May 13, 2008
Minutes of General Meeting
Present: Karen Nady, President, Don Terry SEEDS , Franklin Lamb, Advisory Board, Louie Nady, Finance
Absent: Tomasina Werner, Press Liaison, Cathy Barnette, Governmental Affairs, Ernest Berger, Historic Preservation
Karen Nady called the meeting to order at 6:40 P.M.
Karen thanked everyone for coming and apologized for the last minute need to move the meeting from City Hall to the Library.
Approval of the Minutes: Karen asked for approval of the March 12, 2008 minutes of the General Meeting, Community Brainstorming. They were approved with the comment to correct the misspelling of the date. The motion was made by Don and second by Frank.
Treasurer’s Report: Karen reported that she had received a formal letter from Lon Johnston resigning as Treasurer due to health reasons. Franklin Lamb asked that the record show our appreciation for Lon’s years of service to OTDA. Karen read the May 13, 2008 treasurer’s report: Since the April 8th finance statement income was $25.00 from a membership renewal and an expense of $534.00 for rental of the Civic Center for the Candidate Forum. She commented that OTDA will receive a check for half of the rental fee from the Eastern Shore Chamber as co-hosts of the event. The balance in the account as of May 13th is $2,550.17.
Karen advised members that Frieda Romanchuck had resigned as Vice President due to schedule conflicts. She asked for a motion for Franklin Lamb, previous Vice President, to serve the rest of her term to the end of October 2008. Louie Nady made the motion and it was seconded by Don. It was discussed that this is an interim position only. The motion was approved unanimously. Karen thanked Frank for returning to the Board to serve. She commented that Frieda hopes to be as active as possible in the future.
Karen commented that Don Terry offered to serve as Treasurer and asked for a motion to nominate him. Frank Lamb made the motion and it was seconded by Louie. There was no discussion and the motion was approved unanimously. Karen thanked Don for serving.
Karen then asked for the Board’s permission to update the signature card at the bank to remove Lon Johnston, Glenn Robinson, Diane Butcher and Glenn Swanney and replace them with Don Terry as Treasurer and Karen Nady as President. A motion was made by Frank and seconded by Louie. Don will also be added as a key holder on the OTDA post office box.
Program:
Karen provided of the synopsis of ideas from the March 12th Brainstorming meeting (also available in the May newsletter) and there was brief discussion. She passed a copy of the Downtown Redevelopment Authority (DRA) presentation from May 12th regarding proposed plans for Olde Towne. Plans include trees, two versions of sidewalks, underground utilities and to reduce the width of Main Street between College and Magnolia. She will put copies on the web-site when available.
The group discussed future projects such as uniform signs in Olde Towne, the Bay Trail, bollards at McMillan, etc. Possible planter box themes such as edibles for restaurants could be used to help keep downtown looking green. Making Olde Towne a destination for dining was discussed. New business was discussed. There was general enthusiasm for improvements.
The possibility of starting the May Day celebrations again at May Day was also discussed to help revive some history and community spirit.
Announcements: Karen reported that the 2008 Candidate Forum will again be co-hosted by OTDA and the Eastern Shore Chamber on August 5th. The format was discussed. She also commented that there is some concern about a drug rehabilitation center recently opened on the grounds of Mercy Medical, that is not part of the hospital. Short discussion followed. Kelly Hughes passed out information about ‘Pig in the Park’ on May 30th to be held in the Jubilee Courtyard. This is a benefit for SEEDS.
Louie Nady announced that the 2008 OTDA financial analysis of the city of Daphne was available and that he would be available after the meeting to discuss.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:47 p.m.