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Meeting of 10 April 2014
Present: Loreto Doyle,
Ian Green, Anne-Claude Pépin (via Skype), Rosie Smith,
Angelo Spinazzola, Jitka Zgola; guest: Ruth Schneider
Regrets: James Murphy,
Paul Weinberg
- Call to Order
- Approve Agenda
- Add "Plaster Park During Construction" and
"QuickBooks Course" to New Business, and "Social Media
Marketing workshop" to Old Business.
- Motion: to approve
the agenda as amended (moved:
Loreto; seconded:
Ian; carried.)
- Approve Minutes of Meeting of 15 February 2014
- Motion: to approve
the minutes of 15 February 2014 (moved:
Loreto; seconded:
Jitka; carried.)
- Old Business
- Social Media Workshop
- Amber Buchanan attended the social media
workshop presented in Sydney by Dan Coffin at the Centre for Craft,
and is requesting reimbursement for expenses, including gas and
lunch. At this point, Amber is also willing to act as the social media
coordinator for the summer season if the web site is up and running.
- Motion: to approve
reimbursement of $20 for Amber Buchanan for workshop-related expenses
(moved:
Angelo; seconded:
Ian; carried.)
- Community/Tourism Web Site
- Mike Targett has not replied to our registered
letter, indicating that he is not disputing the termination of our
contract. He did remove all on-line content, but we have
a backup.
- New Business
- Review SABDA's mission, strategic plan, and
future priorities
- The goal of this item was to review SABDA's mission
in order to keep it in mind in future endeavours, and to help identify
ideas for future projects.
- Ruth provided a review of SABDA's history:
- SABDA began in the early 1990s at a time when
communities were having various projects imposed upon them by
outside groups. It became clear that communities needed to have
a voice and an organisation to be contacted by outside agencies.
It was determined that the community as a whole needed to be
consulted—not an easy feat in a large, dispersed area. The area
represented by SABDA was fixed to extend from the highway turn-off
at South Haven to the foot of Smokey at Wreck Cove, and all roads
in between.
- The Coady Institute offered to come to St. Ann's
and teach a Rapid Rural Assessment course.
Some funding was available for rural development at the time; SABDA
obtained some, and used it to hire 3–4 teams of two surveyors,
one person to interview and one to record. In 1994, every household
in the area was visited, and asked 11 questions.
- The survey questions were developed by sending
out a note to all organisations in the community, asking for their top
two questions. Over 65% of the community responded to the surveys.
Survey answers were analysed and used to develop the community
survey summary report. (When asked if they planned to continue
living here, 82% said they saw themselves and their families continuing
to live in the area 10 years in the future.)
- Three sessions to report back to the community
were held, one at each of the community halls. From the report
came the Strategic Plan, available on our
web site and still commonly cited in proposals. It was determined at
this time that all SABDA meeting minutes would be put in every mailbox
in the community. This practice has since ceased, although
meeting minutes are posted publicly on
the SABDA web site.
- From the identified goals, it was determined that
a number of committees were necessary, to determine how the
actions under the plan were to be accomplished. The reason why
most people were living here was quality of life. So the community
needed services to foster quality of life, to encourage people to
come here, stay here, and potentially hire others to help them stay
here. If 12–15 small businesses started up and created a living
for 2–3 people, the community would be better off than if
one industry employing 30 people came into the community and
eventually left.
- It was discovered that SABDA was an ideal organisation
for providing three main functions:
- Even with little money, SABDA can write letters.
These can be used to support new businesses for funding applications,
or to promote specific community projects.
- SABDA can act as an incubator. The Health Centre
was formed from the SABDA Health Committee. It separated in order to
obtain charitable status and further its own goals. The Cabot Trail
Writer's Festival was also a committee of SABDA for its first two years,
before registering as a separate Society.
- SABDA can act as a point of contact for outside
agencies and funding applicants for specific projects. For example,
when the North River Trail was going to be closed, the Department of
Environment contacted SABDA and asked the group to put in a proposal.
SABDA acquired funding and was successful in keeping the trail open.
- Ruth also presented the
Voices of St. Ann's report by Minerva
MacInnis, a checklist of what people think creates their social health,
and forms the principles of a strong community. The report outlines
how you can evaluate any community proposal.
- Following Ruth's presentation of this history of
SABDA, we discussed framing future endeavours in the context of
goals from the SABDA strategic plan.
- At this time, Ian advocates strengthening SABDA's
economic development goals. The Creative Nova Scotia Council
report says non-arts businesses (IT and graphics in particular) like to
set up businesses in creative places. He suggests trying to attract
IT-based businesses. He also indentified the need of more
infrastructure, such as communications for these businesses, and
schools and child care to attract more young families.
