Nov 17, 2016 Meeting Minutes:
As per Colleen Petzold (LSB Budget Meeting) – Several people have requested that I post my notes from last night’s meeting so with a few minor adjustments here they are. If you need further clarification, please let me know. Regards, Colleen Petzold
After getting over the initial shock of being elected and then becoming president of GARI, I have become very excited about the upcoming year. We have a very dedicated board, some seasoned with one whole year of experience to brag about, and some not so much, but we are all driven by one goal, to make our community a happy place for our kids to grow up in. With that in mind, we are planning to build on the events that have taken place in previous years and make them bigger and better.
This year to date we have completed a number of tasks:
The rink boards were rotting and needed to be repaired or replaced. Luckily they were able to be repaired, at a cost of $11, 350, which was far better than replacement cost.
A wall was added to the west side of the rink building and although the cost of the wall was donated, the HST had to be covered by GARI at a cost of $4681.95
The kids Halloween party was a huge success, thanks in large part to Melanie, Kim, Carmelle, Daniella, Brad and Pam. We had well over 100 kids participating in the haunted house, Mad Brad and the community trick or trunk. I want to send out a huge “Well done” to everyone. The focus now will shift to kid’s hockey, snow fest and beyond.
Recently, a lockable storage unit for flammable liquids was purchased to store gas containers. Previously these gas containers had been stored in the building, which was illegal and dangerous. We are currently in the process of fastening the storage unit to the cement pad located behind the hall and should be completed shortly. The cost of the storage unit was $1078
Greenwood Locksmiths was contracted to replace the locks on the centre’s doors, to install a 6” wide wired safety window in the current entrance door, . The cost of this is $926 and is being done early next week.
This needed to be done because first there were an estimated 15 keys unaccounted for, and secondly, the remaining keys could not be duplicated.
The window being added to the entrance door was necessary to ensure that a small person who was on the outside of the building would not be injured in the event that the door was opened quickly without the child being seen.
In the next year there will be some major challenges. We struggled to keep the budget at the same level as the previous year because we understand the financial challenges we are all facing.
As with any house, our house must be kept in good order. With that in mind, we intend to address several issues that have become too great to ignore. Our priorities for the upcoming year are as follows:
1-The roof is leaking and needs to be repaired. There are a couple of opinions on how to address this and with the budget in mind, we are of course trying to minimize the impact to our bottom line. At he very least , we would need to retorque all of the screws which have loosened from the wind. It would be great to complete this before winter sets in so the problem doesn’t get worse. If you know a roofer who is insured and can prove he or she is covered under wish please have him or her contact me.
2-There are several electrical issues throughout the building ranging from needed ground fault plugs to replacing lights and wiring for 4 lights on inside west side of building and changing receptacles. We have so far gotten only one quote, mainly because the other two that were contacted wanted to be paid to come out just to look at our problems before giving us a quote to fix them. Top Line submitted a quote. Phase Four is schedule to come out to view the issues tomorrow, and hopefully we will be able to get one more quote for comparison sake, before we proceed. If you know a licensed electrician who is insured and can prove he or she is covered under wish please have him or her contact me.
3-The building is not handicap accessible. There is currently a make shift ramp but even with that, once a person is in the building, it would be very difficult for that person to be able to use the washroom facilities. As of yet, we have not gotten a quote for any renovations, but as with any bathroom reno, we would estimate at least $25,000. We will be meeting with a person from the Ontario Disability Office shortly to go over what needs to be done and how they may be able to assist. We will keep you posted on that.
4-The children’s playground is in need of attention. Some pieces have been deemed unsafe, presenting hazards of choking or injury from cracked equipment. The landing areas under the swings, slides, and monkey bars currently has compacted sand, which has to be dug up and replaced with pea gravel to a depth of 12 inches around the complete landing area of each piece of equipment. Other pieces of equipment such as the rotating platform are broken and need to be removed. The good news is that the ADSB is willing to help with some of the expense, but I don’t think an estimate for our cost of $20,000 would be unrealistic.
We are hoping to generate some income from the sale of signage space on the rink boards, to supplement our budget and the invitation to participate will go out shortly. The cost of space on the boards will be $300 for the year, with the idea that the participant will not be approached for any further donation for the duration of the year. We are always grateful for community support and certainly don’t wish to burden them unrealistically. They have always been so generous.
