Members of the Oliver Community Arts Council are invited to attend a Special General Meeting of the OCAC on
Monday, August 24, 2009
Quail’s Nest Arts Centre
9:30 a.m.
The agenda consists of two items of business, which will then be followed immediately by the usual Arts Jam! for the month. Attendance is encouraged as a quorum of 25% of the membership is required for any special general meeting. The chair will endeavour to keep the business meeting brief and follow it with some lively arts jamming.
Treasurer Jack Bennest has been hard at work this year streamlining the duties of treasurer to make the job more manageable. As a result, the Board proposes two changes that will spread the tasks of the treasurer more evenly throughout the year and potentially increase funding to the arts council.
The Special General Meeting is required for the following proposed amendments to the OCAC bylaws.
Currently, ByLaw 3: Fiscal Year reads: “The Fiscal Year of the Society shall end on the 31st day of August in each and every year.”
With the fiscal year end on August 31, the preparation and audit of annual financial statements occurs in the middle of the busy programme season (between Music in the Park and the Fall Art Show) when both sides of the profit and loss sheet are very active. An annual statement at this time does not fairly assess the yearly cash flow. Also, financial preparation during the programme season is onerous for volunteers.
Granting bodies such as the BC Arts Council have received an unrealistically rosy picture of our cash flow, when revenue is high and the bills have not yet been paid. Some requests for funding have been challenged because of this misunderstanding. This affects whether we receive funding – or how much. Moving the fiscal year end to a quieter time of year when much of our annual resources have been spent will give granting bodies a clearer understanding of our need for funds.
As a corollary to this, the Board has proposed that the month of the AGM be changed.
Currently, Bylaw 7.1 Meetings reads: “The Annual General Meeting of the Society shall be held in the month of October in each and every year, upon a date and at a time to be set by the Board of Directors.”
Changing the month from October to February will allow roughly six weeks from year end to prepare and audit the financial statements.
The two agencies which govern the arts council – the BC Arts Council and the Canada Revenue Agency – Charities branch have been informed of the arts council’s proposal to change the fiscal year end. Neither agency has expressed any objection to such a change.
To make the administration of this proposed change less onerous, our Treasurer has also recommended that the OCAC postpone their Annual General Meeting and run one long year of 16 months, rather than have two annual general meetings within four months of each other.
So, the proposed resolutions will read as follows:
ByLaw 3: Fiscal Year :
“The Fiscal Year of the Society shall end on the 31st day of December in each and every year.”
Bylaw 7.1 Meetings :
“The Annual General Meeting of the Society shall be held in the month of February in each and every year, upon a date and at a time to be set by the Board of Directors.”
Please join us for the meeting and stay on for arts news, discussion, and nibbles.
OLIVER COMMUNITY ARTS COUNCIL
BOARD MEETING Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Quail’s Nest Arts Centre
Present: Esther Brown (President), Penelope Johnson (Secretary/SOCS Liaison), Jack Bennest (Treasurer/FOTOL Liaison), Sally Franks (Rentals, Desert Sage Spinners & Weavers Liaison), Brian Mapplebeck (Country Market A-Fair Liaison), Jennifer Mapplebeck (SOAP Liaison), Penny Ruddy (Finance Committee, Double O Quilters Liaison),
Regrets: Stephanie Salsnek (Vice President/ FCA Liaison), Linda Blaschuk (Rotary Auction, Oliver Arts and Crafts Sale Liaison), Heather Fink (Sage Valley Voices Liaison), Steve Staresina (Operations, Oliver Sagebrushers Liaison)
1. CALL TO ORDER: E. Brown called the meeting to order at 5:39 p.m.
2. ADOPTION OF AGENDA
MOTION: That the agenda for the Board meeting of July 15, 2009 be adopted as written.
Moved: P. Ruddy Seconded: J. Bennest Carried
3. ADOPTION OF MINUTES
MOTION: That the minutes of the Board meeting on June 17, 2009 be adopted with the following corrections:
#7. (c) Operations (iii) Volunteer Hours:
“ACTION: H. Fink and E. Brown will meet regarding the recording of volunteer hours.”
