President David Anspach brought the meeting to order. Chuck Huber led everyone in the flag salute; some brief discussion commenced as to the whereabouts of the flag and a suggestion was made that for the future, two officers should have a flag. Role call was taken; 15 members and two guests who are returning members were present. The Chapter welcomed Virginia and Scott Carlisle back to the Chapter.
Kim Smith asked if everyone had received the Minutes and it seems that Judy Wood did not. If Judy does not receive them by the following Monday or Tuesday, she will call Kim and let her know so Kim can mail Judy another copy. No comments or corrections were mentioned. Kim asked that Chapter members get with her after the meeting if they wish to change or update their contact information for the membership list. A motion to accept the December 2006 Minutes was made and seconded by John Carson and Janice Snow, respectively; motion carried.
Paul Prescott gave the Treasurer's report. Paul announced that there was a problem at the bank last month. The account was charged $12 for having a balance below $500, which came as a surprise since the reason that the Chapter chose this bank was because the bank told Paul that there was no minimum balance required. Paul and Bonnie visited the bank and apparently, there had been a mistake and the bank had coded the account incorrectly and thus returned the 12 dollars to this month and next month's balance. Everything has been straightened out now and Paul has obtained the necessary information for David to sign in order for him to have a Chapter debit card. The account balance has only once, dropped below $500. The prior balance was $516.58; deposits were made for $2,391.00. The money withdrawn for the flashlights was $825.05 and the current statement balance is now $2,070.53. (This balance is due to the $12 service fee that was mistakenly charged so the actual balance would have been $2,082.53). There are still some outstanding checks in the amounts of $750 for the Jennifer Madsen scholarship, $50 given to Dwight Sayer's Chapter (his daughter passed away) and $50 for flowers that were sent to Debbie Potocki (former Chapter President Grant Downey's fiancé) who was in the hospital for an appendectomy. A motion to accept the Treasurer's report was made and seconded by Vice-President Michael Lamb and Janice Snow, respectively; motion carried. The Sayer family sent the Chapter a very nice thank you card, which Bonnie read aloud.
President Anspach called on Janice to give the Expanding Horizons Committee report. She has arranged for State Representative Leslie Waters to come and speak at February's Chapter meeting. Leslie is very interested in what questions the Chapter may have for her. Janice also announced that Calvary Baptist church has moved to McMullen Booth Road, which is an area that DART (Dial a Ride Transit) says they will not go on Sundays as there is no bus service there. Janice feels that this is interfering with her constitutional rights for going to church. Janice called Leslie Waters regarding this matter and she instigated Janice's being able to continue going to the church. Apparently, Leslie had a discussion with DART, which prompted the change. David encouraged Chapter members to have their questions and concerns ready for Leslie next month but try to keep the atmosphere positive and upbeat.
Next, the Fundraising Committee gave their report. Jim and John (co-chairs of the committee) are planning another committee meeting towards the end of this month or the beginning of February. Since the flashlight sales are beginning to settle down, Jim says it is time to look ahead. John is trying to keep track of what money is going into the Chapter account as a breakdown of what is what. In November, the Chapter deposited $25 from the fifty-fifty; last month, $180 was deposited from the Splash Fund; three flashlights short of two cases were purchased. John stated that there have been enough flashlights sold to definitely cover the cost of the flashlights plus shipping and the Chapter is now working in the "black". He mentioned that at last month's meeting, there were flashlights changing hands and he asked that everyone give him a call to let him know how many flashlight they had. He had an idea of how many the Hietalas had at that meeting and the Anspachs have also kept him updated but not anyone else. He asked that whoever has flashlights to sell to please give him a call so he can keep track of them. He reminded everyone that each flashlight is fifteen dollars and is important that none of them are lost. Debbie Hietala said that at the end of last month's meeting, her and Chuck had taken three cases from the Carson's house and the money that she has currently, pays for all those cases minus three flashlights that they gave to Janice. The hietalas are out of flashlights and when asked if they would be able to sell more, Debbie replied that she can sell as many as she is given. There are ten more flashlights left and Bonnie said she needed a couple of them. Since the flashlight sales are leveling off, Debbie suggests that it be given a rest for a while and then resume the selling of them just prior to or around hurricane season and everyone agreed that this was a good idea. John feels that mid April would be a good time to restart the flashlight sale. Tammy wished to give Scott Carlisle credit for helping her to sell her flashlights because the two flashlights he bought, he took them around the Freedom Scientific warehouse and demonstrated and promoted them. John reported that since the decision to go forth with the Letter Drive was made, some members sent out 40 letters and has received a total amount of $255 in response; this money was turned into the Treasurer today. Once the money for the scholarship and the two $50 amounts for the Orlando Chapter and flowers for Debbie Potocki clear and the money from the flashlight sales is put back in, the treasury will still be around two thousand dollars. Since the emptying of the Splash Fund jug, it is already half full again. John said there is some discussion of holding a pasta dinner and he told Debbie he would like to see her get involved with this.
