Greenbelt
Internet Access Cooperative
Monthly
Board Meeting – November 10, 2005
Conference
Room, Greenbelt Police Station
D R A F T
M
E E T I N G M I N U T E S
DIRECTORS: Anne Andersen (arrived 7:17), Peggy
Bates, Mary Camp, Ed James, (Resigned: Phil Brandis, Neil McLeod)
OFFICERS: Terry
Henderson
MEMBERS: Neil McLeod
GUESTS:
=== PRELIMINARIES ===
1. Meeting called
to order at 7:00pm.
Meeting chair: Peggy Bates
2. Introduction of
Directors, Members, and Guests
3. Changes to
Agenda
a.
Proposals (additions/deletions) and approvals
b.
Approval of final agenda (PB moved, MC seconded, unanimous
approval)
=== GUEST PRESENTATIONS ===
4. Scheduled
Guests (15 minute limit)
5. Unscheduled
Guests (3 minute limit)
Appointment of volunteers to roles and
tasks
=== MONTHLY REPORTS ===
6. Secretary
(Terry Henderson)
a.
Approval of meeting minutes
MONTHLY
MEETINGS
1)
Meeting October 12 –
ballot D-051027 not completed – extended to 11/18
2)
Fourteen meetings
1999-2003 not submitted
ANNUAL
MEETINGS
3) Meetings June 7, 2005, not submitted
·
Sign-up sheet – please forward to Neil for posting (Peggy)
·
Ballot summary – please forward to Neil for posting (Peggy)
4) Meetings 2004/2002/2001 not submitted
5)
Membership meeting
2000 – Treasurer’s report needed (Peggy)
b.
Old action items
Orientation Meeting: 6:00pm, Wednesday, November 2, at Paint Branch Golf Course - Done
c.
New action items
Buy paper
7. Treasurer
(Peggy Bates)
a.
Financial report
b.
Membership report
One new membership (Gayle Rawley)
c.
Old action items
1) Send latest
contacts PDF to all. – No progress
2) Send accounts
database (or spreadsheet) to Neil. – Upload spreadsheet ASAP / Neil will
reconcile
3) Relocate GIAC
bank account and CD.
·
CD must now wait until August 2006?? - Yes
·
Bank account can be opened ASAP?? - Yes
·
Need Articles of Incorporation and Mary Camp’s signature.
4) Submit
Treasurer’s 2005 Annual Meeting notes [membership report, financial report,
audit reports]. – No progress
5) Remit payments
and documents to Maryland SDAT. - Done
d.
New action items
1) Continue New
Deal Café WiFi support after December?
·
Motion: Continue wireless
support Jan-Dec 2006 – source of financing to be Neil’s webmaster job credits
(PB moved, MC seconded, unanimous
approval)
2) Upload Member
journals.
3) Describe
current and retroactive procedures used to bill users for extra webspace. –
Neil will ask Peggy via e-mail
8. Vice President
(Mary Camp)
a.
Classes report
1) Scheduled
classes – November 17 and November 30. DVD player not working?
2) Proposed class
topics
·
Someone (non-member) inquired about teaching classes. Mary
suggested that she look at the URL to see what classes have been taught.
b.
Old action items
1) Make sign for
New Deal Cafe showing GIAC's sponsorship of WiFi hotspot. – In progress by Phil
Larkin
2) Email members
about contest to design new GIAC and GREENBELT.COM logos. - Done
3) Email members about classes. - Done
4) Configure and test wireless relay. (Neil) – No
activity
c.
New action items - None
9. President (Any
Directors) [acting]
a.
Old action items
1) Recruiting for
principals and committees. (Neil) - Ongoing
·
Invited – Rich Potter, Linda Siadys
2)
Update posted Board
procedures per past minutes. (Neil) - In progress
3) Enforce Board
procedures. (Directors) - Ongoing
·
Contact Anne Andersen to determine her intentions. (Peggy) – No
activity; overtaken by events / Closed
4) Draft bylaw
proposals. – Referred to Legal Committee
b.
New action items
1) Labor Day
Festival due dates need to be recognized next year.
2) Schedule
meeting room for 2006
3) Directors are
to report absences/vacations to secretary so these can be reflected in the
minutes and duty rosters.
