PINE/STRAWBERRY FUEL REDUCTION, INC.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MINUTES
October 29, 2018
CALL TO ORDER:
President Mike Brandt called the meeting to order at 6:00 P.M. The meeting was held at the Pine Senior Center Dining Room
Mike led the Pledge of Allegiance
MEMBERS PRESENT: Mike Brandt (President), Melvin Palmer (Vice-President), Brenda Darling (Secretary), Nancy Hubbs (Treasurer), Janet Brandt, Joan Backman
MEMBERS ABSENT:
APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MEETING MINUTES:
Mel moved to approve the minutes of the September 24, 2018 BOD meeting and the September 26, 2018 Executive Session as presented. Janet seconded.
Motion Passed.
ITEMS NOT ON AGENDA FOR DISCUSSION – COMMUNITY QUESTIONS/SUGGESTIONS
Tom Weeks from Uncle Tom’s passed away unexpectedly. Tom was a strong community member who served on several boards and was a big supporter of PSFR.
The PSFR has elected a new Board member Joan Backman.
Silent Auction gift item received after the event. It is a Dinner or lunch for two at the Enchantment Resort in Sedona (TiiTavo). The item is valued at $150. PSFR is looking for suggestions on how to handle this late silent auction gift submission. Elsa recommended setting up a Christmas Raffle through PayPal and offered to assist the PSFR in getting this up and running.
PSFR needs to come up with additional fund raising activities.
American Conservation Experience (ACE) Crew was here for a day or two to do more finish work on the Pine view trail (build retaining walls and armoring).
We are on hold with the Pine Trailhead improvements & Interpretive Site Exhibit because of a change in Forest Service staff.
Strawberry Trailhead is not recognized by ADOT; once recognized by ADOT, they would need to put in a turn lane (which they do not want to do). PSFR would like to get a second access point off of Ralls Drive. Property was recently sold, for around $63,000, to people who do not want any further development. We could do nothing, we could try to get an easement, or we could attempt to purchase the property. Is this group interested in us continuing to pursue an easement to the Pine Strawberry trail access? YES.
PSFR needs to work on updating the bylaws. Janet, Nancy and Brenda will get together and work on updating the bylaws.
TREASURER’S REPORT:
Fuel Reduction
- Beginning Balance: $41,098.57 (from statement)
- Deposit: $220.00 (AMEX, donations)
- Expenses: $234.90 (phone bill, brush pit push)
- Ending Balance: $41,083.67
Fire on the Rim
- Beginning Balance: $100,507.89 (from statement)
- Deposit: $100.00 (vendor pre-pay for 2019)
- Expenses: $1,049.99 (final expenses, Waste Mgmt, Roundup – thank you)
- Ending Balance: $99,557.90
Edward Jones
- Total Portfolio Value: $85,475.72 (from September 28, 2018 statement)
Mel moved to accept Treasurer’s Report as presented. Brenda seconded.
Motion Passed.
Recommendation was made to move a percentage of our FOTR money into a separate Edward Jones “Trails” account so that it can gain a lot more interest than a standard checking account. Mike explained the cost it takes to develop new and/or improve existing trails.
Brenda motioned to place $80,000 into a new Edward Jones Trails account. Janet Seconded. There was much discussion regarding the accessibility of the money once placed into an account, interest rate available and amount insured, as well as the frequency of withdrawals allowed without penalty. It was decided to table the motion until these questions can be answered by our Edward Jones account manager. Nancy will contact our Edward Jones account representative and provide responses to the Board via email at which time the Board will cast a vote on the subject.
On November 20th Mike motioned to sell all 50 shares of Sherwin Williams stock and put the proceeds into a money market account. Brenda seconded. All were in favor via email vote.
Motion Passed.
BILLS/CORRESPONDENCE:
Last year PSFR made a $250 donation to the Pine Strawberry Business Community (PSBC) which allowed us to advertise all of our activities (FOTR, Firewise Day, Spaghetti Dinner, Silent Auction etc.) on the back of the PSBC Map that is published each year. Nancy motioned to donate $250 for 2019 to the PSBC. Mel seconded.
Motion Passed.
Thank You note received from the Blattner Pit for our donation to them. It is important that they stay open and they came through for us when we were having difficulty in obtaining a liquor license for the FOTR Mountain Bike Race.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Brush Pit – Don Ennon – The Brush Pit will be closing November 18, 2018. KMOG selected the Pine Brush Pit volunteers to receive a Pizza Party. Weather dependent, the Pine Brush Pitt plans to re-open late March to early April.
Firewise Day – Sara Gerlach – Save the date already sent out. The theme this year will be Forest Health. We are currently reaching out to speakers and other participants (CERT, Humane Society, AZ Trails & Park Service etc.). Promotional activities are being worked on. Committee has not officially met yet. We are trying to get all our events on the Payson Parks & Recreation calendar. Committees need to consider combining efforts when it comes to asking for donations. This year businesses were able to sponsor two activities for the price of one. Next year we want to separate these so that we can double our donation revenue.
Pine Trail Run – Scott Keihl – Ten people have signed up so far. There is a limit of 150 participants. Sending emails to running clubs, businesses and using social media to get the word out. Committee meetings will be scheduled in the coming months.
Fire on the Rim Mountain Bike Race – Mike Brandt
Need to start getting sponsorship early and we need to tap larger businesses. Spreadsheets will be set up (by Cindy) for activities that need to be done and by when for all the committees, so we don’t end up with log jams of work needing to be done right before the events.
OLD BUSINESS:
Pine Strawberry Trails website is being worked on a link will be sent to Board members for review.
PSFR purchased $100 of candy for the Trunk or Treat fire education event. 35 cars were signed up this year more than doubling last year.
NEW BUSINESS:
Rim Country Trails Working Group – For over a year work has been done collectively to contribute to the Master Trails Program. All of the communities in the Rim area participate (except for Star Valley). This has been funded by the US Forest Service. The next meeting is November 7th. The benefit for us is that we get more people working on the trails system. We hope to get a format developed for how the trails will be laid out so that we can work in unison. We also hope to simplify the NEPA process which results in a faster turnaround time for approval. The Forest Service funded the initial startup but more work needs to be done. Each Community is being asked to contribute $2,500 to keep this effort moving forward. This would allow for the Master planning to continue in all of Northern Gila County. When a community has a Master Plan for trails, it puts you higher up on the list for grants. It also gives the Forest Service the ability to prioritize our projects when turned in for review (rather than being put at the bottom of the pile). Janet motioned to contribute $2,500 to the Rim Country Trails Working Group. Nancy seconded.
Motion Passed.
SET DATE, TIME, PLACE OF NEXT P/SFR, INC. MEETING:
Wednesday January 23; 2019 at 6:00 pm in the Pine Senior Dining Room
Meetings are set for the last Wednesday of each month.
ADJOURNMENT:
Nancy moved to adjourn. Janet seconded.
Motion Passed.
Meeting adjourned at 7:36 P.M.
Respectfully submitted by Brenda Darling, P/SFR Secretary
Download 2018 October 29 Meeting Notes (PDF)
