ADK Board of Directors Meeting - Sept 12, 2009

( Submitted by: Laura Fiske, Linda Ranado )

• Curt Miller, ADK President, reported that the club is holding up well financially despite tough economic conditions. This is being accomplished primarily by the curtailment of expenses. Once the economy improves, ADK needs to continue with its investment budget focusing on membership and development.

• The Slate of ADK Officers was presented to the Board. The following people will take office at the organizational meeting in December 2009:

  Jim Bird - President
  John Gilewicz - Vice President
  Tom Andrews - Associate Vice President
  Noel Davis - Associate Vice President
  Rex Brown - Associate Vice President
  Jim Covey - Director, Member-at-Large
  Judy Immesoete - Director, Member-at-Large
  Bob Manning - Secretary

• Neil Woodworth, Executive Director, reported that Low’s Lake was approved by the Adirondack Park Agency (APA) as part of the Five Ponds Wilderness and is now part of the Forest Preserve. This is a significant achievement for ADK. The decision also applies to Little Tupper Lake.

• The Ididaride was a great success. The number of participants was 100 greater than last year. Excellent feedback was received from the riders. 2010 will be the 5 year anniversary for the Ididaride.

• It is the 20th year of the summit steward program. So far the program has reached over 250,000 people on the alpine summits.

• The ADK trails program is doing a wonderful job. They are up-to-date with trail maintenance and were able to complete some new trails recently. They completed an 8-mile portion of the Northville-Placid trail. They will be working on a new hiking trail to Prospect Mountain that leaves from the Lake George Recreation Center.

• ADK is actively involved in a campaign to halt the possibility of gas drilling in Allegany State Park. The State owns the land above the surface, but ownership below the surface is not clear.

• ADK is conducting Master Educator Instructor training for the Leave No Trace program. This is a week-long program that prepares people to teach Leave No Trace by becoming trainers. ADK signed a 5-year contract to be a Leave No Trace course provider starting in 2010.

• Laurie Schweighardt joined ADK as its Membership Director in August. Her focus will be on working with the chapters and expanding the club’s social networking activities. She also plans to examine ways to extend ADK membership to organizations as a group membership.

• ADK’s facilities had another busy summer. Lodging was down in May and June due to poor weather, but July and August saw record crowds.

• The latest direct mail acquisitions are targeting a younger audience. ADK is choosing lists with this demographic. The spring 2009 mailing had a response rate of 1.92%. This is above the industry average of 1%. The next step is focusing on retention.

• The Board approved a policy for insurance coverage for volunteers. There was not a formal club policy previously. In summary, “Volunteers who lead or participate in ADK sponsored activities, including outings, chapter events, work weekends, are covered by ADK’s general liability policy in the event that a volunteer is sued for negligence that allegedly results in personal injuries or death of another person.” Be sure to use the liability waiver for all chapter outings. The entire policy is available from ADK and any questions can be directed to Neil Woodworth.

• Revenue and expense are both lower than budget resulting in net operations through July $14,000 better than budget. Total revenue is lower than budget, but higher than last year by $6,000. Dues and donation revenue continue to struggle year-to-date. Expenses are below budget due to staff cost control.

• The 2010 budget process is beginning. The 2010 budget will be presented to the Board at the December 2009 meeting. 2010 is the third year of the 3-year investment budget. The 3-year investment budget targeted a balanced budget in year three. This is the goal, but the budget must reflect economic reality. The major focus of the 2010 budget will be e-commerce and other information technology enhancements.

• The Heart Lake Master Plan is being revised. It will be presented to the Board shortly. The current master plan is from 1993 and much of it is still valid. Some preliminary ideas to be discussed include: an expansion of the campground, the store and the kitchen and dining room, a pavilion and a facility for volunteer programs that will primarily be housing.

• The following awards will be presented at the President’s dinner in October:

-   David L. Newhouse ADK Conservation Award: Dave Pisanechi
-   Eleanor F. Brown ADK Communication Award: Phil Brown
-   Arthur E. Newkirk ADK Education Award: Break Free Program sponsored by the ADK Mid-Hudson Chapter
-   ADK Trailblazer Award: Marilyn Gillespie

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