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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFBMINUTES090606Friends of West University Place Parks fund, Inc. Board Meeting Minutes September 6, 2006 Friends of West University Place Parks Board met on Wednesday, September 6, at 9:30 a.m. at the West University Place Recreation Center, 4210 Bellaire. The following were in attendance: Board Members Joni Fichter Margaret Wallace Susie Boyce Vicki Grams Lynne Goddard Sue Jensen Leah Ragiet Katy Holt WUP Parks Staff Tim O'Connor Executive Director Donna LaMond Others Penny Grams Chairman's Report - Joni Fichter ♦ The meeting was opened with a welcome back to the Board, and especially to Leah Ragiel. The Board discussed the established time of the meeting and agreed that the earlier time was better. ♦ Joni shared the news that she, Vicki Grams and Penny Grams were photographed for a story in the Village/SW News about Prince's donation of a % of food sales at a park event to the Friends. This initiative has provided a check for $450, which will be applied to the Rec Center and therefore is matchable. They also agreed to give us a PLB auction item, thanks to Kathy Ballanfant's asking. Donna will prepare a thank you note asap and add them to our donor data base. ♦ There was discussion of the new shade structure at Colonial Park. ♦ Joni advised the Board that a letter had been sent to Billy Burge asking him to join our Friends Board. Members of the Board will talk with Cathy Dean to firm up a donation to the Houston Sports Authority box and funding from other sources. ♦ Joni relayed how she has attended numerous meetings with regard to the designs of Colonial Park and Rec Center, how bonds will work (4 separate ones - Rec Center, Colonial + purchase of additional lots near RC so tennis courts can be moved, scenic lots off Mercer purchase and setting aside $2M for future park development). If these all pass, it will have a small impact on residents. Average homeowner with $1M home will pay only about $80 a year for 5 years for these great improvements! ♦ A new procedure was implemented this summer...the chair of an event and Joni and Donna must sign off on any items before they go to print so that errors and omissions are hopefully caught. Please be aware of this. Thanks. Approval of the Minutes and Sign-in Sheet Since no changes were suggested to the minutes, they were approved by acclimation. Executive Director's Report -Donna LaMond ♦ Visited with Stacey Speier and Cece McCann about their term expiration dates. Both elected to roll off board and Cece agreed to serve as an advisory board member. ♦ Auction Tracker software now up and running with remote access capabilities. Seems to be working fine. ♦ Worked with Katy Holt to prepare and mail out membership newsletters. They did finally go out in the mail last week before I had to leave to go out of town. Thanks to Anne Steacy for helping to fold and stuff and apply mailing labels. Thanks to Katy for getting the newsletter done! ♦ Prepared invoice for Lewis match in the amount of $111,811.25 and mailed it June 7. Phil Lewis called Donna a few weeks ago asking for a copy of the canceled check so that he could present it at his November 2006 board meeting and we will get the check after that. Sue Hanna did check with Walter to be sure of how the process will work. Friends will write a check to the City, then the City wit( put these funds into a separate account for the Rec Center. Walter Thomas will provide me with the copy of the check so that Donna can get it to Mr. Lewis. ♦ Provided excel spreadsheet to Vicki Grams as the primary coordinator of the upcoming Spooky Party sociable. This was sold at PLB06 and is coming up on Oct. 21 at Btancos. Vicki has all the addresses and names of everyone signed up to date. ♦ Working on underwriting amenities/ listing of benefits associated with each level of giving. Sent underwriter solicitation to Time Warner, received a rejection, and now Michael Ross is assisting with an appeal to that rejection, so to speak. ♦ Working on finalizing a pricing list of rec center amenities for council approval so that we can use this list as a selling tool for major underwriters. Joni, Vicki, Penny and Donna met initially to come up with the list. Working with Tim to get this list finalized. ♦ Lynne Goddard and Donna met with two people from the Weslayan SuperCuts about a business partnership. ♦ Updated website to show new information regarding current Friends activities and PL132007. More to come. ♦ Fielded lots of inquiries regarding acquisition of park properties, namely the proposed