- Ian also suggested forming an arts cooperative
committee—not artisans, but performing and literary arts.
This committee could network and promote the area in concerted
effort. There could be representatives from the Writer's Festival,
Gaelic College, St. Ann's Bay Players, musicians, etc.
- Action: All
members are to think about future projects, to be presented at
the next meeting. Ideas may be either a particular project or a
general area of interest.
- Business Meetings
- It was agreed that there is a need to reduce SABDA
e-mail traffic flow. To help reduce the number and length of e-mails,
regular monthly meetings will be set, and an attempt will be made to
keep them to 45 minutes. A financial report will be presented at
each meeting.
- Motion: to set monthly
meetings on the last Tuesday of each month at 7:00 pm
(moved:
Angelo; seconded:
Jitka; carried.)
- NOTE: For this
month, only, our next meeting will be the last
Monday in May (26th) at Simply Pizza,
7:00 pm.
- Authorised Signers
- Jitka has submitted the necessary information to
the Credit Union to update our authorised signatures per our meeting
of April 2. She will be notified when the paperwork is ready for
Anne-Claude and Rosie to sign.
- Quorum
- SABDA does not currently have a copy of its bylaws,
which includes the quorum standards. It is possible to obtain a copy
of our memorandum of association and bylaws from the Registry, for a
fee. However, it is likely easier to submit new bylaws. The Joint Stocks
default quorum setting at this time is one third of the board of directors
for ordinary motions, which will be used by SABDA in the future. When
our new bylaws are submitted, it should be ensured that there is room
in the bylaws to allow for directors to be removed from the board due
to lack of attendance or other issues.
- Action: At our
next meeting, a new set of bylaws will be proposed, to be adopted
at a special meeting.
- Action: Loreto
will look at the rules for setting a special meeting to change the
bylaws, and forward the Registry's bylaw template to the other
directors for review.
- Industry Day ("Destination Cape Breton" Event)
- Industry Day will be held in Baddeck on 11 April
2014. Angelo attended last year, and Ian and Angelo are attending this
year. They will report back to SABDA.
- Motion: to cover
$30 of each person's attendance fee
(moved:
Loreto; seconded:
Rosie; carried.)
- Cultural Rural Tourism Best Practices Tour
- Ian had earlier requested financial support to join
this working tour on SABDA's behalf. He will not be able to attend,
and has declined his place on the tour. The area of this year's tour is
the Berkshires, Massachusetts, which is very different from St. Ann's
(far more populous), so the tour may not be as applicable to our region
as first supposed. However, there are still many lessons to be learned.
One major advantage is that reports are submitted to the Best Practices
Tour by each participant, which are then compiled and redistributed
to all participants. This tour takes place on 28 April 2014.
- Total cost is $1,800, with half reimbursed at a later
date. Angelo will consider attending, with perhaps a 25% contribution
by SABDA.
- Discussion: There are currently about $2,000 in
non-designated funds in our bank account. $450 is perhaps too much
to commit to this initiative. In the future, SABDA might fundraise for
this and similar events.
- Action: Ian will ask
Best Practices if anyone from the area is attending who may be able to
report back to SABDA.
- Action: If no one
from the area will be attending, Angelo will investigate the tour, see if
there is space, and provide an itemised account of benefits.
- Spring Clean-up, Earth Day
- Earth Day is Tuesday 22 April. In recent years,
SABDA has not advertised anything, but has helped with promotion
of spring cleanups, and paid for a truck to pick up garbage bags
and transport them to the dump. There may still be too much snow
on April 22, so we will promote a Spring Clean-up to be combined
with Arbor Day activities in the Arbouretum, scheduled for May 3.
- Action: Loreto,
Jitka, and Angelo will form a Spring Clean-up Committee.
- Community/Tourism Web Site
- It was discussed whether we need to issue another
RFP, or just find someone suitable to do the job. We are looking for
fewer deliverables at this point, and basically need a programmer and
someone to train community users. It was decided to move forward
and find someone without going through the RFP process.
- Action: Names
will be submitted to Loreto for contact by the weekend.
- Plaster Park During Construction
- Jitka has suggested that an effort be made to
rehabilitate the Park at the same time the road there is fixed. The
County has already submitted a request to the responsible provincial
department to remedy this derelict property, as it is dangerous and
an eyesore.
- Action: Jitka
will draft a letter.
- QuickBooks Course
- The Department of Labour is offering a funded
QuickBooks course. If there are eight people interested, the course
can be delivered in our community. The County has funds available
to cover the hall rental and coffee.
- Action: Jitka
will post a notice in the Events sheet, asking for community interest
to be sent to the SABDA e-mail address.
- Meeting Adjourned (moved:
Jitka; seconded: Rosie)
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