GERMAN VILLAGE SOCIETY BOARD of TRUSTEES MINUTES of the MEETING of June 11, 2019 Present: John Barr, Brittany Gibson, Jim Penika
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GERMAN VILLAGE SOCIETY BOARD OF TRUSTEES MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF June 11, 2019 Present: John Barr, Brittany Gibson, Jim Penikas, Kurt MiLLer, Joshua Zimmerman, Marie Logothetis, Terri DaLenta, Robin Strohm, Susan SutherLand, Eric Vanderson Staff and guests: Nancy Kotting, GVS Historic Preservation Advocate; DeLiLah Lopez, German ViLLage Society executive director. The meeting was calLed to order at 6:01 p.m. by President Joshua Zimmerman. Public Participation President Joshua Zimmerman weLcomed Nancy Kotting to the meeting and explained that he’s asked her to attend the beginning of each board meetings to share both high-leveL as weLL as pressing historic preservation updates directLy with the board. Nancy shared some reflections she had in taLking to a resident recently: as one of the oldest designated districts in the country, German ViLLage was recognized when the historic-preservation movement was otherwise honor- ing districts and structures that were for the most part considered elite and over the top. Our neighborhood was an example of the buiLt environment of a working population being recog- nized; since then, we’ve created one of the most affLuent neighborhoods in CoLumbus. She asked board members to reflect on the irony of that situation: without necessariLy intending to, German ViLLage has gone from a working-class, immigrant-fiLLed space to one that protects, cre- ates and perpetuates affLuence. Nancy said she’LL continue to dig into this evolution and the landscape in which German ViLLage was originalLy recognized. Reports of the Officers In his President’s Report, Joshua shared updates on Haus und Garten Tour, which is always our focus in June. With only a few weeks to go, 57 PreTour dinner tickets remain avaiLable; 13 totaL dinners are sold out. Haus und Garten Tour chair Marie Logothetis said that cocktail-only and AfFARE tickets are selLing weLL and do tend to see sales pick up in the two weeks before the event, but alL ticket sales could use a big push by board members getting the word out in their networks. Joshua mentioned that AfFARE, a new ticket option for Tour and his “pet pro- ject,” is something just about anyone could be interested in, since the $125 ticket covers alL the booze and food you could want, includes restaurants, beer and spirits from alL over CoLumbus, and — like alL Tour-weekend tickets — benefits the Society’s historic-preservation mission. Treasurer John Barr asked about how our pace with PreTour ticket sales this year compares to years previous, since he noted a $40,000 gap in budget in his report. Marie said that between now and Tour weekend, the Society needs to selL $30,000 in tickets to meet the budget we com- mitted to for this event. Joshua added that staff and board members have been trying to get a meeting with the city’s new historic preservation officer for months now and have been unsuccessful. In the meantime, the information the Society is currentLy operating on is from the former past historic preservation officer, who has retired. He added that whiLe we're disappointed the meeting hasn’t happened yet, we're stiLL actively pursuing one since we believe we not only need a good working reLation- ship with the Historic Preservation Office to fuLfiLL our mission, but we know we need clarity on a number of issues that only a sit-down meeting can bring. As we understand it, the office is very understaffed, and this issue has been affecting historic-district areas outside our own. Joshua said the Society wiLL keep members abreast of our progress and what we learn. Vice President Jim Penikas shared an overview of the DropBox fiLes avaiLable to board mem- bers for easy reference, which everyone should now have access to. The DropBox contains his- toricaL materiaLs and policies, as weLL as an “orientation” foLder that’s a good place to get started for those who are new to using it. The “governance” foLder contains the Society’s constitution and bylaws, which alL board members should be famiLiar with. constitution and bylaws. Board members with questions about the use of the DropBox or the information contained within it can reach out to any of the OrganizationaL DeveLopment Committee members: co-chairs Jeanne Li- kins and Nancy Turner as weLL as Jim or Susan SutherLand. Secretary Brittany Gibson presented the minutes of the May 12, 2019, meeting. MOTION: To approve the minutes of the May 12, 2019, GVS board meeting. [Gibson, Barr] In his Treasurer’s report, John shared that he has better news than what was reflected in the re- port he submitted before the meeting — whiLe it looked like, compared to last May, we were be- hind on excess revenues as compared to expenses coming into June, it now looks like we’re maintaining our expense levels and continuing to take a hard look at those. John reminded the board the audit approved at the last board meeting and shard that no significant issues or mate- riaL weaknesses were noted by the audit. Joshua asked, just for the sake of an example, what a bad