Minutes of NWSSA BOD Meeting 6-10-2024

NorthWest Stone Sculptors Association
Established 05/27/1988
Board Meeting Minutes

ORGANIZATION NAME: NWSSA 

Date: 06/10/2024
Time: 6:35 P.M. PST
Location: Virtual via Zoom

ATTENDANCE

Board members: Ellie Hochman, Jeremy Kester, Stephen Taplin, Cyra Jane Hobson, Tamara Buchanan, Markos Weiss, Denny Tsang, Deborah Wilson, Michael Yaeman
Board Members Present via phone/virtual: All
Absent: Michael Yeaman, Deborah Wilson
Quorum: Yes
Staff Present: 
Guests: Pat Barton 

CALL TO ORDER

A meeting of the Board of Directors of the ORGANIZATION was duly called on 6/10/2024, at 6:30p.m. PST.  Ellie Hochman (President) called the meeting to order.

Approve Consent agenda
Minutes Approval

5/8/2024 BOD Meeting Minutes
A motion was made to approve. The motion was seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

Reports:

Treasurer – Ellie
Website – Ellie 
WA Symp – Cyra
Follow up on insurance capacity limits for symposia with Denny
-currently at 793 camper days? Denny to follow up
OR Symp – Ellie
Rachel on deck to take directorship in 2025.
What happens financially  if we cancel again due to weather?
Women’s Retreat – Ellie
Raised $900.00 at auction. 
Moving to Fort Warden for 2025.
Mineral Market – Pat
$2580.00 in sales. Participating in The Best of the Northwest show in 2025 instead.
Everett Arboretum Show – 
Marymoor Park – Tamara
Sue Taves and Ken Barnes are managing this well thus far. See ADDENDUM below.
Approximately $2500 left in grant for installation and maintenance of works.

 Old Business:

Finance Committee Endowment work group – Ellie

Michael requests establishing a point person for endowment donation solicitation by September. Stephen Taplin may be willing.

How to fund NWSSA Operating Expenses – Markos 
Add additional donation option at membership sign up
Raise dues? Facilitation of donations? Proportion of each program budget?
Need an analysis of budget to actuals. (Cyra) 
Motion was made to increase full membership dues to $75 annually and maintain student rate at $35. Motion was seconded. Motion failed.

New finance committee member – Bob Stoops
Tamara, Michael, Stephen, and all finance committee form team to make recommendation for options to fund orginazation.   

New Business:

Annual successes and general meeting planning – Ellie|
Surveys. Insurance clarification. New website up. List events. Emergency protocol. Finance report. Endowment presentation. Events coordinator and event submission form. Retreat and monthly meetings. Minutes are available online. Journal publication and expansion. Tool time. 

Emergency protocol report – Ellie

Discussion about having meeting videos and live streamed – Ellie

Agree to the next BOD meeting date. Jul 10, 2024 at Pilgrim Firs

Retreat is 11/1-11/3 of 2025 at Ellie’s

Meeting adjourned at 8:20 P.M. PST by Markos Weiss (Vice President). 

Addendum:

Hi Tamara!

Sounds great, getting some folks interesting in placing sculptures there is the next step for us. We’ve had a few meeting about the program with the Marymoor rep. Last month Ken met with Charlie and a couple others on site to discuss specific spots and our general plan was to identify 2-3 sculptures we could place there sometime this fall. Making some sort of announcement for that at the symposiums would be a good idea. We haven’t identified the specific parameters to put out to the group so that’s probably our next step while the Charlie is working on updating the contract for the next 5 year span (the old one is up in mid July). Those are the two things on the table right now.

We currently have 2 sculptures there and 5 more available concrete plinths (that will need to be placed). Theres some discussion about placing all 5 even if we don’t put sculpture on them this year just so they can move them from where they are being stored. When the first 2 sculptures were being placed it was all done with volunteer work, the money was spent on creating the concrete plinths and renting equipment for installation. It would be a few hundred dollars likely to rent the equipment (and buy some gravel) for installation this fall.

I have a document I’ve been working on to describe the program so it’s all written down to help have a running record (Ben started it, we’re updating it). I haven’t put in the information from the last couple of meetings but I can share that with you as soon as I do, definitely before September!

Maintenance has been minimal thankfully and when talking about the new contract we all agreed to keep it as is. Marymoor Parks maintenance has been doing it all  although should probably check in more often which I think will happen as we are putting sculptures in and taking them out.

Hope this helps, more info coming soon.

Ken, any major issues I missed or have wrong? I’ll send along a draft of the program description to you soon so you can add and edit as needed.

Sue