Doc. #2008-32
CAYUGA LAKE WATERSHED NETWORK
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
Tuesday, Sept 9, 2008
Old Jail, Ithaca, NY

Directors present: : Ronda Fessenden, John Mawdsley, Ruth Richardson, Keith Tidball, Joe Cambridge, Deb Grantham, Doug Haith, Milene Morphei, Melissa Miller, Ed Harwood

Excused directors: : Brian Boerman

Also in attendance: Sharon Anderson, Dan Carrion

The meeting was called to order at 7.04pm by John Mawdsley, Chairperson.

Items from the floor:
· D. Grantham suggested a calendar of events is produced by the Network. S.Anderson has the start of one and will send it out.
· R.Richardson reported that a Cornell student has been recruited to continue the microbial tracking research.
· K.Tidball reported that a Cornell class will continue their work on the Report card development and he is the liaison contact.
· R.Fessenden suggested that the LFF award process is moved to the late winter/early spring. This was referred to the Issues Committee for consideration.
· J.Mawdsley thanked S.Anderson, as it was her last Board meeting, for her good work as Watershed Steward and wished her well in her new career.

Business:
Minutes of August Board meeting: The minutes of August 2008 meeting were not available and the item was deferred to the next Board meeting.

Staffing for the rest of 2008: D.Grantham presented the reports on the profit/loss account position as of 9th September 2008 and the Balance Sheet. She also described the financial position at the beginning of 2009 assuming that the Watershed Steward is not replaced before then. This position would give the Network a significant positive balance (of the order of $30,000) to enter the next financial year, which she thought prudent. She moved that “Dan Carrion be hired part time (25 hr/wk) from September to the end of December”, seconded by K.Tidball and unanimously approved. R.Fessenden moved that “the recruitment of a replacement watershed steward should start immediately with a revised job description and a decision to proceed with a full or part time post to be considered at the October Board meeting”, seconded by E.HArwood. D.Haith expressed concern that the Network finances may not be strong enough to recruit a full time replacement at this time. The Board was encouraged to look for grant applications in the mean time. The motion was unanimously approved.

Mission Statement: Two versions of a proposed new Mission Statement were presented to the Board. These were the result of earlier discussions on such a statement. The Board was asked to indicate which of the two they preferred in a role call vote. The second was chosen by 8 Board members, the first by one, with one abstension. As a result the Board accepted the new Mission Statement “The mission of the Cayuga Lake Watershed Network is to identify key threats to Cayuga Lake and its watershed and advocate for solutions that support a healthy environment and vibrant communities”.

Open House: R.Fessenden reported that an Open House has been fixed for the 22nd October 2008 from 4.30-6pm at the Network Offices in Zabriskie Hall at Wells College. Invitations are being sent to members, the Wells College community, Network financial supporters, businesses and others. Board members were urged to attend if possible. The main purpose is to thank Wells College for their generous gift of office space and to show members the new offices. She asked for Board members to let her know of people they thought should be invited.
K.Tidball proposed the motion” that the organizing committee has a maximum budget of $1000 for the expenses for the Open House”. It was seconded by E.Harwood and unanimously approved.
Annual Appeal:. R.Fessenden reported that the Community Relations Committee proposed that the budget item on fund raising from donors is combined with the Annual Appeal for this year. She proposed the motion that “ For 2008 the proposed fund raising from private donors is not conducted this year but a greater effort is put into the Annual Appeal to attempt to yield the combined total of the two activities in the 2008 budget”, seconded by R.Richardson and unanimously approved. The Annual appeal will be conducted in November. Board members were urged to make “thank you” calls to the list of members sent to them by the end of September.

Board Meeting dates for 2008-9:. It was agreed that the second Tuesday of the month is retained as the normal Board meeting dates, rotating between Seneca Falls, Aurora and Ithaca. An exception is the September 2008 Board meeting which is to be held on the 22nd October after the Open House.
Committee Sign Ups:. J.Mawdsley reminded Board members that they are expected to be on at least one of the standing committees. Vacancies exist on the Outreach/Program, Finance and Community Relations. E.Harwood indicated he would join the Program and M.Miller the Community Relations committees. Others were urged to let J.Mawdsley know their choice of committee prior to the next Board Meeting.
Other Business: J.Mawdsley reported that insurance has been taken out with Tompkins Insurance to cover Board members against a suit relating to their role as a Board member. D.Grantham to scan the summary of the insurance policy and circulate to the Board. K.Tidball to speak to W.Shaw concerning the prospective Board member who required such insurance before he would join.
Report Updates & Questions
Chair Report: J. Mawdsley had nothing additional to report.
Watershed Steward Report: S.Anderson reported that she had set up a Google group account for the Board to use for communications during the period without a WS. She suggested that committee minutes are circulated using this account. She thanked the Board for their support and said how much she had enjoyed working for the Netwrk and she hoped to maintain close links with it after her move to Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County.
She asked the Board not to ask Dan Carrion to carry out tasks related to Committee work as he will be fully committed working on project work that needs to be done by the end of the year.
Committee Reports:
Submitted written reports:
Finance/Development: No written report.
Outreach Committee: No written report
Issues Committee: No written report
Community Relations Committee: A Report was presented of the August 27th 2008 meeting of the Committee.

Board meeting adjourned at 8.55pm.

Next Board Meeting: 22nd October 2008 at CLWN offices in Aurora – 6.15pm.

Submitted by
John Mawdsley

Tasks:

· Board members to make phone calls to members by end of September 2008
· Recruitment committee to present options on replacing Watershed Steward to Oct Board meeting
· Board members to send names of people they want invited to Open House to Ronda Fessenden asap
· Board members to send the committee they wish to serve on to John Mawdsley by 22 Oct 2008.
· Keith Tidball to speak to Bill Shaw re prospective new Board member from Seneca County.
· D.Grantham to scan the summary of the insurance policy and circulate to the Board.