FICRA BUILDING TRUST MEETING MINUTES (final) Sept 11, 2014
Board Attendees: Tony Moore, Jim Braden, Ray Kittelberger, Gina Olson and Hal Goodell. Meeting opened by Jim Braden at 7:58 pm. Minutes from the Aug 14, 2014 meeting approved.
President’s report: Jim reported on the 9/3 (Website & Communication) & 9/4 (Finance Committee & Audit) meetings.
Consent Calendar: Voted on and approved by the Board prior to the meeting as follows.
Confirmation of Finance Committee members (Hal, Gisela, Joan, Max). A motion was made to approve these members to this committee. All unanimously approved. Confirmation of Audit Committee members (Tony, Gisela, Joan). A motion was made to approve these members to this committee. All unanimously approved. Confirm Web-site Purpose. The purpose is of the website is to be a source of information for island events and to promote sense of community and safety of island residents. There was a consensus to not include the “competition with other internet sites or search engines” statement. The information that we share about Fox Island should remain factual. We need to be timely, factual, and a place where people want to get info. Jim will rewrite the Purpose and pass that by the two boards for approval and recording in our resolutions file. Approve new crime reporting process. From this point forward, there will be only 1 way to report a crime through FICRA and that is to dial 549-7744 and leave a message for Crime Watch’s faithful, Mike Gordon. This will simplify the process, make sure things are vetted, and get info out there quickly, and appropriately. A motion made & approved for this change. Mike Gordon responds to all the calls to the hotline though most will not be posted. Ray suggests “home check” and “safety tips” be available on-line for people to read and do if they wish before they leave there home for extended periods of time. Review and approve the Facebook policy. In the past, there have been negative comments/posts, and this led to a change to not allow individuals to post replies without review. There has been some conversation to open up the blog to public posts again. Rules for posting will be on the blog header including a statement that FICRA is not liable for comments made by others. There will be a person or team of people to review the comments, and remove anything inappropriate. There are many positive reasons to allow public postings on FB, however the purpose should remain ideally social, and no inappropriate material will be allowed.
Treasurers Report: Hal Goodell Checking account: Beginning Balance: $21,867.92 Register Balance: $23,001.18 Money Market: Beginning Balance: $12,846.15 Register Balance: $12,847.24 Jim highlighted the fact that there are some issues regarding our balance of funds for the two organizations, which is currently around $76,000. Though this seems to be a high figure for cash on hand, there are important recognitions to be had. First, we to do a reserve study to forecast major costs in the future. There are significant needs in the cue already (see comments below). Further, we need to be sure we comply with IRS rules for non-profits regarding revenue source. A review of that will be done by Jim and Ray. Hal reports that all funds from credit card purchases at the FICRA Fair went directly into the Trust Account, however he has transferred them where needed to Ficra account. Additional Fire Inspection costs this year were unexpected: ($410 from FD mandatory inspections and purchase of additional fire extinguisher). Fair Totals Gross $13,275. Approximate number for break down are: Number of vendor booths 72, for $1,345. Beer Garden $699. Clothing $2,092. Crime Watch Total $1,037. Dues 138 renewed/new members $3,450. Raffle Room $1,815. Trust and FiCRA donation approx. $600 and $1,000 Fair Sponsorship. Numbers show this years Fair brought in more money than last year (no raffle room last year). Hal reported that gravel for parking lot and refrigerator purchase were additional unbudgeted expenses, also, in August.
COMMITTEES:
Crime Watch: Stan Weston (He meets with Sheriff every Friday night). Crime for Fox Island remains low. Citizen Patrol is keeping an eye on Bus stops for child safety. Year to Date to end of August: Theft from Vehicles: 9, Burglaries: 7 last year, 10 this year Vandalism 7 last year, 6 this year; Deputies broke up 2 large parties at private residences; Fraud and Forgery: 10; Domestic Violence calls have recently increased. Stan reports 2 per week. Burglary, no forced entry. Recommendation is for residents is to secure your home while away and keep valuables out of your unoccupied car. Ray adds that crime on FI is up 11%. However, this is in part due specifically to the vehicle break-ins which occurred on Easter morning and the burglaries on Bella Bella Dr. There are some figures from the Sheriff’s report that are all “0”s meaning no reports of this specific criminal activity (eg. child luring: none for last 12 years).
