Minutes of UUYO Board Meeting of March 5, 2020
Present: Louisa Berger, Rev. Joseph Boyd, Andy Crabb, Lisbet White, Judy DeGenova, Gene Pusateri, Tim Raridon, Diana Shaheen, Marguerite Felice (present by phone), Ellen Satre present during Capital Campaign segment
Roles: Facilitator: Tim
Timekeeper: Andy
Secretary: Diana
Process Observer: Gene
Thank UU’s: Louisa
Bits from the Board: Lisbet
Consent Agenda
Andy moved we accept the Consent Agenda which consists of the Minister’s Report, Minutes of February’s Board Meeting, and the Treasurer’s Report.
Hiring Janitor: The new janitor, Tammy Kaufman has been hired and will work 10 hours a week (1/4 time).
Hiring DRE: Director of Religious Education: Rev. Boyd said as of yet we have not found a new DRE. Lindsey Sinkovich and Lisbet White are working with Rev. Boyd to find a new DRE. Diana suggested a job description written by Karen Lapidus might be effective. Reverend Boyd stated that Karen Lapidus was already a consultant on the matter. Lisbet noted she approached Julia Williams about the matter but nothing conclusive has been determined. It was mentioned that Susan Miracle who was in charge of the teenage youth group a while back, might be called upon to find someone. Louisa stated that there are part-time employees at the Public Library who might be able to fill the position and she offered to look into it.
By-Laws Review
Diana Shaheen stated that Randy Cox, who is Chair of the By-Laws Committee has not called a meeting of the Committee, though he said he would. Louisa suggested I might want to contact him to see if he is still interested in serving in that capacity.
Steel Chalice/Newsletter
Regarding the suggestion in the “Bits from the Board” that those interested in continuing the monthly newsletter stop into the office and talk with Louisa—Louisa stated that not one person stopped into the office to talk with her about it. Andy mentioned the “matrix” of the software package the office uses to determine if the Steel Chalice email is opened may be at fault because it may not register correctly how many times the email is opened. However, Louisa and Sarah King, the office administrator decided they could put a paper copy of the weekly update in the Sunday Publication so whoever attends the service has a hard copy of the weekly updates, and they can be mailed out. So, for the time-being, we will see how the weekly updates work as hard copy in the Sunday Program.
Unfinished Business: 2020 Initiatives:
Capital Project:
(Ellen Satre was present for this portion of the meeting)
Ellen Satre came in as a representative of the UUYO Finance Committee requesting the support of the Board in putting together a capital campaign committee that focuses on the patio renovation.
The Board authorized a capital campaign committee that focuses on the patio renovation. The committee will convene on Sunday, April 5, 2020 at 12:30 PM.
Wheelchair Accommodation: It was mentioned we might be able to complete the renovation of the sanctuary under $5,000 and that making it wheelchair accessible was the number one priority. Tim stated that to ensure inclusiveness we should discuss the project with those who would be affected by it. Diana asked who besides Melissa and Trudy (who were consulted) should be approached. Tim stated that Linda Scharf works with people with disabilities, and that she should be consulted. Diana S asked why Tim couldn’t just ask Linda Scharf for her input. Tim said he would facilitate the process.
The lack of direct access to lighting in the Sanctuary foyer was also addressed. Lisbet suggested motion sensor lighting. Diana and Marguerite agreed it was a great idea.
All agreed we invite Martin Berger to the next board meeting because he should be consulted about whatever is done in the Sanctuary since he is in charge of Buildings and Grounds.
Driveway Paving: We will address at our April meeting what materials we can use for under $5,000 to pave the church driveway.
Media presence/intent: It was unanimously agreed that the Ennate Technologies proposal for Website service and support drawn up by Nathaniel Ekoniak and already implemented was a great bargain. The cost for set-up was $294. with 9.99 for one-time domain transfer and ($15.99 yearly starting in 2021) and $16.95 a month for technical support. Thank you, Nathaniel.
New Business:
Corona Virus: To combat Covid 19 Louisa has made sure there is hand sanitizer and hand soap placed in different locations in the church and she has posted a “To-Dos” list in key locations around the church.
Podcast or Facebook Live:
It was also noted since people may not wish to attend service if the spread of Co-Vid 19 gets worse, and we are no longer doing the videography we might look into doing a podcast or a facebook live recording. Jillian Crabb recorded a service as a podcast that can be located from our web page.
Honoring Marcellene, Gloria and (Roger) Jones
Gene Pusateri suggested we do something to honor Marcellene for her contribution to the church as well as doing something to honor Roger Jones (deceased) and Gloria Jones for their creation of the Oh Wow Children’s Museum.
Reverend Boyd stated he was going to have a service in honor of Marcellene at her home on a Saturday soon, though no specific date was given. How Roger and Gloria Jones were to be honored was unclear.
Thank UU’s
Thank UU’s for this month go to Nathaniel Ekoniak for his help with the Web page, Roger LaFontaine for hanging in there as Sexton, Gary Davenport for helping to conduct the presentation Immigrants and Immigration in Youngstown and the U.S., Karen Lapidus for her work supporting Reverend Boyd’s Installation, and Matt and Lenore Jones for helping with the Finance Committee.
Nest Board meeting is Thursday, April 9, 2020.
Next Month’s roles: Facilitator: Andy Crabb; Process Observer: Gene Pusateri; Time Keeper & Bits from the Board: Judy DeGenova; Thank UU’s: Louisa Berger.
Respectfully Submitted,
Diana Shaheen