Fanny Chapman Pool Board Meeting

Fanny Chapman Board of Managers Minutes of the Meeting March 25, 2024 Attending: Rebecca Masters, Dave Ricci, Ed Walsh, Rob Purdy, Lori Howard, Amy Parenti, Brian Lange, Alan Krach, and Mike Petrakis. Also present were Caroline Brinker, Doylestown Borough Liaison, and Pool Manager Drew Sterner Absent: All members attended The meeting was called to order at 7:00 by Brian. Brian welcomed visiting Swim Team Parents Board members, Molly McCloskey and Megan Bekes. Approval of the Minutes The minutes of the February 26, 2024 meeting were reviewed. Alan made a motion to approve the minutes, the motion was seconded by Ed, and the minutes were unanimously approved. Finance – Al & Brian The Board reviewed invoices totaling $12,152.72. Alan noted the Fulcrum Guy $6,539 invoice related to the diving board and the Peak Software Systems $2,531.70 invoice were both previously approved. The remaining invoices were routine expenses. Amy made a motion to approve payment of the invoices, the motion was seconded by Mike, and the motion to approve payment of the invoices was unanimously approved. Operations – Al & Rob Caroline said the Township had requested verbal approval for Fanny Chapman to host the Fido Float on September 7th. Drew confirmed hosting the event on that date fits the schedule and the Board was in agreement to host the event on that date. Caroline noted the one year dive tank warranty for the structural repairs completed last season expired the end of February. Drew said there are currently no issues but that will be confirmed when the tank is filled in preparation for the season. Programs – Lori & Becki The committee had nothing to report as the pool remains shut down for the Winter. Drew noted the strong registration start for the Masters’ Program at 10 participants. This program will be capped at 55. Swim Lesson registrations in general are strong and are higher than last year at this time. Personnel – Rob & Ed Drew stated we are in very good shape with the received applications for the lifeguard positions needed (55). Sherry inquired about the Masters Coach position and Drew stated that Kevin did not recommend a coach for the program this year. The position will be considered again at the end of this season. The committee had nothing else to report at this time. Publicity/Marketing – Amy & Dave Drew noted the print advertising in the Clipper, The Cardinal, and the Observer started and ran in February, March & April. Drew will meet with Caitlin Hernandez in the Borough Office next week to move forward with the creation of the Fanny Chapman INSTA and Twitter accounts to push out feeds one to two times a day to reach a broader audience. Amy asked if there is the ability to track the data collection from the Facebook account. Drew, Caroline, Rob, others confirmed there are methods to pull the metrics for the account to track the effectiveness of the advertising. Brian asked Drew if there was a need for additional advertising at this time. Drew did not currently see a need due to the strength of the year to date registration numbers. Long Range Planning – Alan Alan requested to meet with Brian and Drew after the 4th of July to create a priority list for future projects. Projects to include in this review are; the construction of a swale at the top of the upper pool to divert run off following heavy rains, the resurfacing of the original pool floor, the original pool gutter system replacement, repaint or replacement of the flag pole, the addition of a lane to the upper pool, upper pool seating construction options. Drew, Brian and Alan agreed to meet to review and prioritize a list of open items after July 4th. Membership Rules – Ed & Becki The committee had nothing to report. 100th Anniversary Celebration – Rob, Amy, Becki & Alan Rob reported the committee met and will lead 4 subgroups: Invitees, marketing/historical, timeline, finances/budget development. Becki will collaborate with the Mercer Tile Pottery and Tile Works to develop a proposal for the creation of a larger Fanny Chapman commemorative tile as an historical marker for the pool and smaller tiles for purchase. Amy stated we should move forward with an event posting on the website now and the need for a dedicated email for the event, separate from the FC email. Caroline will move forward with the email request. Mike suggested to build a landing site for the event on the web page to also collect community ideas. Al communicated the committee intention to develop an ad hoc community group to assist with the collection of old photographs at the event and the invitee list. Caroline reported she had reached out to Christine Harrison and Christine is very willing to volunteer to help with this event. Pool Manager’s Report – Drew As stated earlier, Drew confirmed the print advertisements have been launched and will run through April. Early Bird Registration launched March 1st and will run to April 15th. Revenue numbers reported are 35% higher than 2023 at this time. Memberships sold are 35-39% higher year over year and swim lesson registration is 15% higher compared to last year. Sherry stated she is comfortable with the initial swim team try out registrations and would be ok with a lower registration than 2023 to maintain safety standards and the goal of a positive experience for the participants. Drew reported strong application numbers for the guard, instructor, assistant coaches and student assistant managers have been received. The $2 an hour higher rate for employees who work 30+ hours per week will be applied again this season due to its success last season. Hire letters will be sent the second week of April and any interviews needed will be conducted at that time. Drew met with Don Kelly and reported they will install one acid pump for the upper pool to see if it helps with chlorine levels and corrosion issues. They will keep the CO2 pumps for the other pools. Don and Drew will continue to work through the remaining preseason preparation list. Per previous discussions, Drew will keep a list of all requests for financial assistance and will present all applications received at the April Board meeting. Drew reported the receipt of (2) inquiries about military discounts. Drew asked the board for consideration of a military discount for Fanny Chapman. Brian requested a motion to approve a 10 % military discount, limited to active military duty requests, and not to be published at this time. Mike made a motion, the motion was seconded by Ed, and the motion was unanimously approved. Drew requested the addition of Food Trucks one day a week at lunchtime and during Friday float, and consideration of 1-2 movie nights during the season. The committee had no concerns moving forward with these amenities. Sherry said she could help to provide Food Truck information. Swim Team Parents’ Report (Sherry provided minutes for the meeting) Sherry provided the team proposal for a new record board. The recommendation is for a digital board with a versatile screen that can be used to display swim and dive team records for; age group records, stroke specific records, relay team records, individual dive records and team dive records. It could also be used to recognize sponsorships. Brian said the board offers the versatility to recognizing the achievements of the swim and dive teams, and serve as a non-swim and dive team communication board for the pool. The size would be dependent on the placement location. The proposed location is the outside wall of the women’s locker room. This location offers some protection from the elements- an awning or outside cover may also be needed. Sherry will move forward to secure formal quotes for the record board including installation, and the funding options will be discussed at that time. Caroline asked the final decision be determined by September to include the project costs in the 2025 budget. Molly and Megan reported on the Ways and Means committee current projects including the selection of suits for the upcoming season, team swag, shirts, team gift options, and personalized team caps and towels. They are also selecting team building event(s). Sherry reported the snack bar is ready to go and Sherry and Drew will meet April 28th to review its set up. Drew confirmed the internet upgrade will be completed in April. Sherry asked to consider a team car wash fundraising event to be held at Fanny Chapman in May. Caroline will review this request with the Borough Council. Sherry requested consideration of the expansion of the Sponsorship banners to include the lower pools. Brian asked that she present a proposal at the next meeting for review. Correspondence - Nothing to report. Old/New Business - Mike asked to consider a swim meet for the masters’ program participants. Drew will reach out to Kevin to ask for possible dates. Executive Session - No session held. Adjournment Alan made a motion to adjourn the meeting, Dave seconded the motion, and the motion to adjourn was unanimously approved at 8:06 PM. Respectfully submitted, Lori Howard