Board Minutes

Board and Committee Pages
West Bay Rotary Board Meeting Minutes - September 2, 2020 via Zoom
 
Attendees: President Ken Gardiner, George Abendroth, Kristen Lindquist, ADG Sandy Cox, Lisa Dresser, Deborah Fink, Ray Fink, Barbara Heard, Trina Kuykendall, Leamon Scott, Mark Coursey, Kim Milton, Peter Lindquist, JP Fecteau, Jim Potter, Etienne Perret
 
Meeting called to order at 7:01am by President Ken Gardiner.
 
1. Secretary's Report (George)
            - Minutes from the August 5th Board Meeting were reviewed and approved.
            - August Attendance (without Satellite Club numbers): 57.25%; YTD= 58.45%
            - Membership stands at 88 (85 active/3 honorary, includes 9 in Satellite Club -- note, we are still waiting for feedback on Francis Bray-Bateman of satellite club, who had extended LOA but has not resumed activity in club
            - West Bay Rotary website and Club Calendars are current, but always looking for member inputs for meetings and events
 
2. Treasurer's Report (Kristen)
            - Kristen indicated that we are down about $6k in income to date, but expenses are also down since we have not been meeting in-person
            - Expenses in last month included new Trailer insurance
            - Aging Summary was discussed - Ken and Sandy will be in contact with several members whose dues are greater than $100
            - Treasurer's Report was approved
 
3. Backpack Program (Barbara)
            - Barbara reported that over 70 backpacks have been delivered now, with more to come over the coming weeks.
            - A Children's Facemask program is being investigated and may be added to the backpacks going forward.  The Club learned of this effort via Laura Evans' daughter. Other sources of facemask purchases are also being investigated.
 
4. Alternate Meeting Location (Sandy)
            - Sandy reported that he, Mark Coursey and Dolores Hyssong have been working to develop details associated with potential alternate meeting location at the American Legion Hall in Camden. Space would accomodate a max of about 48 people, and we would need to borrow a speaker system, such as the one owned by the Chamber of Commerce. In lieu of rent, West Bay may be asked to purchase some new fiberglass tables, to help replace the old wooden tables at the hall.  There is no current date planned for restarting in-person meetings, as much of the discussion centered about working out details on how to conduct meetings safely and working to get members re-engaged, be it in-person or via zoom in a hybrid meeting format.  If restarted, the Board believes there should not be any food or drink allowed, in order to maximize the wearing of facemasks at the meeting. There is clearly the need to communicate all expectations to meetings and guests in advance of scheduling any meeting.
5. Satellite Club (JP)
            - George will adjust meeting details on Satellite Club website and on West Bay Calendar (2nd and 4th Thursdays, starting 5:15pm at Flatbread until further notice)
            - JP announced that the Cornhole Tournament committee is continuing to work on safety issues associated with conducting the tournament, including the decision to limit attendees to just the teams competing and those working the event (no spectators). To date, 8 teams have signed up and there are 6 sponsorships that have been secured. A raffle is planned for a painting that has been donated.
 
6. Membership (Joan/Loriman)
            - President Ken identified to the Board that Joan LeMole would be temporarily replacing Loriman Looke as the Membership Chair, given Loriman's increased work duties at Quarry Hill.
 
7. Interact (Joan)
            - President Ken reported that the Interact Club is still looking for an alternative meeting location, as outside visitors will not be allowed to enter CHRHS for now.
 
8. International (Susan)
            No report this month
 
9. Rotary Foundation (Etienne)
            Nothing to report this month
 
10. Community Service (Trina)
            - Another Habitat for Humanity Build day is scheduled for Saturday, September 12th from 8:30am until 12:30pm at the Philbrick Avenue build site.
            - Other projects being discussed include a wood delivery project for a club member and the exterior painting of trim for the Midcoast Recvery Coalition. Details are forthcoming.
 
11. Vocational (Jim)
            - The Entrepreneurship class is cancelled for this fall's Adult Ed program.
 
12. Youth Exchange (George F.)
            No report this month
 
13. Fellowship (Jan A.)
            - George reported on the planned Appledore II Sunset Cruise, scheduled for tonight.
 
14. Public Image (Deborah)
            - Nothing new to report
 
15. Sponsorships (Leamon)
            - Leamon mentioned that we are doing another round of promotions in local newspapers for our annual sponsors (timing for this is associated with now-cancelled Chowder Challenge)
 
16. MRC Yard Sale (Lisa)
            - Lisa reported that donations at this year's sale exceeded last year. To date, the income totals $3927, with additional possible donations coming from this week's continued sales.  Lisa indicated a very cooperative crowd, who followed the Covid guidelines of social distancing and wearing facemasks.
 
17. West Bay Rotary Facemasks
            - President Ken reported that the initial facemask order of 50 masks has been placed and delivery is expected to Gary Walker at the end of this week.
 
Meeting was adjourned at 8:03am.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
West Bay Rotary Board Minutes - Meeting of August 5, 2020 (via Zoom)
 
Attendees: President Ken Gardiner; George Abendroth; Kristen Lindquist; ADG Sandy Cox; Jim Potter; Barbara Heard; Deborah Fink; Ray Fink; Kim Milton; Loriman Looke; Lisa Dresser; JP Fecteau; Etienne Perret; George Forristall; Susan Dorr; Mark Coursey; Abe Dugal; Mark Bergelin
 
Meeting was called to order by President Ken at 7:01am.
 
1. Secretary's Report (George A.)
            - The Board minutes for both the June 3, 2020 meeting and July 1, 2020 meeting were approved.
            - July attendance was 59.41%, with the YTD (July thru June) the same. It was noted that we have done very well with Zoom meetings, though we still are missing a fair number of members each week. President Ken is prioritizing his calls to members to those that have not been regularly present on meeting calls.
            - Membership numbers are now at 88, with 85 active and 3 honorary; Satellite club membership is now at 9, due to resignation of Hannah Sisk from their Club, due to her new teaching responsibilities. We are still awaiting feedback from Satellite Club on membership status of Francis Brey-Bateman, who had previously been on extended LOA.
            - The West Bay Rotary website and calendar have been updated with new Rotary logos and officers/committee chairs for President Ken's year.
            - An email has been sent to all West Bay Rotarians requesting updated Membership data. At time of meeting, only 65 of 88 members have responded.
 