Jim Ellsworth (chairman of the Constitution Committee) gave the committee report. The Committee met last weekend via telephone for about an hour-and-a-half. They are making progress and they are about three quarters of the way through and hopefully by next month, a completed copy can be brought to the meeting and read aloud so that it can be discussed and comments and changes can be noted. Another couple of months are probably necessary in order to get all the details ironed out and then they can be sent into state for their approval. The model that the Committee is using was written by the Martin County Chapter some years ago; Brenda Gillis was the President of the Chapter at that time. There are many things in that constitution that though they are most likely okay, they are really not necessary as some of the things that are covered is also covered in the State constitution. A question was raised as to how the Constitution will affect the Pinellas Chapter and what is the purpose of this constitution. Jim explained that the Pinellas Chapter does not currently have a constitution; no one, including State, seems to know where it is. Mike also explained that the Committee has left flexibility in the new Constitution in areas such as the significant growing of the Chapter in the future, adding additional board members and discussion has taken place regarding having two-year or one-year terms for officers and board members. Jim and Mike commented that these things are only recommendations and are not written in stone yet. The committee has also made the language much clearer and is easier to understand than the Martin County model. Paul asked if the Committee had considered making the board members positions staggered. Committee members replied that this had been discussed. It was suggested that for now, let the Committee present the new Constitution at the next meeting and any comments, changes or recommendations that Chapter members wish to make, should be made at that time. President Anspach explained that the Constitution is a set of guidelines that can be referred to if a situation arises where it is unclear as to how that situation might be dealt with. If the Constitution doesn't say anything specific for that situation, then the State Constitution would be referred to and then to National. The Committee has not changed from the one-year elections and they had thought about two-year elections as this had been mentioned prior to the making of the New Constitution but the Committee has decided that for now, the Committee proposes to stay with the one-year elections for all officer and board positions. The new Constitution will be presented to the entire Chapter but a way to have it read aloud has yet to be figured out as it is rather lengthy. A suggestion was made to have Leslie Waters read it and many were enthusiastic over the suggestion. Another member felt that rather than having Leslie read it during the meeting as it is felt that this would be a waste of her valuable time and we want this meeting with Leslie to be an interactive one, perhaps if she volunteered to read it, the Talking Book library could record it on cassette and duplicate it for the Chapter so that each member could have a copy. This would allow the Constitution to be previewed prior to the meeting. As David feels this is a good suggestion, the State has informed the Committee that the Constitution must be read aloud publicly three times and voted on. However, everyone could still get a copy of it prior to the meeting so they can study it and come to the meeting prepared with changes and comments after the Constitution has been read aloud. There are several options that can be looked at regarding how to get everyone a copy prior to the reading and will be a topic of discussion amongst the Constitution Committee members. Jim stated that anyone can have a copy of the finished Constitution in whatever format they prefer and the Chapter will always have at least one