charge. Highland Park also was noted as a non-paying sign sponsor. Dave Beltramello explained that they have, in the past, been providing food for the Joey Parise Tournament. There are 40 paying team sponsors and 2 on a waiting list.
Joanne also noted that we have a new grill for Chet’s Place, courtesy of Sears.
Maintenance:
Scott Looney discussed field maintenance issues and strategies, which will include dragging and cutting the fields at least once per week by the Town of Suffield Highway Department. Also, discussed having the home team line the fields each night and the away team to rake and drag the field at the end of the evening.
The Board approved having the scoreboard looked at and diagnosed. This would cost $150 to have the problem diagnosed. Repair and/or replacement will cost more and will be discussed once we know more.
Three new fields will come on line this year: Fleming, Spalding and Babbs. Babbs will have a skinned infield for softball.
Safety Plan:
The safety plan was discussed along with the Safety Officer position. Roxanne Mankouski was introduced and voted in as the Safety Officer. Holly LaBarre mentioned some of the paperwork involved and the need for a field survey. Scott Looney will be performing the field survey.
Umpires:
Steve Dallaire discussed the umpire situation for this year. Steve was working with Mike Almeida, who will be arranging adult umpires for us this year. We plan to add adult umpires for majors baseball and softball along with juniors softball. Steve will report back as more details are available and a schedule comes together.
Communications:
Holly LaBarre handled the discussion on communications as John Kulas was unable to attend.
Interleague – Majors:
Jim Dion reviewed the 2007 interleague format for the Majors Division, involving Windsor Locks, East Windsor, Suffield and Somers. Windsor Locks and East Windsor will be considered the South Division with Suffield and Somers being the North Division. Teams would play 12 games against teams in their own division and 4 games against teams in the other division, similar to how the Juniors Division has been handled in the past. The games between the North and South Divisions will be held on certain Saturdays during the season. Standings would be kept within each division, with a possible play-off game between the North and South division winners. This format was voted on and approved by the Board.
Summer Baseball Camp:
Jim Dion discussed plans for a summer baseball camp that he was working on with Wayne Patterson. The camp would he run at the Christian fields for approximately 40 children from ages 9 to 12 (baseball and softball). The fee would be $100 per player and would generate some funds for the League.
League Constitution:
Mike Voisine discussed a league constitution and provided a draft for member to review. Mike Voisine, Scott Looney, Jim Dion, Dave Mercik and Holly LaBarre agreed to form a group to meet and work on it before the next meeting.
Player Agent Discussion:
Jim Dion presented coaching nominations for baseball and Steve Pallotti presented coaching nominations for softball. Coaching nominations were discussed and approved by the board.
A request was made by Maureen Guzzi to allow her 10 year old daughter to play in the majors softball division this year, similar to the past. Steve Pallotti will be contacting the parents of other 10 year olds who may also want to do the same thing, before any decision will be made. Also, we will wait to see how many players are enrolled in majors softball before making any conclusions.
Division rules were reviewed, along with the player and coaches commitment materials that Jim prepared. The new pitch count requirements were discussed along with the need for coaches to play the players in a variety of infield and outfield positions, with safety in mind, the Farm, AA and AAA divisions.
The board discussed that trades are not permitted at all.
While 12 year olds are permitted to play junior baseball per the official little league rule book, there did not appear to be a need to do so this year based on the number of 13 and 14 year olds currently enrolled.