2. Treasurer's Report (Kristen)
            - The Treasurer's Reports for both June and July were approved by the Board.
            - Kristen summarized this past year's financials as 'not rosy', given we have not been able to conduct key fundraisers since the pandemic impacted the Club.
            - On recommendation from Kristen and Loriman, it was requested/decided that President Ken make contact with those members with overdue invoices.
            - Buckets on the Table for August will again be for the Backpack Program, which is being led by Barbara Heard.
 
3. Satellite Club (JP)
            - JP Fecteau, this year’s Satellite Chair, reported that their membership stands at 8 active members (note: currently 9, but checking status of Francis Bray-Bateman) and will advise George on outcome in coming weeks.
            - JP reported that the Satellite Club is working on a vision statement for their Club, discussing ideas with various members on the overall direction of their Club.
            - Sponsorship letters are being developed for the Cornhole Tournament, with the goal of getting 10 sponsors.  The plan is to have 40 teams compete, with the winner of the tournament to get net proceeds to donate to the local charity of their choice.
            - The Satellite Club is meeting 2nd and 4th Thursdays at 5:15pm at Flatbread.
 
4. Membership (Loriman)
            - Loriman reported that Isabella Benzie is interested in joining West Bay Rotary, and he is planning to folllowup during the coming month to address questions.
            - Loriman also asked that all Members be reminded to help identify prospective members.
 
5. Interact (Joan)
            - No report this month, though President Ken noted that there is currently no ability to meet at the High School, as outside visitors are denied access due to Covid guidelines. Options for alternate meeting locations are being investigated.
 
6. International (Susan)
            - Susan reported no significant changes from last meeting.
 
7. Rotary Foundation (Etienne)
            - Etienne reported no new changes from last month’s report.
 
8. Community Service (Tim)
            -  A Habitat build is scheduled for Saturday, August 8th.
           
9. Youth Exchange (George F.)
            - George reported that no one is travelling at this time, and that individual countries will have to be investigated for next summer.
 
10. Club Administration (Lisa)
            - Nothing to report
 
11. Public Image (Deb)
            - Nothing new to report
 
12. Sponsorships (Leamon)
            - No report, given Leamon’s absence
 
13. Fellowship (Jan)
            - George reported, for Jan, that Jan is setting up a Sunset Cruise trip on the Appledore for early September (9/2 is full moon), with details to be announced at tomorrow’s Club meeting and emails to members. West Bay can ‘own the boat’ for the evening if we can get 30 folks to commit.
 
14. Vocational (Jim)
            -  The next Entrepreneurship class is scheduled to start September 30th.  Sandy Cox will be working with Jim this year to transition leadership of this program.
 
15. President Ken then announced nominations for the “At-Large Member” positions on the Charitable Foundation Board: Barbara Heard, Mike Moore and Peter Lindquist.  The full Club will vote on these nominations at the next Club meeting.
 
16. Sergeant-at-Arms – President Ken announced that he wanted to do something different with this position for his year, so he plans to have a rotating, monthly Sergeant-at-Arms. His desire is based on attempting to get some members that are not necessarily active in many events to step-up and become a bit more active with the Club. It was recommended that a laminated card be developed with list of duties, so that we maintain consistency each month.
 
17. The West Bay Rotary Yard Sale will be held at the MRC on Saturday, August 30th from 8 to Noon.  Lisa Dresser is chair of event, and indicated donations will be accepted starting the prior Monday. Contact Lisa directly for more details.
 
Meeting was adjourned at 8:04am.
------------------------------
West Bay Rotary Board Minutes - Meeting of July 1, 2020 (via Zoom)
 
Attendees: President Ken Gardiner; George Abendroth; Kristen Lindquist; ADG Sandy Cox; Jim Potter; Barbara Heard; Deborah Fink; Ray Fink; Kim Milton; Loriman Looke; Lisa Dresser; JP Fecteau; Leamon Scott; Etienne Perret; George Forristall; Susan Dorr; Tim Dresser.
 
Meeting was called to order by President Ken at 7:01am. The Board asked that Ken issue one integrated report package earlier in the week, rather than issuing each report seperately.
 
1. Secretary's Report (George A.)
            - The vote of the Board minutes for the June 3, 2020 meeting was deferred to next month, due to late issuance of meeting documents.
            - June attendance was 60.82%, with the YTD (July thru June) at 58.56%. It was noted that we have done very well with Zoom meetings, though we still are missing a fair number of members each week.
            - Membership numbers still stand at 89, with 86 active and 3 honorary; Satellite club membership remains at 10. Kim Milton's Rotary year ended at a net zero for membership, with 2 additions (Gwen Clemens and Ute Molitor) and 2 departures (Betsy Saltonstall and John Tohanczyn) during the past Rotary year. Club membership and new year officers were verified for RI invoicing.
            - Completed reporting on both Club Goals and DG Suzanne's Citation Criteria. West Bay Rotary met all goals with exception of Membership (total and new member goals).
            - The West Bay Rotary website and calendar have been updated with new Rotary logos and officers/committee chairs for President Ken's year.
            - An email has been sent to all West Bay Rotarians requesting updated Membership data. At time of meeting, only 18 members have responded.
 
2. Treasurer's Report (Kristen)
            - The vote of the Treasurer's Report for June was deferred to next month, due to late issuance of meeting documents.
            - Kristen summarized this past year's financials as 'not rosy', given we have not been able to conduct key fundraisers since the pandemic impacted the Club. Net income was down over $28k for the year, and assets were down over $24k. The new year budget needs to be voted on by the full membership, so George will send the budgets to all West Bay Rotarians for review, with vote to occur during the July 9th Club meeting.
            - Reminders on past due invoicing are being sent, along with the issuance of 1st quarter invoices.
            - Buckets on the Table for July will be for the Backpack Program, which is being led by Barbara Heard again this year.
 