10. System
Administrator (Peggy Bates / Neil McLeod)
a.
Technical support activity report (Duty Directors)
1) Peggy Bates
(Neil)
·
Problem with limits on number of e-mails that can be sent at one
time.
2) Neil McLeod
& Susan Taylor (Neil)
·
Problem sending messages to domains ‘msn.com’ and ‘hotmail.com’.
3) Susan Taylor
(Neil)
·
Explained virus removal messages (to a virus-innocent Macintosh
user).
4) Katy Pape
(Mary?)
·
Problem with e-mail?
5) Ed James (Neil)
·
Checked transient dial-up connection problem.
6) Gayle Rawley
(Neil)
·
Diagnosed dial-up connection problem in Windows 98.
7) Cathy Holcombe
(Neil)
·
House call to diagnose Outlook Express problems in Windows XP.
8) Lynnda Kratovil
(Neil)
·
Mailbox overflow – ~5 MB movie attachment.
9) Ed James (Neil)
·
Coordinated a comedy of e-mail problems with VR November 5-10
(SAT-THU).
10) Elizabeth
Hubley (Neil)
·
Explained e-mail authentication timeout and reset browser startup
page.
b.
Old action items
1) Report
Greenbelt News Review network upgrade status. (Neil) – No activity
2) Submit 2005
Annual Meeting notes [ISP report]. (Peggy) – No activity
3) Upload
membership roster. (Peggy) - Done
c.
New action items
Upload work orders. (Peggy)
11. Webmaster (Neil
McLeod)
a.
Community Website report
1) Apply monthly
and weekly Community Calendar updates. - Ongoing
·
Build 2006 calendar. – Please forward any suggestions
2) Upgrade eGroups
(YahooGroups) page. – Done
3) Posted trial
page linking to local blogs (diaries).
b.
GIAC Website report
1) Post procedural
decisions made during Board meetings. -
In progress
2) Upgrade Minutes
section. – In progress.
·
Locate (or create) financial and membership report files.
3) Integrate
PayPal sign-up procedure into Online Registration form. – No progress
c.
Old action items
1) Solicit
photographs for Community Gallery.
·
Posted 35 photographs of 2005 Pooch Plunge by Linda Siadys.
·
Working on Halloween photos.
2) Upgrade GIAC
website format. – In progress
d.
New action items - None
12. Director (Ed
James)
a.
Old action items
1) Promote &
support community WiFi usage. – No activity
2) Organize &
coordinate Greenbelt Linux User Group (GLUG). – Close
3) City Council
co-op certificate? – Circulate to Principals, then file
4) GATE interview?
– Circulate to Principals
b.
New action items - None
13. Director (Anne
Andersen)
a.
Old action items
1) Develop
neighborhood webpages. – Project abandoned / Closed
2) Explain missing
one meeting, several ballots, two duty weeks - Vacation plan was announced by
e-mail in July
3) New Deal Café
Open House planning. - Security issues
discussed. Mary mentioned RATware
(remote access Trojan). Membership kits
will be available. Neil will help Anne
set up WiFi on her laptop. No date set
for this event.
b.
New action items
Select and act on a new Director project
ASAP.
14. Audit Committee
[vacant]
a.
Old action items
1) Complete 2003
audit report. (Mary) – No activity
2) Collect
materials for 2004/2005 audits. (Neil) – In progress
·
Requested audit procedures from Mary on 10/14 - Done
·
Requested Member journals from Peggy on 10/18 – No activity
3) Give copy of
previous audit procedures to Neil. (Mary) – Given at this meeting / Done
b.
New action items
Create read-protected directory for audit
documents. (Neil) - Done
15. ISP Committee
[vacant]
a.
Old action items
Develop and propose new service offerings.
·
Negotiate IKANO DSL reseller package. (Peggy) – No activity
·
Document read-protected directories. (Neil) – No activity
b.
New action items - None
16. Legal Committee
(Neil McLeod) [acting]
a.
Old action items
1) Review and
update legal documents. – Ongoing
2) Amended
Articles of Incorporation.
·
Prepare GIAC filing package, including Ballot M-050908 hardcopies.
