MINUTES

Board Members Present: Bob Bacino, Jane Becker, Richard Becker, Ed Berg, Margaret Brunton, Tia Burke, Carol Cope, Mary Anna Ross Cowper, Joanne Dhody, Janine Dwyer, Marianne Dwyer, Tom Fleming, Jim Foster, Stewart Graham, Jeremy Heep, Tom Hemphill, Dina Hitchcock, Nancy Hutter, Eden Kainer, Doug Knauer, Marie Lachat, Howard Lesnick, John Levitties, Anne McNally, Ned Mitinger, Patrick Moran, Jane Piotrowski, Susan Pizzano, Bob Previdi, Ron Recko, Meredith Sonderskov, Ann Spaeth, George Spaeth, Kristina Sullivan, Walter Sullivan, Pam Rosser Thistle, and Tolis Vardakis

Board Members Excused: Elaine Aiello, Lou Aiello, Virginia Mallery, John O’Connell, Christopher Padova, and Jonathan Sternberg

Board Members Absent: Matthew Engebrethson, Kathy Jones, Janice Manzi, Kip Powell, and George Roitzsch

Others Present: Ed Budnick, Morris Disston (new Treasurer), Ed Feldman, Caroline Haussermann, Darlene Heep, Harry Johnston, Linda Littlejohn, Richard Maloumian, Pete Mazzaccaro (CH Local Editor), Stan Moat (Fund Trustee), Joe Pizzano, Martha Sharkey (Community Manager), and Noreen Spota (Administrative Coordinator)

President Ron Recko called the meeting to order at 7:30 PM. Secretary Ann Spaeth conducted the roll call.

Approval of Agenda. Tolis Vardakis offered a motion to remove three of the action items from the agenda (approval of Ad Hoc Local Committee members, approval of Oversight Committee recommendations, and status and membership of the Ad Hoc Snowden Committee) so that Board members would have an opportunity to study these issues in more detail. This motion was seconded and, after some discussion, passed with 29 votes in favor, three votes opposed, and no abstentions. Dina Hitchcock offered a motion that the current Officers deliver their reports while votes are counted for the election of the new Officers and Executive Committee members. This motion was seconded and passed unanimously.

Approval of Minutes. The minutes of the Board meetings held on 3/15/07, 3/22/07, and 4/26/07 were approved as submitted.

Election of Officers and Executive Committee Members. The following slate was prepared by the Nominating Committee: Tolis Vardakis (President), Dina Hitchcock (Vice President-Operations Division), Jeremy Heep (Vice President-Physical Division), Jane Piotrowski (Vice President-Social Division), Morris Disston (Treasurer), Nancy Hutter (Secretary), and Louis Aiello, Jane Becker, Ed Berg, Tom Fleming, and Anne McNally (At-Large Members of the Executive Committee). Howard Lesnick and Meredith Sonderskov also submitted their names to be considered as At-Large Members of the Executive Committee. Ron Recko asked all of the candidates for the At-Large positions to deliver a brief statement. After these statements, Fund Trustee Stan Moat introduced Morris Disston, who spoke briefly about his qualifications for the position of CHCA Treasurer. Since the slate of Officers was unopposed, Meredith offered a motion to appoint all of these candidates by acclamation. This motion was seconded and passed unanimously. Stewart Graham, a member of the Nominating Committee, distributed ballots to the Board members so that voting could take place for the five At-Large Members of the Executive Committee. Stewart subsequently reported that 34 ballots were submitted and all five of the candidates proposed by the Nominating Committee were elected.

Report from Treasurer. Ned Mitinger reported that grants have been disbursed by the Fund Trustees ($70,000 raised from the 2006-2007 Fund Drive ending 3/31/07). Financial statements as of 4/30/07 for the CHCA, Fund, and Local were distributed along with a monthly cash flow analysis for the coming year prepared by Dina Hitchcock and CHCA Bookkeeper Sue Kowert. Ned stated that every Board member must actively participate in this year’s fundraisers in order to raise enough money to balance the CHCA budget. Pam Rosser Thistle inquired about the possibility of pursuing corporate sponsors for these events. After his report, Board members applauded Ned Mitinger in appreciation of his service as Treasurer over the past year.

Report from Vice President-Social Division. Jane Piotrowski and Janine Dwyer reported on plans for this year’s Black & White Gala, which will be held on Saturday, September 15. The theme is the movie “Casablanca” and tickets are $65 per person (price does not include alcohol). There will be a silent auction and games of chance; sponsorships are being solicited from $100 to $5,000. Tia Burke then reported on plans for this summer’s Pastorius Park concert series, which will begin on Wednesday, June 13 with a performance from the Allentown Band. The lineup is set, but volunteers are needed. Each concert has a “volunteer host,” and CHCA will be the host for June 13. A sign-up sheet for volunteers was circulated. It is anticipated that posters and brochures will be available by June 6, and the Board will be contacted via e-mail so that people can help distribute the promotional materials. Tia also mentioned that the Philadelphia Orchestra plans to perform in Pastorius Park on the evening of Monday, July 2. Bob Bacino suggested that we advertise the concert series in the Montgomery County newpapers; Meredith Sonderskov offered to write the press releases.

Report from Vice President-Physical Division. Susan Pizzano reported on the “Tree Tenders” lecture that took place on April 19 at the Library. The “Tree Tenders” program is 9 hours of instruction ending in certification. Susan described plans for the recently activated CHCA Tree Committee co-chaired by arborist Ken LeRoy and herself. Special emphasis will be placed on the street trees throughout Chestnut Hill, not just on Germantown Avenue. (Interesting fact: Fairmount Park owns the street trees.) Susan offered a motion that John Michaels and Andrea Niepold be approved as new members of the Tree Committee. This motion was seconded and passed unanimously. Susan noted that there were no pressing issues addressed by the Development Review Committee and the Land Use, Planning, and Zoning Committee this month, but John Haak has resigned as co-chair of LUPZ. She wished Jeremy Heep the best of luck as the new Vice President for the Physical Division.

