Members attending: Vice President Jesse Polhemus (presiding); Treasurer Harriet Hemphill; Kerry Kohring (recording secretary pro tem); Anthony Arrigo; Grant Dulgarian; Dan MacLellan; Sheila Perlow; Britt Page; Peter Sandby-Thomas; Tom Schmeling. President Dean Weinberg and advisory board member David Kolsky arrived late.
Guests: Anneliese Greenier; Martha Fraenkel; Rose Marie Rocha.
Approval of January minutes moved by Perlow, seconded by Schmeling, voted unanimously,
Treasurer’s report by Hemphill (on own sheet) includes separate checking account for North Main Street funds for clarity. Approval of report moved by Perlow, seconded by Kohring, voted unanimously.
Quick reports
-Snow shoveling, by Schmeling – working well with five requests and 10 volunteers, including Fraenkel
-State grant, by Arrigo – request for $2500 submitted, see what happens – time frame uncertain
-Music festival grant – to be submitted by Weinberg
-North Main Street, by Polhemus – cooperation breaking down with city not taking SNA seriously, acting on own – suggest applying pressure through SNA-hired consultant, maybe appealing
to mayor – Weinberg later reports same uphill battle with city and RIPTA proceeding with own agenda.
-Newsletter, by Kohring – distribution under way – executor of Judy Brown estate has found list of her contacts, but has not forwarded to SNA
-Crime Watch, by MacLellan and Perlow – new meeting planned in two or three weeks with Monica Anderson of Miriam Hospital.
-New banners – Arrigo moves, Perlow seconds to put issue on agenda – approved unanimously – Weinberg reports later he will coordinate with Rossoni
Current projects
-New board slate, by Polhemus – requirement that prospective members attend annual meeting discussed – Hemphill moves, Arrigo seconds that requirements for board membership be
formalized, approved – Kohring moves, Schmeling seconds that slate be accepted, approved – Schmeling reminds board that a committee to revise bylaws had been formed but is
dormant – new board members will be asked for appropriate personal information
-Annual meeting, by Polhemus – everything on track, Hemphill to present report
-Fund-raising letter, by Weinberg – not yet sent, readjusting timetable
-Membership, by Hemphill – lack of coordination with Jim Barfoot, keeper of database, to send dues-acknowledgment cards – Schmeling volunteers to work with Barfoot on database and Page volunteers to maintain it if necessary – Arrigo suggest greater use of database to provide members with something of value, such as discount coupons to businesses – Schmeling moves, Arrigo seconds to shift database control. Approved, but action postponed until first meeting of new board
-Tot Lot, by Arrigo – status quo, with city parks head Bob McMahon not responding to queries – Miriam grant commitment conditional on city action – SNA fundraising moving ahead with
letter of intent from Miriam
-Easter-egg hunt, by Arrigo – ad posters, food vendors and face painters ready to go – Polhemus presents prize/cost matrix – Arrigo moves, Perlow seconds $130 for plastic eggs, approved –
Arrigo moves, Page seconds $150 for prizes, but Arrigo amends to $200 and Schmeling seconds, approved – fifty-fifty raffle rejected – volunteers to meet at 46 Top St. (Arrigo’s house) at 11 a.m., Saturday, March 16 to assemble and stuff eggs with prize coupons – Perlow and Polhemus volunteer to staff registration table at main event – Kohring, Sandby-Thomas, Page and MacLellan volunteer to hide eggs – Arrogo moves, Hemphill seconds 30 T-shirts at $15 each for SNA personnel at event (lime green with small logo on front, large on back), approved with Dulgarian opposed – Arrigo to bring proposal for new white SNA-logo T-shirts to next meeting – questions arise, particularly by Jewish members of board and guests, over possible offense to Jewish residents of neighborhood by celebration of Christian holiday – lengthy discussion over how to be inclusive to Jewish faith as well as other faiths or nonwhite races in SNA activities
– board decides to continue with Easter-egg hunt, voting five to three to retain title, to appeal to greatest number of residents, but to seek ways to be inclusive in future actions in a diverse neighborhood
-Listserv, by Weinberg – widespread public support for SNA despite flurry of negative postings – recommends ignoring hostile attitudes, but keep rational criticism in mind
-Lippitt Park recycling, by MacLellan – status quo, McMahon not responding
-Advisory board – postpone action, names sought
Adjourn
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