Regular Meeting -- August 1, 2009
The Board of Directors held its regular monthly meeting at 2007 Bert Avenue, Austin, TX 78704, starting at 1:30 pm. The following directors (constituting a quorum of the full board) were present at the meeting: President Kathy Lee (by phone), Vice President Robert Gardner, Treasurer Pam Chambers, and Secretary Leslie Harvey. Robert McGarey (Executive Director), Hannah Walton, Past President Pam Latham (Oceanna), and Jean Pierre Verdigo were also present at the meeting.
The Mission Statement was read aloud at the beginning of the meeting. Minutes for the June and July meetings were not yet available for review.
Nonprofit Video. Robert has a DVD on nonprofits and how they work (put out by ACC) that he thinks the Board would benefit from. The event was scheduled for Sunday, August 23rd.
GoodwheelChairs. We had to move the chair from the corner due to city ordinance issues. However we did sell a couple of scooters this month which is great. Bob is charged with seeing what we can do with this project, and the recent sales have been proof that the concept can work. We just need to get this running on a consistent basis.
Financials. Bob outlined the current Financial Statements for July '09 and year to date. They still need to be finished, but Bob and Annapurni are almost there. Robert mentioned that the Contract Labor Mgmt amount, if only for his salary, does not reflect the appropriate amount. Bob will look at this number to see what else might have been added. Bob is working feverishly to complete the 9990's by August 15th
Bob stressed that we need to focus on income for the Center. Currently most of the Center's income comes from: Bingo, Bob's Personal Growth Sessions, Bob's Workshops, GoodWheelchairs and renters. We don't need to reduce our expenses as much as we need to increase our income. Robert pointed out that another good source can come from renting out the living room/classroom space as much as possible.
Steve Dodd's Proposal. Steve proposed storing some of his furniture/possessions onsite in a structure on the property. He proposes constructing a building, either as a storage shed (that could possibly even store some of the Center's things) or as elaborate as a permanent building that we could possibly hold classes in later. If the latter, we might not be able to use this for a couple of years. If we decide to move forward with this project Steve would like it to be completed by mid-September. Kathy will head up a committee to look into this further to see if this is feasible and the best course of action for the Center.
Massage Room Proposal. Hannah reviewed her proposal to create a rented massage space in what has been the Imaginary room. She did research to determine cost, amenities, etc. and is ready to get approval or further feedback. Hannah already has interested therapists, so she would like to get moving on this project. Leslie asked Hannah to start creating the forms we need to formalize the process and agreements. Hannah will also get with Bob and Pam to create an agreement on the usage of the shower. She will do these things by Friday August 7th. Kathy will arrange an emergency board meeting to review the finalized proposal.
Community Garden Proposal. Robert outlined his plan for creating a community garden. He plans to do this project as a community service and not necessarily profit for the Center however the rent paid by the participants will cover the costs of the project. This would provide more traffic at the Center and the grounds would be utilized more. He hopes that we can have a volunteer running the program and in return that person would get their plots for free. There will be months of preparation, but Robert thinks the project will be operational next spring. There is some controversy over tree removal, but Robert will work with Bill Edelbrock to come to a solution.
The Board interviewed Jean-Pierre Verdigo and Lia Nelson for the available Intern/Apartment situation. Afterward the Board met in a closed session and evaluated both applicants.
The Board decided to hire Jean-Pierre for an introductory period of 3 months so that we can determine if this situation is a good fit. At the end of that evaluation period the Board will determine whether or not to negotiate a new contract.
Having no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:58pm.
Minutes submitted by Leslie Harvey, Secretary, August 1, 2009.