copy at a Chapter meeting that can be referred to as these are the working rules that the Chapter should follow. A suggestion was made that there be a Chapter meeting solely devoted to the Constitution since it is an important matter. It was at first thought that perhaps February could be a "legislative" meeting since Leslie Waters will be speaking then and then the rest of the meeting could be dedicated to working on the Constitution including the readings. However, Jim reminded everyone that the reading aloud has to take place over the course of several meetings. This is due to the fact that recommendations and changes that are made have to be recorded and then entered as a revision and those revisions must be presented again until the final draft is completed. This is going to be a three month process. President Anspach fells, however, that the bulk of the discussion will take place after the first reading and thus a great deal of time is foreseeable to work with the Constitution and thus the suggestion of devoting a meeting to it isn't out of the question. After all this discussion, some members felt that with Leslie Waters being an important speaker at February's meeting, there needs to be time for Chapter interaction and thus this may not be the best time to work on the Chapter Constitution. Jim asked why the meetings have to only be an hour-and-a-half as most Chapters around the State have two Hour or longer meetings. Before getting into this discussion, it was suggested that the Constitution Committee report be concluded. Jim feels sure that the Committee can have the first draft ready to present for February's meeting but that if the Chapter wishes to hold off until March that is okay. Some brief discussion took place at this time regarding how long it will take to read the Constitution aloud, whether people show up or don't show up to hear the reading, etc. David suggested that everyone hold their thoughts until the Committee reports have been given. It is important to decide how the Constitution will be presented and will be discussed after the reports.
John Carson (chairperson of the Web Page Committee) gave a brief report. This Committee has not had a meeting yet but John will be calling for one very soon. Web Page Committee members are John Carson, David Anspach, Kim Smith and Jill Carson. John is working on trying to get the Chapter its own domain. Currently, he is working on getting NFB-Pinellas.org. The State Web Page Committee is having a meeting on Sunday, January 22. David recommended to Kathy Davis (State President) that John would be good on this Committee. David told Kathy that he would ask John if he would be willing to participate. John accepted. If any Chapter members have any ideas about what they would like to see on the Pinellas Web page, to please let one of the Committee members know. David is in favor of the Chapter getting its own domain because of the fact that in the past, he has tried to work with Dan Hicks on getting the Pinellas Chapter information on the State web page updated and this was not being accomplished due to Dan's busy schedule. The Chapter getting its own domain name will allow for posting up to date information quickly. John said he is going to register the domain name and he and Jill are going to donate the domain name to the Chapter. It is $40 for a three year registration. John is going to try and find some local colleges to see if their IT department or their computer science department will host the domain name for the Chapter. Some comments were made regarding this such as maybe a a college student would do this as their community service and also include on the website a section for if someone wishes to bequeath an X amount of money to the Chapter as a donation, they can also designate what they would like to see the money used for. John has already put this on his list of items that will be posted to the website. Both State and National have information on this on their websites.