Pittsburg park. ♦ Sent a personal note on behalf of Friends to Janet Lionberger, whose father passed away this summer. ♦ Assisting with auction solicitations, assisted with letter and generating mailing list for printing of labels. ♦ Prepared Friends information for New Resident Guide and submitted to Dave Beach. ♦ Organized and filed Friends Bank Statements and Merchant account statements. ♦ Prepared numerous reports for PLB07 Co-Chairs. ♦ Donna stated that we need to recruit and get some capable people nominated for the Friends board. If you know anyone interested, please refer them to the City's website, www.westu.or$, or the Friends website, www.westuparks.or$, to download a board application. Applications can also be picked up at City Hatt, 3800 University Blvd. Donna asked Katy Holt to prepare a press release to send out about this as well. Board Reports Treasurer's Report -Sue Hanna No report, but much discussion ensued regarding the total amount raised and matched to date. Donna will provide the Board with details of what is pending a match. PLB -2007 - Vicki Grams Penny and Vicki have been quite busy throughout the summer with the following items: ♦ Held a meeting for all silent auction committee members at Molina's and went over idea for soliciting unique and much sought after auction items. ♦ Held a Street Captains meeting with good turnout of Captains at Sandy Howard's house and discussed strategy and techniques for approaching neighbors for monetary donations from their street. Armed now with new material as the bond election approaches. ♦ Mailed out auction letters to past and potential donors. Another batch wilt go out this week. ♦ Worked on documents for Underwriting Levels and amenities, with Donna, Joni, and Tim, which hopefully will be sent out in next couple of weeks. Penny held meetings throughout the summer with UW committee, Tina Clark, Kaki Smith and Cece McCann. ♦ Signed contract and paid deposit for securing the band Commercial Art. ♦ Signed contract for securing Hotel ZaZa for venue. Spoke with their new catering manager who is Kleibert Estrada, formerly with Hotel Intercontinental, whom we have dealt with the last couple of years. ♦ Working with Laura Moser who is doing our graphic design for invitation. ♦ In process of getting bids for printing all invitations, if not donated, then at cost or below. ♦ Held meetings throughout the summer with our PR ladies Katy Holt and Danielle Kernel[ and outlined strategy for PR from now tilt the ball. Working also on getting banners printed and installed in several highly visible areas of the parks. Also looking into eye- catching yard signs (similar to election signs or reattor signs size) to place in yards of those who have donated to our Street Captains. ♦ Penny is checking on possibility of online bidding and following leads with regard to how and if it would be a valuable tool for our auction. ♦ Susie Boyce and Sandy Howard are working on motivating and organizing our auction and street captain committees, as well as making sure they get information about these areas of the auction to our PR group. Sue Jensen is handling all auction data input as our Auction coordinator, receiving all donor forms and items and entering them as they come in. ♦ We have very important Auction committee meetings and Street committee meetings set up for next week at JMH. ♦ Distributed packets to all auction committee members, street captains, Advisory Board, Friends Board and Parks and Rec. board members to help in our auction solicitation campaign. We also need everyone's help with our Underwriting efforts. ♦ Holding Spooky Party meeting and still setting slots for the Halloween Party (sociable from PLB 2006), which will be Oct 21St 2006. ♦ Working on new format and concepts for PLB 2007, with a more casual Party flair, food stations, gaming, and Big Board (Leah is researching a possible computerized projected version) . Desperately need a good variety of big items for this area of the auction. ♦ Maria Elena and Renelle Cadena will be putting together our Park's Corner for the ball with Tim's help. ♦ WE NEED EVERYONES HELP WITH SOLICITING AUCTION ITEMS AND BRINGING IN UNDERWRITERS! 