MCNO Board Meeting
Tuesday, August 8th, 2006
Bayou Coffeehouse
Attendees: Wendy Laker, Val Dansereau, Michael Homan, Jennifer Weishaupt, Ron Wismer, Bart Everson
Since we did not have a quorum no major decisions were made at this meeting.
We discussed the MCNO bylaws. Since they seem to be missing (many board members’ homes were flooded), we agreed they should simply be re-written. A “bylaws summary” has survived and can be used to guide the reconstruction of the bylaws, and other neighborhood organizations’ bylaws may be consulted. Bart volunteered to draft something for the next board meeting.
We discussed the membership of the MCNO Board. To the best of our knowledge membership in the board is as follows:
Jim Taylor (President)
Rick LoRusso (Vice President)
Wendy Laker (Chair)
Bette Cole (Secretary)
Becker Rutledge (Treasurer)
Treschelle Reis (Membership)
Pattye Brignac
Dottie Taylor
Ailene (last name?)
Erich Weishaupt
Natalie Lafont
Val Dansereau
Virginia Blanque
Ron Wismer
We joked that Michael is considered a member of the board on odd-numbered days only. We revisited the notion that participants in the recovery planning process should be recruited for membership in MCNO (and committee chairs invited to serve on the board).
We discussed our current membership process and the possibility of approaching Doug Joubert and Tammy Hathaway about handling membership.
We reviewed a letter drafted by Jennifer indicating MCNO’s support of the Mid-City Community Development Corporation as they seek Main Street Status for Broad Street.
We noted that we are due for a quarterly general membership in September, and Michael volunteered to explore the option of having such an event at Dibert. (He contacted Dibert’s principal, Keith Bartlett, and Mr. Bartlett was excited about the prospect, and said we could meet there any time in late September.)
Capital One presented new plans for the bank branch at Canal and Carrollton.
Wendy had a call from Jesuit wanting to demolish some houses, but they have not yet provided addresses on the houses.
Discussed that St. Johns Lutheran Church demolished a house on N. Pierce “in the dead of night” without a permit. Jennifer will attempt to follow-up with the city on this.
Discussed urgent need to get a newsletter out in order to catch the wave of neighborhood momentum that the planning process has spurred. Michael volunteered to head this effort.
Michael and Bart presented a campaign to raise money for a Mid-City library and asked MCNO to hold the funds thus raised.