Report from Vice President-Operations Division. Lou Aiello was unable to attend this meeting, but a written report he compiled on “Bloggers and the CHCA” was distributed to the Board. Lou also sent an e-mail report to the Board regarding employee performance evaluations recently conducted by the Executive Committee.

Passing of the Gavel. Ron Recko introduced the new Community Manager, Martha Sharkey (formerly Benedum) to the Board along with new Institutional Directors Eden Kainer (representing the Jenks School) and Margaret Brunton (representing the Chestnut Hill Library). After Stewart Graham reported on the election results (see above), Ron introduced the new CHCA President, Tolis Vardakis, and “passed the gavel” to him. Ron quoted from Martin Luther King, “Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty I’m free at last!” Tolis thanked Ron for his year of service as President, and he also thanked Ron’s wife, Judy Morgan, for her invaluable work on the Budget and Finance Committee. On behalf of the Board, Tolis then presented Ron with a bottle of champagne and a scroll recognizing his term of office, and Judy with a bouquet of yellow roses. Carol Cope presented a “kick-off” gift to Tolis: a pillow embroidered with “Never Question the Engineer’s Judgment.”

In his first action as CHCA President, Tolis recommended that Kathy Jones be appointed as the Board’s “parliamentary advisor.” A motion offered by Mary Anna Ross Cowper was seconded and passed unanimously. Second, Tolis requested that Noreen Spota e-mail a form to the new Board soliciting volunteers for the various CHCA committees.

Tolis then proposed that only Board members be permitted to debate the issues before the Board and that members of the public may contribute only during the last 15 minutes of the Board meetings. Many Board members objected to this, emphasizing the vital importance of encouraging input from the public and providing a forum where everyone in the community can feel free to discuss any of their issues of concern. After hearing this spirited discussion, Tolis withdrew his proposal.

The importance of civility and respect at Board meetings was also mentioned along with some discussion about the advantages and disadvantages of a square table arrangement (more inclusive of Board members) versus a u-shaped table arrangement (more inclusive of the public). (One concern about the u-shaped arrangement, and having some Board members sit with the public, is that members of the public will occasionally vote on issues before the Board and it is difficult to get accurate vote counts.)

Other issues on Tolis’ agenda for the upcoming year include: 1) emphasizing respect and civility among Board members; 2) continuing to “put our house in order” with the goal of financial accountability; 3) working closely with the Fund Trustees; 4) facilitating training of new Board members about the functions of the CHCA (as was done in the past); 5) working toward better communication between the CHCA and the Local; 6) reaching out to the community (residents and businesses alike); and 7) strengthening liaisons with other organizations in Chestnut Hill. This agenda will require active participation from all Board members. Tolis noted that we should feel good about the unique role played by CHCA in the community and said, “There is no substitute for the CHCA in Chestnut Hill.”

Meredith Sonderskov expressed her support for the idea of training new Board members about the CHCA. She referred to a lengthy report prepared in the 1990s about the future of Chestnut Hill that contained many worthwhile suggestions and cautions. As Institutional Director representing the Chestnut Hill Senior Center, she reported that they will remain in Chestnut Hill Village through November 2008 and that they may have a new location on Germantown Avenue after that.

Anne McNally expressed her support for the Board training offered by the LaSalle University Nonprofit Center, suggesting that perhaps the CHCA, the Business Association, and the Historical Society could arrange for a joint “refresher course.” (Marie Lachat pointed out that there is no better resource in Philadelphia for nonprofit Board training, but our membership with LaSalle has expired.)

Richard Becker suggested that some of the old standing committees (e.g. Education, Human Relations, etc.) be reactivated and that we invite young people to participate. Pat Moran emphasized the importance of CHCA having a 3-year strategic plan. Ed Berg stated that the community needs information about the positive contributions of the CHCA in addition to the controversies (which sell newspapers). Joanne Dhody suggested that a description of each CHCA committee be printed in the Local along with a description of what the Board does. Nancy Hutter recommended that there be a pullout section of the Local with this information along with a regular page devoted to the CHCA. Mary Anna Ross Cowper suggested that we reinstate the listing of regular committee meetings in every issue of the Local. Marie Lachat emphasized the importance of personally welcoming members of the public at the meetings along with the need for personal outreach in our fundraising efforts. Jane Becker mentioned the idea of having a “welcome wagon” for new residents offered in conjunction with the Business Association and/or local realtors. Walter Sullivan stated that we need to reach out to the residents of Chestnut Hill Village; Carol Cope suggested that we contact their tenant association and Ed Feldman suggested that we contact Mitch Melton (who ran for the CHCA Board) and ask him to serve on a committee.

Jeremy Heep, the new Vice President-Physical Division, stated that he will strongly support the activities of the Physical Division committees (DRC; LUPZ; Aesthetics; Trees; and Traffic, Transportation, and Parking) and will organize two public forums on physical issues of importance to the northwest section of Philadelphia. He urged people to contact him immediately if they are interested in participating in this effort. Jeremy also thanked the outgoing Officers and Executive Committee members for their efforts over the past year; there was applause from the Board.

Dina Hitchcock, the new Vice President-Operations Division, asked that all requests for Noreen’s assistance should go through Martha so that she can help prioritize the many demands on Noreen’s time.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:35 PM.

Respectfully submitted,
Nancy H. Hutter
CHCA Secretary

Minutes prepared by Noreen Spota, CHCA Administrative Coordinator, and approved by the Board of Directors on 6/28/07.