#7. (c) Operations (iv) Landscaping : Orion (not Ryan)Kendrick
#7. (d) Publicity: Robert Doull (not Doul)
# 9. Next Meetings: Board Meeting: Wednesday July 15 (not 22)
Moved: J. Bennest Seconded: J. Mapplebeck Carried
4. CORRESPONDENCE : None.
5. TREASURER’S REPORT (a) Financial Statement:
The Gaming Commission account is being held open with $93 because new revenue may be coming in from the DAP grant or other future fund raising activities.
The Advertising expenses line has not yet been broken down into programmes, which explains why the amount is inflated to 154% of budget. Many advertising expenses will be moved into Summer Studio and Performance budgets.
MOTION: That the Treasurer’s report dated June 30, 2009 be approved and further that the actions taken by the Treasurer on behalf of the Society be authorized and the bills be paid.
Moved: J. Bennest Seconded: S. Franks Carried
(b) BCAC Funds: Correction: The $5000 supplement from the BC Arts Council was rolled into a GIC/Term deposit, to be held for 2010 -11 programming. The $7219 from the BC Arts Council is designated for 2009-10.
(c) Insurance (Sound Equipment): The Board decided not to purchase a rider on the insurance or increase the insurance coverage for the new sound equipment. The deductible for additional insurance is very high ( approx. 50% of the purchase value).
(d) Fiscal Year End Resolution: MOTION: That the OCAC Board convene a special general meeting to change bylaws with regard to fiscal year and the date of Annual General Meeting, such that:
“The Fiscal Year of the Society shall end on the 31st day of December in each and every year.”
and
“The Annual General Meeting of the Society shall be held in the month of February in each and every year, on the fourth Monday or upon a date and time to be set by the Board of Directors.”
Moved: J. Bennest Seconded: S. Franks Carried
The special general meeting will take place on August 24 immediately before the August Arts Jam!
ACTION: P. Johnson will send out a general meeting announcement to the membership.
(e) Oliver Sagebrushers Donation: The fine art group has donated $762 to the OCAC from the proceeds of the sale of Robert E Wood paintings.
MOTION: That the OCAC designate the $762 to go towards improved lighting in the Studio Building.
Moved: S. Franks Seconded: J. Bennest Carried:
6. BUSINESS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES (a) Landscaping Presentation: Tabled to August meeting. Regrets from Aaron (Sunscape Xeriscaping)
S. Franks spoke to Lloyd Park re: $200 bill erroneously received for a contracted estimate. The bill has been withdrawn.
7. COMMITTEE REPORTS (a) Finance Committee: The Finance Committee will begin the BCAC 2010-11 application process, due September 2009. Funds received can be applied to general operations, not programme.
Arts councils can apply under different portions of the grant, including the basic grant (based on distance from Vancouver and population); the matching grant (requiring evidence of support from the local Parks and Recreation Society; and a portion that rewards innovative and culturally diverse programme activities. ACTION: J. Bennest will supply the committee with previous grant proposals.
(b) Fundraising: ACTION: J. Mapplebeck will book Tuesday December 8, 2009 for the Penticton Concert Band benefit concert once SOSS reopens August 31.
The South Okanagan Concert Society will advertise the event during their concert series.
(c) Operations:
(i) Roof: The roof is leaking in a new location: through the vent of the heater in Studio Bay 1. No water is coming in where the roof has been repaired.
(ii) Volunteer Hours: H. Fink and E. Brown met to discuss. A volunteer celebration will be held some time after the completion of the “programme” season each year. General thanks, but no certificates or awards, will be issued. ACTION: Committee heads are in charge of seeing that all hours of work (programme or administrative) by their committee are recorded. ACTION: All physical plant volunteer labour shall be recorded on the time sheet by the office door in the Studio Building. ACTION: H. Fink will renew the physical plant time sheet and record total hours.
(d) Publicity: The Publicity Committee will meet with Susan Valentine and Ray Wangen from the Oliver Chronicle on July 28.
(e) Performance: The Penny Buhr Johnson Coffee House generated $490 revenue. Music in the Park generated $212 in donations from the Penticton Concert Band concert.
(f) Summer Studio: The final week of Summer Studio will be an eclectic mix of art with Corinne de Sampaio (painting) and Enid Baker (quilting) confirmed, and Roger Gilchrist (carving) tentatively confirmed.
(g) Fall Art Show: Festival of the Grape committee meeting is next week. Sub-committees for Fall Art Show have been established.
