Christ Ascension Lutheran Church

Thursday, February 8, 2007

MINUTES

Executive Committee Members Present:

Lou Aiello (VP Operations), Janine Dwyer (At-Large), Tom Fleming (At-Large), Jim Foster

(At-Large), Tom Hemphill (At-Large), Nancy Hutter (At-Large), Ned Mitinger (Treasurer),

Jane Piotrowski (VP Social Division), Susan Pizzano (VP Physical Division), and Ron Recko (President)

Executive Committee Members Excused: Maxine Dornemann (Immediate Past President) and

Ann Spaeth (Secretary)

CHCA Board Members Present: Howard Lesnick, John Levitties, Virginia Mallery, John O’Connell,

Joseph Pizzano, and Meredith Sonderskov

Others Present: Ed Budnick (Interim Community Manager), Kathlyn Egan (Event Coordinator,

Tavern on the Hill), Tom Emery (Co-Owner, Tavern on the Hill), Ken LeRoy (Arborist),

Pete Mazzaccaro (CH Local Editor), and Noreen Spota (CHCA Administrative Coordinator)

Ron Recko called the meeting to order at 7:35 PM. In Ann Spaeth’s absence, Noreen Spota conducted the roll call.

Tree Committee. Susan Pizzano reported that the CHCA Tree Committee will be re-activated and she introduced Ken LeRoy, an arborist who has been working in Chestnut Hill since the 1980s. Ken praised our “urban forest,” calling it one of the best tree communities in the world. He noted that funds are available from the state, from “Philadelphia Green,” from “Tree Tenders,” and from the Morris Arboretum to plant and maintain the trees in Chestnut Hill. Susan offered a motion to recommend to the Board Ken’s appointment as the Tree Committee Chair. This motion was seconded by several people and passed unanimously.

Fund Drive. Ron Recko reported that the Fund Drive has raised over $52,000 so far and that a donation from Commerce Bank is expected in the next week or two. Tom Fleming emphasized that we need to approach prospective major donors now and that we must continue to make phone calls soliciting contributions through the end of the fiscal year. Certificates for a “complimentary pint and pie” from Tavern on the Hill were presented to Board members who donated at least $100 to the Fund Drive. Certificates will also be mailed to everyone else donating at least $100 to this year’s Fund Drive.

Ad Hoc Committee Report. Tom Fleming, a member of the Ad Hoc Committee formed to investigate conflicts between Richard Snowden and the CHCA/Local, stated that the committee has more work to do in their attempt to make peace in the community, devise a system of redress, and get people working together. Susan Pizzano offered a motion recommending that the Board authorize the committee to continue its work for as long as the CHCA President wishes. This motion was seconded by Nancy Hutter and passed unanimously.

New Fund Trustees. Ron Recko stated that the five new Fund Trustees, appointed by the Board on January 25, 2007 to serve three-year terms, have already begun their work in gathering information and assessing the current status of the Fund. Jean Hemphill, who was a Trustee in the past, will serve as the Fund President, Ned Putnam will serve as the Fund Vice President and Treasurer, and Stan Moat will serve as the Fund Secretary. (The other two Fund Trustees are W.W. Keen Butcher and Fred Walker.) This will be an active working group committed to working in tandem with the CHCA.

Approval of Minutes. The Executive Committee meeting minutes from November 9, 2006 and December 14, 2006 were approved as submitted. The minutes from January 11, 2007 were approved with revisions submitted by Nancy Hutter.

Oversight Committee Report. Jim Foster, Oversight Committee Chair, referred to the recommendations discussed and subsequently tabled at the January 25, 2007 Board meeting. Issues being investigated by the committee include the following: 1) a $3,200 commission which was paid to Legacy Real Estate for finding a tenant (this is against Pennsylvania law and Legacy should pay back this money); 2) inquiries made to Tom Butler, former Fund Trustee, back in December which remain unanswered; and 3) the use of Fund assets (principal) to secure loans in order to provide operating cash to the CHCA. Jim emphasized the need for quarterly, understandable financial reports to the Board. There was some discussion about using Fund money in order to pay staff salaries and Jim noted that in the past, work for the Fund was performed by one full-time employee but now this work is split between several staff members. Howard Lesnick stated that the committee does not have to prove past wrongdoing in order to make its recommendations. He suggested that the committee not issue interim reports but rather wait until its investigations are complete. Meredith Sonderskov urged the Board to allocate only the Fund money that has actually been raised and not borrow against the Fund’s assets. Ron Recko reiterated the need for the Oversight Committee and corrective actions and stated that a full report will be presented at the February Board meeting.

Status of Nominating Committee. Lou Aiello reported that the Nominating Committee ballots that were distributed at the January Board meeting will be revised and a new ballot will be distributed at the February Board meeting.

Chestnut Hill Health System Committee. Ron Recko reported that he has appointed the following three people from the CHCA to serve on the Chestnut Hill Health System committee working on its renovations: Tom Fleming (chairman of a hospital board), Jeff Krieger (an architect), and Joe Pizzano (a surgeon). This committee will go through the usual CHCA development review process (LUPZ to DRC to LUPZ to the Board), and these three individuals will report directly back to the CHCA Board regarding the committee’s progress.

