If I said that being President of the Galilee Beach Club was dull, I would be lying. Please know it's the absolute truth when I tell you the entire board has been working overtime on their committees and with each other about various projects.

Since October, we have had three meetings: one transition meeting after our annual meeting and two official board meetings (see below for board briefs of those meetings). As you may know, we have convened two search committees and are into the process of hiring a new Concessionaire and Club Manager. Project Sandy activities are moving along, and we have put together an enthusiastic group of volunteers to assist on this project as well as to maintain our property through our Buildings and Grounds Committee. Some of the other activities include a review of the by-laws for any necessary technical corrections, and the Events Committee is putting together our summer activities. In addition, our website has been updated to include a membership page, and to enhance our "contact us" section, e-mail addresses were set-up for all board members related to their committee assignments.

Witnessing the dedication of your board and the people who have already volunteered for our committees has been inspiring. So, although the job hasn't been dull, it certainly has been made easier by the efforts of this group. I am so grateful for that!

As a new board member, I expected to ease into the position. My thinking was that the season doesn't begin to kick in until early spring. Was I ever wrong! Losing our general manager and food concessionaire, not to mention Super Storm Sandy changed all that. It's been incredibly busy.

The good news is that you have a committed board, working hard to ensure all is ready for the season ahead. Just last weekend, we interviewed for both key positions, and, thankfully, we have attracted some fine candidates. Hopefully, decisions will be made before the next newsletter goes to print.

Our fiscal year, ending November 30th , is expected to show positive results and the final figures will be provided at the spring shareholders meeting. Gene has been working closely with our insurance agents, and we have several open Project Sandy claims that he is tracking to ensure that we receive the appropriate proceeds from those policies. Advances from these policies have already been received to finance the reconstruction work to date.

In addition, the Finance Committee has been working on several projects:

• Drafted a Records Retention Policy for the orderly disposition of documents.
• Reviewing proposals and participating in demonstrations from potential vendors for our planned installation of a Point of Sale, Food and Beverage, and General Ledger systems. 
• Finalized the purchase of certain restaurant/kitchen equipment from prior vendor.
• Continued to design an Accounting Procedural and Policy Manual.
• Drafted a Stock Policy that spells out procedure for the sale and buy back of the Club's Common Stock.
• Conducted a physical inventory of all of the Club's fixed assets and tagged items for safeguard. Results of this inventory will be reflected on the balance sheet going forward.
• Created a formal Expense Reimbursement form to properly account for any reimbursable member spending.

We have developed a budget for the adult's and children's entertainment and have begun the advanced bookings of some acts. Stay tuned for details of some of those events in future newsletters.

Project Sandy work is underway. As noted above, Gene is working with our insurance agent to process the various claims and track the financial aspects of this process. Our coverage included a general policy, umbrella policy, and a flood policy with a full replacement value option. So, we are hopeful that most of the reconstruction costs will be covered.

The Buildings and Grounds Committee met on the first Saturday of the year and will be meeting again in February. The following Project Tasks are underway:

• Hired and scheduled roofer to work on roof repair including the step-down pieces over the kitchen.
• Ordered new windows and a door for the dugout.
• Finalizing quotes for deck repair and exterior repairs, as well as, scheduling this work.
• Hired and met with interior designer who is in the process of drawing up the redesign of the dugout.
• Chose a vendor to replace dugout equipment who will work with the interior designer.
• Reviewing the process and steps necessary to rebuild the dunes.
• Demolition of the dugout has begun.

At future meetings, this committee will review and develop the plan for near-term and future capital projects.

The Concessionaire Search Committee has placed an advertisement and has since interviewed several candidates. References and menu proposals are now being reviewed. Josephine Curzake is spearheading this committee.

The Manager Search Committee is finalizing the job description and has met several candidates to vet their interest in this position. An advertisement has also been placed for this position. Paul Harrington is leading the charge for this position.