December 29, 2007
3:10 PM - Meeting Starts
Present are: Troy, Rebecca, Lovelace, Joshua, Lee, Danielle.
Agenda:
* Chairperson, recorder, etc. rules
* General process - including missed meeting and late policies
* How do non-board members get something on the agenda?
* Should the board meetings be open to all attendees?
* Fiscal Year
* Mission Statement
* Use of Remaining Funds
* Official regional status
* Teams and organizational structure
* Team lead selection process
* Possible dates for 2008 event
* Next meeting time
On the subject of a chairperson, the board agreed to forgo the election of a chairperson and instead alternate facilitator and recorder at each meeting.
On the subject of how do non-board members get items on the board's agenda. It was agreed that the board members would monitor the alchemytalk list as well as provide an alias of board@alchemyfestival.org which would forward to the board email list. We also agreed to list all board members' phone numbers to provide an additional avenue for the community to discuss agenda items.
On the subject of open meetings, the board agreed to make all meetings generally open, though visitors are asked not to speak unless recognized by the board. In addition, there may be a reason to close certain portions of the meeting if confidential details are to be discussed. In that case, potential visitors will be notified ahead of time if possible.
It was agreed that the board would post minutes of each meeting on the alchemytalk list and on the website. The minutes would be approved by all board members before posting.
The board agreed that 4 out of 5 voting members would constitute a quorum for decision-making.
Regarding the attendance policy, it was agreed that 2 absences in a year would result in the board member being asked to step down. That board member would be replaced with the next runner-up member based on votes at the prior Town Hall meeting. The runner-ups for this year are, in order of votes: Mike Alberghini, Issa Waters, and Ryan Mathern. If no runner-up board members accept, then a new town hall would be convened to elect a new board member. More than 30 minutes of tardiness would be considered an absence.
The board agreed that electronic attendance would be allowed and that a conference bridge would be opened for each meeting.
The subject of a mission statement was discussed and various possibilities were brainstormed. The subject was tabled until the next meeting with additional discussion expected on the list.
The board agreed to set its fiscal year to end on April 30th.
On the subject of event date, the board agreed to a fall event as the primary Alchemy event. For 2008, the board would prefer the following dates: October 3-5, September 26-28, and October 17-19. We agreed to run these preferred dates by the Cherokee Farms landowners, BMORG, Touch Samadhi, Atlanta Psytrance, and the other event organizers in the region to ensure it does not conflict with other plans.
The board discussed various ways to treat the remaining funds from the 2007 event. We tabled discussions until later.
On the subject of obtaining official regional burn status from Burning Man, LLC, we agreed:
* Want assurance from BMORG that, as of now, these are the criteria for Regional Status, and as long as we follow them, we'll be a regional event this year. No surprise additional requirements.
* Want assurance that their accessibility and communication be far improved. No two weeks to get an answer to a question.
* We will write a letter to BMORG summarizing our plans and requests of them, inviting them to call us a Regional
We agreed on a set of teams for the 2008 event. These include:
Teams:
1. Art
2. Center Camp
3. Effigy
4. Event Lead
5. Fire Conclave
6. Fire Safety
7. Greeters and Gate
8. Lamp Lighting
9. Leave No Trace
10. Media
11. Medical
12. Mobile Art, Parking, and Traffic Flow
13. Music
14. Rangers
15. Site Services
16. Theme Camp and Site Layout
17. Volunteering
The board agreed to put out a public call for applications for team leads for 2008. These applications would be sent via email and should include a proposal for what the applicant would do with the team. We'll also ask the applicant to phone one of the board members to discuss the application. This gives opportunity for both written and verbal communication. First round of applications will be evaluated by January 15. Troy will send out the call via all know communication methods.
The board agreed to solicit a design and build proposal for the effigy from Keith Prossick. We would ask him to complete that proposal by February 1, 2008. We also agreed that it might be the case that the designer and team lead for the effigy could be different individuals depending upon skills and interest of the participants. Lee agreed to contact Keith to request the proposal.
The board agreed that we would like to also have a Temple at the 2008 event and that we would solicit proposals from the community for the design and build. Depending on cost and budget, we would fund the Temple if possible. Rebecca volunteered to send the Temple request out to the community with a deadline for submission of March 1, 2008.
The board agreed to schedule regular monthly meetings on the 2nd Saturday of each month and alternate locations to each board member's choice. The next meeting will be on January 12, 2008 at 3:00pm at Joshua's house. Lee will facilitate and Danielle will record the minutes.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:00 PM.