President’s Message                                        

Wow what a year! 2006 isn’t even over, and already it has been a big year for our organization. Beginning in March at the New England Regional Turf Conference in Providence, RI, we proudly launched our long anticipated website – www.NESTMA.org.
Also during the meeting in Providence the organization recognized our first recipients for Vendor and Sports Turf Manager of the year awards. The March meeting concluded with the introduction of the Extreme Field Makeover program and the application process was underway.

The Spring Workshop, in Watertown MA, was not hampered by the heavy spring rains. In June we teamed up once again with the New England Parks Association for our second annual NESTMA / NEPA Northern Turf Day in South Portland, ME.  We took a different approach for the 2006 Summer Field Day where members traveled to South Kingstown, RI for a tour of sod growing and seed blending facilities.

The annual election for Officers and Board of Directors was held and after serving as your Vice-President for the past two years I am honored to have been elected President of NESTMA. I would like to extend congratulations to Mike Buras, elected Vice-President; to Joe Kovolyan, elected to Secretary; and to Tim Walsh who will continue to serve as Treasurer. I would also like to welcome our new Board members Benjamin Andrews, Eric Blanton, Tim Burns, Jim Connelly, and Chris Kneale. Finally, please extend our many thanks to outgoing Board members John Barry, Thomas Dorsey, Keith Macdonald, and Jack Schmidgal.

The Extreme Field Makeover came to fruition and the winner of the first project was announced in late summer. The Tewksbury Youth Lacrosse organization accepted the award, and the makeover was a huge success which brought out the best of our organization.

In the fall we headed north to the beautiful campus of Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH for our fall workshop. It was a program loaded with information on sand based field planning and maintenance. We brought in several new members from the NH and VT areas as we continue to grow.

NESTMA continues to provide educational, stewardship, scholarship and networking opportunities; the Association continues to evolve; all you have to do is look around at what is taking place.

During the September meeting the Board of Directors established a set of goals for the next two years. These goals include:

1. To continue our mission in providing scholarships for students studying sports turf management.
2. To further develop our website so that we can increase communication to the membership and add value in new ways
3. To develop a system of state ambassadors so each state will have a primary contact.
4. To put plans in place to reach our goal of doubling our membership over the next four years.
5. To continue seeking new ways to raise the level of professionalism of the organization.
6. To continue working with colleges and universities by promoting our scholarship program and growing our student memberships. 

The NESTMA Board has some exciting learning opportunities planned for the upcoming year.  In addition to our two workshops and summer field day we will once again work with the New England Park Association to host a sports turf day in Northern New England. Please take advantage of these valuable learning and networking opportunities; if you obtain one idea or make one relationship, then your time away from the job was well spent. 

Again, I am proud and honored to have been elected your President for the next two years.  NESTMA is at the forefront of the sports turf profession and continues heading in a positive direction. NESTMA is strong due to its members, and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the invaluable contributions from our vendors. Their financial and technical assistance helps us achieve the high level of programs we offer.  Please thank them when you can. 

Finally, don’t be afraid to get involved.  The rewards far outweigh the effort.  If you have a suggestion please send an email or give me or any other board member a call. I hope to see you in Texas in January, or in Providence, RI in March.

Regards,
Nick Caggiano,
President
NESTMA

Benefits of Membership

• The ability to attend the organizations free Spring and Fall Workshops, as well as the annual Summer Field Day.
• Scholarship opportunities.
• All members receive a current year's Membership Directory, which lists contact information for all members and contains advertisements from commercial members.
• All members recieve a copy of our newsletter, The Blade, which is published twice per year. The Blade contains technical information, product updates, calendar of events and a spotlight on members and maintenance practices.
• The ability to network with vendors, educators, and other members to discuss current solutions to problems facing today’s Sports Turf Managers.
• Eligibility for an Extreme Field Makeover

Categories of Membership

1. General Membership ($55)- Persons engaged in maintenance, research or teaching pertaining to sports turf surfaces at parks, educational institutions, municipalities or professional and private facilities. Active voting members, who are eligible to hold elective office.
2. Associate Membership ($55)- Persons engaged in commercial enterprises providing services or products to the sports turf profession. Active voting members, who are eligible to hold elective office.
3. Affiliate Membership ($35)- A person who joins this group as an additional member with an existing General or Associate member. Entitled to the newsletters and other mailings, but not the membership directory. Non-voting member, who is unable to hold elective office.

Become a Member

Fill out the application and mail it to:

New England Sports Turf Managers Association
c/o Tim Walsh
Westwood DPW
50 Carby Street
Westwood, MA 02090