Minutes of the Board of Directors

of the East Central Neighborhood Association

5 September 2010

The meeting was called to order at 6:15 pm at (300 N. Madison)

Board Members Present:

Board Members Absent:

Members Present:

1. Judy Thornburg

Announcements:

• none
  
  

Minutes:

• MSP 8 August 2010 ECNA board meeting minutes as presented

Committee Reports:

• Finance

  • no report

• Membership

  • no report

• Advocacy

  • The fall neighborhood clean-up is scheduled for Saturday 11 September 2010. Please meet at 8:00 am at the corner of E. Washington and N. Vine.

• Program

  • OWSF is scheduled for 18-19 September 2010.

  • Blood-n-Fire Fall Festival will be held on Saturday 16 October 2010.

  • The Chili Supper/Annual Meeting will be held on Thursday 21 October 2010 at 6:00 pm at the Main Street United Methodist Fellowship Hall 125 S. Pershing. All are welcome. (Chris will contact the church to confirm date and time.

• Weed-n-Seed

  • The W-n-S Cookout will be held on Tuesday 21 September 2010 at Blood-n-Fire (300 N. Madison).
    
    

• OWSF

  • Chris reported that it looks like the festival will break even this year.

  • Discussion of several festival items.
    
    

Old Business:

• MSP motion to approve changes to the Association by-laws to better define the responsibilities of the directors to attend board meetings. To be presented to the membership at the Annual Meeting.

• Discussion of an oversight in the minutes of the board meeting in August. On the evening of Friday 18 June a motion to spend $250 for mulch was seconded and approved by taking a survey of a majority of the board (via telephone and personal conversion). The mulch was to be spread on the traffic island (corner of Wysor and Madison) by volunteers during “SERVE” week.
  
  

New Business:

• Chris thanked all of the members of the Association for their help in working on the Traffic Island on the Sunday clean up days in August.

• Discussion of the large amount of dead grass and other plants along the curbs of both Monroe and Vine Streets where a worker from the Muncie Sanitary District sprayed a defoliant in August. Several board members reported subsequent discussions with Sanitary District employees. Conflicting reports of why the chemical was sprayed and by whom. Annie reported that the Sanitary District would plant new grass in the spring.

• MSP motion that Annie write a letter to the Muncie Sanitary District (if necessary) to ensure that the District made repairs in the spring.

• Discussion of potential candidates for the board election at the Annual Meeting. A committee of Nora and Lynn was empaneled to generate a slate of candidates.

• Discussion of whether or not we should participate in the Muncie Art Walk in early October by having the Emily Kimbrough house open.

• MSP motion to spend up to $100 to maintain both water and electrical service at the Kimbrough house until October (through the Art Walk).

• Additional discussion of whether or not the ECNA should pursue changing its non-profit status from a 501.c.4 organization (can lobby for and endorse political candidates, cannot receive tax deductible donations) to a 501.c.3 organization (cannot lobby or endorse candidates, can receive tax deductible donations, record keeping and tax filings much more complicated).

• By consensus, approved motion to allow Stacy to continue her fact finding mission about the expenses and process of making the conversion to a 501.c.3 or to have the OWSF become an affiliated entity that would apply for 501.c.3 non-profit status.
  
  

The meeting was adjourned at 7:45 pm