April 11, 2025 Board Meeting Minutes
REI of NEW
Date: April 11, 2025 at The Abbey Bar and Grill
Called to order by President, Peg Ellingson at 10:15 AM
Facilitator: Peg Ellingson
Note-taker: Tavia Sebero
Members in Attendance: Peg Ellingson, Tavia Sebero, Cinnamon, Harley, Jeremy LeMere
We had access issues at the venue again. The front doors were locked at the scheduled start
time, prompting a discussion about possibly relocating future board meetings to a nearby
coffee shop, such as Two Birds, to ensure access.
It was also proposed to change the board meeting time to 9:45 AM to allow more flexibility,
as a different location would require travel time to the Abbey by 11:00am.
After speaking with The Abby, it was confirmed that this week’s issue was due to staff
scheduling and should not occur again. Moving forward, the board will use the side door for
timely entry.
Approval of Minutes
Vendor membership pricing information was added to March minutes.
Motion to approve by Cinnamon Harley, seconded: Jeremy LeMere, motion carried.
Peg brought a preapproved copy of the minutes for anyone at the general meeting to view, if
they so desired. Future minutes will be approved by email so the final approved copy can be
made available at the following months meeting.
501(c)3 Progress
Peg is still working on the final sections of the application. Once complete, REI of NEW will
be able to proceed with setting up the organization’s bank account.
Website & Communications Update
Jeremy LeMere is currently adding a blog and membership applications to the REI of NEW
website.
He is also working on activating the organization’s official phone number.
Maintenance article
Tavia Sebero will revise the maintenance presentation notes using ChatGPT so the articles
are clear and concise, so we can publish them on the website.
The board reviewed and finalized updates to the membership spreadsheet, officially
approving the current list of six members.
Marketing Materials
Jeremy will design a pamphlet and business card to help promote REI of NEW to potential
members and partners.
Forms & Materials
The standard set price for forms is set at $1 per page. No additional supplies are needed at
this time. We discussed some of our personal forms to possibly include in forms sales.
Jeremy will be consolidating them along with a few samples that he has, to be more
inclusive, we will then review as a board, and present to the body of members at a future
meeting to gauge their value to the group.
Community Involvement
The board discussed opportunities to volunteer or host a community event, with a
preference for active participation rather than monetary donations. We want to be more
visible in our community.
Potential ideas include:
- Habitat for Humanity
- Beautify Broadway
- Hosting a garbage pickup event
Planning Future Meetings
September: Property management software
October: – Move-In Topics: Tenant screening, move-in checklist, required pamphlets.
November: Move-Out Topics: Move-out checklist, security deposit guidelines, storage
requirements.
Future Topic: Handling tenant non-compliance
Educational Initiative
The board continues to express interest in starting an educational class for school-aged
youth, focusing on landlord and tenant rights and responsibilities.
Promoting our Business Partners
Discussion was held on how to promote our business partners effectively:
- A banner on the website to feature member businesses will be created.
We will be able to set the banner to highlight one member per month. Possibly the
presenting member or business; but will have a separate page that lists all members with
businesses. - Business members may also advertise on tables at our monthly meetings and are welcome
to solicit members directly.
Next Meeting: May 9, 2025 at The Abbey 10am Board and 11am general meeting
Motion to adjourn was made by Cinnamon, seconded by Tavia, passed by majority vote and
the meeting adjourned at 11:11am
Notes by Tavia Sebero