Minutes from the July 14, 2003 Meeting of The Friends of Dicken Woods

Erik Stalhandske led the meeting with updates on the following topics:

Park Advisory Commission-We had a good turn out of Friends at the June meeting. Initially not all of the PAC members seemed supportive of our efforts; however, by the end of the June meeting we received many compliments and a lot of support. At this meeting they agreed to do an assessment of the property.

Yard Signs-The next batch of 50 signs has been received and is available on Tom Ivacko's front porch at 1607 Waltham. No need to knock, feel free to take one for yourself and any interested neighbors.

Bumper Sticker-Judy Burgess looked into the purchase of bumper stickers for the group. She found a company who will make 1000 for approximately $200. The members present discussed whether this would be a good way to spend our current funds. After the discussion, received a motion from Jack Eaton to approve the purchase, a second from Deb Norbotten, and the passed with all in support except one vote in opposition by Doug Wood. Tom will get the information from Judy to place the order.

Ark Benefit Concert-The concert at the Ark is set for August 21st. Tickets are $20.00 and available through Jim and Leigh Anne Boyd. We need everyone to help sell tickets and let as many people know about the concert as possible. Nancy Schiffler, a representative from the Sierra Club, took flyers to distribute at their meeting.

Dicken PTO-The PTO is supportive of our efforts and is willing to write a letter of support for us to add to our current packet. Also, we need to touch base with the new Dicken principal.

Kiwanis Club Support-Erik and Tom attended a lunch meeting of the West Side Kiwanis. We hope to get a small donation from this chapter of the group. Tom will write a f/u letter to Mr. Chun. Also, we will attend a meeting of the Downtown chapter in hopes of also applying for funding from their group.

Observer Follow-up-Tom has been in touch with Eema Johnson from the Observer, and there may be an article about our efforts in the August issue.

By-Laws-Jack Eaton completed a first draft of by-laws for our organization. After some discussion, it was decided that we should include information about how one becomes a member. This change will be added and the first draft to be posted on the web page. Anyone with thoughts or input, please feel free to e-mail your thoughts. We will review comments and then vote on approval of the by-laws at the next meeting (8/4).

Reimbursement-Several Friends have some out of pocket expenses and now that we have funds from the garage sale, we discussed reimbursing the folks with large expenses. Jack Eaton moved that we reimburse the $250 for the Environmental Consultant and the $500 for the filing fees for our tax exempt status. A second was given by Naela Jenkins and the motion passed. Also, anyone with out of pocket expenses needs to get receipts to Deb Norbotten before the next meeting so she can review and prepare a report. All expenditures up to $499 will not require a vote by the membership; however, anything over $500 will require a vote.

Pledges-Currently we have $34,000 in pledges donated by Friends. Deb to send letters to all who have committed to remind them of the amount they pledged and let them know we will probably need the money in Sept or October.

Tax exempt status-Jim Boyd will file paperwork for a license to solicit funds, in addition to the documents for getting 501(c)(3) tax exempt status.

Outreach-Nancy Shiffler suggested the Friends consider submitting an article for either the August/September or the November editions of the Sierra Club Huron Valley Group newsletter. The summer edition will reach a few hundred individuals; the fall edition will reach 3,000. Nancy also noted that the Sierra Club hosts meetings on the third Tuesday of every month, located at the Mathei Botanical Gardens. The Sept. 19 meeting is slated as a 'newcomers' meeting and they have tables set aside for information at which we could either place flyers or possibly even have a representative available to meet with interested individuals.

On another front, Tom is to get in touch with Mary Anne Jaeger, the new principal for Dicken Elementary School, to ask her support of our efforts and to begin planning for how Dicken Elementary can help in the overall efforts.

Fundraising-The garage sale went well and we raised $3600. Thanks again to everyone who helped with this effort. We had an offer for a Creative Memories party in which 50% of the proceeds will be donated to our group, After much discussion, those present voted to pass on the offer at this time. Another effort in the works is a Borders Bookstore Coupon Day. The coupon doesn't allow for any percentage off the purchase; however, if it is used on September 19-21st, we will receive a portion of the proceeds from the sale. It is our responsibility to distribute them and we can not stand out in front of the stores to distribute them. Tom is getting a template for the coupon and it will be on the web page for everyone to access.

Next Meeting-The tentative date for the next meeting is 8/4, please watch the website for any changes.