1111111111111111111111111111111111 E-store - Diana Brown No report. Donna stated that she and Diana had met to go over any outstanding items. Everything is current at this point. No outstanding paver orders, etc. Guild Report Leah provided a report regarding goals for the Friends Guild. They include: six meeting first year and involvement of people not already involved in Friends activities. She asked for input from board on activities for the guild. She intends to set the guild up with officers, etc. She is going to put goats on paper once she establishes. Karin Dubose, former Friends board member, has offered to help Leah with the Guild. Development Committee No report. Membership Et Marketin$/PR - Katv Holt The membership newsletters were mailed out. Helping PLB07 with press releases and publicity for PLB07 in general. Resident Decorators/Special Project/Wish List/Giving Tree - Maria Elena Herbst No report Business Partners Storks - Lynne Goddard Lynne announced that Shape Xpress will donate $10 per new membership. She also discussed the program with Supercuts and discussed a proposal for Fish City Grill. Parks Et Rec Report - Tim O'Connor Colonial Park Shade Project: ♦ Both artificial shade systems are installed Et fully operational ♦ Trees will be planted in late October or early November 2006. Three or four in the playground proper and four around the pavilion. FIBAR Upgrades: ♦ Colonial Park has been completed - $9,000.00 ♦ Waiting on quote for Judson and Whitt Johnson Parks. Estimate is in the $6,000.00 range for both. ♦ Will budget forward for a bi-annual "topping-off" of all FIBAR applications. Rice Pocket Park: ♦ Final Construction Documents are being prepared ♦ Prior to construction beginning, staff will present final plans to council and request that the project be fully funded and not phased-in. ♦ Anticipate beginning construction in November/ December 2006 with an anticipated completion date of Late-Spring of 2007 ♦ Staff is preparing a proposal to Council that the park be named FRIENDS PARK, in honor of the many efforts of and contributions the Friends have made to the Parks and Recreation System over the eighteen years of their existence. * May 1988* ♦ We will plan a formal Park Dedication Ceremony and ribbon cutting, once all the work is complete. An "official" date and time for the ceremony shall be established by the Friends Board. Parks Board: ♦ Working on a Fall Classic Concert Series, three performances total, to be conducted at Colonial Park ♦ PARDner's program is tentatively scheduled to "kick-off" in the Spring of 2007, at Wier Park. ♦ Playground System upgrades scheduled for Huffington, Wier and Whitt Johnson Parks, possibly this fiscal year. Estimated cost at $15,000.00 ♦ Liberty Hilt "make-over" scheduled for the Fall of 2006. Will include removal of Pampas Grass, painting sculpture, planning a wildflower cascade along the top of the "hill" and planting some additional ornamental trees. Library: ♦ An extensive renovation is currently underway. ♦ Involving new carpet, re-painting of the interior, complete renovation of the tamping system, new landscaping, installation of kick-plate on stairs, renovation of interior plumbing and a new air-conditioning system. ♦ Anticipate re-opening the facility on September 18, 2006 ♦ Formal Re-Opening Ceremony on September 28, 2006 - Friends Board will be invited! November 7, 2006 Bond Election: ♦ Proposition I: 12.6 million for Colonial Park Aquatics Center ♦ Proposition II: 13.0 million for West University Recreation Center Re-Development ♦ Proposition 111: 2.0 million for future parkland acquisition and development, specifically between Auden and Buffalo Speedway. ♦ Staff will be presenting to at( civic groups and organizations and conducting at least two public meetings. Would like to present to the Friends Board at the October meeting 2007 Budget Preparations: ♦ Requesting two new full-time positions - Parks Caretaker I and Recreation Specialist ♦ Requesting Promoting Susan White to Administrative Manager ♦ Requesting Upgrading Mike Anders to Parks Foreman, from Parks Caretaker III ♦ Total fiscal impact: $93,000.00 ( salaries and benefits ) ♦ Requesting more capital dollars for park improvements and maintenance issues. In addition, Tim also passed around renderings of Friend/Rice Pocket Park, the Rec Center, and Colonial Park. Tim said that the Oct. 21, 2006 Fun Run with West U Fitness is being called the Gingerbread Fun Run (after Gingerbread Man, Run as Fast as you can...) Brent from West U Fitness informed Tim that only 50% of the proceeds wilt go to Friends and the other 50% to Southside. This comment was made and supported by others that this did not seem fair, that WU is larger, more park space, etc. and should not be an even split. Old Business No old business. New Business The recruitment of new members was discussed. Karen Johnson, Andy Chan, Laura Theis and Patricia Ahmad were suggested. Next meeting - October 4, 2006 at 9:30 am., WU Rec Center. Adiournment• With no further business the meeting adjourned.