3. Membership (Loriman)
            - Loriman reported that Isabella Benzie is interested in West Bay Rotary, while Rob Powers will likely join the Rockland Rotary Club, as he is a resident of Rockland. Wendy and Dwight Leeper's contact information was passed to Loriman, as they are relocating to Rockport/Camden and are interested in possibly joining us.
 
4. Interact (Joan)
            - No report this month
 
5. International (Susan)
            - Susan reported that $500 had been donated to 2 local organizations involved with direct support of asylum seekers that are new Mainers (Mainers in Need and Maine Needs).
 
6. Rotary Foundation (Etienne)
            - The District Grant Application for Meals of Hope, tentatively scheduled for the October/November timeframe, has been submitted.  If the Elks Club reopens, then we will be using that facility for the project. The goal is to pack another 25,000 meals, however, we are looking at various different food options for this year's project.
 
7. Community Service (Tim)
            - Tim Dresser and Trina Kuykendall are co-chairs of the Committee this year.
            - Next meeting is tentatively Tuesday, 7 July, if Sandy can help get on Zoom.
            - A Habitat build is scheduled for Saturday, July 11th.
            - The painting of Camden's lightposts was completed, however, the benches have not yet been completed due to lack of supplies from the town.
 
8. Youth Exchange (George F.)
            - George rerported that no one is travelling at this time, and that individual countries will have to be investigated for next summer.
 
9. Club Administration (Lisa)
            - Nothing to report
 
10. Public Image (Deb)
            - Nothing new to report
 
11. Sponsorships (Leamon)
            - Nothing new to report
 
12. Fellowship (Jan)
            - Jan Abendroth will be this year's chair....No report this month.
 
13. Vocational (Jim)
            - The 4 West Bay Rotary scholarship recipients will be invited to the December 31st meeting to share their experiences. Jim noted that he will be working with Tim Dresser to transition leadership of the scholarship program during this year.
            - The next Entrepreneurship class is scheduled to start September 30th.  Sandy Cox will be working with Jim this year to transition leadership of this program.
14. Satellite Club (JP Fecteau)
            - JP reported that the Satellite Club remains at 10 members, meeting twice a month. They are working to identify a speaker for at least one meeting a month. Next meeting is July 9th. Their next major fundraiser will be a Corn Hole Tournament.
            - It was recommended to move the Satellite Club report to immediately after the Secretary and Treasurer reports, as they are an integral part of the Club.
 
15. President Ken then spoke to the Board about his year's plans and the current status of various activities.  Ken indicated that Tom Peaco has been contacting vendors for this year's Christmas Tree Sales, working closely with Bob Rubin. Ken indicated that he will speak to the full Club at tomorrow's Club Meeting about his year's President's Project, which will focus on building coalitions and better relationships amongst the various organizations that support the Midcoast Recovery Coalition.
 
16. New Business
            - The West Bay Rotary Yard Sale is tentatively being planned for August.
 
Meeting was adjourned at 8:04am.
---------------------------------
West Bay Rotary Board Minutes -- Meeting of June 3, 2020 (via ZOOM)
Attendees: President Kim Milton; George Abendroth; Kristen Lindquist; Loriman Looke; Susan Dorr; Deborah Fink; Ray Fink; Mark Coursey; Leamon Scott; Ken Gardiner; George Forristall; Lisa Dresser; Etienne Perret; ADG Sandy Cox; Jim Potter; Barbara Heard; Mary Sargent
ZOOM Meeting called to order by President Kim at 7:03 am.
  1. President Kim opened the Board meeting by thanking everyone on the Board as this is her last Board meeting as Club President. Kim identified that this year’s Change of Command meeting will be held via Zoom, as an evening meeting on Thursday, June 25th (and it was noted that there will be no morning meeting that same day).
 
  1. Secretary Report (George A.)
  • Minutes of the May 6, 2020 Board Meeting were reviewed and approved without further changes.
  • Attendance for May 2020 = 56.42%; YTD (since July 2019) = 58.35%.  Note that Satellite Club attendance numbers are NOT included in these numbers, since none were reported this month. Also, noted that overall attendance numbers are down from last year’s average of 67.58%.
  • West Bay Rotary Membership Numbers are still at 89 total (86 active (10 are Satellite Club members) and 3 honorary members) as of Board Meeting.
  • West Bay Rotary Calendar is being kept updated, however it was noted that ALL meetings and major Club events have been cancelled until at least end of June.  The exceptions are the Habitat for Humanity build days and possibly the Camden town Light Post painting activities.  It is still requested that all Committee/Event Chairs keep both Kim and George appraised on meeting date/time changes, so that we can maintain calendar and website current. 
  • The drafting of responses to DG Suzanne’s Criteria document is underway and largely complete; the largest void being identification of WBR member visits to other Rotary clubs.
  • Website changes made this month included updating the Donation Request button for the Charitable Foundation to indicate our Club is ‘on hold at this time’; weekly meeting notes have been added; and added a selection to the updated Club Constitution and Club By-Laws under the Board and Committee page.
  • Working on draft of the revised Club and Committee Organization Document, so that all Committees are included, as well as key Club and Board policy that is not already included in our ByLaws.
 
  1. Treasurer’s Report (Kristen)
  • Kristen reported that as of the meeting, we had just over $7700 in the Club checking account, just over $17500 in our operating account, and just over $6600 in our savings account, with $8k earmarked for Scholarships and other dollars allocated for advance payments for the next Christmas Tree/Wreath sales. There have been minimal other expenses during the month. Overall Club financials are down from last year’s financials, due to the forced cancellation of key fundraisers (Ewaste Plus and Duck Derby). It was noted that these events may possibly occur in the fall, however, we need to be cautious moving forward, given the ongoing uncertainties associated with reduction of current pandemic restrictions.
  • “Virtual” Buckets on the Table for June will again be for Knox County Homeless Coalition.
  • The Board approved next year’s Budget for incoming President Ken Gardiner’s year.
 
