The SCNA board unanimously agreed at its Nov. 7 meeting to send a letter to the city in opposition to Petrovich Development Co.’s request to the city for a variance to install a 65-foot-tall sign in the Crocker Village shopping center.
Neighborhood resident Marian Moe joined board member John Mathews in presenting a draft letter to the board.
The proposed sign identifying Crocker Village businesses is intended to be visible from the Sutterville Road overpass. SCNA President Eric Johnson accepted amendments and agreed to further edit the letter prior to sending it to the city Planning Department on SCNA letterhead.
SCNA budget
Treasurer Jonathan LaTurner presented the proposed 2018-2019 SCNA budget. Discussion included:
- The cost of publishing Viewpoint;
- The hiring of an accounting firm to manage the finances of SCNA and the Sierra 2 Center;
- The hiring of a new employee for development/event management;
- The relocation of several budget items out of the Neighborhood Concerns budget to more accurately reflect that those expenditures are the responsibility of the board;
- Proposed revenue targets for the Senior Center.
The year-end budget shows a planned deficit of about $18,000. Jonathan explained that this intentional deficit positions SCNA to grow in the future by removing day-to-day financial management from Terri’s responsibilities to a professional accounting firm, and by hiring another employee to focus on generating new revenue from SCNA events, preparing grant applications and seeking other revenue sources. - The board unanimously approved the proposed 2018-19 budget.
President’s report
Now that SCNA has a strategic plan, the committees are charged with meeting prior to the Jan. 9 board meeting to assess their progress toward meeting SCNA’s goals. Eric recently met with City Councilmember Jay Schenirer to talk about updates to the Petrovich Development Co. lawsuit, and the developer’s request for a signage variance. Eric said Jay asked about the Sierra 2 Center lease. Eric asked Andrew Booth, chair of the Facilities Committee, to submit three options for SCNA to consider at the January meeting. Eric asked the Governance Committee to come up with a plan for a performance review of Executive Director Terri Shettle by the Jan. 9 board meeting. Eric encouraged all board members to bring at least one person to the annual meeting, or to encourage one or more new people to join in 2019.
Facilities
Andrew reported that Terri is gathering information that will help SCNA negotiate with SMUD for a return of payments for water and electricity that were improperly billed to SCNA.
Neighborhood Concerns
John Mathews reported that the December Cops N’ Coffee will have to be postponed because he was serving on a long-term jury. He also mentioned that there have been lots of NextDoor posts about the dog park, most of which are incorrect. (Updated correct information was in the November issue of Viewpoint.) John said he had reached out to the city about appropriate signage for the dog park.
Miscellaneous
Lori Harder presented Eric with a gift basket in recognition for his years of service as SCNA president. The board agreed to make a contribution to Wounded Warriors in memory of Terri’s father. Angela agreed to collect contributions from board members.
— Submitted by Andi Liebenbaum