Emergency Planning: Ray Kittelberger Next meeting is scheduled. Many new volunteers signed up at the Ficra Fair. The largest need for volunteers is in the Neighborhood committee. Suggestion is for Bob Bowser who chairs this group to focus first on Membership drive, and then Neighborhoods for EP, rather than tackling both at once.
Rental Coordinator: Jen Bush, excused. No report. The rental rates are to be updated soon per finance committee. Jim will make a proposal for the Finance Committee to consider.
Building Committee: Jean Peterson Oct 4th is the Fall Clean up at the NCC. Please contact Carolyn Braden to sign up if you are interested in helping. Bring tools. Hal would like to see a road for future use to bring cars to rear parking. This is deferred for further discussion later.
Nature Center: Ed Burroughs Things are going well. A work party to occur the 3rd Saturday of each Month at 9 am. New people are welcome. Bring yard tools. Trails are open. Photography opportunities abound. There is no way to count the number of people who use the Nature Center, but there have been self reported picnics of 3 generation families enjoying the site. There is hope in future of making the stream a fish bearing stream. A sign-in box was suggested for visitors. This may be a possible scout project.
Audit Committee: Ray Kittleberger. No report.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS Grant Approach/Prioritization. Jim reported that Emergency Planning is not included in the 2014 budget. His review of other emergency organizations and their difficulty in sustaining themselves suggests the Trust should consider adding a committee for emergency planning and develop a plan for funding. A straw poll was taken and all agreed with the Trust taking on Emergency Planning. This would become a part of the reserve study. French Drain: Larry Lindel (Engineer) consulted. The construction would entail 11 feet deep digging. George consulted about camera monitoring system. Will purchase and install soon. They will be good enough to identify vehicles, people, colors. Dimmers still awaiting the next generation to become available to eliminate blinking.
NEW BUSINESS Insurance of building is far short of full replacement, so Jim is working on a new proposal and scale to chose from to insure the NCC. The emergency generator: There are 2 bids to install, $800-$1000 and a second bid is for $2800. Septic/drain system: Bill Sehmel was recruited and he and Jim removed the plumbing to water fountains to remove problem leaking. The fountains however will remain in place for historical purpose, but be plugged to ensure nothing is poured in them. Septic System needs to be serviced. Jen bush is reporting toilets plug up too frequently. After a professional plumber ensures the lines are clear, the septic tanks will be pumped by Hemleys. Likely $2000 cost. Regarding Emergency Planning (EP) budget, Ray added that in a state of true wide spread emergency, Fox Island residents will “be on our own.” A generator has been purchased fronted with donated funds. Abby has a contact person through PEP-C who provides funding for Emergency Planning (EP) via grants. She has been elected to the PEP-C board of directors. There is no money budgeted for EP currently, which is in the opinion of most, an important endeavor for FICRA Trust. This Committee linked under the FICRA Trust would help to see the current work of EP maintained, and help with cost of upstart and maintenance. Additionally the churches need to be certified by Red Cross as housing sites. Training and Education will be coming from Red Cross and Pierce County. There is some hope we can get a Grant, however once the process is up and running, most expenses should be low. However, the volunteer man-power need will continue to be high. Tony suggests that a community forum to see what interest is of the community for EP. Doug Nelson with the Yacht Club is getting an inventory of all boats on the island. Trust board to consider a budgeted amount from FICRA Trust in the future for EP. Ray plans to remain active in Em Planning even if he no longer continues to be active in FICRA Trust. Garage Sale Sat, Close to 65 residences signed up to have sale. Carolyn Braden to sell maps for $2 and needs help selling T shifts, memberships, and other garage sale items. On October the 21st at 5:00 pm, The Pierce
County Council Meeting is to be held at the NCC. Subsequently this meeting has been changed to Oct 28th.
Motion to adjourn at 9:20 pm, unanimously approved.
Respectfully Submitted by Gina Olson, Secretary