Next, John, Jim and Paul were asked to give an update regarding the Jennifer Madsen scholarship. John gave a brief overview on how the scholarship came into existence and that the Chapter had agreed to move forward with the scholarship. John talked to Tom Hartig (State Treasurer), which yielded more information on the subject. By the time he and John talked, Tom had already collected money for four scholarships. The State offers six scholarships; this is a first come first serve and each Chapter must submit a minimum of $750 dollars. The State throws in $500, which makes the total $1,250 for the student. The student essentially gets a one thousand dollar scholarship and the remaining 250 dollars is for that student to attend convention to receive the scholarship. The 250 dollars goes towards room and meals. Once John obtained Tom's address where the money for the scholarship needed to be submitted to, John then got in touch with Paul. Tom wrote John back and said that after the Chapter's submission of a scholarship, there was only one place left. John feels that Charlie Madsen should be notified officially of the Chapter's sponsoring a scholarship in memory of his deceased wife Jennifer Madsen who had also been a member of the Pinellas Chapter. Paul stated that he has already done this verbally. Prior to the meeting, Jim had said he would write up a short piece about Jennifer that can be read at the presenting of the scholarship during the banquet at State convention. Jim will first submit it to Kathy and make sure that it is acceptable to her. Jim will have this ready by the May meeting. Paul stated that as he did not feel comfortable just sending a check to Tom without some kind of statement enclosed, Paul composed a brief note about Jennifer, which he enclosed with the check to Tom. However, it is noted that this is not what is to be read aloud at the scholarship presentation and thus Jim will move forward with writing a short piece as stated above. John made one other comment regarding the scholarship sponsorship, which answers the question as to why it is being limited to six scholarships. In the past there had been more than six scholarships given out to students. Back then, the State had received a large donation from a will of someone who had passed away. Those funds were designated for scholarships and those funds have since been dispersed; thus, the State has gone back to the way things were originally done years ago. It is not expected of the Chapter to sponsor a scholarship every year if the Chapter is unable to do this. The State will allow other Chapters to cosponsor scholarships so even if the Chapter were unable to sponsor a full scholarship, the Chapter could cosponsor along with another Chapter. Paul felt that mentioning the Chapter sponsoring a scholarship would look good in a fundraising letter. A suggestion was made that since the Treasury is doing quite well now, maybe the Chapter could do some sponsoring on a local basis as well such as the Pinellas Lighthouse. Regarding fundraising events, Paul suggests choosing some type of event that would be held annually.
The topic on how the Constitution can be presented was revisited. Since one of the suggestions that Jim made was to extend the time of the regular monthly meetings, a motion to schedule the regular monthly meeting from 1:00 PM to 3:00 Pm was made and seconded by Michael Lamb and John Carson. Some discussion took place regarding the motion and it was suggested that this motion not only applies for the presenting of the Constitution but also towards the regular meetings as well. There isn't any rule that says the meeting always has to run until 3:00 and that if the meeting is over at 2:30, then folks can either stay or they can leave. However, the extra half hour will be there for when the meeting does run over. There have been times when we have had to rush through business and an extra half an hour will help towards this not happening. Currently, the room at Applebees is reserved for the Chapter from 11:30 AM to 3:00 PM. The motion to extend the meeting time from 2:30 PM to 3:00 PM was voted on and the motion carried. Mike made a motion that when the Constitution Committee makes status reports, the Committee additionally notifies the Chapter that the Constitution will be read from 11:30 to 12:00 on the three necessary readings. Jim stated that this cannot be done as the Constitution has to be read aloud during the actual meeting. David reiterated the process of how the Constitution must be read aloud three times during three consecutive meetings, each meeting being where suggestions and comments will be put into the revision and on the third reading, it will be voted on and then sent to State for their assessment. There were some members who were note happy with this process. Mike moved that during the time the Chapter is trying to adopt the Constitution, that the meetings run from 11:30 AM to 3:00 PM and then the Constitution could be read from 11:30 to 12:00. This motion met with disagreement from several members. A suggestion was made that the Constitution be read onto tape beforehand and then played during that time. This is what Debbie had tried to convey earlier and to make it a voluntary basis meaning those who wanted to be there for the reading could be there and those who did not want to be there, wouldn't be mandatory for them to be there. At this time, further discussion took place regarding whether to add a half an hour to the beginning of the meeting (meaning 12:30 just prior to the start of the newly adopted meeting time) for the reading and how long the reading will take. Kim suggested that after the first reading, members can be given a hard-copy of the Constitution