(h) Nominating Committee: Leo Pedersen is contacting incumbent members of the Board to ask if they will stand for re-election.
(i) Membership: Discussion of possible new member groups. There is interest in developing a photography club. ACTION: S. Franks will contact Jim Beaudry to invite the Bluegrass Society to become a member of the OCAC.
8. NEW BUSINESS The June Arts Jam! BBQ was a resounding success, with good food, entertainment, and several guests.
9. NEXT MEETINGS Arts Jam! Monday July 27 9:30 a.m. QNAC – Studio
Board Meeting Wednesday August 19 5:30 p.m. QNAC – BB
Special GM Monday August 24 9:30 a.m. QNAC – Studio
Arts Jam! Monday August 24 following QNAC – Studio
10. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: That the meeting be adjourned, at 7:30 p.m.
Moved: E. Brown Carried.
Present: Esther Brown (President), Stephanie Salsnek (Vice President/ FCA Liaison), Penelope Johnson (Secretary/SOCS Liaison), Jack Bennest (Treasurer/FOTOL Liaison), Heather Fink (Finance Committee, Sage Valley Voices Liaison), Sally Franks (Rentals, Desert Sage Spinners & Weavers Liaison), Jan Kreut (Member Group Publicity), Brian Mapplebeck (Country Market A-Fair Liaison), Jennifer Mapplebeck (SOAP Liaison), Steve Staresina (Operations, Oliver Sagebrushers Liaison)
Regrets: Linda Blaschuk (Rotary Auction, Oliver Arts and Crafts Sale Liaison), Penny Ruddy (Finance Committee, Double O Quilters Liaison)
1. CALL TO ORDER: E. Brown called the meeting to order at 5:35 p.m.
2. ADOPTION OF AGENDA
MOTION: That the agenda for the Board meeting of May 20, 2009 be adopted as written.Moved: S. Salsnek Seconded: J. Mapplebeck Carried
3. ADOPTION OF MINUTES
MOTION: That the minutes of the Board meeting on April 15, 2009 be adopted as written. Moved: J. Bennest Seconded: J. Mapplebeck Carried
4. CORRESPONDENCE
The Board signed a get well card for Linda Blaschuk. S Franks will deliver. Water meter installation letter from Neptune was given to Operations Steve Staresina.
5. TREASURER’S REPORT
(a) Financial Statement:
Total Value of Accounts = $37,455.86 The OCAC is moving into spending season, so this balance will drop considerably as summer programs become active.
In the month’s activity, the $5000 supplement from the BC Arts Council was rolled into a GIC/Term deposit, to be held for 2009-2010 programming.
MOTION: That the Treasurer’s report dated May 31, 2009 be approved and further that the actions taken by the Treasurer on behalf of the Society be authorized and the bills be paid. Moved: J. Bennest Seconded: S. Salsnek Carried
(b) GST: $219 was received in the GST rebate of 2007-08. The Treasurer noted that unless there are major expenditures, such as capital renovations, applying for the GST rebate can be more work than reward. Reminder: In order to claim GST, the arts council must also charge GST on all items for sale.
ACTION: J. Bennest will investigate when we can expect to receive the 2008/2009 GST rebate, and how much.
(c) Fiscal Year End:
J. Bennest recommended a change to the fiscal year end. Currently the year end occurs in the middle of our programming season, when we are at the peak of our revenue from our sponsors, and when volunteer time is at a premium. It might make more sense to close our fiscal year after that period rather than in the middle of the period, both in terms of expending volunteer effort and in terms of having our books more accurately reflect the major expense period.
ACTION: J. Bennest will contact the Canada Revenue Agency (Charities Division) and BC Arts Council re: what is required to change our year end from August 31 to December 31.
A change in fiscal year requires a bylaw change and thus a general meeting. Once Bennest reports to the Board, the Board will decide if and when a general meeting should occur.
6. BUSINESS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES (a) Sound Equipment: H. Fink and S. Franks have purchased sound equipment for $1965.47. The system includes two speakers with cables and stands, a mixer, a hand mike and mike stand, one headset mike, and a package of foam covers for the hand mike.
ACTION: H. Fink will give a thank you note and a bottle of wine to Peter DeRoche for his technical assistance helping the committee choose a system.
