Peterborough LETS Board Meeting
Monday, February 23rd, 2009 - King Street
Present: Lori Sainte (Administrator), Margaret Wright (Vice-chair), David Baker (Chair),
Tina Williams (Secretary), Jeannine Crowe (Treasurer)
Absent: Kim Blodgett (Member-at-large)
Administration:
Margaret declared that there was quorum.
The minutes for the January Board Meeting were accepted as amended.
Lori will continue to attend meetings held by Transition Town Peterborough when it doesn't conflict with her other commitments.
In the agenda she distributed at the meeting, Lori requested that someone help her with staffing the LETS desk at the Peterborough Social Planning Council (PSPC) office.
Markets:
The May Market will be held at Knox. Depending on the weather, it could be held outside. Tina suggested trying afternoon hours at this Market. Jeannine thought this would be a bad idea because it would be a Garden Market. Customers may want to plant their purchases soon after buying them. Also, some vendors find it easier to fit other tasks into their day when Markets end at 2pm. Margaret said she needed to double check what times were available before a decision could be made.
Margaret inquired about the possibility of the December or November Market being held at the Evinrude Centre. Lori said she needed more information. Margaret suggested table fees of $20 Canadian for non-members and $10 Canadian for members. Lori said the room needed to be rented for the whole day. David warned that the board should be cautious about renting the Evinrude saying we could lose money. Jeannine commented that it would take a lot of work to make it our investment back.
David, Margaret, Lori, and Jeannine all agreed that the February Market was very quiet with few customers. Tina inquired about the weather on that day. Margaret recalled that it was nice. Margaret also mentioned that it conflicted with Valentine's Day. Lori commented that she had a lot of volunteer help.
About the library, Jeannine mentioned that some vendors complained about how inconvenient it was to park their vehicles and move items in and out of the building.
David suggested The Peterborough Square as a venue. He stated that the Wednesday Farmers' Market did well. He also suggested renting a storefront downtown. However, it was believed they couldn't be rented for just one day.
The possibility of holding the September Market at Knox during afternoon hours was discussed.
The June Market at Knox would be a garage sale.
Margaret had tentatively booked Knox for May, June, September, November, and December. Lori's agenda had a reminder that there would be no Markets in April and October due to holiday conflicts. There was also a reminder of the fact that there will be no Summer Markets this year due to vacations.
Lori handed out a poster for The March Market to all the board members present. There was a discussion of potential hosts and hostesses. Jeannine and Lori discussed the payment and the receipt for the library auditorium rental. On the agenda, Lori wrote that the table fees would be $10 for members and $15 for non-members - all in Canadian dollars.
Advertising:
Lori promised to continue her work on the business flyer. She was also working on a new copy of the Green Pages. She stated that more copies of the Green Pages were needed to distribute at Markets.
Lori worked on the PSPC window display when the regular person was ill.
Finances:
David reiterated that he thought it was a good decision to switch to the cellphone.
The city grant proposal application was discussed. The money from the grant could be used to lower table fees at Markets for members. It could also allow us to hold more Markets in higher-end venues like the Evinrude Centre. Jeannine suggested stressing self-employment support in the grant application because this was an ongoing concern for the government. She also advised the board to include a statement about how the LETS provides opportunities for people. Lori stated the grant money could be used to pay for memberships for those who couldn't afford them. Jeannine suggested using the money to get a part-time staff person. Lori stated that the due date for the application was at the end of February.
Membership:
Lori had been allowed a free membership for the coming year for her services in many different capacities.
Two of the board members renewed their membership during the meeting.
It was stated that there weren't many renewals. Jeannine suggested sending out reminder notices. Lori stated that these notices had already been sent out.
One new member registered at the February Market.
Next Meeting: Monday, April, 6th, 2009; 6:30pm; King Street