  1. Membership (Loriman)
  • Loriman proposed that all Club members help identify prospective members and invite them to our Club Zoom meetings. Loriman identified Isabella Benzie and Rob Powers will be joining us on upcoming Zoom meetings, as potential prospective members.
 
  1. Community Service (Mark)
  • Mark indicated the Community Service committee will be meeting next week via Zoom, and requested that all help identify new ideas for projects.
  • Sandy Cox updated the Board on the purchase of a Storage Trailer, including initial wrap alternative ideas, and identified the need for Liabiity Insurance for the Trailer. Sandy will make contacts for insurance quotes and also continue to explore options for wraps, which might include magnetics or poster frames mounted to trailer.
 
  1. New Business (Kim)
- May 28th will be Kim’s last scheduled Club Assembly. The year-end Changeover Ceremony is not yet determined, but ideas are welcome from all Board members.
- Kim reported that we now have the District-funded version of ZOOM for our use (it has been paid for by the District).
- The Christmas Tree Committee has met via Zoom, and initial efforts are underway for the coming year (Tom Peaco is looking at suppliers; request was made to help identify ideas for the Christmas Shop; and ideas associated with Weekend Activities that might occur during sales on weekends is being actively discussed).
- A District Grant application for a Meals of Hope packing event (to be held tentatively in Oct 2020) is being initiated by Etienne (noted deadline for submission is June 30th).
- The District will be holding Opioid Prevention ACEs Training on Saturday, June 27th via Zoom, with a number of Board members indicating that they plan to signup and participate. The Board voted to approve a $100 sponsorship of the event.
Meeting adjourned at 8:18 am.
---------------------------
West Bay Rotary Board Minutes -- Meeting of May 6, 2020 (via ZOOM)
Attendees: President Kim Milton; George Abendroth; Kristen Lindquist; Loriman Looke; Susan Dorr; Deborah Fink; Ray Fink; Mark Coursey; Leamon Scott; Ken Gardiner; George Forristall; Lisa Dresser; Etienne Perret; ADG Sandy Cox; Jim Potter; Barbara Heard; Mary Sargent; John Viehman; Megan Williams/United Midcoast Charities
ZOOM Meeting called to order by President Kim at 7:01 am.
  1. President Kim opened the Board meeting introducing John Viehman and Megan Williams of United Midcoast Charities. John first updated the Board on the highly successful Matching Challenge, which resulted in $5873 donated and matched by West Bay Rotary’s $5000 donation. John and Megan then discussed their proposal for West Bay Rotary to continue with another matching donation effort for another $5000, as they felt that people are asking about more matching dollars for their donations and the fact that there is definite interest in the community in giving to the Rapid Response Fund, under our Matching Challenge Program. The Board approved the additional $5000, after reviewing and discussing current Club financials, and many expressed the fact that this matching program will provide more potential impact for the community than anything we might do within the Club itself.
 
  1. Secretary Report (George A.)
  • Minutes of the April 1, 2020 Board Meeting and the April 14, 2020 Special Board ZOOM meeting were reviewed and approved without further changes.
  • Attendance for April 2020 = 51.46%; YTD (since July 2019) = 58.55%.  Note that Satellite Club attendance numbers are included in these numbers. Also, noted that overall attendance numbers are down from last year’s average of 67.58%.
  • West Bay Rotary Membership Numbers are still at 89 total (86 active (10 are Satellite Club members) and 3 honorary members) as of Board Meeting.
  • West Bay Rotary Calendar is being kept updated, however it was noted that ALL meetings and Club events have been cancelled until at least end of May.  It is still requested that all Committee/Event Chairs keep both Kim and George appraised on meeting date/time changes, so that we can maintain calendar and website current. 
  • RI’s new revision of the Council on Legislation decisions has been published. George has completed initial review, and coordinated findings with Bruce Malone and Sandy Cox for their review.  The recommended changes will be sent to the Board at upcoming meeting for approval (and then once agreed to, we will present to the full Club during May).
  • Rule of 85 requests were approved by the Board for Terry Bregy and Bill Hartman (both medical).
  • The drafting of responses to DG Suzanne’s Criteria document is underway and largely complete; the largest void being identification of WBR member visits to other Rotary clubs.
 
  1. Treasurer’s Report (Kristen)
  • Overall Club financials are down about $10k from last year’s financials, due to the forced cancellation of key fundraisers (Ewaste Plus and Duck Derby). It was noted that these events may possibly occur in the fall, however, we need to be cautious moving forward, given the ongoing uncertainties associated with reduction of current pandemic restrictions. Operating funds are also reduced and there may be some need for member dues’ forgiveness. Invoices for the $37.50 portion of dues were sent during April, so we hopefully have needed monies to pay RI/District dues due early in new Rotary year.
  • “Virtual” Buckets on the Table for May will be for Knox County Homeless Coalition.
  • It was mentioned that Sandy Cox has completed the purchase of storage trailer for the Club, and that we have renewed our ClubRunner software for another year.
  • Questions about Food quantities and overall costs are still being reviewed and have been adjusted during recent live meetings. Reviews will continue once we resume regular meeting dates/times. It was noted that there was less overall cost in January’s invoice.
  • Next year’s Budget will be developed by Kristen, with discussion then amongst President Kim, President-Elect Ken and Secretary George during late May (for discussion at June Board meeting).
 
  1. Sponsorships (Leamon)
  • Leamon identified that he has contacted all WBR sponsors about the postponements of E-Waste Plus and Duck Derby, and is working ideas with Deb/Ray (Public Image) to help promote/maintain annual sponsor visibility.
 