(Neil) – Done / given to Peggy for filing
3) Draft bylaw
proposals. (Neil) – ballot D-051101 not completed – extended to 11/18
4) Compete IRS
tax-exempt application (Form 1023). (Clement)
5) Implement
nonprofit hosting program.
·
Develop a working list of Greenbelt nonprofit organizations.
(Neil) - Done
·
Draft “invitation” form letter(s) for candidate organizations.
(Clement/Neil) – Almost done / pending approval
6) Committee
Meeting: 1:00pm, Wednesday, October 26,
at Neil’s. – Cancelled
b.
New action items
1) Ed James has
quit the committee.
2) Committee
Meeting: 1:00pm, Saturday,
November 19, at Neil’s
17. Membership
Committee [vacant]
a.
Old action items
1) Update
membership forms and save as PDF files. (Mary) – No activity
2) Need committee
volunteers to support recruiting activities. – No activity
3) 10th
Anniversary Celebration – No activity
·
Need a vote to authorize the expense
·
Set a working date – Saturday, April 1?
·
Who will coordinate planning, invitations, food, etc.?
b.
New action items - None
=== OLD BUSINESS ===
18. None
=== NEW BUSINESS ===
19. Decision
by the Board on its intentions to maintain the Cooperative and its mission:
a.
Important issues if YES:
1) Teamwork
(response, attendance, voting)
2) Recruiting
of Members and Principals
b.
Important issues if NO:
1) Nonprofit
status
2) Disposition
of GREENBELT.COM
c.
Discussion:
1) Neil asked for
a reaffirmation of Board intentions and commitments, hoping to halt the
increasingly conspicuous waning of involvement by the Directors and to avoid
subsequent recriminations among the Principals. Neil wishes to continue GIAC’s mission but has been discouraged
lately by chronic failures of other Principals to fulfill their
jobs/roles. Having been repeatedly
burned by apathy and nonfeasance, Neil will henceforth confine his involvement
to the duties and activities of his own volunteered roles as Community
Webmaster and alternate System Administrator (both of which involve support of
GREENBELT.COM) and he intends to rightfully leave the direction and fate of
GIAC in the hands of its Principals.
All new tasks of the Legal Committee related to the pursuit of
nonprofit status will be suspended pending demonstration of continued
commitment and productivity on the part of Officers and Directors. Neil identified the following key issues
that he believes are critical to the ongoing viability of GIAC (and necessarily
preliminary to his personal re-involvement in GIAC activities):
·
Completion of the 2003 audit report (prior to the initiation
2004/2005 audit activities).
·
Demonstration of responsible stewardship of GIAC’s financial
resources, including showing more administrative respect and consideration for
those Members who follow the rules than for those who don’t, as well as making
every effort to maintain GIAC’s long term financial (i.e., cash flow)
viability; specifically, rigorous adherence to long-established billing
policies for Member service accounts.
·
Finalization of and commitment to outstanding bylaw proposals that
were designed to minimize the negative impacts of “dead wood” Principals and
Members.
·
On the other hand, if the Principals can/will no longer commit to
the levels of support that are needed to realistically maintain and advance
GIAC’s activities and mission, Neil asked the Board in that case to plan and
finalize the Cooperative’s inevitable demise with appropriate levels of
competence and dignity.
2) Peggy stated
that she wishes to continue; however, her personal resources are limited by the
demands of her new job. She is
currently making efforts to enlist help from other resources.
3) Mary stated
that she wishes to continue.
4) Ed and Anne
were noncommittal.
=== CONCLUSION ===
20. Voice Mail
Roster (GIAC e-mail monitored daily by Ed James & Neil McLeod)
Nov 06 - Nov 12 Phil Brandis (final duty)
Nov 13 - Nov 19 Anne Andersen
Nov 20 - Nov 26 Ed James
Nov 27 - Dec 03 Mary Camp
Dec 04 - Dec 10 Peggy
Bates
Dec 11 - Dec 17 Neil
McLeod
21. Scheduled
Meetings
·
Audit Committee:
·
Legal Committee: 1:00pm,
Saturday, November 19, at Neil’s
·
Membership Committee:
·
Monthly Meeting: 7:00pm,
Thursday, December 8, at Greenbelt Police Station
22. Meeting
adjourned at 10:15pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Terry Henderson, Secretary
December 1, 2005