Annual membership meeting
The agenda for the annual membership meeting includes President Eric Johnson talking about membership and explaining the ballot to elect board members. The proposed change to the bylaws to revise neighborhood boundaries will also be on the ballot.
Executive Director Terri Shettle will go over the financials and take questions. The San Joaquin rail authority will present its proposal to add a platform at Sacramento City College that would serve a new route connecting our city to the Modesto/Fresno area.
Strategic Plan
Eric wants to hold an hour board meeting at 7 p.m. Dec. 13 to review the strategic plan.
24th St. Theatre
The theater renovation is moving along. New carpet, seats and curtains are expected to be installed in late spring. Fundraising activities for the $150,000 project are underway. Fundraising will begin in December with two holiday movies: Elf and Miracle on 34th Street.
In January we will have a music/variety concert, and in late March or early April there will be another headliner event.
The T-shirts and reusable cloth bags will be for sale at these events. The existing theater seats are available for the public to purchase at $75 per seat. The new seats will include the opportunity for a personal plaque on the chair and in the lobby.
Sac City College art students will create unique pieces for generous donors. Terri is collaborating with local artists to create displays in the lobby. Among them is artist Richard Bay. More information about becoming a sponsor is on the Sierra 2 website.
Soon Sierra 2 will be in charge of the theater box office, which will aid in sales and seating.
Action Items
The proposed bylaw change to the neighborhood’s boundaries was unanimously accepted by the board. Board members are encouraged to research and endorse the request from Citizens’ Climate Lobby for a carbon fee and dividend program. The board as a whole voted to endorse and support climate action in general.
The raffle at the wine tasting netted McClatchy students $2,000 toward their programs. The high school students showed up in full force to help with the event. The Bret Harte students did not provide much volunteer support this year, but the board still recommended allocating $500 to the school.
The meeting on homelessness was well attended. Organizer Stephanie Duncan of the Land Park Neighborhood Association wants to continue the conversation until we find a solution.
Executive Director Report
Terri gave the treasurer’s report, updating the board that the first quarter financials look good. Sierra 2 operations are up 17 percent over last quarter. The expenses are in line with expectations. The finance committee will focus on rewriting our investment policy in 2018.
Sierra 2 staff continues to maintain relationships with tenants and visitors. The Learnery is going well with more instructors contacting Sierra 2 to hold classes in our facility. Multiple surveys have revealed positive feedback and momentum is growing on social media.
Facilities
John Mathews reported that the replacement of the 30-year-old water heater cost $2,000. The city is working on the Castro Way parking lot to make sure it is ADA compliant. SMUD is still mapping out the tangled mess of meters because currently Sierra 2 pays on average $8,000 per month in utilities. New solar panels would mitigate much of this cost.
Development
Lori Harder thanked Terri and staff for the successful wine tasting event. Because of the Napa and Sonoma fires, some of the wineries were not able to participate. Next year’s Home Tour is set for April 28. Lori reported we have two confirmed homes. There will be a volunteer reception from 5–7 p.m. that day, and board members encouraged to attend.
Board members were also encouraged to participate more in our community events and to encourage their neighbors to become more involved in planning committees. When staff needs to fill in, it takes them away from their regular responsibilities. Angela Mia suggested we post volunteer opportunities in the Viewpoint.
There will be no crab feed this year.
Neighborhood Concerns
Slurry sealing on 24th Street and 5th Avenue will begin before the promised traffic calming measures of speed lumps, crosswalks and traffic circle. Frustration was expressed by board members who were told by the city that mitigation would be installed after the water meter project last spring. John will contact the supervisor for updates.
Personnel
No meeting.
Senior Center
Angela Mia reported that the holiday craft fair will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 9 in Curtis Hall, and there are great artists lined up to sell their creations. The annual appeal letter will go out in December.
— Submitted by Kate Van Buren, board secretary