  1. Membership (Loriman)
  • Loriman proposed that all Club members help identify prospective members and invite them to our Club Zoom meetings. Loriman identified Isabella Benzie will be joining us on upcoming Zoom meetings, as a prospective member.
 
  1. New Business (Kim)
- May 28th will be Kim’s last scheduled Club Assembly. The year-end Changeover Ceremony is not yet determined, but ideas are welcome from all Board members.
- Kim reported that we now have the District-funded version of ZOOM for our use (it has been paid for by the District).
- The Christmas Tree Committee will be meeting shortly (via ZOOM).
- A District Grant for Meals of Hope is being initiated by Etienne (check status and submission date?).
Meeting adjourned at 7:50 am.
------------------------------------
West Bay Rotary Board Minutes – Special Meeting of April 14, 2020 (via ZOOM)
Attendees: President Kim Milton; George Abendroth; Kristen Lindquist; Loriman Looke; Susan Dorr; Deborah Fink; Ray Fink; Mark Coursey; Leamon Scott; Ken Gardiner; George Forristall; Etienne Perret; ADG Sandy Cox; Mary Sargent; Jim Potter; Barbara Heard; John Viehman; Megan Williams/UMC
ZOOM Meeting called to order by President Kim at 7:02 am.
The purpose of this Special Board Meeting is to discuss a combination of West Bay Rotary Board and West Bay Rotary Charitable Foundation Board actions, which are summarized in these minutes. The major topic of the meeting was to discuss and approve actions associated with West Bay Rotary’s participation in the United Midcoast Charities (UMC) Rapid Response Funding Challenge.
John Viehman and Megan Williams/UMC Executive Director summarized the draft proposal that had been shared with all Board/Foundation members in advance of the meeting. John’s comments focused on the development of a West Bay Rotary-unique website within UMC’s site, where West Bay Rotary funding could be used to match donations made by outsiders, effectively doubling any donation made to our site.
President Kim explained that after an initial review by the Community Service Committee of recently-received Donation Requests, it was recommended back to the Board to reallocate some level of currently-available funding to allow for greater impacts within our community, given the large number of organizations that may need some level of assistance during the Covid-19 pandemic. Also, rather than allocate the full level of previously-designated funding by the Board to the Foundation, it was recommended to the Foundation officers that they hold back a portion of funding for possible future uses, since the Fundraising efforts of West Bay have been suspended, pending resumption of activities hopefully later this year.
After significant discussion and questions from various Board members, the Board/Foundation moved to approve that up to $5,000 would be donated to UMC, utilizing the funds to ‘match’ donations made to the unique West Bay Rotary site on the UMC page. It was noted that in parallel, West Bay will still remain an active party in the parallel Rotariansserving.org website and associated efforts, as this is a joint Rotary club effort of many area Rotary clubs. It was also noted that if outside donations total more than the $5,000 pledged today, that the Board/Foundation will revisit the Club’s potential to adding to this initial amount at a future date.
ADG Sandy Cox volunteered to contact the other area Rotary Clubs to help determine their level of interest in participating in a similar pledge/matching effort. However, it was noted that while getting other Rotarians to participate in such an effort, it is West Bay’s stated desire to keep West Bay’s involvement in this UMC matching effort as its own unique project at this time (in other words, if another Rotary Club wants to do a similar effort, they can develop their own page and donate to their own efforts).
Deborah Fink volunteered to work with Megan on West Bay’s fundraising site, including selection and identification of proper West Bay and Rotary branding. George Abendroth will get inputs from Deb, so that we can place key information on our website and send emails to our West Bay membership seeking donations, in addition to the Facebook posts that Deb will initiate.
The Board/Foundation approved the immediate issuance of a check for $5,000 to get the funding to UMC, given the large number of donation requests that they are evaluating at this time.
In closing the meeting, President Kim asked Sandy and John to be prepared to share a status of West Bay’s two initiatives (Rotariansserving.org and this UMC initiative) during this Thursday’s Club Meeting call, as we will have DG Suzanne Uhl-Melanson as our guest on the call.
Meeting adjourned at 7:50 am.
---------------------------------------------------
West Bay Rotary Board Minutes -- Meeting of April 1, 2020 (via ZOOM)
Attendees: President Kim Milton; George Abendroth; Kristen Lindquist; Loriman Looke; Susan Dorr; Deborah Fink; Ray Fink; Mark Coursey; Leamon Scott; Ken Gardiner; George Forristall; Lisa Dresser; Etienne Perret; ADG Sandy Cox; Mary Sargent
ZOOM Meeting called to order by President Kim at 7:02 am.
  1. President Kim opened the Board meeting by indicating that we would be attempting a Club Meeting (tomorrow) on April 2nd, starting at 7;30am, and asked all Committee Chairs to be prepared to provide updates/status, similar to a regular Club Assembly.
 
  1. Secretary Report (George A.)
  • Minutes of the March 4, 2020 Board Meeting and the March 26, 2020 Board ZOOM meeting were reviewed and approved without further changes.
  • Attendance for March 2020 = 52.1%; YTD (since July 2019) = 59.60%.  Note that Satellite Club attendance numbers are included in these numbers. Also, noted that overall attendance numbers are down from last year’s average of 67.58%.
  • West Bay Rotary Membership Numbers are at 89 total (86 active (10 are Satellite Club members) and 3 honorary members) as of today’s Board Meeting.
  • West Bay Rotary Calendar is being kept updated, however it was noted that ALL meetings and Club events have been cancelled until at least May 15th.  It is still requested that all Committee/Event Chairs keep both Kim and George appraised on meeting date/time changes, so that we can maintain calendar and website current. 
  • RI’s new revision of the Council on Legislation decisions has been published. George has completed initial review, and coordinated findings with Bruce Malone and Sandy Cox for their review.  The recommended changes will be sent to the Board at upcoming meeting for approval (and then once agreed to, we will present to the full Club).
  • George noted that he has participated in the first 3 sessions of online (via ZOOM) PETS training. President-Elect Ken Gardiner and ADG Sandy Cox have also participated in select sessions. It was noted that a Secretary session, as well as one for Treasurers, will be scheduled after completion of the PETS Training sessions (most likely on the 13th and 20th of April).
  • The drafting of responses to DG Suzanne’s Criteria document is underway and largely complete; the largest void being identification of WBR member visits to other Rotary clubs.
 
