Greenbelt Internet Access Cooperative

Monthly Board Meeting – April 1, 1999

Conference Room, Greenbelt Police Station

 

M E E T I N G   M I N U T E S

 

DIRECTORS:   Tom Crompton (arrived late after other meeting), Bill Dupree (late), Doug Love, Neil McLeod, Patty Merryman, Brian Schieber (Absent: Chris Morris, Nancy Revis; Resigned: Jim Heagy 3/31/99)

MEMBERS:     Jeanette Bass, Jim Bates, Shawn O'Neil, Frank Wrigley

GUESTS: 

 

=== PRELIMINARIES ===

 

1.      The meeting was called to order at 7:40pm after Bill Dupree arrived (providing a quorum of Directors), with Bill presiding.

-         Agenda of the Monthly Board Meeting – April 1, 1999

 

2.      Frank Wrigley attended only long enough to request that his Internet service be suspended until he can get up to speed on his new computer.

 

=== MONTHLY REPORTS ===

 

3.      Secretary (Bill Dupree) [acting]

-         Minutes of the Monthly Board Meeting – March 4, 1999

 

4.      Treasurer – No report

 

5.      Membership Committee (Neil McLeod)

·         Neil distributed a membership roster to each Director present.

 

6.      Legal Committee – No report

 

7.      ISP Committee – No report

 

8.      Audit Committee – No report

 

=== OLD BUSINESS ===

 

The intention of the April 1 meeting was to resolve some lingering items and to prepare for the elections coming up in June.

 

9.      GIAC Leadership

·         Continuing a thread of discussion begun in January via submitted agenda items and pursued in the monthly meetings since, Neil McLeod again expressed concern about an apparent lack of leadership by GIAC Officers and Directors.  Neil itemized a number of important responsibilities and issues (see Preliminary Agenda) that either have not been adequately fulfilled or have not been timely addressed, resulting in financial loss, failure to perform required administrative tasks, and stagnation of mission progress by the Cooperative.

 

10.  Leadership Transition

·         Due to an overloaded work schedule, Neil McLeod resigned his administrative [System Administrator] duties, effective immediately.  Neil will continue his Webmaster duties.  We are looking for someone to spend approximately one hour a week to track the files and call in new members to the ISP.  This position is crucial for GIAC’s business function.

·         The Board officially filled two vacancies as well:

-         Bill Dupree was appointed as Secretary

-         Shawn O'Neil was voted in as a Director

·         This in no way reduces the current need for Directors and for people to fill Board seats that will be vacated in June, so please consider contacting GIAC to be nominated.

 

11.  Backlogged Agenda Items

·         New projector

-         After calling the local audio/visual stores in the Washington DC, area the cheapest projector new or old was $2500.  Doug Love went to F.O.S.E. and picked up leads on corporate donations that Bill Dupree will follow up on.

·         Voice mail

-         For the past three months the Board has grappled with the need for voice mail.  Since phone calls at all hours to Nancy Revis have left her frazzled, the Board will contact a company and start service as dictated by parameters set by the Board.  Bill Dupree will monitor the account and pass on the calls to the appropriate party.

·         Financial reserves

-         The Board has always felt we should make our money work for the organization.  The President and Treasurer were directed to hold out operating capital and put the remainder in a short term (6 month) certificate of deposit effective ASAP.

·         Board procedures

-         The Board instituted a means of voting via e-mail on items caught between the Board meetings.  It will not replace meetings and the President will mediate and determine whether the item should be deferred to a formal Board meeting.

·         Committee needs

-         The Audit Committee needs one more person to sit in on the audit.  You need not be a Board member.  Brian Schieber will post a GIAC-wide request to fill this post.

·         Annual meeting and election

-         We also need help to set up for the June meeting.  Example: Ballots, envelopes, flyers, nominations, refreshments, and mailing of coupon books.

·         Monthly classes

-         If you can pass on some of your expertise in the field of computers and the Internet, we would like you to volunteer to give a class.  Contact us via e-mail.  GIAC is all about helping others.  Please volunteer to help and to be part of the active process of running the Cooperative.

 

12.  Agenda Items Discussed but Not Reported (please forward your notes to the Secretary)

·         Class planning

-         Proactive seeking of instructors

·         Membership Committee

-         Rotating "duty" on answering service

·         Annual meeting and election

-         Nominations Committee - action items?

-         Election - action items?

-         Audit Committee report (past due)

·         New Member procedures

-         Account Manager - action items? (Doug Love - acting)

-         Connection assistance - Macintosh support

-         CENTER proposal

·         Board procedures

-         GIAC website updates

·         Girl Scout badge program

 

13.  Agenda Items Not Discussed (carry over to next meeting)

·         Audit Committee

-         1998 Audit Report

·         Legal Committee

-         Needs one member

-         Tax-exempt status

-         Articles of Incorporation

·         VIP Committee

-         Needs two members

-         Program status review

-         Program update

·         Financial reserves

-         Expenditure guidelines

·         Board procedures

-         GIAC policy/procedure documentation

-         Posting of meeting agenda & minutes

-         Posting of "Position Paper" issues

·         New Member procedures

-         Follow-up responsibility

 

=== NEW BUSINESS ===

 

14.  Bylaws

·         The Board also discussed Bylaw clarifications; one to be brought before the Members is that of making one of the Directors responsible in the capacity of Social Director.  [The Board ultimately classified Social Director as a volunteer role requiring no Bylaw changes. -Webmaster] The necessity for the members to connect in person is just as important as our web connections.  We would all enjoy matching a face to the warm personalities we meet online.

 

=== CONCLUSION ===

 

15.  Scheduled Meetings

·         The next meeting will be held at 7:00pm on Thursday, May 6, in the conference room at the Greenbelt Police Station.

-         Minutes of the Monthly Board Meeting – May 6, 1999

 

16.  The meeting was adjourned at 9:00pm.

 

 

- 04/06/99 Posted by Bill Dupree, Secretary
- 04/16/99 Posted by Neil McLeod, Acting Agenda Keeper
- 09/01/05 Reformatted & edited by Neil McLeod