CHCA Mayoral Forum. Ed Budnick distributed an advertisement that will appear in the Local for a Mayoral Forum sponsored by the CHCA to be held on February 26, 2007. John O’Connell, who will be moderating the event, provided details. All of the major candidates are expected to attend and there will be a table for CHCA and Fund Drive materials. The ad in the Local, which will run twice, will cost the CHCA $260 per week.

Proposed Bylaws Amendments. Joe Pizzano distributed a memo addressed to all CHCA Board members regarding Interlocking Directors and Student Directors. Howard Lesnick, who also serves on the Bylaws Committee, suggested that Joe’s proposal be given to next year’s committee and we cannot add other issues for Board consideration at the February meeting. Janine Dwyer, another member of the Bylaws Committee, agreed that it is too late to be introducing new issues. Ron Recko felt that the most important concern of the committee should be to address inconsistencies in the bylaws. Nancy Hutter asked how one could provide input into proposed bylaws amendments if one is not a member of the committee. Janine’s response was that people should have their language prepared for discussion at the Board meeting and Ron clarified that Board members can offer a motion to amend at the upcoming meeting. Ned Mitinger stated that if the Publisher’s Committee is eliminated, we need to replace it immediately so that personnel issues, ad rates, etc. can be addressed. Janine responded that some of the personnel issues (e.g. staff recourse) should be addressed in the CHCA/Local personnel manual, but she will propose a “Local Resource Committee” to be created as an alternative to the Publisher’s Committee, with experience in journalism a prerequisite for membership. Ron and others on the Executive Committee agreed that we cannot eliminate the Publisher’s Committee without replacing it with something else.

Report from Treasurer. Ned Mitinger reported that a substantial amount of financial information about the Fund has been shared with the new Trustees and that they will provide advice about how to pay for some of the large outstanding invoices (e.g. taxes, plumbing repair). The January 2007 financials for the CHCA, Fund, and Local are being prepared and the Fund audit for 2006 is almost complete. Various Executive Committee members expressed their dissatisfaction with our current auditor and it was suggested that we advertise for a new auditor to conduct the 2007 audits. The Budget and Finance Committee is soliciting information from the CHCA officers and committees regarding their projected income and expenses for the 2007-2008 fiscal year.

CHCA Election Procedures. Tom Hemphill distributed a document titled “CHCA Election Procedures for 2007” for review. (This document is an addendum to these minutes.) He suggested that special attention be paid to items 10, 12, 15, 20, and 21 and thanked Ann Spaeth and Maryanna Ross Cowper for their efforts to update the election procedures.

Report from Vice President of Operations. Lou Aiello reported that the Search Committee for a permanent Community Manager has updated the position’s job description and narrowed down the number of candidates from 60 to six. It is hoped that the interviews will begin next week. One to three of the candidates will be selected for consideration by the Board, and the goal is to make a hiring decision at the March Board meeting. The committee is recommending that the position not be split into three functions (Director of Operations, Director of Development, and Property Manager), as proposed in the past. Regarding employee reviews, Lou stated that first the Interim Community Manager, Editor, Administrative Coordinator, and Bookkeeper will be asked to prepare a self-evaluation. He also reported that Bob Previdi has resigned from the Search Committee.

New Board Member. Ron Recko announced that due to the resignation of Board member Stan Moat to become a Fund Trustee, Ed Berg will serve the remainder of a one-year term (through May 2007) and Christopher Padova will serve until 2009. Discussion ensued as to what is proper procedure to deal with vacancies, since the CHCA bylaws are not clear.

Commerce Bank Signage. Ron Recko referred to the objectionable neon lights at Commerce Bank, stating that there is nothing in our agreement regarding signage, but they may be sensitive to this issue nevertheless. Alice Dubow, an attorney who has represented CHCA in previous dealings with Commerce Bank, will draft a letter to them regarding our concerns. John Levitties questioned whether other options have been explored, such as contacting the bank’s Regional Manager.

New Business. Ron Recko mentioned that the incident which occurred between Ed Feldman and the Business Association staff must be addressed but we need to avoid a “three-ring circus.” He hopes that a verbal apology will suffice and that the matter will be closed.

Report from Interim Community Manager. Ed Budnick’s report covered the following four topics: 1) Health insurance for CHCA/Local employees is now administered through The Hirshorn Company. 2) The Executive Committee voted to endorse the Vice President of Operations changing our property insurance policy from E&M to The Hirshorn Company in order to increase coverage and reduce costs. 3) We are preparing a grant application to The Philadelphia Foundation for computers, software, and staff time to fund the development and maintenance of a database. 4) Town Hall is a workplace, and Ed requested that heated disagreements be conducted out of the office.

Having run out of time, the meeting was adjourned at 10:05 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Ann Ward Spaeth

CHCA Secretary

Minutes prepared by Noreen Spota, CHCA Administrative Coordinator, and approved by the Executive Committee on 3/8/07.