As well, we are currently trying for government grants to help with some of the repair costs and are hopeful, being as the next year will be Canada’s 150th birthday and there is money out there. We just have to find it.
We have submitted a request to the Algoma area high schools to announce to their students that they could volunteer at the park for any community event to fulfill their obligation of 40 hours of community service. That was completed last week and I am hopeful that we will be able to get some Goulais River teenagers to help around the hall in the near future.
So ….all of these chores are “must do” but if we are successful in accomplishing these tasks, future projects at the community centre could be far more enjoyable to plan for.
Lastly, I would like to bring to your attention the tree mural on our west wall. This was painted to represent the community family tree. There are many families, past and present who have built this community and this is a way to remember them. With a donation of $300, a small plaque will be engraved with the name or names of the loved ones you would like to be remembered.
If a business wants to make it known they are here, or were here in the past, or you just want to see your own name in lights……..this is your opportunity to make a difference.
My final thought to leave you with….the board members would like to extend an invitation to join us in making our community a great place for the kids in the area. The need is great, your participation would be appreciated, and you may discover a passion you didn’t know you had. Please get involved. Thank you.
Oct 5, 2016 Meeting Minutes:
As per Colleen Petzold – I haven’t posted in a while so I just thought I would pass along some information. First of all, not sure how this happened but Kim Case has resigned from the board and I was elected president. Yikes! I am very green and will ask copious amounts of questions. Please be patient. Carmelle Gravel was elected to fill the empty seat on the board as the community had named her as a choice during the previous elections in September. Welcome Carmelle. Thank you Kim for all of your hard work and countless hours volunteering for the community. You left some big boots to fill, and will be missed by the board.
The board has been busy with a number of items on our to do list. While I was goofing off in Italy, Brenda, James, Tom and Melanie met with a member of the school board to talk about issues surrounding the sale of the rec centre building to the community. As some of you may know it is currently owned by the school board and hopefully will be transferred to the Goulais community at a very nominal fee sometime in the early spring. We are currently in discussions regarding any repairs to the building that the board might be able to help with, either financially,(not likely as everyone is strapped for cash) or by lending us their worker’s talents such as electricians or roofers that are working for the school board. We will keep you posted.
The kids’ Halloween party plans are coming along nicely and the night should be a fun one. (my costume is ready. Just look for the witch with the pink eyelashes). You should be receiving the informational flyer about the party, as well as the flyer about the annual board meeting in the mail shortly. Please see Melanie’s earlier post for the party times and date. Mad Brad is almost at the end of his crazy rope and everyone on the board is busy cleaning and decorating to prepare for the party. Hope to see a great turn out. If you were planning to give out candy, you may want to participate in the trunk or trick event. Just decorate the trunk of you car, park in the Tilley parking lot and dish out the goodies to all the little ones. Please let Melanie know if you are planning to participate.
I have received a number of calls requesting that the minutes to the board meetings be published on this site. The minutes from all previous meetings will be placed in a binder at the meeting room and will be available to anyone upon request. The other minutes from the meetings, starting from the October meeting and any future meetings will be posted shortly after Tom (our board secretary) is able to write them up and have them approved by the board members. Please allow some time for us to get this going.
I am sorry to pass along some sad information that happened Saturday evening around 12:30AM. The ball field was damaged by 2 people riding in a vehicle, doing donuts in the rain. This has happened in the past and is always a sad event. Brad Clayton, our park caretaker and maintenance person, works long hours to keep the park in good shape. Many more hours are not for money, but for the sheer love of the kids in the community. Along with him, board members and volunteers spend countless hours selflessly trying to make our community a better place. Please, think of your neighbours, your families and your friends before you do something you may regret. Most importantly, think of what it may do to your plans for your future should you be charged with such a senseless act of vandalism. Vandalism is a crime that is not just costly to your pocket. A police record could stop you from getting into that school you applied to, stop you from joining your friends for a night partying across the border, stop you from getting the job you want. If you are bored, we would certainly welcome any volunteer help around the centre. Your time is valuable and should not be wasted. Please call me to volunteer.
For everyone’s information please note: the park has several surveilance cameras for the protection of community property, and we will prosecute.
Lastly, I would like to remind everyone of the upcoming board meeting, scheduled as usual, on the first Wednesday of the month. November 2nd. Please come out and get involved. Your input is valuable and welcomed.
