Board Meeting Minutes - July 9, 2020

Vista Las Palmas Neighborhood Organization Board Meeting
July 9, 2020  4:00pm
Virtual Call via MSTeams

Meeting Objective: VLPNO Board Updates 

The following board members/attendees were present: Scott Turner, Kevin Comer, Gustav Swanson, Kermit Ferrer.

AGENDA

  • Review / Approve Minutes from June Board Meeting (06/11/20) - Board

  • Review Action Items from June Board Meeting - KFerrer

  • Treasury / Finance Report - KComer

    • June Report

    • Donations:

      • Checks, Check Distribution, Neighbor Collections - KComer

      • Communication GSwanson/RMay

    • Other VLPNO funds projects: ie Blade Signs

  • Modernism Week 2021 - VLPNO Home Tour - Board

    • Identify Tour Captain

    • Begin search for homes (min. 8)

  • Neighborhood - KComer

    • COVID-19

    • Street Condition Update

  • One PS / District 3 Update - SCobrin/KComer

  • Communication Updates: - GSwanson

    • Email Addresses DB - KComer/RMay

    • VLPNO website

    • Next Door

    • Facebook - RMay

    • Other

  • Block Ambassador/Captain Initiative - KFerrer

  • Other Board Member Updates 

    Review/Approve Minutes from June 11th meeting

    • Board reviewed and unanimously approved minutes from the June 11th, 2020 Board Meeting

    • Gustav to coordinate w/ Imagine-IT to publish June Board 2020 meeting minutes on-line

    RECAP / NOTES from June Meeting

    • COMPLETE: Gustav to make the following VLPNO website updates:

      • Publish minutes from April and May Board as well as the May Supplemental Donation meetings

      • Post photos of donation check deliveries

    • OPEN: Kevin, Scott and Kermit to set-up co-signer’s on VLPNO bank accounts

    • COMPLETE: Kevin to make final contact attempt to MMGCCPA to research VLPNO non-profit classification – determine if VLPNO has to file tax report to California and obtain further details of our tax exempt classification and code

    • COMPLETE: Kevin to issue and deliver final donation check to PS Modcom for $2,500

    • POST-PONED: Gustav & Rebecca to prepare and send 2nd Matching Gift Donation email to the VLPNO membership with information on neighbors who have donated and photos of donation check deliveries.

    • OPEN: Board to continue search for MW2021 VLPNO Home Tour Captain.

    • COMPLETE: Kermit to contact Rebecca’s neighbors who expressed interest in possibly having their home on the tour and assist with Tour coordination

    • OPEN: Kevin to follow-up with City on Neighborhood Topics: Street Condition

    • COMPLETE: Kermit to draft proposal on Block Captains

    • COMPLETE: Kermit to send out Calendar Invite to the Board along with a MSTeams meeting invite for July 9th Board Meeting

    Treasurer’s Report

    • Kevin provided June Financials via email to the Board prior to the meeting

    • May reporting included

      • Account Reconciliation

      • Income Statement

      • Chase Bank Statement

    • Kevin went through the VLPNO account balances

    Kevin reached out to MMGCCPA and spoke to Lyle Purcell with regards to State of California tax filing requirements and VLPNO exemption status.  Lyle promised to be back to Kevin.  Concurrently, Kevin will reach out to Denise Goolsby for other CPA references in PS that are familiar with Neighborhood Organizations and tax filing requirements as a back-up.

    • We still need another two (2) signers: The Board agreed that this will be Scott Turner, VLPNO Board Chairperson & Kermit Ferrer, VLPNO Board Secretary. This will be set-up once regulations permit for us to go to the bank to complete the signature paperwork.

      Donations 

      • PS Modcom: $2,500

        • Kermit delivered the check to Nickie McLaughlin, Executive Director of the Palm Springs Modern Committee

        • Nickie promised take a photo of PSModCom President and a couple of other board members holding the check as well as providing their names and titles and perhaps a one line comment that can be used on your website. Kermit to follow up with Nickie.

      • Gustav to re-draft up VLPNO communication #2 to Thank neighbors who personally provided matching donations. Message to be emailed, posted on FB, NextDoor and VLPNO website

      MW2021 – VLPNO Home Tour                                                                                                    

      • Kermit informed the Board that our intent to participated in the MW2021 was accepted by the MW2021 and that we were given our preferred date of Saturday, February 13th

      • Kermit also discussed critical dates that are quickly coming up for the planning and organizing of the VLPNO Home Tour (information sent to VLPNO Board under separate email)

      • Kermit stressed on the need to identify a Tour Captain/Deputy and Tour Homes

        • Kermit stated that VLPNO has showcased 6 – 11 homes in any given year. Kermit said that it would be good to have a minimum of 8 – 10 homes to present to the MW2021 Home Curator and also to have homes as a back-up in case one drops out of the tour

        • Note: Tour Captain/Deputy doesn’t have to be on the Board just as Jeffrey Saadeh who lead the MW 2020 Home Tour

      • Tour Committee

        • Kermit suggested that we call for volunteers to join the VLPNO MW2021 Home Tour Committee and at said meeting we ask the volunteers for roles they would like to hold

        • Volunteers to date:

          • Sally Hightower Lipin: Brochure committee

          • Allison Sapunor: Brochure committee

          • Kermit Ferrer: Liaison to MW2021 Organizing Committee

          • Kevin Comer: Finance committee

          • Rick Distfield: Social Networking commitee

      • Kermit reported that he spoke to Rebecca’s neighbors who’d previously expressed interest in having their home on the tour and possibly helping with the committee about committee duties and tour home requirements. At this time, they can’t have their home on the tour but are willing to keep it on the list for future neighborhood tours.

