Albany Area Chamber of Commerce

Minutes Albany Area Chamber of Commerce General Membership Meeting January 16, 2013 12:00 p.m. @ Mother of Mercy Campus of Care

Members present: Susan Iverson, Laurie Dingmann, Evelyn Budde, Aaron Smith, Bonnie Wenker, Lisa Groetsch, Mary Sauerer, Tim Jopp, Kathleen Magel, Renee Thelen, Lynn Pennie, Karen Wensmann, Cindy Nienaber, Emily Gruenke, Tim Vos, Tom Schneider, Lynn Pennie & John Arneson.

Meeting called to order by Chamber President, Laurie Dingmann @ 12:07 p.m.

Introductions by all chamber members present were made.

The general membership reviewed the minutes from the December 19, 2012 meeting. No changes or corrections. Motion to approve the minutes made by Tom Schneider and seconded by Lynn Pennie.

Treasurer report for November and December was presented by treasurer, Aaron Smith. Expenses were reported as normal. Website is paid in full except minimum monthly payments. No changes or corrections made to the treasurer’s report. Motion to be approved made by Lynn Jenc and seconded by Kathleen Magel.

Albany Buck Report was available for review. Balance in the account is $4794.45. Mother of Mercy Campus of Care continues to be a huge purchaser of Albany Bucks. The holiday promotion was a great success. The Chamber thanked Mother of Mercy for helping it turn out so great. The size of the chamber bucks was brought up as being an inconvenience to businesses. Complaints were reported about the size and Laurie Dingmann spoke about the specific complaints and asked for ideas. Lynn Jenc stated that it makes sense to make them smaller. Mary Sauerer suggested that we make them small enough to fit in a wallet. Melissa Gerads, who normally takes care of the Chamber Bucks, was not present and it was decided to discuss with her what our options are.

OLD BUSINESS Website Update—The website is ready for launch, but before we can launch it, we need a new anchor picture. Anybody with pictures that would represent the Chamber is encouraged to send them to the Chamber’s email, [email protected]. Chamber Dues—A ‘friendly reminder’ that Chamber Dues are due by February 1, 2013.

Railroad Ave Update—Tom Schneider spoke. Everything has been approved. 97 pages, 12 engineers have signed off. Albany is taking bids in January for the project. They are hopeful to start in April. The City plans to utilize the Enterprise to keep the public informed. 2 phases are planned: Rookies to Albany Oil, Rookies to the 4 way stop. Detour will be 6th Street and Church Avenue. High hopes to be done by October. We are to expect some difficulties but informative meetings will be provided. Once the project starts, phone #s will be available for those who have questions.

BAM—Biking Across Minnesota—Bike tour to come to town Thursday, August 15, 2013. Susan talked about multiple conversations had with this organization. They have picked Albany to be one of 3 towns to stay the night at. They will need a place for 150 tents and the entire hotel. Susan is working with the Stearns County Pioneer Club to determine a good place for them. The tour coordinator was in town recently and Susan gave her a tour of Albany and also of the Pioneer Grounds. A committee will need to be formed when it gets closer.

NEW BUSINESS Annual Chamber Banquet—Tickets were for sale at the meeting, otherwise; they can be purchased at the door. Evelyn Budde updated the members present on the progress. We will be nominating 32 people including Stearns Bank, our Business of the Year and the Mitchell family, our Family of the Year. Social Hour is 5:30, Meal at 6:30. If a business is still interested in donating a prize please contact Susan via email [email protected] or via phone @ 320-845-7777. The Pay It Forward campaign is still in full force. If you know of an individual or a family in need please let Susan know.

Albany Police Department—John Arneson from the Albany Police Department informed the members about the different ways the Police Department is trying to connect with the public. They are on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. Members are encouraged to ‘Friend’ the Albany Police Department to be up-to- date on some of the important issues and happenings within and around the Albany Area. They use the social networks to put out “friendly reminders,” report lost dogs, search for stolen items, etc. The Albany Enterprise reported being linked to them and helping them spread their stories through the paper or their own social network sites. Information cards about the police department’s social network sites will soon be available at the PD. Lynn Jenc also suggested being friends with Albany Area Schools. Having the Police Department and the school as part of your social network will help keep you informed. National Night Out—John Arneson also spoke about the upcoming National Night Out. He asked the opinion of the members present where to hold it this year. Lynn Jenc suggested they piggy-back National Night out with their already scheduled music @ the Legion Park.

Any questions about the social networks or national night out, please feel free to call or email John Arneson. Tom Schneider mentioned that John is the daytime police officer.

Fishing Tournament for Kids—A donation request was made on behalf of the Family Fishing Tournament held annually in Freeport. This tournament is for and benefits kids. Evelyn Budde spoke about being at this tournament in the past and pledged that it is run very smoothly and is a very nice outing for all. It was decided to bring this up again at our next meeting after the budget was reviewed.

Sweetheart Dinner—Tom Schneider spoke on behalf of the Lions. The annual Sweetheart Dinner will be February 9, 2013. Dinner/show tickets are $30, Raffle tickets are $20. These tickets are available for purchase from any Lions member or Tom has them available at City Hall. This year the Lions have pledged $5000 of the proceeds to help the City of Albany pay for new Christmas Lights. There will be 31 new light poles that are in need of décor. Estimated total cost for these lights is $16,000. The Albany Jaycees have also pledged $5000. The Albany Lions are debating about holding a raffle to help come up with the rest of the money.

OTHER BUSINESS Tom Schneider spoke about the Main Street project. Bids will be open Friday at 10 am. There were 55 plans and 97 pages. In late April construction will start and will have 2 phases. Completion is estimated for October 19, 2013. The City is thinking about a coffee/roll get together with the contractor for introductions and information. The City website will have updates. The Enterprise will be at the March 20th meeting to inform everybody & will update during construction.

Cindy Nienaber from Albany Area Hospice spoke about their excellent turnout with the Tree of Lights. They are trying to deliver as many ornaments as possible to cut down on postage. If you are interested in picking yours up please contact them.

Melina’s Bistro has closed. Their location is available for rent.

Prize drawing won by Tim Jopp. Announcement of February meeting: Noon, February 20, 2013 at Hillcrest Family Restaurant—back room.

Meeting adjourned at 12:49pm

Respectfully submitted, Susan Iverson - Executive Secretary