(b) Search and Rescue: The Search and Rescue has received an offer of secure storage area for free in the industrial park, so has declined the OCAC offer.
7. COMMITTEES
(a) Finance Committee: The DAP Grant listed on Gaming Commission website as “in process”. Once listed as “complete” we can call and inquire for results or wait two weeks for the letter.
(b) Fundraising:
i) Kiwanis Mural: The Kiwanis Club of Oliver has approved a $3000 donation to the OCAC in return for our work creating a mural on the Kiwanis Market building. Jan Kreut, Steve Staresina, and Arvie Bourgeault will work in stages to paint the original Kiwanis logo and add some new artwork on the sides. They will work mostly through June and July.
ACTION: J. Kreut will ask Kiwanis to defer their cheque to the OCAC’s next fiscal year, since we have a surplus of funds on the books for this year.
ii) Penticton Concert Band:
MOTION: That the OCAC pursue a fund raising concert with the Penticton Concert Band Moved: B. Mapplebeck Seconded: S. Franks Carried.
J. Mapplebeck has volunteered to co-ordinate the publicity for the band concert.
ACTION: J Mapplebeck will book the Venables Auditorium for Friday December 11.
ACTION: J Mapplebeck will submit an expense budget for concert to help the OCAC calculate ticket prices and surplus donation.
(c) Operations: Roof, Work Party, Volunteer Hours
(i) Roof Repair: The roof repair was completed today by S. Staresina, B. Mapplebeck and L. Pedersen. Only some flashing needs to be added.
S. Staresina has negotiated a reduction in the roof materials from $4800 to $3206.
ACTION: S. Staresina will keep photocopies of all receipts for the DAP file.
(ii) Spring Work Party: The party, mostly members of the Oliver Sagebrushers, removed insulation from the bay doors, weeded, planted flowers, and sanded Big Blue windows ready for painting.
(iii) Volunteer Hours: Physical plant hours will be recorded outside the Studio office, making special separate note of any hours volunteered for DAP grant renovations.
ACTION: S. Staresina will update the mode of record keeping for physical plant hours, with assistance from H. Fink generating the new signup sheet.
ACTION: H. Fink will record hours volunteered by programme committee members and administration using the self-report method.
Discussion re: celebrating and recognizing volunteers. While celebrating volunteers was agreed to be important, there was caution re: missing (and offending) someone who did not get a certificate of appreciation or win a volunteer of the month award.
(iv) Landscaping: Sunscape Xeriscaping will put together a simple plan and a quote.
Ryan Kendrick has offered to supervise a work party of volunteers, if we purchase plants from Sagebrush Nursery and pay for his time.
ACTION: S. Franks will speak to Lloyd Park re: $200 bill erroneously received from employee John Birnie for a contracted quote.
(d) Publicity:
ACTION: E. Brown will set up a meeting with the publisher of the Oliver Chronicle, Robert Doull
(e) Performance: The Penny Buhr Johnson Coffee House Concert is on Thurs June 25 at 7:00 p.m. $10 at the door. Music in the Park is booked for July and August.
(f) Summer Studio: Russell Work has booked a photography week in August.
(g) Fall Art Show: The committee of S Franks, E. Brown and S Salsnek will meet to plan the event. The hall has already been booked at $279.83 (30% off regular rate) for the Saturday, and $375.00 (30% off commercial rate) for the Sunday.
8. NEW BUSINESS
(a) Contracted Service Agreements:
MOTION: That the Board approve the Contracted Services Agreement application submitted by
the South Okanagan Concert Society and authorize the disbursement of $500.
Moved: J. Bennest ` Seconded: J. Kreut Carried
MOTION: That the Board approve the Contracted Services Agreement application submitted by
the Desert Sage Spinners and Weavers and authorize the disbursement of $500.
Moved: S. Salsnek Seconded: S. Staresina Carried
(b) Nominating Committee
ACTION: J. Bennest will volunteer to be on the Nominating committee and will ask L. Petersen to join the committee.
9. NEXT MEETINGS
(a) Dates:
Arts Jam! Monday June 29 6:00 p.m. QNAC
Board Meeting Wednesday July 22 5:30 p.m. QNAC – BB
Arts Jam! Monday July 27 9:30 a.m. QNAC
10. ADJOURNMENT
MOTION: That the meeting be adjourned, at 7:35 p.m.