    • Gustav to draft up communication calling out for Tour Committee members and Tour Homes to be emailed, posted on FB, NextDoor and VLPNO website

      One-PS – District 3

      • Kevin attended the District 3 June meeting conference call with Jeff Kors and Denise Golsby held on June 30th, 2020.

      • Main topic: Budget

      • Kevin’s main takeaway is that it seems as though the city has managed to come up with a budget that minimizes the visual impact to residents.

      • The shortfall of $75 mm over two years is being made up this year by a combination of

        • Not completing the downtown park

        • Hiring freezes

        • Early retirements

        • Reserve fund transfers

        • Layoffs, although layoffs are the smallest part of the proposed budget.

      • It doesn’t seem as though there will be entire shutdowns of services.

      • There was also some talk about the police department. A reluctance to cut the budget for them. Kors indicated that the city would hire a consulting firm to examine the PS PD and come up with recommendations for change if needed. He indicated an acknowledgement that the minority community has been disenfranchised in many ways.

      • The budget passed

      • Regarding Covid-19, Kors said that their work shows that the majority of new transmissions are from people congregating here in PS in people’s houses, thinking that their friends are probably not ill and it’s ok for friends to get together. He also said that he views the many many many people coming here for a “vacation” as a problem as most of them are not wearing masks, while also indicating a reluctance to aggressively enforce the mask requirements.

      Neighborhood                          

      • Kevin didn’t receive additional feedback from the Board on streets we’re asking the city to focus possible repairs. The Board agreed to proceed with the streets that Kevin and Kermit had identified.

      • Streets identified by Kevin & Kermit in priority order and agreed/approved by the Board:

        1. N Fairview

          1. Topaz

          2. Coronet

          3. N Fair Circle

          4. Tuxedo

      • Kevin to follow-up with Joel Montalvo, MPA, PE Asst Director of Engineering City of PS.

        Communication

      • Continue to use Mailchimp for communication. However, it is obvious that our Contact DB is outdated. Need to work on clean-up of DB

      • Messaging also going through VLPNO website and FB.  Need to increase use of Ne NextDoor.  Need to understand how to use Mailchimp to feed directly into NextDoor and drive increased communication.


        Block Ambassador/Captain Initiative

  • Kermit presented his proposal on the Block Ambassador project

    1. Project purpose:

      • Improve accuracy of VLP Neighbor database contact information

      • Boost VLPNO membership

      • Improve communication of neighborhood efforts and activities

      • Drive the sense of community in our neighorhood as noted in our Mission

    2. VLP Neighborhood

      • Total Households = 425

      • NextDoor Households = 160

      • VLP Members = ?

      • Rebecca to count up approximate household VLP membership based on consolidated maillist database

    3. Kermit’s proposal divided the neighborhood into 10 ‘Blocks’ including VLP dogleg

      • Total Ambassadors = 10

      • Assignments range from 27 to 54 households

      • The Board discussed that each Ambassador govern a ‘Block’ with ownership of one street and subsequently recruit street owners for the others streets on their ‘Block’

      • Each Board member to assume a ‘Block’, need to recruit at least 4 more Block Ambassadors

    4. Kermit to update Block Ambassador proposal

     

    Other Update

    • Kermit received one new VLPNO Membership donation of $50.

      • Kermit to deposit into VLPNO Chase account

      • Kermit to scan new VLPNO Membership form and deposit and share with the Board

      • Scott to write a welcome message to the new neighbors

      • Kermit reported that he is working on identifying what streets in our neighborhood have blade signs and propose where new ones might be added

ACTION ITEMS:

  • Gustav to make the following VLPNO website updates:

    • Publish minutes from June Board

  • Kevin, Scott and Kermit to set-up co-signer’s on VLPNO bank accounts

  • Kevin to reach out to Denise Goolsby for other CPA references in PS that are familiar with Neighborhood Organizations and tax filing requirements as a back-up

  • Gustav to re-draft up VLPNO communication #2 to Thank neighbors who personally provided matching donations

  • Board to continue search for MW2021 VLPNO Home Tour Captain

  • Gustav to draft up communication calling out for Tour Committee members and Tour Homes to be emailed, posted on FB, NextDoor and VLPNO website

  • Kevin to follow-up with City on Neighborhood Topics: Street Condition

  • Board members – Block Ambassador assignees to begin outreach to neighbors

  • Kermit to update Block Ambassador proposal

  • Kermit to deposit membership donation $50 into VLPNO Chase account

  • Kermit to scan new VLPNO Membership form and deposit and share with the Board

  • Scott to write a welcome message to the new neighbors

  • Kermit to send out Calendar Invite to the Board along with a MSTeams meeting invite for August 13th Board Meeting