Citizens for Fairfax Community 5/18/9 Meeting Report

Citizens for Fairfax Community, Inc. (CFC) Minutes: 6:30 PM, 5/18/09

HEADLINES (See below for details.):
▪   CFC hopes to have a presence at community events this summer, such as the Rec. Department’s Ducky Race and Community Day as well as Swanson’s Art in Bloom and Music Fest
▪   Everyone (including kids) is invited to contribute designs or ideas for a CFC logo
▪   All of the CFC Trustees need to send brief “resumes” to Mary for use in grant applications.
▪   If you have a little time and /or expertise that you can lend, PLEASE give us a hand in researching these areas of information needed for a business plan and for grant applications:
o   Real estate, construction/renovation, and related matters
o   Specialized systems and equipment (E.g. lighting, sound, moveable walls)
o   Insurance
o   Administration / Operations (salaries, management plan, accounting system, marketing, programs, etc.)
o   Fundraising (Donations, grants, income, etc.)

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In attendance: Trevor Russell,* Ann Lemieux, Susie Posner-Jones,* Barb Duval,* Mary Taylor,* Mark Hunziker*
(* indicates Board-members.)

Reports, discussion, etc:
▪   The minutes of the April 20, 2009 meeting were approved. (moved by Trevor, seconded by Mary)
▪   Trevor has spoken to a fund-raising consultant, Bob Ertz from Jericho, who is interested in helping us out. Trevor will invite Bob to our next meeting.
▪   It was agreed that we should let the Board of the United Church of Fairfax know that if and when they decide to sell the Baptist building, we would be very interested in considering it as a possible site for the Community Center. We feel that such a use could be a perfect continuation of the building’s history of service to the Town’s residents. Mary will submit a letter to that effect at the Church’s Board’s next meeting.
▪   The gathering of information and letters of support from local organizations that might use Community Center space is behind schedule and needs to be wrapped up.
o   Susie will create and send out a fill-in-the-blank letter of support template to help time-strapped organization leaders.
o   Trevor (with help from Ann and Mark and hopefully others) will head up an effort to have a CFC presence at community events. Likely events include the Rec. Department’s Ducky Race and Community Day, Swanson’s Art in Bloom and Music Fest.
o   We will work to get a CFC logo created. Susie will inquire about whether local art teachers would like to make a class project of it; and everyone is invited to contribute designs or ideas.
o   Mark will speak to Chris Santee about starting up a monthly CFC contribution to the Fairfax News. It would consist of a brief statement of who we are and the monthly “headlines” of what we’re up to.
▪   Creating a “business plan:”
o   All the Trustees need to send brief “resumes” to Mary. Such information on the principals of the organization is a standard piece of business plans and grant applications. Include some basic bio information, plus any experience and training relevant to running a business (especially a nonprofit). Please include your address and contact information, so she doesn’t have to hunt for it. Email to mstaylor@uvm.edu. Please do this this month!
o   Mark will create a “header” for official CFC communiqués that lists the Board members.
o   Mark will approach an accountant friend about lending some pro bono guidance to our accounting systems setup.
o   We will explore the possibility of enlisting business program students to help with our business plan as a class project. Mary will approach the Center for Rural Studies. Other possibilities include the business schools at any of the VT colleges and universities.
o   Mark has looked for “clusters” of research that needs to be done for the business plan. He has identified five areas that appear to require particular focus –perhaps by a 2-3 person committee for each. If you have time and /or expertise that you can lend, PLEASE give us a hand. Those areas are:
   Real estate, construction/renovation, and related matters
   Specialized systems and equipment (e.g. lighting, sound, moveable walls)
   Insurance
   Administration / Operations (salaries, management plan, accounting, marketing, programs, etc.)
   Fundraising (donations, grants, income, etc.)
▪   Ann, as president of the Fairfax Business and Professional Association, has proposed to her membership that the FBPA be dissolved. For some time now the FBPA has had difficulty with limited membership participation and fundraising success. Members of the FBPA will be voting on the dissolution as well as on Ann’s suggestion of “folding” the FBPA into the CFC. Since there is a huge overlap in the focus of the two organizations, on community service and activities, she is proposing that the assets and member list of the FBPA be turned over to the CFC. Whether that will happen is up to the FBPA members and the CFC Board. How exactly that would then happen would be determined by the Boards of both organizations.
▪   We know that summer will bring severe challenges to our ability to meet regularly; so we may decide not to hold meetings in July and August. Our June meeting, therefore, becomes particularly important. We will need to figure out how to effectively continue to complete tasks and conduct business over an extended no-meeting period.

Meeting adjourned: 8:00 PM (moved by Mary, seconded by Barb)

Next Meeting: June 15, 6:30-8:30 pm at the Hunziker’s home, 234 River Road
Please make an extra effort to attend!

Agenda in brief: Reports, discussion and “to-dos” re:
□   Trevor: Fund-raising consultant, Bob Ertz
□   Mary: Letter to the Board of the United Church of Fairfax
□   Mark: The gathering of information (“surveys”) and letters of support from local organizations that might use Community Center space.
□   Susie: A fill-in-the-blank letter of support template
□   Trevor: CFC presence at community events
□   Susie, et al: CFC logo designs or ideas
□   Mary: Collecting Trustees’ “resumes”
□   Mary, et al: Enlisting business program students to help with our business plan
□   Mark: Progress with the business plan/ grant info gathering
□   Ann: FBPA status
□   Summer meeting schedule and between-meeting processes for ensuring that we continue to effectively complete tasks and conduct business between meetings

Respectfully submitted,
Mark Hunziker, Secretary