From the Board | December 2016
November Board Meeting Recap
November’s board meeting welcomed new board member Robert Donovan, and incumbents Mary Ella Anderson and employee director Ed Smith to their seats on the board of directors. Mary Ella and Ed were both appointed to fill vacant board seats last year and Robert is new to the board of directors. We welcome them all to their new terms! New board membership called for reestablishing officers on the board. These officers were proposed and unanimously approved by the board at the November meeting. As a result, the new officers are as follows: Leah Stamper—President, Cheri Strong—Vice President, Colin Fiske—Secretary, and Mary Ella Anderson—Treasurer.
The meeting opened with the usual member comment period. Discussion turned to the Annual Member Meeting (AMM) and a member mentioned that they believed that attendance was very low. Staff members gave some feedback that they felt that attendance was good, with the usual returning membership in attendance. Overall feedback that was left at the AMM was very good. All of this discussion will be considered in planning the 2017 AMM, and we will be setting the date soon because—believe it or not—October 2017 is already filling up fast!
The Member Action Committee (MAC) continues to discuss the issue of senior discounts. Some members have expressed the concern that the Co-op does not offer a senior discount that is comparable to other local stores. Both the board and the MAC are discussing possible ways to support senior members of the Co-op.
The Earth Action Committee (EAC) reports that the bus stop that we had hoped to have at the back of the Arcata store is not feasible at this time because the bus route that travels behind the store on Saturdays is not technically a route, but rather just a safety detour to bypass the plaza during Farmers Market. The EAC will explore other public transportation options when possible. Discussions also continue around the Zero Waste Policy that has been proposed. The board moved to request Co-op staff research the possibility of a food delivery service for members, as proposed by the EAC.
At the Policy & Procedure Committee (PPC) last month, the discussion centered around two primary topics, the single member policy and the purchasing policy. Both of these topics are in the early stages of discussion. More information will be brought to the membership as it develops, but input at the committee level would also be greatly appreciated. See the website or the Reference Guide on page 7 for more information about meeting times.
As always, there are many other things happening at the Co-op and General Manager Melanie Bettenhausen gave us updates in her GM report. If you are interested further details of this meeting, please request a copy of the minutes for your review, or view them on our website at www.northcoast.coop. If you would like to attend the board meeting in person, we welcome you! We are striving to make board meetings as interactive as possible while still completing the agenda in a reasonable amount of time. If you want to be involved in the discussion of issues and proposals to the board, please consider joining us at the committee meetings, this is where the majority of discussion and input happens. We hope to see you soon!
The board of directors is very excited looking into the next year. The board and committees are working on many different projects and ideas moving towards implementing our Strategic Plan. As we move forward we appreciate the tremendous amount of effort that staff is making at this very busy time of year. Filling staff vacancies and managing unforeseen challenges such as the hot water heater breaking in the days just before Thanksgiving are challenges that would overwhelm most of us. As a board, we are continuously amazed at the tenacity and dedication of the Co-op staff and we strive to support a healthy environment for the Co-op employees.
It’s hard to believe that we are coming to the end of 2016, but here we are! While we know change can be slow, we hope that you will come participate and help us shape the coming year at the Co-op. When you see board members in the store or in the community please come say hello. We are here to serve you and contribute toward a co-op that serves us all.
December Meetings
Board of Directors Meeting
Dec 1 • 6-8pm Ten Pin Building,
793 K Street, Arcata
Member Action Committee
Dec 14 • 6-7pm Ten Pin Building,
793 K Street, Arcata
