Annual Meeting 2008 Minutes

WARD 3 NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION

Minutes of Annual Meeting October 5, 2008
Held at the conservation field on Montview Ave., Northampton
(in conjunction with Farm Fest & Fall Social)

Approximately 65 adults and 15 children attended the whole event; about 35 attended the meeting.

Jerry Budgar, President, called the meeting to order at about 2:30.

The minutes of the last Annual Meeting were passed out and approved. The Treasury balance was announced as $386.99 (plus dues collected today).

Nominating Committee Business

1. Jim Nash presented the committee’s description of the roles of the board members: the representatives, the president, and the councilor. (These descriptions had been displayed since 1:00 on site for all to read. They can be read on our website: wardthree.com) Acceptance of these role definitions as part of our by-laws was moved and approved by the members present.

2. Jim then presented and read the consensus rules proposed by the Nominating Committee-- majority and super-majority models. These new rules were also approved by the members. [see our website]

3. The President and the Nominating Committee proposed that the 12-member Board of Directors (consisting of four officers, the ward councilor, 3 representatives for precinct A and 3 for B) be expanded to 14 by adding one alternate for each of the precincts. This was approved by the members.

4. Ten board members were reelected as a slate. Lola Reid has resigned her position as secretary after two years and was voted in by the members as Ward 3B representative, succeeding Mac Everett who is stepping off the board. [Mac will remain active with the Traffic Calming Committee etc.] The remaining three directors (secretary and alternates) need to be nominated and voted in at a later board meeting.

President’s Annual Report
The following remarks were written and read by Gerald Budgar:

This has been a very active and productive year for the Ward 3 Neighborhood Association. We are an issue-oriented and results-oriented organization that deals with the concerns of the people who live and work in our neighborhoods. We are fortunate to have a dedicated and hardworking board whose members represent virtually every Ward 3 neighborhood. I serve on many boards, and I can honestly say this is one of the best I've served with!

From our founding around the concept of preserving the Meadows and flood plain, we have considerably expanded the range of issues in which we're involved, everything from agriculture in our ward to homelessness, from traffic issues to crime, from Exit 19 of I-91 to the future of the Bridge Street School, from the Fairgrounds redevelopment proposal to environmental issues affecting Ward 3. And, I might add, we're not shy about making city officials aware of our concerns and the issues that need attention. Having our Councilor, Bob Reckman, as a member of the board has been very helpful in this effort.

Before Jim and I were elected president and vice president last year, we met to talk about our priorities for the organization. We felt the association had successfully passed through the first phase of a group's existence, the founding phase, when the group was organized and all the elements of an organization put into place. Jim and I felt we wanted to take this association to the next level by increasing the number of people involved in our work and programs.

We decided we would work to establish a series of committees that would allow the interested and talented people of Ward 3 to get involved in the issues and projects that concern them. Jim agreed to take responsibility for getting our committees up and running, and he's done a magnificent job at it. We currently have three committees that we invite interested residents to join. One concerns sustainability and the impact the city's new plan might have on Ward 3. Another committee is concerned with traffic calming and is preparing a program for the Hawley Street area that might serve as a prototype for the rest of the city. Our third committee studies Exit 19 of I-91, to make certain Mass Highway considers the views of our residents as it prepares to revise the roadways near the Coolidge Bridge. You can speak with representatives of those committees right after this meeting. Jim is always looking for issues and concerns around which to form new committees, so speak with him if you have ideas.

The association has also worked this year to build bridges with others in Ward 3. We have wanted to get involved with the Bridge Street School community and are pleased that a number of parents are here as part of their effort to save the school, an effort that our board has endorsed. We have established linkages with the North Street Association. And the Business Representative on our board, Owen Freeman-Daniels, is about to embark on a survey of hundreds of businesses located in our ward and establish a Business Advisory Council as ways to keep our board aware of issues our businesses would like to have us bring to the city's attention.

In the few short years of our existence, the Ward 3 Neighborhood Association has become widely known throughout the city as perhaps the most active neighborhood-based group in Northampton. We have had individuals from other wards ask how they might replicate what we've done, and we plan to share our experiences with them to help them organize.

And we couldn't do what we do without the support of so many others in Ward 3. Whether you volunteer for a committee, give us advice or expertise, pay the minimal dues that sustain our operations (and you can do so right after these remarks), or come to our events, we value and appreciate your support. I also want to thank the officers and board members who have worked so hard to make this such a successful year. It's now time for everyone to talk with our committee folks, look at the exhibits we've set up, enjoy some good food and company, and tour the two adjacent farms that are part of a significant increase in the large agricultural industry in our ward. Thank you for coming, and I hope you have a great afternoon with us.



The meeting adjourned and the members returned to eating, painting of traffic calming signs, visiting the Montview and Town farms, and playing ball games.

Submitted by Lola Reid, outgoing board secretary.