so that they can take it home, read over it themselves and be able to come to the second meeting already prepared with the areas where they wish to make comments or changes. Upon Kim's suggestion, Jim said that most likely, the Committee will have completed the proposed Constitution and for everyone who receives Chapter Minutes will receive a copy in their chosen format prior to the next Chapter meeting. This met with the Chapter's approval. Jim urged the members to read their copies, review it; it will be read aloud at the meeting and if members have any proposed changes to make note of it at home and bring them to the next reading. John mentioned that considering the Constitution has been lost in the past, a safety deposit box at the bank would not cost that much per year and maybe the Chapter might invest in one. David replied that he has one for free. John said why not has a Chapter safety deposit box and keeps the original Constitution in there. Some felt that the Chapter does not need additional expenses for this and that as long as everyone has a copy of it and State gets a copy, there will be enough copies distributed and somewhere, there will always be a copy. The Chapter Secretary definitely must have a copy. John also plans on posting it on the Chapter's website. Chuck Hietala shared his experience with this type of matter in his involvements with other nonprofit organizations. He said that the way this type of thing is usually handled is that the recording secretary is in charge of any relevant documents such as the Constitution, real estate documents, deeds or anything that the organization owns. Also, the Chapter president has a copy of those documents as well and any time there is a change in office, those documents are handed over from the current holder to the newly elected officers. David agrees with this and suggests that not only the president and the secretary have the Chapter's documents but also the vice-president as well. Chuck suggested that this procedure be added to the Constitution; everyone agreed that this is a good idea. It is estimated that it will take approximately ten minutes to read through the Constitution all the way through without any stops. Suggestions were then made as to how to cover the different sections of the Constitution in a timely and efficient manner. Since everyone will be getting a copy of the Constitution prior to the first reading, a suggestion was made that rather than opening up for discussion for each article, read each section and ask if anyone has any objections or changes that they would like to make at that point and time. A motion that Jim or Kim send everyone a copy of the Constitution in their preferred format before the first reading and, at the meetings at the two subsequent readings, it will not be open for questions; only amendments will be allowed to be made at the end of each article or section that is read in the Constitution was made and seconded by Chuck Hietala and Michael Lamb, respectively. Chuck amended the motion with that during the first reading, members should be allowed to ask questions and at the two subsequent readings, amendments should be made since everyone had an opportunity to ask all their questions at the first reading. David restated the amended motion which is that Jim or Kim will send out along with the meetings Minutes, whenever the Committee is finished with the proposed Constitution, copies of it, which will be read at the designated first meeting. At that time, members will be allowed to ask questions, make changes, etc. Moving forward for the second and third readings, no more questions and amendments or changes will only be allowed after everyone has reviewed it on their own. A vote was finally taken and the motion carried. David suggested that the Committee decide when the first reading will take place. Jim said that if it is going to take two meetings of the Committee to get things done by next month, then he suggests trying to work this out somehow. The planned first reading will be at the February Chapter meeting after Leslie Waters speak, approximately around 2:30. Leslie, of course, shall be invited to stay and give her input if she wishes. Also, previously the speaker when invited to the Chapter to speak would get their lunch paid for and David suggests that we as a Chapter begin to pick up the speaker’s tab. A motion that the Chapter pick up any lunch or beverages expense that is incurred by any guest speaker that comes to speak was made and seconded by Michael Lamb and Debbie Hietala, respectively. A suggestion was then made that this could be paid for using the money generated from fifty-fifty; some wondered why it couldn’t just be taken out of the treasury. The final decision to pay for the expense using the Chapter debit card was agreeable with everyone. Of course, if the speaker only has a drink or something that incurs a small amount, then this could be taken from the fifty-fifty or several members volunteered to pay for it out of their own pocket. A vote was taken on Mike and Debbie’s motion and the motion carried.
David talked briefly about the long awaited setup of the theatrical DVS system at Movie Co. Bay Walk. Kim had spoken to someone there who said it would be ready around the end of January or the beginning of February. David would like to see everyone try and get as many blind people there to see the first viewing and it doesn’t necessarily have to be a Chapter event. It is hoped that David and Kim will no more by the next meeting on the progress of the setup. David explained that there will be two screens and that wireless equipment will be used to transmit the audio track and there will also be the closed caption for the deaf.
