Christ Ascension Lutheran Church
Thursday, December 14, 2006

MINUTES

Executive Committee Members Present:

Lou Aiello (VP Operations), Maxine Dornemann (Immediate Past President), 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), Ron Recko (President), and Ann Spaeth (Secretary)

Executive Committee Members Excused: Janine Dwyer (At-Large) and Tom Fleming (At-Large)

CHCA Board Members Present: Ed Feldman, Howard Lesnick, Virginia Mallery, Joe Pizzano,
Meredith Sonderskov, and Jonathan Sternberg

Others Present: Ed Budnick (Interim Community Manager), Kate Cassidy, Jim Dunn, Pete Mazzaccaro
(CH Local Editor), and Noreen Spota (CHCA Administrative Coordinator)

Ron Recko called the meeting to order at 7:35 PM. Ann Spaeth conducted the roll call.

Approval of Minutes. The minutes from the Executive Committee meeting held on November 9, 2006 were not ready for review and therefore could not be approved.

Approval of Agenda. At its meeting on November 30, 2006, the Board decided that the agenda would be approved at the beginning of each meeting (the vote on this motion was 21 in favor and 14 opposed). Susan Pizzano pointed out that, in the event that a publicized agenda is changed, this decision appears to contradict the CHCA bylaws. Susan read from Article II, Section E, Subsection 1c (page 10) of the bylaws, which states: “Unless the Bylaws provide otherwise, the Association must give public notice of the date, time, location, and agenda of all meetings of the Association and committees of the Association at least seven days in advance of the meeting. Publication of notice in the Chestnut Hill Local constitutes public notice.” Ron Recko stated that this issue can be clarified at the Executive Committee meeting in January.

Community Fund Drive. Ron Recko reported that we are very close to raising $10,000 from the Board, and that just a few people on the Board have not yet donated to the Fund. Ed Feldman then gave Ron a $300 contribution, which brought the total donations from the Board over the $10,000 necessary to receive matching funds from Chestnut Hill Hospital. Jane Piotrowski reported that the Fund Drive mailing was almost ready to go and that a letter will be mailed instead of a full-color brochure to avoid a two-week delay by the printer.

Bowman Property Dispute. Ron referred to an e-mail that he received on the evening of December 13 from Dick Doyle, who chairs the Ad-Hoc Committee charged with resolving the conflict between Richard Snowden and the CHCA/Local. A copy of this e-mail was sent to the CHCA Board and to Richard Snowden. It stated: “Late yesterday afternoon, I received a call from Richard Snowden, who informed me of his intention to immediately remove the leasing signs that have been displayed on Bowman Properties’ buildings throughout Chestnut Hill. Mr. Snowden indicated that the signs would remain down for the duration of the holiday season; he also said that his decision to remove the signs was, in part, an acknowledgment of the diligent efforts made by the Ad-Hoc Committee to investigate his grievances with the CHCA. As chairman of the Ad-Hoc Committee, and speaking for its members, I have every hope that by our concerted efforts over the holidays, we will be able to provide an objective and equitable roadmap towards the resolution of these grievances, and thereby stabilize this new and felicitous turn of events on the Avenue. It would be especially fitting if we were able to do so during this season of solidarity and goodwill. With this noble end in mind, the Committee appreciates the opportunity that Mr. Snowden’s gesture provides, and we continue to count on your support and the support of the entire CHCA Board in our efforts to bring the opportunity to fruition.”

Ron stated that it is unclear whether the Bowman Property signs would go back up after the holidays. He also said that the Ad-Hoc Committee is not addressing the parking lot issue, which is a separate issue from the signs; the Parking Foundation, the BID, and the Business Association should address the parking lot issue. Ron repeated his expectation that the Ad-Hoc Committee should complete its work and submit its report by the January 25th Board meeting.

