These comments are not specifically in response to Dave's message, rather it is simply a handy reply mechanism. According to Article 25 of the By Laws "The Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors shall be held in the vicinity of Newington, Connecticut, beginning on the 3rd Friday of January." From time to time the Board has stretched the meaning of "the vicinity of Newington" to include places such as Dallas. It seems to me there are good reasons for holding the meeting near Headquarters. If the Board feels otherwise we should change the Bylaws. There is no certainty that changing the location or the date will avoid weather issues. Last year A&F met in Denver in April. They encountered the same weather issues we worked through in Hartford in January. From the standpoint of doing the work of the Board the meeting space and rooms at a Marriott in Windsor isn't any different than a Marriott in Dallas or Memphis or any other "warm weather" location. Though we rely on Reports to provide background and point out important issues and activities to the Board simply can't take the place of face to face discussions or the opportunity to question knowledgeable staffer or other Report preparer. There may be merit in not requiring the number of Staff to attend the full Board Meeting that has been recent practice. Should we meet away from Hartford we either need to have all those Staffers travel to the meeting site or not have them available as a resource. Though not directly a part of the question of where we should meet it has been my impression and the impression of a few other Board members I spoken with that our use of a Consent Agenda has swung the pendulum too far in the direction of limiting discussion or questions. I for one intend to be more inclined to pull items from the Consent Agenda. I'm fine with holding the meeting closer the Headquarters. 73, Jay, K0QB -----Original Message----- From: Dr. David Woolweaver [mailto:k5rav@ix.netcom.com] Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2005 6:27 PM To: arrl-odv Subject: Board meeting I very much enjoy visiting Newington and speaking one on one to the staff. There is no substitute for that experience; however, it would be far better to hold the winter meeting in a more temperate area. There still exists travel bargains to certain destinations across the US. Hartford, although it is "home" for amateur radio, is not on the discount list. Many staff reports now delivered in person could be delivered via electronic means. This is the age of audio and video conferences. As leaders and innovators in technology and communications, we should employ all of the "whistles and bells" to modernize our Board meetings. My opinion. David, K5RAV