Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
November 12, 2009
Attending:
- Terry Dalton
- Bernie Hart
- Marilyn MacDonald
- Michael Marshall
- Kent Murray
- Mary Rigby
- Johnathan Thibodeau
- Joe Thomas
- Alan Turner
- Jeff Warnica
- Andrew D. Wright
Regrets:
Minutes of last meeting
The meeting was called to order by Bernie at 6:35 pm.
The minutes of the 8 October Board Meeting were
approved as circulated. Moved by Alan, seconded by Mike.
Board membership
Johnathan is no longer an employee, but remains deeply
involved with CCN as Chair of the Technical Committee.
MOTION: Moved that Johnathan be accepted as a member
of the Board and take on this role immediately. Moved
by Michael, seconded by Bernie. Unanimous.
Committee Reports
Financial Report
Alan Turner, Treasurer, presented the financial statement
for the month of October 2009.
The revenue of $5545 for the month was significantly lower
than the previous month. October saw only one renewal for
Domain hosting whereas four or five were expected.
Total income for the year thus far is $73137.
Expenses for October were $8096, which appears
significantly higher than that of the previous month. The high
cost was in part due to the $3497 payment to Eastlink
which covered two months. CCN now has no outstanding
Eastlink charges. The expenditures for 2009 stand at
$79915.
The bank balance is $13316.
Acceptance of the report moved by Alan, Seconded by
Marilyn. Passed.
Technical Report
Johnathan noted there were no major technical problems
and work done during the past month was largely routine
maintenance.
A server recently donated by the Math Department was
installed and is now scanning incoming mail. The
former system was swamped during an excessive surge in
spam. Traffic has slowed down, but the newly installed system
is working smoothly and is capable of handling large volumes.
Shutdowns associated with large volumes of spam should
not be a problem in the near future.
Presentation to HRM Council
Bernie thanked Marilyn for writing and presenting "the Chebucto
story" to the HRM Council during their 20 October meeting, and
asked her to comment on the five minutes CCN had before the
councillors. Marilyn said she felt the councillors were not particularly
attentive during her presentation. However, a few members,
including Dawn Sloane, who asked a question at the end of the
presentation, may be receptive to discussions with CCN and
should be contacted individually.
Town Hall Programme and Follow up
Bernie began the discussion focused on the Town Hall programme
held at the Dalhousie Student Union on October 26 by thanking Mike,
Terry, Jeff and Andrew for the work they did to make it happen.
Mike noted in hindsight he would have not have brought in a major
speaker focused on Copyright but have held to the topic of the Digital
Divide.
Costas Halavrezos, who was the Moderator for the evening,
used clips on Radio Noon and shared a phone in session with Andrew
and David Fraser the following week. The CBC material will be available
on podcast for a year, but Andrew noted it would have been useful
to have recorded the session. He felt some good connections had
been made and it may be possible to be part of a series of sessions
on the subject(s) early next year.
Terry noted he received positive
feedback from members of both the ACORN and CANARY networks.
Bernie hoped results of the evening may serve to bring about
a new relationship with C@P and it might come up during meetings
in Ottawa next week.
Press coverage
The Town Hall was well advertised. CCN did not feature in any
written material, but it did well in the CBC coverage. The article the
Herald promised it would print on CCN came out in this week's
community issues. It was the cover story in the issue for downtown
and Halifax West and an internal story in issues covering the rest
of metro.
Wireless equipment location
After a discussion on the value of retaining wireless equipment on
Fenwick Tower versus moving it to a University owned building
it was decided to remove CNN equipment from Fenwick within
the next few days.
MOTION: To not accept a contract with Templeton
but to remove all CCN equipment from Fenwick tower by Sunday.
Moved by Johnathan, seconded by Michael. Unanimous.
Discussion with Dalhousie will be started as soon as possible,
hopefully wireless equipment can be installed on Gerard Hall
within two months.
Joe Howe Manor
A letter will be written on CCN letterhead and hand delivered
to residents of Joe Howe who expressed interest in CCN
wireless service. The letter will note the relocation of CCN's
equipment and inform people that we look forward to contacting
them when the equipment is in place and the service has
been tested.
Irving Grant Fund
Joe noted possible a source of funds: Irving Foundation
grants development funds to community associations
and groups. He thinks CCN might qualify.
Other business
Andrew suggested a digital camera could assist CCN in
recording events such as the Town Hall and might be helpful
in documenting and perhaps disseminating training sessions.
MOTION: To investigate digital cameras appropriate to CCN's
need and recommend one for purchase that is no more than
$350. Moved by Johnathan, seconded by Michael. Passed.
Next meeting
The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for Thursday,
10 December, 6:30 pm.
Meeting was adjourned at 7:55 pm.
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