Appointment of Committee to Review Fund Trustee Nominations. Nancy Hutter reported that resumes have been received from highly qualified candidates for the Fund Trustee positions currently available. Resumes are due within the week. Although no vote was taken, the following people were appointed to serve on this committee: Lou Aiello, Nancy Hutter (committee coordinator), Ned Mitinger, attorney Mark Sellers, Sister Carol Jean Vale, and Ron Recko (ex-officio). This committee will meet in January and present its slate of candidates at the January Board meeting.

Report from Treasurer. Ned Mitinger deferred to Jane Piotrowski, who presented a gift to Ron Recko: a check in the amount of $29,793.20 made out to the Chestnut Hill Community Fund, representing the proceeds from AbZOOlutely. There was applause for Jane and for Tom Hemphill for all of their efforts with the AbZOOlutely project. Jane also reported that according to preliminary estimates, the Holiday House Tour has produced a net income of about $21,000. The $7,000 that was projected from AbZOOlutely was originally allocated to the Association, not the Fund; however, this has been offset by the fact that Holiday House Tour expenses were about $7,000 lower than expected. The Budget and Finance Committee will meet in January to review applications for next year’s Fund (grant) allocations, and its recommendations will be presented at the February and March Board meetings. A notice will be placed in the Local regarding the grant application process, and application forms will be sent to those who received funds last year.

Report from Vice President of Operations. Lou Aiello reported that the Search Committee for a Permanent Community Manager will conduct its first meeting on December 19 in order to review the various job descriptions for the position, select the committee’s chair(s), and set the committee’s agenda. Lou also provided updates about the sewer pipe repair and the Bylaws Committee, which has met four times so far with very active participation. It was noted that 12 new Board members will be elected in April 2007; a committee with members Maryanna Ross Cowper, Tom Hemphill, Tom Kessler, and Ann Spaeth will work on refining/clarifying the election/vote-counting procedures.

Report from Interim Community Manager. Ed Budnick reported that new tenants are being sought for the retail space formerly occupied by Stylos Accessories. The rent had been $25 per square foot per year; we are now asking for $32 per square foot for the 1,060 square foot space. The deadline for submission of bids for 8431 Germantown Avenue is December 21, 2006; Ed reiterated that the Fund Trustees will decide on who will purchase the building. When asked about deed restrictions, Ed’s response was that bidders are asked how they intend to use the space and whether they are open to restrictions. Ed also stated that due to an anticipated 20 percent increase in premiums for the CHCA/Local employee’s health insurance (currently Blue Cross/Blue Shield), we will purchase more reasonably priced insurance from Aetna through Carl Shaifer at The Hirshorn Co. As this change requires Board approval, and the Board does not meet in December, Susan Pizzano offered a motion to approve the new Aetna plan. This motion was seconded by several people and passed unanimously. Ron recommended that we review the employee health insurance premiums every year due to increasing costs.

Report of Publisher’s Committee Meeting. Ed Feldman, a member of the Publisher’s Committee, reported that due to the illness of Committee Chair Bill Stroud, the only issue discussed at their meeting on December 6 was that of employee health insurance.

Interim Report of Oversight Committee. Jim Foster distributed a written copy of the Oversight Committee interim report to the Executive Committee and also read and explained the report at this meeting. Since this report is too lengthy to be included in the minutes, it is an addendum.

New Business. Meredith Sonderskov, President of the Chestnut Hill Senior Services Center, reported that they will probably be evicted from their space at Chestnut Hill Village because the owner’s plan is to create luxury apartments. Meredith presented her idea to build a new structure to house the Senior Center and Teenagers, Inc. on the City (Department of Recreation) property adjacent to the Water Tower baseball field. In the ensuing discussion, it was recommended that Meredith contact John Haak (LUPZ Co-Chair) and the City Planning Commission for advice on how to proceed. Possible sources for sponsorship money were also mentioned.

Having run out of time, the meeting was adjourned at 9:55 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Ann Ward Spaeth
Secretary

Minutes prepared by Noreen Spota, CHCA Administrative Coordinator, and approved by the Executive Committee on 2/8/07.