The last topic of business was regarding the changing of time to hold the lections. There have been some problems with having the Christmas party and having the elections and business meeting all at once. Discussion took place at this time and suggestions as to what month would be best to move the elections to be made. A motion to move the elections to November was made and seconded by Janice Snow and John Carson, respectively. Jim has suggested February and then a question was asked as to when the newly elected officers and board members would begin their posts and the majority felt that January, the start of the new year, would be good. However, Jim reminded everyone that the Constitution states that the they would actually take up their positions at the end of the meeting in which the elections were held. Jim suggested February in order to not conflict with the holiday season, (i.e.) Thanksgiving in November, Christmas in December, etc and there’s a lot of football as well during those two months. Saturdays in January, there are college games and though everyone does not watch football, it is important to get participation at the meetings and at the elections. Some members disagreed with the month of February as the Chapter reports are due in March. Further discussion commenced regarding this matter. Mike amended the motion by saying that the annual elections be held in January; Debbie Hietala seconded it. Jim stated that the exact month and time are not stated in the Constitution. A vote was taken on the amended motion for January and the motion carried. A vote was then taken for moving the elections to January and the motion carried. Kim announced to anyone who is interested that the Presidential Release is now available on the web for downloading from http://NFB.org. Debbie asked if the Chapter could invite Charlie Madsen to attend the presenting of the scholarship and the Chapter could pay for him to attend the convention or pay for his banquet ticket. This suggestion met with agreement from the Chapter and some discussion took place as to the details of what actually would be paid for. A motion that the Chapter first asks Charlie Madsen if he would like to attend the State convention banquet where the Jennifer Madsen scholarship will be presented was made and seconded by Debbie Hietala and Bonnie Prescott, respectively; motion carried. A motion was then made that the Chapter pay for two banquet tickets for Charlie and his guest was made and seconded by Debbie Hietala and John Carson, respectively. Bonnie feels that a one night stay for the day of the banquet ought to be included since most likely his wife and small child would be attending as well and to travel to and from the convention would be difficult for everyone. Bonnie’s suggestion will be put into a separate motion. A vote was taken regarding Debbie’s original motion that the Chapter pay for two banquet tickets for Charlie and his guest and this motion carried. A motion was made that the Chapter pay for the hotel for Charlie for the night of the banquet was made and seconded by Chuck Hietala and Janice Snow, respectively; motion carried. A suggestion was made that Charlie be given a written invitation as well as a verbal one. Kim will take care of this and find a nice invitation card. Debbie announced that the East Hillsboro Chapter is sponsoring a low-vision day at Sun City Center on Tuesday, January 24. Debbie feels that the Pinellas Chapter could do something like that here. Debbie says the Sun City Center is an excellent place to hold such an event because there are a lot of visually impaired individuals and they booked one of the rooms at the Center and the East Hillsboro Chapter has 21 booths coming and Debbie is providing the food and the food is a fundraiser as well. Those who could attend are encouraged to do so. Debbie also mentioned that she and Chuck are involved with Ranchero Village, which is a large trailer park locally. The Park are supporters of Southeastern Guide dogs and they have a huge community similar to Sun City and they have a clubhouse where possibly a pasta dinner could be held. The clubhouse is able to be booked in advance. Debbie suggested to Janice for future guest speakers, Debbie’s puppy raisers would like to come back and speak to the Chapter. Janice asked Debbie to schedule one for March’s meeting. Janice will also begin working on getting someone to come back and speak from Emergency Management for May’s meeting. Mike announced that he had spoken with Verizon about changing his phone service and he learned that there is a phone center for people with disabilities. The phone number is: (800) 974-6006. This is for those who cannot see and needs free directory assistance along with some other things. John has suggested having a next meeting/party at their house. As there are two speakers for the next two meetings, David thinks this would happen until April. John felt that it wouldn’t be a problem to have the speaker at the house and plan to have trays of food. Mike feels that it would be appropriate for the Chapter to add another committee such as the Guide Dog Committee since the Chapter currently has several guide dog users who attend the meetings. David appointed Debbie to head the Committee, she accepted and Tammy Anspach has volunteered to help as well. A motion to adjourn the meeting was made and seconded by Chuck Huber and Janice Snow, respectively; motion carried.
Written and Submitted by:
Kim Smith
Pinellas Chapter Secretary, NFBF
02/12/2006