Present: Esther Brown (President), Stephanie Salsnek (Vice President/ FCA Liaison), Jack Bennest (Treasurer/FOTOL Liaison), Penelope Johnson (Secretary/SOCS Liaison), Linda Blaschuk (Rotary Auction, Oliver Arts and Crafts Sale Liaison), Heather Fink (Finance Committee, Sage Valley Voices Liaison), Sally Franks (Rentals, Desert Sage Spinners & Weavers Liaison), Brian Mapplebeck (Country Market A-Fair Liaison), Jennifer Mapplebeck (SOAP Liaison), Penny Ruddy (Finance Committee, Double O Quilters Liaison), Steve Staresina (Operations, Oliver Sagebrushers Liaison)
Regrets: Jan Kreut (Member Group Publicity)
1. CALL TO ORDER: E. Brown called the meeting to order at 5;35 p.m.
2. ADOPTION OF AGENDA:
MOTION: That the agenda for the Board meeting of April 15, 2009 be adopted as written.
Moved: S. Staresina Seconded: H. Fink Carried
3. ADOPTION OF MINUTES
(a) March 2009:
MOTION: That the minutes of the Board meeting on March 18, 2009 be adopted as written.
Moved: H. Fink Seconded: P. Ruddy Carried
(b) Annual General Meeting 2008:
Roberts Rules recommend that AGM minutes be adopted by committee before waiting a year to adopt at the following AGM.
MOTION: That the minutes of the Annual General Meeting on Monday October 20, 2008 be adopted as written.
Moved: P. Ruddy Seconded: S. Salsnek Carried
In following years, the AGM minutes shall be adopted promptly at the first meeting of the Board.
4. CORRESPONDENCE
(a) Correspondence Requiring a Response
ACTION: P. Johnson shall write a letter of thanks to ODCEDS for their $400 contribution to the Van Dop Guide on the OCAC’s behalf.
ACTION: P. Johnson shall write a letter of thanks to the Kiwanis Club for their $400 donation to Showcase of Talent.
ACTION: P. Johnson shall write a letter of thanks to the Rotary Club for their donation of $5000 from the Rotary Auction proceeds.
ACTION: E. Brown shall write a letter to Terry Irvine in response to her concerns about the appearance and rental of the Quail’s Nest.
5. TREASURER’S REPORT
(a) Financial Statement
Monies received: $7219 (BCAC), $3500 (Oliver Parks and Recreation), $5000 (BCAC bonus), and $5000 (Rotary Auction donation)
MOTION: That the Treasurer’s report dated March 31, 2009 be approved and further that the actions taken by the Treasurer on behalf of the Society be authorized and the bills be paid.
Moved: J. Bennest Seconded: L. Blaschuk Carried
ACTION: J. Bennest will check with Terasen re: installing a remote control receiver.
(b) Motions to Restrict Funding
MOTION: That the restricted Building Fund be increased to $15,000 and that the BC Arts Council be notified of this update to the motion of the August 2008 Board meeting.
Moved: J. Bennest Seconded: S. Franks Carried.
MOTION: That a restricted fund of $1000 be established for an SOSS Scholarship/Bursary fund.
Moved: J. Bennest Seconded: P. Ruddy Carried.
(c) Gaming Commission Funds:
Residual amounts in the Gaming Commission Account total approximately $700. The Commission has authorized the OCAC to spend the money following the criteria laid out for the original funding applications.
MOTION: That the residual balance in the Gaming Account be transferred to the general operating account, and that it be applied towards the eligible costs under Performance and Summer Studio programming.
Moved: J. Bennest Seconded: H. Fink Carried.
DAP Grant Application: see #7 a) Finance Committee
6. BUSINESS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES (a) TONAC Meeting Report
Reports from those attending TONAC (Thompson-Okanagan Network of Arts Councils)will be emailed to the Board for their information. The meeting stressed the need for arts councils to form partnerships within the public and private sectors.
(b) Board Retreat:
The Board reviewed priorities for strategic goals in preparation for the April retreat with Beth Garrish. Most focussed on the development of the Quail;’s Nest property.
April Retreat: Wednesday April 29, 5:00 p.m. at Steve Staresina’s home.
