Minutes of the Board of Director’s Meeting Tucson Community Meditation Center
September 4, 2007 5:30 p.m.
Present: Terry Magee, Blake Ashley, Blake Barton, Steve Villaescusa, Frank Tomizuka, Lhasha Tizer, Debra Raeber
Members present: Ying Lin, Linda Bacon
The minutes from the last meeting, June 7, 2007 were approved.
Financial Report: Steve Villaescusa gave a financial report.
Balance in Checking Account: $25,048.00
Pay Pal Account: $976.00
Savings Account: $4,101.00
Certificate of Deposit: $5,865.00
We have brought in $5,775.00 in registration fees for the Sharon Salzberg retreat to date.
We paid $995.00 in repairs for the shed in the back and for repair to the wall in the back bedroom, and $453.00 to have the mesquite tree in front removed.
Blake Ashley will talk to Willoughby Britton, our landlord, about reimbursement for those expenses.
Center Manager: The board discussed having a volunteer as a supervisor to keep track of maintenance that needs to be done at the center. This person would organize members to do the work or if need be contact professional help to do the work.
The board passed a motion to create a “Maintenance Coordinator” who would be responsible for day to day upkeep and maintenance and would form a committee to organize members to do the work.
Ying Lin has volunteered to be the Maintenance Coordinator. The board approved Ying to become the Maintenance Coordinator for TCMC.
Ying asked who should be allowed to have a key to the center. The board decided that if there is a scheduled event that the person in charge should have a key to the center. Board members and members of committees who are working at the center on projects like the library should have keys.
Debra will make a list of emergency phone numbers and emails for Ying to have at the center.
Blake Ashley mentioned that we need to have someone haul away the debris in the back corner of the property. Steve V. suggested we take photos of the work we are doing at the center. We will get a bid to have the debris removed. Linda Bacon suggested that we rent a truck and do the hauling ourselves.
Tibetan Buddhist Group: A Tibetan Buddhist Group has requested to rent the front room of the Center on Saturdays. They would have 15 – 20 people. The board discussed this possibility. It was mentioned that TCMC has many programs coming up, including daylong retreats and Terry and Lhasha’s class. Steve V. thinks that we can generate more income by having more small retreats at the center. He suggests that we ask the Retreat Committee for their opinion. Terry Magee will offer the group the option of renting the center on Friday evenings or Saturday evenings when TCMC does not have events planned.
Raising our Rent: We have been paying $500.00 per month as rent for the center. Market rate would be closer to $1200.00 per month. Willoughby Britton, our landlord, has asked us to raise our income level in order to be able to pay more each month. Steve V. thinks it is reasonable to raise our rent. He also thinks we should let Willoughby know how much work we have been putting into her property and what we have been doing to maintain the house and yard. TCMC should also make her aware of the programs we’ve started at the center and the success that we’ve been having with attracting new members.
Steve has been paying our rent several months ahead of time. We want to create a win-win situation for both TCMC and our landlord. Blake Barton agrees and doesn’t want Willoughby to be unhappy about renting to TCMC. Blake Ashley asked if Steve would put together a proposal of rent increase to Willoughby. Steve agreed to do this but asked Blake A. to write a letter to Willoughby explaining all that we have done in terms of maintaining the property and expanding programs at the center.
Blake Ashley reminded us that Willoughby has asked us to find out about cutting the curb and paving a circular driveway. Frank thinks that we should leave the driveway dirt and not pave it.
Debra will check into the cost of cutting the curb.
Blake A. thinks we should put together a package and present it to Willoughby.
The new phone number for the center is 622-0089.
The meeting was adjourned at 6:25 pm.
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