Tremont West Development Corporationnn
TREMONT
WEST DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
Board of Directors Meeting
Thursday, 19 April 2007
Present:
Karen Moss, Becca Riker, Scott Nagy, Megan Hundt, J. Chiplis, P. Pavarini,
S. Smith, J. Boylan, L. McLaughlin Murray, S. Catania, C. Krosel
David Mehring, Marcia Leslie, H. Crowther arrived after the start of the meeting
Members
of TWDC: Henry Senyak, Tim Jenkins
Guests: C. Hoven, J. Ricchiutto Staff: Steve Bloom, Robert Rogers
I. President - Sammy Catania called the meeting to order at 6:04 p.m.
II. Presentations of Staff: Bob Rogers, the Ward 14 Code Enforcement Officer , gave a report on his duties and the assessment of his work in the Ward 14 section of Tremont. His work, unfortunately is complaint driven. There have been many difficulties with housing inspectors who are not fully committed to their jobs. He is working closely with block clubs and residents to target the worst houses. He has already done a census of vacant properties.
III. Executive Session at March Meeting: Sammy Catania commented on last month's executive session where several members of TWDC were asked to leave the room in the midst of discussion. The closed session came about because of the presumed sensitive nature of the statements from the Ward 14 councilman. The Board, unfortunately, had to make a decision before the session began.
IV.
New Business: Ex Officio Member from Lincoln Heights Block Club.
President Catania had received a letter from the Lincoln Heights Block
Club appointing Mr. Henry Senyak, who is co-chair of the block club,
the ex officio member to the Board for the Block Club. A question came
up if the Board of Directors of TWDC needed to officially ratify this
appointment. Mr. Tim Jenkins stated that by the by-laws, the letter
from the Lincoln Heights Block Club, established Mr. Senyak's ex officio
position.
V.
Approval of March Minutes: President Catania called for the approval
of the minutes of the March meeting. Mr. Jenkins asked for a clarification
regarding committee membership and participation levels.
After discussion, Ms. Krosel offered the following statement: "Members
of the Tremont West Development Corporation are encouraged to join and
participate at all levels as full members of any committee established
or existing as part of the Tremont West Development Corporation. Karen
Moss seconded. All voted in favor.
The approval of the March Minutes was tabled until the May meeting. Secretary Krosel needed to clarify from her notes who had supported two motions.
The clarifications follow. Regarding the resolution empowering Steve Bloom to apply for the City of Cleveland Model Block funds for the Holmden-Buhrer Rowley area, Becca Riker seconded the motion. All voted in favor.
Finance Committee: J. Boylan moved to set aside $200 a month in an account designated for repairs for the 2406 Professor Building. J. Chiplis seconded.
L. McLaughlin Murray moved to accept the monthly financial statements. S. Nagy seconded. All voted in favor.
VI. New Business: Board Retreat and Strategic Plan for TWDC Board: Consultant Jack Ricchiutto had been meeting with a focus group of TWDC board members, one ex-board member, and staff regarding the response of the Board to changes created by the ongoing membership effort to set priorities in response to the Strategic Investment Initiative. Because of the choices that our membership made, we must craft a response and plan for running the organization in the light of these new or more urgent priorities. Those involved in the committee work were Sammy Catani, Jon Boylan, Steve Bloom, Michelle Davis, Scott Rosenstein, Karen Moss, Lynn McLaughlin Murray, and Sandy Yambor. Ricchiutto praised the committee for their quick work in crafting a response and setting forth action items. Herb Crowther asked if this document would become a static statement as opposed to a living document refined by the action plan that implements it. L. McLaughlin Murray stated that the plan depended on the day to day work of committees and TWDC.
J. Ricchiutto stated that the Board needed to set priorities and establish time-lines. For the non-actionable items, we must be aware that we can transform these to actionable items over the next three years. He asked us to see these items as not presently funded, but potentially fundable.
K. Moss asked the Board to carefully consider their overall resources. M. Leslie said that follow-up was vital. The consultant reminded us that our most important asset was the trust in which we were held. He cautioned us that we must not try "to fix everything at once for everyone."
Lynn McLaughlin moved to approve the plan presented as a master plan for Board work and decisions. K. Moss seconded. All voted in favor.
President Catania reminded us that this work plan will be discussed at a board retreat in the near future. It will form the basic information for our forthcoming executive director interviews.
VII. Committee Updates: Economic Development-Long Range Planning: S. Nagy distributed minutes from prior committee meeting. These have not been approved by the committee yet because of the meeting schedule. The committee met with a group attempting to save the Roundhouse on West 3rd. The committee is assessing its role in response to the SII. One goal is to focus on safety and quality of life issues. They will invite neighborhood leaders and block club members to join the committee.
--Housing Committee: The committee has met and has gone through a planning process to create goals. They are determined to create a baseline monitoring of housing and building conditions throughout Tremont. They will attempt to map properties and their conditions. They will work for an expansion of the Model Blocks program to other neighborhoods of Tremont. They will try to create effective policies to govern their committee work. A major emphasis will be blight abatement.
--Finance: L. McLaughlin Murray stated that after her assessment, the office needs to upgrade to 2007 Quik Books. She moved that we expend the necessary funds to purchase the 2007 edition. C. Krosel seconded. All voted in favor.
L. McLaughlin Murray reported that the office has twenty-four accounts. Many are related to the organizations for whom we serve as the fiscal agent. We need a fiscal agent agreement form and will approach Merrick House for a copy of theirs. These organizations cannot incur debts for TWDC.
She has asked Rory O'Donnell of the Business Volunteers of America to assess our financial procedures.
S. Nagy moved to accept the monthly financial report. K. Moss seconded. All voted in favor.
-- Fundraising: The contract for Gray's Armory has been signed. Letters have gone out to potential sponsors. We need to really begin to sell tickets.
-- Safety: Karen Moss moved that an ad hoc committee for Safety Issues be established. Lynn McLaughlin Murray seconded. All voted in favor.
S. Catania, P. Pavarini and others have been working on getting a wi -fi cameral network set up at various points in Tremont. They are pricing and evaluating hardware and software.
--Property Management: Evelyn Badeas has been hired as the assistant property manager. Ellie has the lowest delinquency rate in the portfolio. Collection fees are up.
VIII. Executive Search: Resumes have been received and are being reviewed.
They are available for inspection by interested board members.
There being no further business, K. Moss moved to adjourn. Lynn McLaughlin Murray seconded. All voted in favor.
Tremont West Development Corporation | 2406 Professor St., Cleveland, OH 44113 | 216-575-0920 | Copyright 2006
