Greater Gladstone Civic Association (GGCA) Meeting Minutes
Date: Thursday, September 22, 2011 7:00 PM
Location: Lansdowne Borough Hall
Attendance – 9
MEETING NOTES
Welcome by the President (Melissa Englund)
Review of Minutes by the Secretary (Julia Hartnett for Michelle Hiscott)
Copies of the June 23, 2011 meeting minutes were distributed.
The minutes were approved as written.
Review of Finances by the Treasurer (Dawn Haussler for Kathy Kauffman)
Copies of checking account activity from June 22, 2011 through September 20, 2011 were distributed. The ending balance in the account was $3,132.68.
The Treasurer’s report was approved as written.
Business Updates and Reports
Nominating Committee Report: There are only 2 total candidates to date for a total of 5 officer positions which will be on the ballot. Additional candidates are being sought.
Streetlights, New and Old: Parts for remaining new lampposts have not been received/installed. There are approximately 6 lights that have not yet been fully installed/operational. Per the borough manager, PECO has been contacted about the lights that work only sporadically. Attendees at the meeting did not know which specific lights these are. Residents are concerned about the lack of lighting, especially by the train station and the island.
The Borough has determined that a lottery for the streetlights (free distribution) is not possible; rather there must be a bidding process (sold to highest bidder). The GGCA was encouraged to attend the 10/19 Borough Council meeting to discuss. Residents will be notified via email and the upcoming newsletter.
Island Project Update: Work onIsland improvements is scheduled to start no later than 10/1.
Website Suggestions and Social Media: A recommendation was made to switch the GGCA email account to Gmail, which offers a number of features that could prove useful in better managing the correspondence. For example, incoming emails could automatically be forwarded to officers, eliminating the need for an officer to log on to check the account. The existing address can be preserved, and possibly email history could be as well. The majority of attendees at the meeting voted to go forward with Gmail.
A discussion was held about whether to create social media accounts (e.g. Facebook, Twitter) to raise awareness of the Association. One concern voiced was the use of photos – would permission of the people in the photos be needed, and if so, how would it be obtained. Suggested approaches included starting without photos or possibly adding a disclaimer on each event flyer. Further research will be done on photos in public places. The majority of attendees at the meeting voted to go forward with text-only accounts.
Ongoing Neighbor Concerns About Pet Waste: A resident wrote to the GGCA about neighbor cats that come onto her property. A notice will be included in the newsletter about cleaning up pet waste including cats.
Membership Drive: There are no changes to the member packet this year, and the plan is to distribute them before Thanksgiving. There will be a drop off box at Tree Lighting for any not already returned to Kathy Kauffman or block captains.
September/October Newsletter: An article about the 10/19 Borough Council meeting (light topics as above) will be added.
Bryn Mawr Avenue – Bryn Mawr has not had a block captain for about 6 months. There was a recommendation that we send residents of the street a letter saying that we can’t deliver newsletters and other flyers door-to-door without a block caption, and ask for a volunteer.
Tree Lighting Preview: The Beautification Committee will begin testing tree lights and working to repair the snowflake. Tree lighting is scheduled for 12/3 with a rain date of 12/4.
Next Meeting: Thursday, October 27, 2011