Categories
Minutes

March 8, 2021

Present:  Sarah Dibble, Claire Lovell, Joe Sarnicola, Pete Cramer, Tim Donovan, Chuck Mason, Dan Orzechowski, Glenn Thomas

Guest: Mike Talbot (until 5:13)

  • Call to Motion
    Sarah made a call to motion at 5:03 pm
  • Approve Previous Meeting’s Minutes  
    Chuck made a motion to approve, Pete seconded, all approve.
  • Budget Update – Joe
    • This month there has been an accounting fee of $65 and another $60 to join New York Council of Non-profits (NYCON), which keeps us in a directory and nonprofit advice and guidance. Tim requests that we invite NYCON to visit and give a presentation.
    • Joe also has a $650 check for insurance that he will bring to Sarah at the high school to sign.
    • Expenditures $775 for the month, leaving a balance of $9,014.76.
  • Permaculture Park Update – Pete
    • Pete is pruning the fruit trees.  Everything looks good there.
    • The city will eventually install large signs (through Walt and Mike).
  • Social Media Update – Dan
    • Dan has gotten access to the ABC Facebook account.  He asks if he can advertise (unpaid) the meetings ahead of time. Sarah approves.
    • Dan has been working on the website and installed a few free plugins. He asks if anyone has recent pictures for updating the galleries and for social media. Please email pictures to Dan. Joe and Sarah will find pictures of the Casey Park courtyard and the Franklin St triangle.
    • He asks if there is an ABC logo file. Sarah will send him one.
    • Sarah will also send him the list of board members.
  • Casey Park Plywood Figures Update – Joe
    • Joe hasn’t heard from Jeff Pirozzolo yet.
    • This is a series of plywood figures of historically significant people. The district is going to research the provenance before handing them over to ABC.  The Arts Council will help restore the figures and ABC will find a new home for them.
  • Look into Historical Signs repainting – Glenn
  • 2021 Projects -Prioritize / pick dates  – Mike Talbot

ABC Projects

  • Earth Day  Event?  Saturday April 24 Time? Flyer?
    • Earth Day is Thursday, April 22 but we will have better availability on Saturday. 
    • On Saturday, April 24, we will clean up the Riverwalk, meeting at the plaza parking lot with the sign company, behind Generations Bank. We’ll meet there at 10 am.
    • We have buckets, trash bags and three grabber-sticks.  Sarah can provide some gloves and Joe has some work gloves and a wagon. 
    • Mike has staff working on Saturdays who could pick up trash that day. Sarah will keep in touch with him.
    • Pete will extend an invitation to the Cayuga Climate Coalition.
    • Annual Park Pick-up Day  – Saturday May 22
      • Mike reports that the City is happy to lend tools and to pick up the garbage afterwards as they have every year.
      • This event starts at 9 am at Veteran’s Park.
      • Mitch will lend us a popup tent.? If not Sarah can provide
      • Chuck will send Sarah the flyer to update for 2021.
    • Clean-up nature trail in Flemming/Dunning Ave
    • Routine riverwalk cleanup – Quarterly
    • Routine Bonocore Park cleanup, Market Street Park, and Freedom Park

City  – Ask Mike Talbot

  • Clean Cross @ Veteran’s Park
    • Mike notes that the City does routinely do this every few years. They use Clorox and a pressure washer and will do it this year.
    • Tulips or Snow Alyssum @ Veteran’s Park
      • Mike suggests the group walk through the area and pick out a spot or two to plant flowers.
    • Do something with Arterial – Near Mark’s/Byrne Dairy

BID – Ask Stephanie DeVito

  • Planting/Maintenance of triangle at the welcome to BID District – near St. Mary’s
    • Stephanie was excited about ABC adopting this triangle.
    • Adopt the corner flower garden in front of Wild’s on Genesee St.  – Cigarette butt holder
      • Stephanie said the cigarette butt problem is universal and wishes us luck.
    • Sparkle on State Street
      • The BID wants to drape State Street from KeyBank (Genesee street) to Prison City (Dill street) with string lights. 
      • We would need to think about how many lights we would need, electricity requirements, lifespan (with regard to weather) and sustainability.
      • Tim wonders about the minimum height of the string lights, because that street does serve tall trucks.
      • Chuck notes that from June through September, the City is constructing a park there, so it’s probably a bad year to drape lights there.
  • 2021 Fundraising
    • ABC Tent at ERHC? Chuck to keep us updated
    • Scarecrow contest (like in Batavia NY)
      • Businesses and individuals can decorate lamp-posts along Genesee Street. 
      • Stephanie at the BID is happy to help!
      • We will need to determine what supplies we need and bring that list to Home Depot to ask for donations.  Tim volunteers to do this.
      • What date span should we do?
      • Sarah will seek out the project leader in Batavia to get information.
    • Tree Sale
      • Pete had done all the number crunching for this potential fundraiser.  Joe noted that it sounds like a lot of work for Pete and the landowner.  The beds would have to be prepared first, and the plants would have to go in the ground on May 7 (the pick up day in 2021). They’ll need to be mulched after planting.  They should be dug up in the fall.
      • Pete suggests that once we plant them in Sarah’s yard, we work up the promotion and a campaign for planting in the fall (and to sell the trees at a profit).  Pete and Sarah will talk privately about her yard and logistics.
  • Other Business
    • T-shirts/Polos
      • Sarah has ABC polo shirts to distribute to the new members, and would like to get an updated group picture at our next clean up.
    • Earth Day Kids Craft
      • Artist Sandy Shutter is opening a new art gallery in Willard Chapel and will have an Earth Day event featuring a free craft activity for kids. Joe wondered if ABC would sponsor the craft materials ($50-$100).  The group discussed the potential mission creep and decided not to support the request.
      • The group will discuss a mission clarification at the April meeting and will draft a form for donation requests.
    • (Pete will be unavailable for a few days around April 19)
    • Claire suggested we sponsor an online lecture or two this spring, possibly in collaboration with the public library, about planting and gardening.
      • Perhaps Pete? Or Janet Allen? Someone from SUNY ESF?
    • Dan suggested a local contest, incentivized by a modest gift card (~$10-$20), for photography of beautiful Auburn.

  • Schedule next meeting Monday April 12, 2021 @ 5pm – Zoom?
    • Joe has a new job where he will be unavailable on Monday evenings (3 to 9 pm).  Sarah will send out an email about availability.
  • Adjourn
    • Tim makes a motion to adjourn. Dan seconds. All approve.  Adjourned at 6:08 pm.