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| News at a Glance |
| by Nancy Ellegate |
The
HWFC Board of Directors met on Tuesday, June 8; Wednesday, June 30; and
Tuesday, July 6.
|
June 8th Meeting
|
| Funding |
The Board has been in
conversation with potential funders for the new store. Directors
discussed what steps would need to be taken to secure funding, such as
readying design plans. It was also noted that the Co-op will need the
services of an attorney who specialized in construction law.
|
| Building Process |
As construction approaches,
it was suggested that the entire Board should remain involved in the
process. One person should handle coordinating communication. It was
also noted that different board members will have different levels of
responsibility and will need greater or less information and input. The
Board will be emailing the Collective Management Team to indicate the
importance of the CMT's involvement as well.
|
Owner's Representative
|
The Co-op is planning to
have an Owner's Representative (OR) during the construction process for
the new store. There is a person serving as OR during the current
planning and design stage, which is coming to a close. Several
individuals have expressed interest in this position during the
construction process.
|
Standing Rules
|
Board members started work
on the Standing Rules, the operating rules of the board. Specification
of meeting times and locations, the calling of special meetings and the
creation of an annual calendar were covered.
|
Board Retreat
|
The upcoming retreat will
be devoted to developing Board policy.
|
Nutrition Education
|
The procedure for reviewing
changes to the Food and Product Manual was clarified. Drafts go to the
Collective Management Team, then the Board, and then to the membership
for a vote on final approval.
|
June
30th Meeting
|
| Taping Meetings |
The Board has begun to tape
board meetings and to store these recordings. (This is in addition to
written minutes.) Some other meetings at the Coop are being taped as
well.
Various directors indicated that they were uncomfortable with this
practice and noted problems of confidentiality, storage and inhibition
of open discussion in some areas. It was also noted that the joint
Board/Collective Management Team meeting was taped recently without
notice or consultation with the staff.
The Board agreed to continue to consider this issue.
|
New Store Plans
|
It was noted that the
Collective Management Team will have the ultimate responsibility for
design decisions since they will be the people running the new store.
The Board wishes to be kept informed on their decisions. How reports on
decisions and responses to any questions will be handled was discussed.
The Board asked that the Collective Management Team designate who will
be their contact for any concerns or decisions during the actual
building process.
There needs to be a communication path among the Board members,
Collective Management Team and staff, Owner's Representative and
contractors working on the new store. Two point persons to gather and
disseminate information and make contacts have been proposed, but there
is no formal agreement on this plan as of yet.
Meetings to discuss funding and design issues with the membership were
planned.
The August membership meeting was to be used for this purpose. If
desired, a second meeting mainly on financial information may be
planned for a later date.
|
| Fundraising |
It was agreed to have the
fundraising tent up through July, but to concentrate staffing on the
busiest times at the store such as evenings, weekends and Tuesdays.
A summary of the work of the Staff Structure group was circulated prior
to the meeting. This is the group that is looking at staff management
of the new, larger store.
It was noted that the difference in scale will require a different
level of management. It will be important to address these concerns in
the coming year and that the Board should be clear about what is
expected.
|
Posting of Meetings
|
The Communications
committee requested that all committees apprise them of times, dates
and locations for regularly scheduled meetings. These will be posted in
the store and on the website. Minutes or committee reports can also be
posted.
|
July
6th Meeting
|
New
Store
|
It
was noted that some departments have already been discussing their
proposed new department spaces. Proposed agreements with several
contractors were reviewed.
|
Strategic
Staff Working Group
|
Work
done by this group should be discussed at the next Board/staff meeting
or the next strategic planning meeting.
|
Taping
Meetings
|
The
Board continued the discussion begun at the last meeting of whether
meetings should be recorded. People had strong opinions both pro and
con. A Board member asked that there be a more formal presentation on
precedents and professional reasons regarding recording meetings.
Another member pointed out that an ad hoc committee on records
management has already come up with standards for a searchable, secure
medium for records of meetings.
|
| Coupons |
It was noted that Co-op
coupons in local print media had been discontinued, but are going to be
issued again. The policy of allowing only one coupon per purchase at
the register was noted. This is the standard practice of the National
Cooperative Grocers Association.
|
Upcoming Membership Meeting
|
Preparations for the August
membership meeting were discussed.
|
| Executive Session |
| The Board met in executive
session at the end of the meeting. |
| Minutes |
| Minutes of all meetings are
available at the Co-op. Minutes of the most recent meeting are posted
on the bulletin board. They are also available on the Co-op's website,
as password protected files. See instructions on the Board Meetings page. |
| Upcoming Meetings |
Currently, Board meetings
are held on the first Tuesday of each month at 5:45 pm in the Co-op's
Community Room. These arrangements change on occasion, so anyone
planning to attend a meeting should confirm date, time, and location.
|
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