All Members:
The following members met at Genghis Grill next to Town East Mall: Wes Wynne, Michel Langlais, Jerry Ethridge, Mike Newel and Don Payne. We discussed NABGO, club business, Mike’s progress with a new design turret and we had a great lunch. I hope everyone knows these meetings are open to everyone and can be a lot of fun.
Election of Officers. Since we had a quorum of members, we nominated these club officers for 2018:
Commanding Officer: Jerry Ethridge
Executive Officer: Don Payne
Safety Officer: Michel Langlais
Technical Officer: Wes Wynne
Quartermaster: Jerry Ethridge
Treasurer: Don Payne
Communications/Admin: Don Payne
PR and Recruiting Officers: Everyone
If no one objects these officers will be deemed elected.
Christmas Party
The Christmas Party is for all members, their families and for prospective members. We propose a date of 9 Dec 2017 and a venue in the North Dallas area. In the past we have partied at Love and War in Texas and the Outback Steakhouse. Texas Roadhouse was also suggested. There are many good restaurants in the I-35 and Bush Tollway area. Please, respond with suggestions as reservations will be needed soon.
NABGO
It was agreed we had some great battles and a lot of fun at this NABGO. As hosts, Pam and I were pleased with the conduct of this NABGO and we are willing to host again, if the club wants to. We hope that everyone enjoyed themselves as much as we did. There was no damage and very little clean up after the participants departed. Thanks to everyone for helping to tidy up.
For the most part the hotel arrangement worked well. It was suggested that something similar would be good for next time, but we should still check other options before committing. Financially, this NABGO operated in the green. We ended up with a small surplus of about $400 which went into the treasury. There were about $150 of costs not included because several members donated supplies such as CO2, ammunition and ice. Rather than risk losing money on the next NABGO we suggest leaving the fees about where they were for next year.
Adjustments to our meal plan could help the hosts be a little less busy. I suggested we set up “meal managers” or “meal hosts” for each of the three meals. I’m thinking two or three people could take responsibility for a meal. They would plan, purchase, set up and clean up a meal. They could enlist help and of course volunteers could help, too. The “meal host” would only have to host one meal each. At this NABGO we had leftover food which was handy to have for the next day’s lunch. Since lunch was not a provided meal, it helped those who did not bring their own lunch. Maybe next time we can just plan on leftovers.
Garage space was a little tight. We can try to make one additional space available. Car parking was also limited. I thought we would have plenty of space, but maybe we need a parking plan.
We might benefit from more clearly assigned responsibilities for some of our functions such as fee collection, waivers, meals, battles, and safety.
A large bulletin board or easel and paper for notifications, schedules, etc… could help by making information centrally available.
Next Year
We need to plan our big events and set up a schedule for 2018. NABGO will be our biggest event. There is a lot of discussion about when to have it. Many people liked this year’s October time. It fits in between other holidays and the cooler temperatures are important since we now work outside instead of in the air conditioning. Other people appreciate the summer time because it’s easier to get time off.
That’s all for now. See you soon.
Don Payne
NTXBG Admin Officer