The meeting convened at
Attended
by board members Paul Schwartz, Julie Schor, Anissa Rogness, Stacy Mills, Mark
Headings, & Eleanor Allen.
II.
Upcoming meetings.
a. February 26 special board meeting.
Julie mentioned that we need to discuss fundraising and that invitees could include
board alum. Paul wants to discuss specific projects and identify people
who can raise money to support those projects. Block captains may solely
be attached to the newsletter, but we need to create leaders and that team is a
possible source. Other invitees could include ANC reps Wheeler and Green,
as well as staff from the DC Council and the
b. Revenue discussion. Paul talked with Chris Turner – his group raises money through
events and gives it to other groups. Stacy commented that with a higher
revenue goal for TDCNA, we need to decide what to spend it on. Paul said
that in our budget discussion at the retreat, we set parameters for what we
want to do. We do want to do a newsletter, but need to decide on
specifics such as cost, frequency and layout. Stacy said that we need
fundraising to support all communications such as the newsletter, website, and
Takoma listserv. She mentioned for example, allowing a day of solicitations on
the listserv, from which we could raise money. A discussion ensued about
the logistics and that TDCNA does not control the listserv. Paul remarked
that getting revenue from the listserv is a complex issue which we can’t
resolve right now.
c. Our priorities.
Stacy stated that we need to define who we are and what we do. Julie said
that we defined TDCNA at the retreat in the course of the budget
discussion. Stacy mentioned the lack of written materials on us and our
history which should be given to new board members. Paul said that he has
a binder which includes information on TDCNA and neighborhood resources.
Julie expressed the need to ground ourselves in reality as to the informal
nature of the group. Eleanor stated that several documents such as the
by-laws and articles of incorporation are accessible by signing into the Yahoo
groups account and clicking on document folders. Stacy raised the issue
of liaisons and Julie stated the we don’t have
official liaisons, but that people have identified projects that they value and
they work on those projects. Paul gave a brief history, saying for
example that the community had an expectation that we would provide a forum on
development in the community, so that is something that TDCNA undertook.
d. Postcard.
We discussed whether or to send out a postcard that the February general
meeting is cancelled. We were unable to vote due to the lack of a
quorum. Eleanor volunteered to send out the question to the board
listserv.
e. March
25 General Meeting. The topic is Home
Safety/Preparedness
III.
Treasurer’s Report
a. Mark distributed the treasurer’s report for the month
ending
b. Mark handed out a summary of the dedicated funds task
force. They discussed numerous options, such as keeping the system the way it
is, developing new guidelines for this type of activity or ending the practice
completely. Unfortunately, Stacy’s comments were not included on this
draft and suggested that we need to address this issue further in 2/26. Nancy
Smith also had some recommendations. Stacy said that the discussion raises
larger budget issues and a need for financial management in general.
c. Paul stated that we need to discuss how to raise money
for the proposed budget that we talked about at the retreat. Stacy noted that
we didn’t officially approve a new budget.
d. Stacy suggested that we cancel the March general
meeting to discuss these issues. Eleanor stated that planning is already
in the works for this meeting and that the general meetings are important to
check in with our members. Anissa said that the
meetings are our outreach and we can’t assume that we will have answered all of
these questions in two months. Mark added that the newsletter has been
suspended, and if we cancel two general meetings in a row, the community may
think we are falling apart. Julie stated that we have the topic queued
up; we may as well have the meeting. Paul said that the issues being
raised are important, but that we don’t need to suspend meetings. We need to
engage our partners in the community and city at-large. Eleanor will send
out a note to the board listserv for a final decision.
e. Safe Takoma – Mark and Paul talked with Seth Grimes on
February 2. Mark gave Seth the check for the insurance. Stacy
raised the issue of an administrative fee which TDCNA is entitled to for
handling the grant. Paul asked Mark to draft a Memo of Understanding
(MOU) as to the activities of TDCNA which relate to safety, such as the
newsletter crime report, Orange Hats, and awareness, including meetings on
safety. He proposed that Safe Takoma make a donation to TDCNA based on
that activity. Seth stated that he would make a recommendation to the Safe
Takoma board concerning a donation of up to $1,200 or possibly more.
Stacy stated that she is on the Safe Takoma Advisory Council.
IV.
Old/Continuing business
a. Newsletter. Paul stated (in the budget discussion) that we need to come to a
decision on the newsletter. Mark stated that the newsletter is the single
largest regular item in the budget. Julie outlined the status of the
newsletter. She handed out a summary of ad rates for other neighborhood
newsletters. Paul said that we need to spread the word that we need
someone to take over the newsletter. He put something on the listserv and
a couple of people are interested. Julie stated that Carolivia
Herron is interested in the format and might be a resource person. We talked
about frequency, such as monthly or quarterly. Paul stated that someone
from Safe Takoma should be involved. Anissa
mentioned specific recruitment and agreed to send a note out to the listserv.
b.
V.
New Business/Announceme
a.
Beyond Black History Month Concert,
Saturday March 1 at
b. Eleanor distributed a thank you card for the Giancolas for signature by the board.
c. Paul stated that two members of the
Friends of Takoma Recreation Center called him to say that TDCNA’s
involvement is undercutting the viability of the Friends group and that TDCNA
is part of the problem. They claimed that programs are being undermined
and that our reputation and good will are at stake. A contentious
discussion followed. Stacy stated that the planning process is entirely
non-partisan and TDCNA members cannot have any direct contact with the people
involved other than through the strategic planning process. Paul
disagreed and stated that board members Stacy and Eleanor were not supporting
him in his difficult role in being on the receiving end of these
complaints. Julie thanked Paul for dealing with and stated that in her
experience as President, she regularly got calls from people calling out of the
blue to criticize her personally or TDCNA in general on a range of
issues. Next steps regarding this issue were not resolved.
VI.
The meeting was adjourned at