GIAC

 Monthly Board Meeting

September 11, 2003.   Police Station

 MINUTES

 

 

Present: Board members: Douglas Love (Chair), Alexander Barnes, Mary Camp, Neil McLeod, Ed James,

and Leonie Penney

=== PRELIMINARIES ===

1. Call to order at 7:07 PM

2. Additional Issues to Agenda

   Under 13A..   Animal Rescue    

   Under 13B.    Laptop

   Under 13C.    Logo

3. Approval of Agenda

    Expanded  Agenda was unanimously approved.

 

=== Monthly Reports ===

 

4. Secretary report (Leonie Penney)

    Leonie  handed out the minutes of the August 14, 2003  Board Meeting.

    The minutes were unanimously approved.

 

5. Action items from last month (suggestions from the floor)::

    A. Ruth Kastner’s request.

         Her request to remove the “God bless America” sentence from the Community web site was denied.

         Vote: 2 in favor of request, 3 against, 1 abstention.

    B. Promotional Discount e-mail to all members (Doug Love)

         Not yet done

    C. Labor Day Info Table recap (Mary Camp)

         See Vice President report

    D. The SPAM committee report (Neil McLeod)

         The report is posted on Greenbelt.com/giac/reports/spam

         See that website for details.

    E. Handling of August Minutes (Doug Love)

         O.K.

    F. Request for Sept. Meeting in Police Station (Doug Love)

        Doug called, Leonie sent required e-mail, and here we are.

 

6. Vice President report (Mary Camp)

Labor Day Booth

    Doug put the phone line up. A total of 6 to 7 members staffed the booth, 5 to 6 membership kits were handed out.

    New direction: people move over towards Cable/DSL: no longer interested in GIAC. The future may see only a

    hardcore membership. Future Agenda: review Greenbelt.com services offered.

    Mary will send a list of Labor Day booth helpers to Doug.

Classes:

   Now being set up for September. Neil volunteered classes which require Internet access. This is technically

   difficult: requires telephone line etc. Doug might be able to run a line from the Community Center.

   Alexander  wondered whether the Art Center could be used.  Using the Library has the disadvantage that we have to 

   be out by 9 p.m.   Doug can give a "Basic Introduction to he Internet".

   Classes for October or early November: Mary gets space, Doug sets up, Neil teaches

   Discussed was the option of finding Office Space. Like using the Conference Room from members who work in

   Greenbelt.  Make a list of members who work in Greenbelt.

Audit Committee

   The Committee will be formed in December, so it can start its work in January

 

7. Treasurer report (Doug Love for Peggy Bates)

Financial Report:

    Doug handed out Peggy’s statements: Monthly Balance Sheets from Jan. thru August 2003 and for Total; Profit and

    Loss statements for the same 8 months and for Total.   Total Net Income as of August 31, 2003: $ 536.03

Membership Report:

     56 connections, 1 E-mail/Webspace only, 1 Webmail only. 97 member.

     Tom Jones moved the Art Center Website away from Greenbelt.com.

 

8.  Webmaster Report (Neil McLeod)

     Looking for people to write descriptions of Greenbelt neighborhoods, parks, business centers, etc.

     No technical experience needed. Webmaster will use the content to build webpages.

     Leonie will get list of Home-Association Presidents. 

 

9. System Administrator report (??)

   No Report. See below under 12d) New Business: how to find Volunteers.

 

10. Legal Committee (Doug Love)

      Not yet formed.  If you get non-taxable status, then you still have to pay City and County Taxes on your

      Assets (Personal Property).

 

11. Old Business

      A.  New Deal Problems

            Alexander talked to Dorian, who is happy.

      B.  Charitable Contributions (Neil McLeod):

            Issue is tabled.      

 

12. New Business

      A. Establish Doug as 2nd signatory on bank account.

           Doug will go to the Bank and ask for the relevant form. The form then has to be signed by the

           Secretary.

      B. Remove dead membership accounts.

           Doug will ask Peggy to do this.

      C. Discuss necessary task assignments.

           Leonie handed out printouts of the tasks posted on our Website (GIAC - Organizational Structure:

           Board, Directors, Officers, Volunteers, Committees). Everybody will review the tasks listed, with

           special attention to tasks that are crucial to ongoing GIAC administrative and technical operations. We

           will discuss our findings at the next Board Meeting.

      D. Brainstorm how to find volunteers in general and specifically those needed to tackle the still

           unassigned crucial tasks.

           We will start with an ad in the News Review for 1) a Legal Committee Member  2) a System

           Administrator and 3) a Delegate Web Master.  Doug will also look whether he can

           locate an Intern for one of these functions.

 

13.  Other New Business:

       A.  Animal Rescue

             Doug asked Neil to put request from the Animal Rescue League on our Website.

       B.   Laptop

              The virus protection program for the laptop has expired. Mary will contact Peggy to pay for renewal.

              Put Quickbooks on the laptop.  Get specs for new projector we will buy.

       C.   Logo

              Discussion of this topic was tabled.        

 

14. Voice Mail Roster:      Don’t forget to check out GIAC@greenbelt.com !!!

      Sep. 14 - Sep. 20   Mary Camp

      Sep. 21 - Sep. 27   Doug Love

       Sep. 28 - Oct. 04   Alexander Barnes

       Oct. 05 - Oct. 11   Ed James

       Oct. 12 - Oct. 18   Leonie Penney

       Oct. 19 - Oct. 25   Neil McLeod

Note: somebody had lost something during the Labor Day Fair, asked our voice-mail how to retrieve it. Refer them to Patty Brothers.

 

15. Action Items:

A - Doug                  Promotional Discount e-mail to all members; get date for class and set up wire,

                                Attend Legal Committee, Put ad in News Review, look into possibility of an Intern  (see 12D)

                                Put on future Agenda: review GIAC.com services offered

                                Get necessary forms from Bank to become second signatory on bank account

                                Ask Peggy to remove dead membership accounts.

B - Mary                  Send June Minutes and  list of Labor Day booth helpers  to Doug.  Look for space for class

                                in Community Center and Library, get City’s projector,  put article in News Review.  Get

                                specs for new Projector.  Update anti-virus contract..

C - Neil                     Send membership list to Mary, prepare October SPAM class, post Animal Rescue League

                                info, attend Legal Committee meeting.

D - Ed                       Set up WiFy access point at home.

E - Leonie                e-mail Minutes to Doug, corrected copy to all;  get names of Presidents of Greenbelt

                                home-owners associations.

F - Everybody            Review Task list (see 12 C. above)

?? -                           Make a list of members who work in Greenbelt (in connection with finding class-space)

 

15. Meeting Evaluation

* Followed Agenda (good!)

* Try to finish at 9 p.m.

 

15. Closed meeting at  9:16  pm.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Leonie Penney, Secretary