On June 17th the board held its first meeting of the 2009-2010 chapter year. This year should be a very interesting year for our chapter and we hope to increase our attendance at upcoming chapter events. The board is trying several new initiatives including a golf tournament, a new technology night, and the changeover to an integrated online management system.
Our program chair, Jeff DeMaine (program@sfpe-newengland.org), is working on developing the fall program and potential topics including mass notification, home sprinkler systems, seismic bracing, sprinkler pipe corrosion, and the fire protection issues relating to green technology. The board approved an increase in the price differential for guests from $5 to $10 to be more in line with our current chapter dues. With the previous price differential, it was less expensive to pay the differential for all monthly meetings than to join the chapter. This price difference helps support the A.L. Brown scholarship; therefore, we voted to increase the differential.
Our membership renewal process began June 15th with your first membership renewal notice being distributed by email. Additional reminder emails will be distributed on July 15th and August 1st. We will not be mailing invoices for membership dues this year. In accordance with our by-laws if you have not paid by August 15th, your membership will be considered inactive and you will not be able to receive the member only pricing for upcoming events. Your membership dues pay for the chapter administration and the costs for students and AHJs to attend our meetings for free. As always, free memberships are available to full time students. If you have any membership related questions, please contact the membership chair, Ed Orzine (membership@sfpe-newengland.org).
Financially, the chapter was very strong last year and the online meeting registrations improved the cash flow. Last chapter year we had a total income of $41,353.80 and total expenses of $45,993.94 for a loss of $4,640.14. Since our chapter year is June to May, we paid several expenses last year that occurred in the previous 2008-2009 chapter year, which had a $19,000 net profit. Over the past two years, we had a net income of $14,400 showing the strength of our chapter.
The golf committee has been busy since last winter working on organizing our first annual golf tournament that will be held on Friday, September 11th at Blackstone National Golf Club. The registration fee will be $130 per golfer and will include breakfast, 18 holes of golf, a cart with GPS, and lunch. We are also soliciting prizes and companies to sponsor this event. If you are interested in registering or becoming a sponsor, please visit the event webpage for details. Like all of our events, all of the proceeds will be used for scholarships or deposited into the scholarship fund.
At the meeting, we voted to not pursue a new contract with the Engineering Center who previously provided management services for the chapter. We will instead be using a web service as a management tool, which provides access for all board members and manages the day to day membership renewals and event registrations with minimal intervention from the board. For example, no intervention is required for renewing members that pay online by credit card. Another important feature is the ability for members to review and update their contact information, which we hope will improve the strength of our membership by keeping up to date information. In addition, our address has changed due to the management change, so please update your records.
Our future board meetings will review and improve the AHJ program, prepare for the scholarship application process, revamp the corporate sponsorship program, consider filing for 501(c)3 status, and discuss the best method to handle the numerous requests that the board receives for job postings.
Have a great summer and I hope to see you at the golf tournament or one of the meetings in the fall. If you have any concerns or questions about the chapter, please do not hesitate to contact me by email at president@sfpe-newengland.org or phone (617) 349-9295. Thank you for your continued support.