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MINUTES AS220 Board of Directors Meeting 1998/01/13
Members absent: Staff present: (1) Call to OrderLucie Searle called the meeting to order.(2) Secretary's BusinessAfter David Newton remarked "A good read,"On a motion by Manny Vales, seconded by Norma Anderson, the board unanimously VOTED to approve the minutes of the meeting of 1997/12/09. (3) Financial CommitteeIn the absence of Sean, Shawn covered the budget-to-actuals for November and December. Income was below budget and expenses over budget for November, but income above budget and expenses below budget for December. Income from gate receipts and the gallery are up, and a rise in the line item for corporate/foundation fundraising actually represents a pass-through grant for Howard Ben Tre.There was yet more discussion of accounting for the Cafe, and the relationship of AS220/AS220 Ventures finances. There was also discussion of anticipated comments from the auditor. Manny requested that the auditor's report be discussed with the board before any response is made or actions taken. He stated that is should be a primary goal to get the Cafe's accounting situation straightened out for good this year. The board by consensus appointed Sean Daly, Shawn Wallace, John Kelly, and Manny Vales a committee to meet with the auditor, study the matter, and make recommendations to the board at the February meeting. On a motion by Laura Travis, seconded by Eric Suggs, the board unanimously VOTED to accept the financial report, with comments and stipulations made by the board during the discussion. (4) Director's and Staff Report(A) Membership DriveSheri reported the membership drive to date has grossed $5,789, about $2,000 ahead of last year. Response has been strong. (B) Fools Ball Work is proceeding for a week-long event culminating in a banquet at the Big Nazo studio and after-dinner bash at AS220. Pat Moran, Karen Adams, and Diana Johnson are serving a co-chairs. Steve Durkee suggested that the city council people and state reps and senators for our district be invited to serve on the planning committee, as honorary members at the least. (C) Staff Needs Assessment Bert initiated a discussion about the urgency of the staff needs issue. Some board members stated that they didn't entirely understand the duties of present staff and asked to see an organizational chart. In lieu of that, Bert asked Shawn and Sheri to describe their duties. Shawn is currently responsible for bookkeeping and business management, building management, information and electronic data systems management, and programming. Sheri is responsible for development and publicity. Bert reported that he anticipates that AS220 will be invited to submit grants for $500,000 from the Lila Wallace Foundation and $200,000 from the Rhode Island Foundation. Work of this magnitude will require full-time attention of development staff. Bert asked the board to authorize implementation of the previously discussed scheme to consolidate programming and publicity into one position and hire a person to fill that position. The business genii in the group quickly calculated that that would cost us around $1,200 a month. Manny favored proceeding with the plan to give the staff this additional support. Steve Durkee and Robert O. spoke against creating a new position without knowing from where the funds would be coming. The discussion quickly shifted to the topic of revenue generation. It was noted that the committee appointed in October to study leases and rents and report to the board on that topic at the January meeting had not met. The committee was reconstituted with Kelly, Vales, Durkee, and Bert Crenca as members, and immediately set a date for a meeting. Again the Cafe came up, specifically the issue of staff tabs vs rent, suggesting that perhaps a change in policies and accounting practices could make this show more revenue. Bert reported that VISTA could supply funding for three positions to be administered through AS220: a person to work on WaterFire with Barnaby Evans, for Karen Feldman for YIA, and for a position for Perishable Theatre. After an agency has five positions, it is eligible for a supervisor subsidy. The Lila Wallace Foundation Grant (if it comes through) would be devoted largely to audience development, which would raise income from programming (which traditionally has run under budget). Lucie requested, for the February meeting, that the staff prepare an organizational chart to be mailed with the meeting announcement, and that the rents committee be prepared to report recommendations for new rents and leases, and how soon these could be instituted. Bert indicated that further discussion of the proposal could be tabled until then. Steve Durkee commented that the staffing "plan" has always been reactive at AS220, evolving in response to happenstance or crisis, when we should be structuring personnel and making administrative decisions based on what we need or want to accomplish. John Kelly remarked that we needed to be looking at larger issues, such as raising staff salaries above minimum wage. Bert spoke again about the need to provide staff with a sense of professionalism and professional advancement. Which led back to the long-discussed but never-implemented plans for a board/staff retreat to discuss long-range goals and planning for AS220. Given the upcoming Fools Ball, it seems unwise to undertake such a task before April, but board members agreed to ponder the issue and be ready for scheduling such a meeting in the spring. (D) Capital Campaign Bert reported that Buff Chace was being named developer for the Lederer-Packard Building. This eliminates a key component of our plans for our campaign, but Bert said that discussions with city officials and others have obtained recognition for our requirements. Bert has discussed the pressing need for critical physical plant improvements to the Empire-Arnold-Potter Block (new electrical service, among others) with planning officials, and has indicated to them that we may need a CDBG to fund these. On a motion by John Kelly, seconded by Manny Vales, the board unanimously VOTED to appoint the artistic director together with other staff and board members, as appropriate considering personal expertise, a committee to determine if it is feasible and prudent to apply to the City of Providence for a grant to rectify immediate physical plant needs, and to authorize said committee to prepare and submit an application for such a grant. (5) AdjournmentOn a motion by Steve Durkee, seconded by Norma Anderson, the board unanimouslyVOTED to adjourn the meeting.
AS220 Board of Directors Meeting - 1998/01/13 page 4
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