October 5, 2015
Piscataquis County Extension Association
Executive Committee Meeting Minutes
October 5, 2015
Present: Walter Boomsma, Donna Coffin, Georgia Underwood, Janet Yelch-Weatherbee, George McKay, Dotty Hadler, Richard Neal, Sheila Norman, Lisa Phelps, Barb Baker via phone
Meeting called to order at 3:05 PM. Introduced Lisa Phelps as the new Program Administrator. She has been our PA before.
Secretary’s Report – Two months of minute (August and September) were adopted as read.
Budget Report – see attached reports. Only bill received was telephone bill. We also received our quarterly allocation from the County.
Program Reports – see attached reports. Highlights include:
Farming/Agriculture – Carrot Harvest, October 14, lots of programs coming up.
Home Horticulture – School garden is creating excitement, working on Water Catch System.
4-H Youth – Silent Auction at the Fair raised approximately $1,000. Parkman Awards Banquet on October 27 at former McKusick Elementary School.
Unfinished Business
Telephone System Update – Janet reports that the billing has been resolved. It looks like our cost will be $45 per month. We will not be reimbursed for the delay in the cut-over to the new system because we are unable to produce any documentation.
Work Plans and Public Relations – Keep saving/clipping newspaper articles for the Piscataquis County Cooperative Extension Accomplishments scrapbook. These articles and pictures can be used for the Annual Report!
School Garden Update – Richard will complete beds tomorrow, working on the design of the water catch system. Superintendent supports the garden and watering system. Principal recommends a plan be submitted when ready to help determine responsibilities of school maintenance personnel.
Budget Strategy Update and Discussion – Invitations to annual meeting are being distributed to County Commissioners, staff, and Budget Advisory Committee.
The Annual Meeting – Georgia suggests everyone promote the annual meeting on social media. Posters, flyers, and post cards are available. Due to costs, Donna will run one advertisement in the Gazette and one or two in the Observer. This will satisfy the by-law notice requirement as we are also providing notice using social media, electronic newsletters, etc.
The Joint Meeting – We discussed a communication glitch with both Counties possibly waiting for each other. Walter will contact Rolf Staples, president of Penobscot County Committee to rectify. He’ll express our preferred date of November 9 and desire for a “paid” meal of some sort, but otherwise suggest Penobscot County have a turn planning the program and speaker.
By-laws revision – The Committee continued their review of the by-laws with an objective of simplifying them and creating some additional flexibility for the Committee to operate. A consensus was formed that term limits and attendance requirements should remain in place to avoid non-participating Committee membership. Also, it was agreed that we would elect all positions at the annual meeting in order to “reset” the counting of terms—otherwise many of our existing committee members would already be “termed out.” The Committee further agreed to serve as a nominating committee. Officer nominations included Walter Boomsma, President; Georgia Underwood, Vice President; Janet Yelch Weatherbee, Treasurer; and Karen Dolley, Secretary—all for one year terms. It was agreed that we would divide up existing Executive Committee members based on length of service and create staggered terms. The results are:
- Wally Sinclair, nominated as member, one year term expiring 2016
- Thelma Regan, nominated as member, one year term expiring 2016
- George McKay, nominated as member, two year term expiring 2017
- Tish Dutson, nominated as member, two year term expiring 2017
- Natasha Colby, nominated as member, two year term expiring 2017
- Richard Neal, nominated as member, three year term expiring 2018
- Dottie Hadler, nominated as member, three year term expiring 2018
New Business – Motion was made, seconded and passed unanimously to reimburse Richard $20 for composted cow manure for SeDoMoCha School Garden.
Meeting adjourned at 5:10 PM.