  1. Treasurer’s Report (Kristen)
  • Overall Club financials: about $6700 in checking account; operating funds are reduced and there may be some need for dues forgiveness. Invoices for the $37.50 portion of dues will be sent out shortly, so that we have these funds in time to pay the July invoices from operating funds.
  • Buckets on the Table for April will be for Big Brothers/Big Sisters.
  • It was mentioned that Sandy is holding on purchase of storage trailer.
  • The idea of a Reserve Account was discussed by the Board, to help address potential need for additional funds each quarter. It was agreed that there is a need to dedicate some funds, and it was recommended that donations be sought from the membership, prior to allocating other monies at this time.
  • Questions about Food quantities and overall costs are still being reviewed and adjusted. It was noted that there was less overall cost in January’s invoice.
 
  1. Community Service (Mark)
  • Community Service’s next meeting (likely on ZOOM on Tuesday, April 7th, will be initial discussion of Donation Requests that are received by the April 1st deadline.
  • Sandy Cox discussed a summary from the 3/26 ZOOM Call and ongoing activity status associated with the Rotariansserving.org website, which will help connect local citizens with various community organizations during the Covid-19 pandemic.
 
  1. Fellowship (Lisa Dresser)
  • The Yard Sale at the MRC is still scheduled on Saturday, June 13th at this time, with a decision to be made later.
 
  1. Foundation (Etienne)
  • The paperwork has been completed and submitted for Ira Mandel’s MCRC project.
  • It was noted that it is District Grant application time – it appears that Meals of Hope would be an excellent candidate for a West Bay application. Etienne was asked to lead the development of the grant application.
 
  1. Sponsorships (Leamon)
  • Leamon identified that he has contacted all WBR sponsors about the postponements of E-Waste Plus and Duck Derby
 
  1. Club Administration (no report)
  2. Membership (no report)
  3. Vocational (no report)
  4. International (no report)
 
  1. New Business (Kim)
- The Christmas Tree Committee will be meeting shortly (via ZOOM).
- Next year’s Budget will be developed by Kristen, with discussion then amongst President Kim, President-Elect Ken and Secretary George.
- A District Grant for Meals of Hope is being initiated by Etienne.
Meeting adjourned at 7:30 am.
-----------------------------------
West Bay Rotary Board Meeting
March 26, 2020 via ZOOM
Attendees: Kim Milton, George Abendroth, Kristen Lindquist, Sandy Cox, Ray Fink, Deborah Fink, Etienne Perret, Leamon Scott, Mary Sargent, George Forristall, Abe Dugal, Ute Molitor, John Viehman, Richard Anderson (Camden Rotary Club)
Starting promptly at 7:00pm on March 26th, the purpose of the ‘special’ Board Meeting call, held via ZOOM, was to discuss a potential support project for those impacted by Covid-19, which is being organized by Richard Anderson of the Camden Rotary Club. The goal is to get a group of West Bay and Camden Rotarians, working initially with the Town Managers of Camden and Rockport, to help facilitate activities and potential support required.
Richard Anderson and President Kim led the discussion, which essentially has three (3) main parts: Donate, Volunteer, and Need Help.  The idea is to identify (non-profit, preferably) organizations that would ‘opt-in’ and be identified/listed in each of the 3 areas, as applicable to the services they provide or needs that they can assist in fulfilling.
For ‘Donate’, an example would be helping to facilitate donations for a specific cause or project.
For ‘Volunteer’, agencies that need volunteers would identify their need. It is has not been determined what level of direct involvement or support would be provided, though the Board felt that this would best be determined by those organizations that have that particular expertise, and this effort should be largely to help facilitate the contacts between those in need and the organizations that can provide the best responses.
For ‘Need Help’, this might be where some level of request for help might be identified. Again, at this moment, it is not clear how we, as Rotarians, might become involved, and it was the Board’s desire to let those organizations that deal with these issues on a daily basis have the lead, and we might best help by facilitating getting those in need in contact with these organizations.
The idea of the need for 24/7 coverage was identified by Richard Anderson, however, the Board felt that this best be handled by those organizations that supply the efforts.
Richard Anderson identified that he had lined up the PenBay Pilot already as a source for the project communications, and John Viehman took an action to determine the Village Soup and Free Press’ interests.
The subject of support funding was identified near the end of the call, with George Abendroth raising the question about whether the Board needed to ask our Charitable Foundation to set-aside of portion of the upcoming Donation Request funds, in the event we had to support some portion of this project.
The Board voted to move forward with support for the overall planning of this project, with President Kim, Sandy Cox, John Viehman, and Leamon Scott as the initial representatives to the planning committee. Other West Bay Rotarians, particularly Noel Cox and Ute Molitor, expressed the desire to support this project and their roles may be better defined as the project evolves.
The Board ended the call at 7:50pm.
---------------------------------------
West Bay Rotary Board Minutes -- Meeting of March 4, 2020
Attendees: George Abendroth; President Kim Milton; Kristen Lindquist; Loriman Looke; Susan Dorr; Deborah Fink; Ray Fink; Mark Coursey; Leamon Scott; Barbara Heard; Ken Gardiner; George Forristall; Lisa Dresser; Etienne Perret
Meeting called to order by President Kim at 7:03 am.
  1. Secretary Report (George A.)
  • Minutes of the February 5, 2020 Board Meeting were reviewed and approved without further changes.
  • Attendance for February 2020 = 59.15%; YTD (since July 2019) = 59.60%.  Note that Satellite Club attendance numbers are included in these numbers. Also, noted that overall attendance numbers are down from last year’s average of 67.58%.
  • West Bay Rotary Membership Numbers are at 88 total (85 active (10 are Satellite Club members) and 3 honorary members) as of today’s Board Meeting. John Tohanczyn resigned from the Club during late February, due to business and family pressures.
  • West Bay Rotary Calendar is being kept updated, however it is requested that all Committee/Event Chairs keep both Kim and George appraised on meeting date/time changes, so that we can maintain calendar current. 
  • RI’s new revision of the Council on Legislation decisions has been published. George will make initial review, and coordinate findings with Bruce Malone and Sandy Cox for review, prior to bringing any recommended changes to the Board at upcoming meeting (and then once agreed to, we will present to the full Club). George noted that one area that the Board may need to discuss will be the future makeup of the Board and to help identify who are the voting members.
  • George noted that he will be attending the PETS training in Quebec, along with President-Elect Ken Gardiner, President-Elect/Elect Mark Coursey and ADG Sandy Cox.
 
