Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce

Board of Directors

October 9, 2008

Present: Becky Davidson-Nielsen, Yvette DiMaggio, Jane Duel, Anne Geddes-Atwell, Steve Elliott, Marc Kingsley, Andrew Marietta, Ken Meifert, Mike Otis, Bridget Priem, Deb Taylor

Guests (to be elected board members): Margaret Savoie and Mary Joan Kevlin

Staff: Angela Chadwell and Elise Schiellack

• Meeting called to order @ 8am
• September 11, 2008 board minutes approved with correction to TripAdvisor and motion clarification (who made motion)
• 1^st Jane, 2^nd Deb: Approved
• Committee motions
• Motion to approve joint legislative survey with Otsego County Chamber of Commerce
• 1^st by Jane, 2^nd by Anne: Approved
• Nominations
• Expect 10 board members
• 33 people from 31 businesses
• Welcome to new board member, Ken Meifert and guests (and to be newly elected), Margaret Savoie and Mary Joan Kevlin
• Treasurer’s Report
• No finance committee meeting yet and no updates
• Membership renewals are coming in on schedule
• Committee Reports
• Search Committee
• Nearing final selection
• Will have event to introduce new ED so board can meet
• Membership
• Meeting regularly
• Programs, like Alive at 5, need to be revamped or clarified
• Need more board involvement
• What are goals
• Golf Event
• Tripps no longer will chair event because of lack of participation this year
• Plan to revamp event and Becky will chair
• New members
• Anne made motion to approve and 2^nd by Mike: Approved
• Executive
• 4U Productions update
• Discovered there was a signed contract, so partnership is reinstated
• Need to vet contract and clarify
• Jan 1^st is end of the 1^st year and then 2 years remain
• End of 2^nd year will evaluate again and determine if we will continue
• Norman Michaels
• Have signed broker of records
• Setting up GHI health insurance info meeting
• GHI will cover set up costs
• Government Relations
• Drafting position for MSG (proposed outdoor concert festival)
• Marc has been getting info on associated issues (like traffic, crime, drugs, etc)
• Positives seem to outweigh negatives
• Will MSG be like other festival models?
• GO21- intermodal freight lines presentation
• Finance
• No report
• Strategic planning
• Motion to revise committee structure to 7 committees (Executive, Finance, Board Development, Membership Services, Strategic Planning, Marketing, and Government Reltations) and 2^nd by Jane
• Discussion to add Audit Committee
• Amended motion made by Steve E. to add Audit Committee
• Approved
• Committee charges will be addressed next
• Code of Ethics handed out to board and will on agenda for approval at next board meeting
• No committee meeting, to be scheduled
• Marketing
• Report submitted by Scott (committee chair)
• By-laws
• Nothing to report
• Will address committee changes to by-laws as they are finalized
• Events
• Pumpkin Fest
• Went well, but no profit
• Potential to do more and ad hoc committee will explore possibilities
• Holiday Event
• Working on it (setting up meetings)
• Need to get help, but goals are unclear
• Is goal to bring business in or raise money for Chamber?
• Need to clarify
• Staff reports
• Office manager
• Google Analytics
• Over 740,000 views from Dec 13^th to Oct 1^st
• Best value for members
• ED report
• Renewals coming in
• Looking for staff support while Angela is out of office
• New policy: if anything is needed from staff, need to go directly to Marc or Becky with request
• Old Business
• Downtown survey approved
• Carrying out with volunteers
• New Business
• New board members
• Adjourned at 9:30am
• Next board meeting is Nov 13
• Submitted by Andrew Marietta