DAGSA MEETING MINUTES

December 5, 2007

 

Attendance:  Ron Baker, Mike Humphrey, Steve Crider, Terry Crider, Chris Stevens, Diane Shuty

 

Guest:  Scott Mutzabaugh

 

Excused:  Phil Klinger, Maurice Mathieu

 

  1. Steve Crider announced that he was willing to take on the role of Interim President of DAGSA.  Mike Humphrey is interested in a VP position.  Steve suggested that if someone from the outside shows an interest in the president position, that person should be brought on the board and possibly voted into the position in October after this coming season.  Steve noted that we need to continue to get the word out that we are in need of a new president.  All in attendance were in agreement with Steve being Interim President and Mike as Vice President.  Steve will send out an e-mail for an official vote from the rest of the board.  UPDATE: According to the By-Laws, officers are elected by a simple majority of all members present and voting.  Therefore the vote taken at this meeting is considered official.

 

  1. Discussed the need to limit discussions during board meetings to keep the meeting on track.  If a decision regarding a topic cannot be reached within a reasonable amount of time, about ten minutes, the topic will be tabled to allow further thought for discussion at the next board meeting.

 

  1. It was noted that certain board members have consistently missed meetings.  Therefore in accordance with the by-laws, members who miss 2 consecutive meetings without notification or good cause will receive a letter from the board to that affect. If the member does not attend the next meeting without notification, the member will receive another letter announcing their dismissal from the board.  The bottom line is we need our board members to be active participants otherwise your voice doesn’t get heard, your vote isn’t counted, and you affect our ability to have a quorum.

 

  1. It was suggested that a set time and date be set for the board meetings.  Example:  second Sunday of every month at 4:00 PM.  Steve will send an e-mail out to the board requesting the board’s preferences and it will be discussed at the next meeting.

 

  1. Steve noted that he could only find meeting minutes for February and March of last year.  It was suggested that another person be designated as an alternate secretary when Tina is not able to attend the meeting.  Tina should call that person when she cannot attend the meeting and inform them that they will be needed to take minutes.  Steve suggested in the future there be copies of the meeting minutes in a paper file, electronic file, and posted on the DAGSA web server with eventual public availability since they are a matter of public record. UPDATE: Tammy Sheibley has volunteered to serve as our alternate secretary.

 

  1. Steve noted that he received a letter from Devan Kraszewski who expressed an interest in volunteering as an assistant coach for 14U fast pitch.  In Devan’s letter, she stated that if there were no openings in fast pitch, she would be willing to assist with coaching a slow pitch team.  Devan has been a player in DAGSA since 10 & Under playing on the Lions before moving to fast pitch.  She currently plays on Ron Baker’s 18 & U fast pitch team.

 

  1. Reviewed the revised 2008 registration dates
    1. Saturday, January 12 from 1:00-3:00
    2. Wednesday, January 23 from 6:00-8:00
    3. Saturday January 26 from 1:00-3:00 (Sunday was not available)

Steve requested that 3 other people besides him be present to assist with sign-ups, especially the 2nd and 3rd sign-ups because they are the busiest.  This would be helpful since many parent’s, particularly new parents have lots of questions about the softball season.

 

8.   Chris Stevens reported on the All League Meeting that he attended on Dec. 2.               

a.   Herb Sheibley is resigning from the presidency as well as Tara Blose as Secretary and Treasurer.

b.   A consistent arc needs to be established for the league.  A 6-12 foot arc is the legal arc for the ASA.

    1. Fees are going up.  How much is not known at this time.
    2. A consistent time limit for the tournaments needs to be established.  It was questioned whether or not there should be an unlimited run inning.
    3. Tournaments will start with Friday night games.
    4. 2008 Tournaments:

 

Marysville 10U Playoffs

June 13,14,15 (rain date for the following weekend)

Shermansdale 12U and 14U

June 20,21,22 (rain date for the following weekend)

Duncannon 10U

May 2,3,4

 

Shermansdale 12U and 14U

May 9,10,11

Newport 10U

May 16, 17, 18

Duncannon 12U and 14U

May/June 30, 31,1

 

    1. Discussed the numbers for 12U and 14U

                                                              i.      Marysville – No slow pitch team

                                                             ii.      Shermansdale – 1 team each for 12U and 14U

                                                           iii.      Newport – 1 team each for 12U and 14U

                                                          iv.      Landisburg – may have 1 team for 12 or 14 & U

    1. Next meeting is Feb. 24 at 6pm in Penn Township Building.

 

9.      Mike noted that he believes if a softball game is umpired by anyone other than an ASA umpire, the players will not be covered by ASA insurance.  Mike is checking into this belief further and will report back to the board at the next meeting.  Steve requested that if this was the case that we should hear the rationale behind such a decision.

 

10.  Steve brought up for discussion the possibility of a full or partial move to the West Shore League.

a.      Primarily 12U and 14U slow pitch

b.      Numbers in these age groups expected to continue dropping across the league.

c.      Concern over future of the Perry Slow Pitch League as officers are stepping down.

d.      Lack of competition for the girls

e.      West Shore League is comprised of teams from Camp Hill, New Cumberland, Highland, Redland and Dillsburg.  Mechanicsburg and Cumberland Valley are also looking at doing a partial move to this league.

f.       We could wait until the end of February to make a decision based on what the numbers look like in the Perry Slow Pitch League.

g.      The board members should talk to people and see what their thoughts are regarding the partial move.

 

11. Discussed the Code of Conduct and the Proposed Grievance Procedure that Steve e-mailed to the board before the meeting.  Information that was collected from Camp Hill, Mechanicsburg, and Cumberland Valley’s websites regarding their codes were reviewed.  Mike suggested that there should be specific minimum penalties set for excessive behaviors and stiffer penalties set for each repeated offense.  Examples of excessive behaviors include:  excessive physical contact, swearing or verbal abuse, use of alcoholic beverages or controlled substances, and use of tobacco products in the immediate area of the players and anywhere on the actual playing field. Steve will be sending the board a draft of our code of conduct and grievance procedure.  He is asking the board to review the draft and try to establish an e-mail vote.  He would like this information to be made available at signups next month. 

 

12. Steve needs everyone to be diligent about checking their e-mail.  Try to do it at least once a week, preferably more often, as that will be the means that he will use for communication.

 

13. The next DAGSA Board Meeting will be held Tuesday, January 29, 2008 at 6:30 pm in the small room where we usually meet.

         

                                                                             Respectfully Submitted

 

                                                                             Diane Shuty