MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF
The meeting was called to order at 11:05 a.m. on Saturday, August 23, 2008 at the meeting room at Third Place Commons in Lake Forest Park. Present at the meeting were Board members Terri Fenn, and Shari Tracey. Erika Seather, Mina Williams, DeDe Harris and Jeanne Roxby also attended the meeting.
Terri Fenn moved to approve the minutes of the July 26, 2008 meeting. Shari Tracey seconded the motion and the minutes were approved.
Treasurer’s Report: Terri Fenn gave the Treasurer’s Report. The cost for the Celebrate Shoreline booth was $201.78. Our current balance is $71.02. An expenditure of $10 is due for the renewal of our nonprofit state registration. We discussed holding some type of fundraiser so that we can acquire the funds to file for a 501(c) 3 corporation.
The group had a discussion recapping the Celebrate Shoreline event and the reactions and information learned from attending the event.
Citizen Support Postcards: We provided postcards for supporters to fill out and mail to Mayor Ryu and the Shoreline City Council. 58 postcards were filled out and left with us. Terri has taken the postcards to City Hall. We received 15 new e-mail addresses. Our mailing list is now at a total of 202. Overall, the postcards were well received and we are pleased with the amount that were filled out. We will distribute postcards to Petco, veterinarian offices, MudBay and other businesses where likely dog park supporters will be. Postcards will be distributed by Jeanne to the North City Spay/Neuter clinic and other vets, DeDe will give to her customers and other dog walkers, and Erika will leave postcards at pet stores.
Mountlake Terrace Off-Leash Area: We were approached at the festival by Michelle Angrick, a Mountlake Terrace City Council member, who advised us that they have an off leash area going in next to the pool. Their entire process took about 18 months. Michelle advised that having a member of the City Council who was a strong supporter of the off leash dog area helped to quicken the process. It was noted that Shoreline City Councilmember, Janet Way, stopped by our booth two or three times, and had many questions. Apparently she was not aware of the public meeting that was held in June. Erika offered to contact CM Way and go through the presentation and answer any questions.
ShoreDog Outreach: Another public meeting is slated to be held this Fall. When we have the date of the meeting, the Board of ShoreDog will personally e-mail and/or voicemail an invitation to all City Councilmembers.
ShoreDog should strategize and choose the off leash dog park sites that we will most strongly advocate for. We should consider using Survey Monkey to find out the preferred sites of our members, and to solicit comments on the sites. We should include a link to the City’s website so that members can register their opinions with the City. ShoreDog needs to strategize on community outreach. We need to find out what vehicles we have for reaching constituents. Possibly the Edmonds Off Leash Area Halloween Howl, other festivals and/or flyers advising neighbors of the potential site in their neighborhood to rally support. One question to pose for certain areas (i.e., Aldercrest) is “do you want condos or open space that would include a dog park?”
Can we get a list of people that have been issued tickets for illegal off-leash areas?
It has been noted that it is often those who use parks illegally that present the strongest opposition. It would be interesting to have that list so that if those people are opposing the off leash area we could point out that they are illegal off leash area users. There were also questions about whether the Animal Control officer is issuing tickets. The City should be strictly enforcing the laws so that those who are illegally using the parks will support a legal off leash area.
Board of Directors Vacancy: Terri Fenn nominated Erika Seather as President. Shari Tracey seconded the motion. Erika will consider taking this position after the City’s Off Leash Area Study Group disbands.
Shari Tracey moved to adjourn the meeting and Terri Fenn seconded the motion. The meeting was adjourned at 12:10 p.m.
ShoreDOG meetings are scheduled for the last Saturday of each month. A meeting notice is sent out the week prior to the meeting to advise of the time and place of the meeting. The next meeting is scheduled for September 27, 2008.
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Shari Winstead Tracey, Secretary
