MASSACHUSETTS THROUGHBRED BREEDERS ASSOCIATION

Board of Director’s Business Meeting Minutes

June 17, 2010

Doubletree Inn, Waltham, MA

 

Chairman George Brown called the meeting to order at  _7:35_ PM.

 

 Board Members Present

Absent

Guests

Brown, George – Chair

Clarke, Mathew-alternate

Brown, Arlene –Recording Secretary

Catapano, Frank

Reagan, Kathleen

Robbins, Harland -Financial Director

Currie, Joyce-alternate

 

Robbins, Bill - Accountant

Emery, Velma-alternate

 

Currie, Bob

Ferguson, Meg

 

Joyce, Beverly

Janjigian, Armand

 

 

Joyce, Daniel

 

 

Loebelenz, Lee

 

 

Posco, Ken

 

 

Rose, Gregg

 

 

Salim, Adel

 

 

Spadea, Anthony/Treasurer

 

 

Stone, Ed

 

 

 

1.) Secretary’s Report:

The secretaries report from May 20 was read and accepted.

 

Motion to accept report: Armand Janjigian  Second:  Anthony Spadea.                     

Objection:    None                             Abstain:     None                 Motion passes

2.) Treasurer's Report:

Bill Robbins explained that because the track is behind (about 4 weeks) on wiring the simulcast money, our financial picture looks a lot worse than it is.  We have also not received the 3.5% of the daily handle since the beginning of the meet.  We would still be below last year’s revenues but still in a position to be able to run the 8 stakes races planned.

 

Motion to accept treasurer’s report: Lee Loebelenz   Second: Anthony Spadea_ .                     

 Objection:    None                               Abstain:     None                  Motion passes

 

3.) Chairman’s notes and comments

            a. George Brown told the board that the Senate bill will be out Friday and that there is nothing in it for racinos or the horsemen.  On Monday an amendment will be added to include these.  The bill will then be debated by the Senate and voted on.  George said probably what will happen is that the House will reject the Senate bill and then a committee of 3 senators and 3 representatives will put together the final version.

 

He identified 4 possible senators who might be on that committee and urged members to contact them to urge support for the racinos and horsemen.

 

4.) Old Business

            a. Golf Tournament 2010

              Arlene Brown reported that we have 8 hole sponsors and a few donations for the charity golf tournament.  Lee Loebelenz said we need raffle items.  We need to obtain items that would appeal to the general public since not all the golfers are horse people.

 

           

b. Voting Procedures

            Since Kathy Reagan was unable to attend tonight’s meeting, Gregg Rose  presented a summary of the changes to be made to the bylaws regarding voting procedures.  The material presented was discussed and a few changes were made.  These will be given to Kathy to be put into legal terms.  These bylaw changes must be voted by the membership at the annual meeting in October.

 

Motion to accept suggested changes in voting procedure:Frank Catapano

 Second: Anthony Spades_                                          

   Objection:    Ken Posco, Dan Joyce             Abstain:     None         Motion passes

 

5.) New Business

            a.) Meeting Places

            Since Vinny T’s has closed and Double Tree Inn is so difficult to get to, we are searching for other meeting places.  Lee Loebelenz gave Harland Robbins a list of possible places.  Arlene Brown suggested that we have the meetings hosted by various MTBA farm owners.  Velma Emry volunteered to have the July meeting at Pembury House Farm.

 

            b) Other new Business

                        1. Ken Posco asked why the 3YO F and the 3YO F & M  race are only 1 week apart.  Ed Stone asked why the Rise Jim is now 3 weeks away from the Last Dance Stakes.  George Brown explained that all we do is give the track a list of the stakes races and the racing secretary schedules them.  He will talk to the racing secretary but it may be difficult to move them.

 

                        2. Harland Robbins has invited Andy Hunt (our lobbyist) to come to the next meeting.

 

                        3. Velma Emry asked if we can have a yearling show at Suffolk Downs.  George Brown said it is probably doubtful because the horsemen don’t like bringing young horses on the grounds.  The babies tend to bring sickness to the older horses.  She asked if there was somewhere else we could have one.  It was done years ago at the Topsfield fair but it was a very trying experience since the general public wandered too close to jumpy yearlings.

 

       6.) Next Meeting

            Date:  July 15, 2010      Time:__   6:30PM        ______ Place: Pembury House Farm

 

       7.) Adjournment__9:15__ PM

 

Motion to adjourn: Anthony Spadea       Second: Lee Loebelenz

 

Respectfully Subitted:

 

 

Arlene Brown