  1. Treasurer’s Report (Kristen)
  • Overall Club financials are ‘as expected’ for this time of the year.
  • Buckets on the Table for March will be for the Knox County Homeless Coalition.
  • Previous savings account monies (about $10k) will be transferred to the West Bay Rotary Charitable Foundation now, as they were considered operating monies which had not been touched for several years.
  • The Board voted their approval to transfer $12k to the Charitable Foundation for upcoming donation requests.
  • $5900 was raised during Toboggan Parking project, and a net of $2360.04 was made at the Chili Challenge.
  • Questions about Food quantities and overall costs are still being reviewed and adjusted. It was noted that there was less overall cost in January’s invoice.
 
  1. Membership (Loriman Looke)
  • Loriman presented the name of Gwen Clemens for membership in West Bay Rotary. Gwen works as the GM at the Whitehall Inn in Camden. Kristen volunteered to be Gwen’s sponsor.
  • No changes to the Satellite Club membership.
 
  1. Club Administration (Mark Coursey)
  • The Community Service Committee will be meeting next Tuesday, to finalize changes to the Donation Request form (which will then be updated on our website) and also to discuss ideas associated with the strategic plan goals associated with Community Service.
 
  1. Community Service (Mark)
  • March 21st will be a Habitat for Humanity build day, from 8 to 12 Noon (location TBA).
  • Trina Kuykendall will be taking over as Chair of the Committee, with Tim Dresser as co-chair, given Mark will be President-Elect of the Club next Rotary year.
  • It was noted that E-Waste Plus will be Saturday, April 18th.
 
  1. Fellowship (Lisa Dresser)
  • The Loft at 16 BayView hotel is being investigated as a possible TikiTime site for springtime (likely a cash bar and some cost associated with room/snacks).
  • Other possible events include an evening at the Trapt rooms in Rockport, and the Hope Orchards Barn (apple blossom time?).
 
  1. Foundation (Etienne)
  • The paperwork has been completed and submitted for Ira Mandel’s MCRC project.
  • It was noted that it is District Grant application time – it appears that Meals of Hope would be an excellent candidate for a West Bay application. Etienne was asked to lead the development of the grant application.
  • Etienne shared some Rotary data associated with Club contributions (12 members give nothing; 25 meet the EREY; 37 sustaining members, and 3 members are Paul Harris Society eligible).
 
  1. Satellite Club (no one present)
  • President Kim indicated she attended last meeting, where Kate Walker-Spencer presented about her short-term exchange to France, and Kim also identified that Youth Exchange is working with another student who was at meeting and will be going on a short-term this summer (Eliana Cortese).
 
  1. Vocational (no report)
 
  1. International (Susan)
  • Susan identified that she is working to get a video from Oceanside HS and Watershed School students, who share their thoughts on the Camden Conference.
 
  1. Old/New Business (Kim)
-The updating of Visiting Club Banners is being pursued, with new banners now received (George was directed by the Board to order the new banners at last month’s meetings). A sewing party will be arranged with Club members once the banners are received.
- A proposal, made by Sandy Cox and Ray Fink, was approved by the Board, authorizing up to $4k to purchase a Storage Trailer, to store the majority of West Bay Rotary’s bins and event equipment.
-DG Suzanne Uhll-Melanson has made a request for West Bay Rotary to present our Club’s Best Practices during a 10-minute presentation at the upcoming District Conference.
Meeting adjourned at 8:23 am.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
West Bay Rotary Board Minutes -- Meeting of February 5, 2020
Attendees: George Abendroth; President Kim Milton; Kristen Lindquist; Joan LeMole; Loriman Looke; Susan Dorr; Mark Coursey; Leamon Scott; Barbara Heard; Mary Sargent; Sandy Cox; Ken Gardiner
Meeting called to order by President Kim at 7:03 am.
  1. Secretary Report (George A.)
  • Minutes of the January 8, 2020 Board Meeting were reviewed and approved without further changes.
  • Attendance for January 2020 = 57.14%; YTD (since July 2019) = 57.40%.  Note that Satellite Club attendance numbers are included in these numbers. Also, noted that overall attendance numbers are down from last year’s average of 67.58%.
  • West Bay Rotary Membership Numbers are still at 88 total (85 active (10 are Satellite Club members) and 3 honorary members) as of today’s Board Meeting.
  • West Bay Rotary Calendar is being kept updated, however it is requested that all Committee/Event Chairs keep both Kim and George appraised on meeting date/time changes, so that we can maintain calendar current. 
  • A reminder was made for Event Record inputs on those events already completed/planned during December/January. George will send another reminder email to those that need to respond prior to the next Board meeting, so that we can try to remain current with our recordkeeping.
  • RI’s new revision of the Council on Legislation decisions has been published. George will make initial review, and coordinate findings with Bruce Malone and Sandy Cox for review, prior to bringing any recommended changes to the Board at upcoming meeting (and then once agreed to, we will present to the full Club).
 
