Grayson LandCare Annual Meeting
November 21, 2011
Present:
Danny Boyer, Loren Webster, Fayma Nye, Dan Zlotnikov, Dennis Lennert, Kathy Cole, Jack & Winifred Rainsford, Rick Cavey, Dave Cooper, Guy Clark, Joyce Rouse, Alvin Cox, Elaine Holeton, Phil D’Adamo-Damery, Colette Nester, Joe Snyder.
Danny called the meeting to order. Introductions were shared and everyone was welcomed and encouraged to share their ideas.
Minutes of October 17th were approved with no changes.
Treasurer’s Report - General Account: Balance on 10/14 was $4,069.22. Withdrawals - $0. Deposits - $450 (primarily memberships). Current balance is $4,519.22.
Committee Reports
Livestock - Finalizing the plans from feasibility study, working on the budget for our USDA-inspected meat-processing facility. Next step is setting up the legal structure, then raising the capital to begin construction. We should be eligible for a low-interest USDA loan for $1.5m and may be able to access $0.5m in grants, leaving about $800,000 to raise in private investment.
A new facility is currently being built in Highland County, smaller than ours and more expensive. Colette reports that Allegheny County has received $2m as a distressed area, and she is involved in planning how to use it effectively to improve the economy and create jobs.
One Economy - Dan explained what One Economy is about--looking ahead to broadband of the future and what it could do for our county. A group is meeting regularly and has identified healthcare, emergency, education, and social services as key constituents, as well as a list of stakeholders whose support we need. This group will look for grants, initially $15-20k for a vertical assets survey as a first step. Rick pointed out that broadband access would also benefit consultants and other white-collar professionals who live in the county and work remotely. Alvin suggested we should meet with the three newly elected county supervisors before they take office on January 1 and get them on board with this.
Forestry - Work continues on use of waste wood products for fuel production.
Energy - Three members attended the Living Green Expo in Roanoke and met more vendors who are interested in coming to our event in 2012. Next year, we will expand our focus to include wellness, as well as saving money and helping the environment. We will begin in March to plan for next September’s Expo. Loren reported that a geothermal vendor and speaker got an $80k contract from participating in our event this year.
Communications/Outreach - The 5th Annual Land Stewardship Contest is beginning, and we need help getting the word to students who live in the county in grades 8-12. Kathy will get the application and information on the website and create flyers to distribute. The deadline will be in March and the contest judging in early April.
New Business
Parkway Partners Workshop. Dennis and Fayma attended a workshop on how areas that adjoin the Parkway can benefit from its traffic. They learned that broadband access is key to economic development, and that there are great possibilities for partnering. Woody Crenshaw was a key speaker, and the Parkway can be another thread running through the Blue Ridge Plateau concept.
Beginning Farmer/Rancher Grant. Jerry applied for a $50,000 grant from Virginia Tech to help beginning farmers get sound training and mentoring. We only received $13,000, and we will use our whole-farm-planning initiative as a training ground. While too small to do what we envisioned, this award can be a stepping-stone to more comprehensive plans down the road. Sustain Floyd was also a recipient of this grant.
Independence Farmers Market. Several members attended the Farmers Market workshop offered by Hollis Wild and Peter Marks of Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Program based in Asheville. Rick Cavey, manager of the market in Independence, said the market now has a Board of Directors and approved bylaws/organizing articles. It is open from April through October on Fridays from 9am - 1 pm. They need more vendors and will offer support to farmers to come and sell their products at the market. They are looking at grants to set up a permanent structure and signage next season. He requests that LandCare serve as an umbrella organization for their market, so they will have some credibility with granting agencies and can use our non-profit status as their organizational structure. This proposal will have to go through our Board of Directors and be reviewed by our attorney to make sure we can do this under our 501c3 status.
The meeting was adjourned.
Next Meeting - 7 pm, December 19th @ 1908 Courthouse in Independence.
Bring holiday finger food/snacks and a friend! |