ACTION: S. Staresina will email directions to his house and will purchase the lasagna.
7. COMMITTEES
(a) Finance Committee: Heather Fink and Stephanie Salsnek are stepping down from the Finance Committee. Penny Ruddy will remain and is joined by new members Steve Staresina and Brian Mapplebeck. The agenda for the next meeting will be to complete the DAP grant application form and to develop some terms of reference for the committee.
(b) Fund Raising:
MOTION: That the OCAC write a letter to the Rotary Club of Oliver defining the priorities of the partnership prior to accepting their invitation to participate in the preparation and proceeds of the 2010 Rotary Auction.
Moved: S. Franks Seconded: L. Blaschuk Carried
Discussion of new fund raiser tabled until May 2009.
(c) Operations:
MOTION: That the OCAC purchase three electronic pest barrier devices.
Moved: P. Johnson Seconded: J. Mapplebeck Carried
Steve Staresina presented a report on repairs to the Studio building, as per strategic goals, including the roof repairs, kitchen renovations, flooring, and landscaping.
ACTION: S. Staresina, E. Brown, S. Franks and either P. Johnson or J. Mapplebeck from SOAP will be on the committee to review priorities for (small capital) building renovations.
(d) Publicity:
i) E-News Publicity:POLICY: The Publicity committee recommended that as is currently done for the Creative Minds newsletter, the priority of arts news shall be : 1. OCAC Business, 2. OCAC Programmes, 3. Member Group News, 4. News from Individual and Business members, and then 5. General Arts news at the discretion of the editor/secretary. E-News length shall be restricted to two letter-size pages (one side) per month, as an aid to prioritizing news items. ii) Van Dop Guide
ODECEDS has paid for a page of advertising in the glossy Van Dop BC Arts and Culture Guide. One sixth of the page (worth $400) is devoted to the OCAC.
iii) Website:J. Bennest, with the help of web technicians, has moved the existing domain to a new hosting, installed Wordpressblog software, imported the blog template, and set up an independent joint email account for the OCAC (olivercac@gmail.com) All registrations, passwords, and account names will be in the name of the OCAC. The website is still www.oliverartscouncil.orgJ. Bennest and P Johnson have written articles for the blog and begun the process of organizing the site. MOTION: That the OCAC authorize the payment of $200 to Jack Bennest for recent changes to the hosting of the OCAC website / blog.
Moved: S. Salsnek Seconded: J. Mapplebeck Carried
(e) Arts and Culture Week (April 19-25): Poster and programme listing for the week was distributed.
(f) Showcase of Talent: The Kiwanis Club has donated $400 to the Showcase of talent. It will be held during Arts and Culture Week.
8. NEW BUSINESS
(a) Conferences and Meetings:
i) SOSS User Groups Meeting Report: P Johnson reported that funding has recently become available to save the south wing of the high school. The representative from Bevanda Architecture, and professional theatre consultant were in attendance and reviewed the priorities for renovation to the auditorium and adjacent spaces. The front lobby is deemed of historical value and will not be renovated, making access to / egress from the balcony sub-standard and use of the balcony unlikely. The high school drama teacher recommended that the fine arts lab be moved from the stage area to the rehearsal hall (current library area). The theatre consultant strongly advocated for an independent House Manager to be responsible for bookings and access and a House Technician to maintain and supervise all technical equipment. The renovations (school, auditorium and south wing concurrently) will likely proceed in July 2010 and be completed in the fall of 2011.
ii) Assembly of BC Arts Councils Conference (May 1-3) Kelowna:
ACTION: P. Johnson will email information to the membership and ask members to RSVP their attendance at the BC Arts Councils Conference.
9. NEXT MEETINGS
(a) Dates: Arts Jam Monday April 27 9:30 a.m. QNAC
Board Retreat Wednesday April 29 5:00 p.m. Staresina Home
Board Meeting Wednesday May 20 5:30 p.m. QNAC
Arts Jam Monday May 25 9:30 a.m. QNAC
ACTION: S. Salsnek will email P. Johnson the programme for the April Arts Jam.
10. ADJOURNMENT
MOTION: That the meeting be adjourned, at 8:25 p.m.
OLIVER COMMUNITY ARTS COUNCIL