  1. Treasurer’s Report (Kristen)
  • Overall Club financials are ‘as expected’ for this time of the year.
  • Donations are being accepted (checks made to West Bay Rotary) to assist Bob and Stefanie Stiehler. As of Board meeting, over $500 had been collected from West Bay members.
  • Buckets on the Table for February will be for Big Brothers/Big Sisters.
  • President Kim announced her President Project monies will be given to New Hope for Women.
  • Questions about Food quantities and overall costs are still being reviewed and adjusted.
 
  1. Strategic Monitoring Committee (Mary Sargent)
  • Mary, along with Peter Berke, Jane Lafleur, Kristen Lindquist and Kim Milton, met to review the progress/implementation of the Club’s Strategic Plan. Most areas have already been started, in terms of implementation, with a couple of areas under Community Service requiring some added review/attention.  George was unable to attend, due to illness, but identified that Event Records need to be completed in a timelier manner. Also, President Kim emphasized that Event Planning documents need to be developed by each Event Chair to aid future successors.
 
  1. Club Administration (Mark Coursey)
  • Donation Awards will be made at tomorrow’s Club Meeting by Mark and Ken Gardiner, the Chair of the West Bay Rotary Charitable Foundation.
  • The Board discussed the need to identify a more permanent storage location for all of West Bay Rotary’s Event equipment. The idea of a storage trailer or shed was identified, but no decision or action was taken by the Board at this time.
  • The Community Service Committee will be meeting next Tuesday, to finalize changes to the Donation Request form (which will then be updated on our website) and also to discuss ideas associated with the strategic plan goals associated with Community Service.
 
  1. Membership (Joan LeMole)
  • Joan presented the name of Rev. Dr. Ute Molitor for membership in West Bay Rotary. Ute is being co-sponsored by Noel Cox and Deb Hitchings.
  • Also, Gwen Clemens from the Whitehall Inn is very interested in joining West Bay and will likely be nominated at the March Board meeting.
  • No changes to the Satellite Club membership.
  • Loriman Looke will be taking over from Joan as Chair of the Membership Committee, effective 1 February.
 
  1. Foundation (No Report)
  2. Vocational (No Report)
  3. Youth Exchange (No Report)
  4. Fellowship (No Report)
  5. Satellite Club (No Report)
 
  1. International (Susan)
  • Susan identified that there will be strong participation at the upcoming Camden Conference, with the largest number of participants attending this year.
 
  1. Old/New Business (Kim)
- The updating of Visiting Club Banners is being pursued, with George being directed by the Board to order 3 additional new banners. A sewing party will be arranged with Club members once the banners are received.
-Mary Sargent identified that volunteers will be needed to assist with registration processes at the upcoming District 7790 Conference, being held at the Samoset Resort in May.
Meeting adjourned at 8:07 am.

-------------------------------------

West Bay Rotary Board Meeting 1/8/2020 

Attended: D Fink, R Fink, J Potter, S Cox, E Perret, M Sargent, K Lindquist, L Scott, s Butler, T Bregy, K Milton, B Heard, M Coursey, B Rubin, L Dresser, J LeMole, G Forrestall, K Gardiner, 1 Mandell 

Secretary Report 55.91% for December and 59.3% YTD Reminder to all committee chairs to turn in committee member names to George. Reminded Peter to email attendance to George after each meeting.

Treasurers Report Solvent $11,000 transferred to Foundation account Tree Sales net about $9600 Ira reported to board the needs of the coalition. Need board members, and volunteers to work on projects like painting etc. West Bay Rotary is a big help at working on projects and can always use donations. Looking for volunteers for the grounds keeping committee. Meeting is Thursday Jan 9th at the Washington St house. Need to complete projects at the men's house we can request another grant. Painting project needs to be finished by the end of February so we can submit the reports to district. Going forward George Forrestal would like Ira to give us specific projects the club can work on and complete rather than an open ended list. 

Meal planning 

If large group of people are schedule to attend a meeting, let Sandy know if extra food is needed. Ask for more muffins instead of Croisants 

 

Buckets on the Table Etienne will call to see if we can work with an Australian Rotary Club for submitting donations. 

Strategic Plan Mary setting up a meeting with other members of the club to review the Strategic Plan for accomplishments. Make sure we are on track. 

Community Service Mark Submitted request to Board. We have over $55,000 in requests and can only assist 11 with donations of $11,220 

Motion to accept Recommendation from Community Service Chair to approve $11,200 in donations. 2nd and Approved Is Trekkers part of our territory? Approved Unanamously Yes 

Donation requests will be presented at club meeting on February 6th, Will need extra food for Feb 6th. 

Satellite Club Shelly Butler updated club on the Satellite Club Trivia Night fundraiser. 8-9 teams for trivia night. Theme is “So you think you know Maine" Meetings are 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month at Hoxbill 2nd floor. 

Interact Kids will be runners at the Trivia Night at Snow Bowl. Also will serve as Pages in Augusta. 

Membership Joan sent email to new owners of Adventure Advertising. She will be attending the Business After Hours event at Adventure Advertising on Wednesday Jan 6th. 

Vocational Committee No report

Fellowship Escape Room (Trapt) in Rockport may be our event for February 

Fundraising Baird, Edward Jones and Fullers renewing sponsorship 

Chili Challenge Event 6 vendors to date. Shooting for 8 Event is Sat Feb gth at 16 Bayview St 4:30 – 7:30 

Meal of Hope Event WE have 15 cases remaining to pass out We started with 130 cases. Have other meals available. Maybe not pack Mac & Cheese next time. Found new food pantries to support on llesboro.

New Business George, Sandy & Bruce will be updating the Bylaws to take into account the Satellite Club. Mark says Tim Dresser is sitting on committee to find out what projects Rotary can volunteer for at the Homeless Coalition. 

Foundation $11,500 goal. We are at $7700. $16,000 last year $10,000 to date

Carolyn Feurgerson major donor, speaking at the club January 23rd. Fireside chat on Wednesday 1/22 at 5:30 pm 

Motion to Adjourn