BOARD MEETING MINUTESSeptember 21, 2016 – Venue: Independence Library

Board Members, Committee Members, and Advisors in attendance: Cherry Fung,AlizaGevirtz,Nichelle Hamilton,John Lincoln, Meghan Manges, Jack Miller, Rachel Moyer, Burt Philips, LaJuan Pringle,James Scanlon, Leslie Scott,Marc Seelinger, Mac Summers

Away: Leigh Black, Dean Brodhag, Matt Chambers, Crystal Chappell, Chris Cudabac, Richard Darlington, Robin Cluse Freeman, Nancy DeVries, Lana Giffin, Roy Goode, Dan Hayes, Kathryn Heinen, Kathy Hill, Mary Hopper, Ben Hutchins, Erin Lapham, Felton Martin, Brian Moyer, Akin Odulate, Anna Ruth, Harrison Saunders, Hannah Steinfadt, Judi Wilson-Burkes

Welcome, Introductions,
Organizational Procedures
  • Vice-Chair Nichelle Hamiltoncalled the meeting to order at 6:10PM. With six board members in attendance, a quorum was not reached.
  • On motion made, seconded, and carried, the board approved the previously distributed minutes of the meeting of the board held on August 16, 2016.
  • Treasurer Richard Darlington was away; the Treasurer’s report is as follows:
Checking account balance- $742
PayPal -$319
Savings account balance - $4,107
Cash/check received at the Town Hall was collected by Dean Broadhag, who will give to Richard to deposit.
A $1000 reimbursement check is expected.
  • John Lincoln mentioned that his employer Duke Energy offers contributions to MoRA to match his volunteer time. Nichelle suggested posting about volunteer match opportunities on MoRA’s website.
  • Nichelle mentioned that Amazon contributes a portion of its proceeds to the charity of one’s choosing when purchases are made from Nichelle suggested that MoRA register with Amazon to be eligible to receive contributions.

Arts, Culture & Education Committee Report
  • Committee Chair John Lincoln updated the board about the Arts, Culture & Education Committee.
  • John recapped the Town Hall and stated he received positive feedback. MoRA let the community know about what we have achieved, where we are headed, and the reveal of Art at the Point. There were also speakers from the police department and CATS Silver Line.
  • John stated that the next steps coming out of the Town Hall will be to secure sponsorships for Art at the Point and continue to promote the project heavily, especially utilizing the video rendering. John said that not many contributions were received at the Town Hall, but he expects most of the money will come from grants and business sponsorships.
  • Work space for the Art at the Point has been offered by East Baptist Church. Art workshops will be held before the holidays; dates to be determined.
  • John encouraged members to attend the October 10 event at Buffalo Wild Wings where 10% of proceeds from food sales will go to MoRA to help fund the tree lighting event.
  • The tree lighting committee is currently looking to buy the tree and will contact Daniel Levine. Daniel has already agreed to provide irrigation and electrical connectivity.
  • The holiday party will be on December 3 and consist of tree lighting, diverse decorations and activities, and possibly a dog/child dress-up contest. The committee is working on a save-the-date flyer and will reach out to Felton Martin for design. The committee hopes to have elected officials mark the date on their calendar. The holiday event will be advertised via electronic flyer, Facebook, newsletter, and e-calendar.
  • AlizaGevirtz mentioned contacting businesses to donate goods/services for a raffle at the holiday party.
  • Aliza created a Linked In page for MoRA and encouraged members to follow the page.
  • The Metropolitan Transit Commission will be meeting on September 28. John Lincoln and Mary Hopper are unable to attend; John asked for a volunteer to voice MoRA’s support for the Silver Line at the meeting and Jack Miller agreed.

Communications Committee Report
  • LaJuan Pringle reported that MoRA has 554 Facebook followers. The posts with the highest reach have been those about Art at the Point, the proposed walking and bike path, and the light rail.

Neighborhood Outreach Committee Report
  • Meghan Manges informed the group that she will be shifting her efforts from the Neighborhood Outreach committee and focusing more on real estate agent outreach; in addition, Anna Ruth has indicated that she is not able to donate her time to the committee at this point.
  • At present, the committee encompasses neighborhood, business, and school outreach. Meghan suggested splitting the business portion into its own committee and potentially having a business owner spearhead it. Aliza suggested creating a job description for the committee chair and advertising the position.
  • Meghan expressed the challenges in connecting with neighborhood associations. She stated that the committee has had success in reaching East Meck, McClintock, and Rama schools but not Greenway Park.
  • Nichelle mentioned that Mary Hopper suggested creating a business-oriented after-hours meet-up at a local restaurant/bar as a way to connect with businesses.
  • Leslie Scott voiced that several business owners told her they were interested in the Town Hall but were unable to attend because they were working. She suggested hosting a mini town hall for business owners within the next month at a time when they are available, such as breakfast-time or after 8:00pm.

Government Committee Report
  • The Government Open House will be held on October 12 at the Media Center at East Mecklenburg High School. The Open House itself will be from 5:30-6:30 and will feature at least 18 government agencies. The land use and transportation workshops will be from 6:30-7:30.
  • Mary Hopper nominated MoRA for the Neighborhood Exchange & Leadership Awards. The awards luncheon will be held on October 1; Kathy Hill and Dean Broadhag will be attending.

New business / announcements
  • Nichelle reminded the group that CMPD will be holding a forum at the East Meck cafeteria on October 4 at 6:30pm. LaJuan agreed to create a post to promote the event.
  • Meghan announced that there will be a real estate agent event in November at Rama Elementary; the event will include a tour of the school and information about the MoRA area.
  • Mac Summers shared that he and Dean Broadhag attended the Urban Forestry Summit on September 20.
  • John shared that the new principal of McClintock Middle School offered meeting space at the school for MoRA meetings.

Next meeting
  • Wednesday, October 19from 6:00PM-8:00PM at Alt Biz Coworking, 7520 E. Independence Blvd Suite 100

Adjournment
  • There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:30PM.

Minutes by: Rachel Moyer, Secretary