outcome of audit could be; John explained that auditors could find that the non-profit has no internaL controls in pace or that records are subject to frauduLent activity, which wouLd resuLt in them not being able to validate the audit. ThankfuLLy, John added, that isn’t anything close to the case for the GVS. Committee Reports Joshua noted that the Committees had submitted their reports in the board packet and asked if there were any Committee activities with additionaL updates requiring board discussion or ap- proval. Jim, piLLar liaison to the governance group, announced on behalf of the OrganizationaL DeveLop- ment Committee that the annual election for four open positions on the Board of Trustees wiLL take place in August. The committee recommends the foLLowing slate: Eric Vanderson, who was recently appointed to the Board to fiLL Dennis Brandon’s seat, which is up for election this year; NeLson Genshaft, who is currentLy appointed to the one-year, non-voting seat; NataLia Roca, who is involved in the Historic Preservation Committee and has hosted both Haus und Garten and Monster Bash stops; and Darci Congrove, a former board member who is chair of the Fund for Historic Preservation and TEA 43206, among many other contributions. Jim said the OrganizationaL DeveLopment Committee met with several interested neighbors over the past year to come up with this slate. AlL four of these individuals have a passion for the neighborhood and are looking forward to furthering their contributions. These nominations kick off a three-week period during which any GVS member in good standing for at least one year can “seLf-nominate” for an open seat by obtaining 10 signatures from members in good standing and by acknowLedging his or her intent to serve if elected. A self-nomination form wiLL be avaiLa- ble from the office and must be returned by June 25 at 5 p.m. Jim asked DeLiLah to make sure an announcement is included in the Neighbors4Neighbors emaiL newsletter as weLL. The official balLot, with any self-nominated candidates, wiLL be announced in July. Staff Reports DeLiLah Lopez shared that the Society is helping to celebrate German ViLLage CoLumbus’ original “gayborhood” in the city’s PRIDE Parade this weekend. Greg Gamier added that the group of volunteers putting it alL together are seeking additional help in the finaL push to put finishing touches on the brick house and this year’s new addition, a pond with running water and an hom- age to the bronze “umbreLLa girL” statue via drag queen Que Jones. They’re also looking for ad- ditional people to waLk with the float during the parade to hand out fans, parasols and flyers that promote Haus und Garten Tour. DeLiLah added that the group is excited to show off our history and heritage and to compete for “best float,” a category that’s being offered for the first time in awhiLe. The official “gayborhood” T-shirts wiLL be avaiLable for $20 in the Visitors Center before and after the parade. DeLiLah also updated the board on the status of the Friends of SchiLLer, formerly a German ViL- lage Society committee, which shared last month that it had obtained its own 501(c)(3). FinaL detaiLs of what a future partnership looks like are stiLL being worked through, DeLiLah said, but funds have been transferred and inventory and bookkeeping transfers wiLL come next. As the process continues, DeLiLah wiLL keep the board updated. In the meantime, if board members speak to anyone who is looking to get in touch with Friends of SchiLLer, please direct them to President Ann LiLLy. Old/New Business New business: none. VoLunteer highlights: Joshua gave a big thanks to the crew helping to make the German ViLLage Society’s PRIDE Parade float possible: Nick WeitzeL (chair/organizer), Cathie Senter, NeaL Raffensberger, David Thomas, Vince Thompson, Terri Schiavi, TyLer Lore, Greg Gamier, Jeff Lowe, Marie Trudeau, Robert MiLnes, Katie Destro, DanieL West, Wayne Owens, Jim Donnan, Terri Dickey, Julie DoLan, Eva Raymond, Josh MiLLer, Jim Penikas, Sarah Penikas. Safety: none. Having wrapped up the agenda, Joshua suggested the board end the meeting and move into executive session at 6:26 p.m. MOTION: Adjourn the June 11, 2019, meeting of the German ViLLage Board of Trustees. [Penikas, Barr] Motion approved. RespectfuLLy submitted, Brittany Gibson, Secretary Attest: Joshua Zimmerman, President GERMAN VILLAGE SOCIETY TREASURER’S REPORT JUNE 11, 2019 BOARD MEETING FINANCIAL STATEMENT HIGHLIGHTS MAY 2019 CASH BALANCES AS OF MAY 31, 2019: OPERATIONS: CHECKING $ 55,206 CONTINGENCY $ 88,535 DESIGNATED FUNDS: TOTAL $ 362,002 SIGNIFICANT BALANCES: GERMAN VILLAGE BUSINESS COMMUNITY $ 71,772 FUND FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION $ 114,192 FOR THE GOOD OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD $ 120,430 INVESTMENTS: TOTAL $ 683,323 BRENT WARNER MAINTENANCE FUND $ 205,930 MEETING HOUSE REPLACEMENT RESERVE $240,105 ALBERTA STEVENS HUNTINGTON GARDEN FUND $ 254,806 OPERATING BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS (CASH BASIS): MAY REVENUE $ 49,000 VS BUDGET OF $ (EXCLUDING IN-KIND DONATIONS WHICH ARE NON -CASH) ADMISSION INCOME SIGNIFICANTLY BEHIND BUDGET ($40K TO $50K) SPONSORSHIP AND ADVERTISING BEHIND.