January 2018 Board Meeting Minutes

Jan 31

Minutes January 2018 SRG Board Meeting

Minutes taken by Secretary Taylor Bodine

Date: January 17th, 2018

Location: Soulard Station

Officers and Directors in Attendance: Beth Bennett, Luann Denten, Scott Plackemeier, Neil Putz, Christopher Schwarz,Wade Weistreich, Billy Tomber, Taylor Bodine, Stephen Shuman, Bill Clendenin

Officers and Directors Absent: Venessa Kobrin

Guests Present: None

The meeting was called to order at 7:08 PM by Wade Weistreich

Old Business

Market Park Agreement: (Wade Weistreich)

Wade and Tom have signed

Meeting Minute Archive (Wade Weistreich)

Wade has found around 50 sets of past minutes dated back to 2012. There is a large section of 2013 missing, and as the notes progress they are written with more detail. They have been divided and the board will be assigned sections to read through and look for past procedures, policies, or good ideas to benefit the SRG.

Survey and Suggestion Box: (Wade Weistreich)

Wade has purchased a survey box that will be used at general meetings. Chris and Wade will prepare the survey to go out by the next SRG general meeting.

Mom Howard Camera

Wade has received the list from Venessa and will begin calling, buying and installing cameras. Wade suggested that if a neighbor does not want to “pay it forward” that he move on to the next person on the list until another neighbor is willing to pay it forward. That way there are more cameras in neighborhood. It was noted that Wade will be installing the cameras, but that Safety Committee is responsible for keeping documentation of who has cameras and who is on the list to receive one.

New Business

Board Elections

The nomination information has been posted on Facebook and Nextdoor and in the next issue of the Renaissance. We encourage nominations and participation from all eligible SRG members. There will be a call for nominations at the February general meeting.

Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras Inc. will present again at the general meeting in February. In past years, we have surrounded the Soulard Station with plastic netting and trash cans. The possibility of doing that this year was discussed. The large trailer on 13th Street may be an issue. Scott P. will follow up on this. Wade mentioned that every year the pre-planning and post Mardi Gras event becomes smoother and more efficient. Bill C. asked about golf carts allowed in red zones and Billy T. confirmed that they are absolutely not allowed unless they are authorized.

Conduct at Meetings

The board discussed Robert’s Rules of Order in regards to membership and conduct at both Board and General SRG meetings. It was noted that we do follow the Robert’s Rules of Order and all meetings of the SRG are to be conducted following those rules. Wade will cover the following at the February General Meeting:

- No member is to speak until being called upon by the President or presenting speaker.

- Only one person at a time is to be given the floor.

- Interruptions or speaking out of tern are grounds for removal from the meeting and/or suspension from future meetings, or possible removal of membership from the SRG.

- Any future violations will be held to these standards.

- A member must have prior approval to add an item to the agenda, or make an announcement. Approval will be at the discretion of the President.

Treasurer’s Report

Christopher Shwarz confirmed that we have received a $6,059 check from the SBA for Octoberfest. There was discussion on whether the $1,000 donation for the Mom Howard cameras should be allocated to the Safety Committee or the Board. It was decided that it should be moved as a charitable contribution to the board and will be a topic at the next Safety Committee meeting. Christopher reported that our total income is $52,000 and our expenses are on track. The outstanding $20,000 check is not money that has been spent. It is the money that was transferred to open the new bank account at the AB Employee Credit Union. The debit card for our account will hopefully be here by the end of the week and Christopher will transfer the rest of the money to the new bank account. We have received an extension on our taxes, and are looking into outside tax professionals. Overall, we are in good shape and all committees are spending according to their budget.

Motion: Billy T. moved to approve the Treasurer’s Report.

Second: Neil Putz

The motion passed as follows: Yay (10) Nay (0) Abstain (0)

Committee Reports

Soulard Station: (Neil Putz)

Beth Bennett will be resigning from the ad hoc committee. Moving forward it will include Venessa and Neil. Beth will see through the roofing project. She has met with two seperate roofers and is waiting to receive their bids.

Neil would like to begin developing a committee to take care of the operation and maintenance of the Station. This includes maintaining the calendar and scheduling, enforcing agreements for events, preparation and clean up for events, management of minor and major repairs, and other miscellaneous tasks. There will be announcements made soon about further development of this committee at the next meeting. Luann suggested including information in the next blaster so members are aware of this new committee coming soon.

Billy T. reminded Neil that the volunteers for the Pet Parade typically use the Soulard Station as a checkpoint. Neil had not heard about this, so Billy will confirm.

Christopher Schwarz requested that the Station committee looks at ways to save money on its internet bill.

Coding and Zoning: (Beth Bennett)
The owners of Star’s Design Group bought a building on Gravois to use for their business. Originally, they were intending to rebuild on the site of their building that burned down on the corner of Menard and Shenandoah. The plans had been approved by the SRG and the city.

The parking signs that have caused previous issues have been taken down. They will be building in the alley to park their cars.

Beautification: (Beth Bennett)

It will be $80 a foot to add to the fence. We have not measured because of the cold weather. More will be done on this project when it is a little warmer.

Communications/Renaissance: (Billy Tomber)

The Renaissance is done and the tentative release date is Wednesday the 24th. The board mentioned they would like to see it released sooner. The website is up to date but the suggestion box still needs to be added.

Parlour Tour: (Neil Putz)

There are still signs being collected from the tour.

Residential Promotions: (Luann Denten)

Preparations for the ball are in full force. The Lemp Grand Hall venue is bigger and nicer than we have ever had before. There will be free shuttles from Duke’s and Molly’s. Merchandise is going live on our Etsy store as soon as we have the debit card. Beth Bennett has chosen to step down from the committee, but will still be actively helping at events.

Fundraising: (Christopher Schwarz)

The check for Oktoberfest was smaller than we anticipated by almost $2,000. We still made money but not as much as we anticipated. We will adjust moving forward, but will still participate. The resales are still being closed. Tour de Fat was cancelled but we already put in permits and stage requests so we will be doing another concert during that time instead. Smardi Gras is approaching on February 24th. We will be looking for volunteers soon. The volunteer t-shirts will require three points and up to one waiverable in order to receive. The points will be monitored and approved by the committee chairs. The design is till in progress and money/costs will be noted at the next meeting and this project will be presented at a general meeting when the completed.

Safety: (Scott Plackemeier)

The new neighborhood security efforts have led to 20 arrests since September. They have a jeep and a bike that patrols. Overall, we are happy with the company.

Membership: (Stephen Shuman)

There was no meeting this month

Holiday Decorating: (Christopher Schwarz)

The decorations will be removed on Sunday. Thank you notes have been written to everyone that donated. Special thanks for Beth Bennett.