by Kirby Lindsay, posted 1 February 2012
On January 25th, Marko Tubic opened the Fremont Chamber of Commerce Board Meeting with the election of officers. The Board voted in the slate as presented (after a plea, and pause, for nominations from the floor – anyone? Anyone?) Then the newly elected Board President, Ken Saunderson, took over leadership of the meeting and, as his first order of business, he acknowledged with gratitude the work of Tubic, who just ended an unprecedented nine terms as Chamber President.
From there, the Chamber Board went on to discuss several other serious matters – all handled with the same twinge of irreverence and focus on community that the Chamber has demonstrated towards every matter it addresses.
Election & Goals for 2012
In addition to Saunderson, the Board elected:
- Vice-President Communications – Phil Megenhardt
- Vice-President Organization (Membership) – Marko Tubic
- Vice-President Operations (Programs) – Kathy Moeller
- Treasurer – Riq Molina
- Secretary – Suzie Burke
The Board also reviewed a draft of the 2012 list of goals, as established at the Board retreat in December. These included:
- Finding a bookkeeper/assistant for the Executive Director
- Establish an Advisory Board of Nobles – a smaller subgroup of the Board
- Hold a party for the Ride the Ducks Captains
- More involvement in the B.F. Day Village project
- Make the Fremont Fair more profitable
- Follow-up on membership – particularly potential and lapsed members
- Advertising campaigns for retailers
- Educate the public about the benefits of a Chamber of Commerce
- Host a large-scale speaker event
- Introduce Fremont’s five or 10 largest employers to the Board, and vice versa
New Board Member Kara Ceriello brought up the need for area businesses to sweep/pick up litter in front of their buildings. Megenhardt observed that many businesses failed to shovel their walks during the recent snow storm. Ceriello asked that the Board find a way to promote cleaner sidewalks, and the Board voted to accept the list of goals as presented with this as number eleven.
Oktoberfest & the Washington Liquor Control Board
In late December 2011, a few members of the Chamber Board heard – first through rumor – that the Washington Liquor Control Board (LCB) had found an irregularity in the Oktoberfest operations – a contractual matter, not criminal. Megenhardt, whose company Bold Hat Productions organizes the festival on behalf of the Fremont Chamber, and two other Board Members went to Olympia to accept the violation notice.
This violation had nothing to do with the service of alcohol. It concerns advertising: specifically, the fact that the Oktoberfest website described lounge areas inside the beer garden by the names of particular alcohol manufacturers who sponsored them. Rules governing alcohol, in Washington, some going back to prohibition era, can be quite arcane. Unofficially, LCB representatives encouraged Chamber Board Members to go through the informal hearing process which may address the record of the violation, and lower the fine. (It is $1000, plus surrender of sponsorships collected amounting to $46,500.)
The Chamber Board, and Bold Hat, agree that this problem must be addressed, and not allowed to happen again. They discovered that LCB will review advertising/sponsorship contracts for future events (Bold Hat also organizes the Fremont Fair for the Chamber) and look for any other violations or discrepancies before they happen. Also, the Board voted for consultation with a lawyer, for up to $2,000, to help with the informal hearing in early February.
The Board also asked about the fines levied by LCB on the seven alcohol manufacturers (six breweries and a winery) that gave the sponsorships. Megenhardt has spoken with them and will continue to follow up. Fortunately, Bold Hat has a long, positive track record at the LCB, and the company has organized several events that involve alcohol including Kirkland Uncorked and Hop Scotch. “I feel like I’m 16 and have my first traffic ticket,” Megenhardt explained as he proceeds through this process, collecting advice and information along the way, and vowing never to do anything like this again.
The Board also discussed creating a compliance plan, and reviewing Chamber insurance. “Make sure the Board understands there is risk involved when alcohol is served,” Megenhardt observed, and the need to take risk seriously.
Community Grants Granted
While Chamber Executive Director Jessica Vets had to miss the meeting to recover from the flu, Saunderson had to distribute the list of recommended recipients for the Chamber Community Grants program, funded by Oktoberfest proceeds. List details were a little confused, without Vets on-hand to explain, but the Board voted to grant funds to these programs:
- Fremont Outdoor Movies
- Literacy Source
- Fremont Arts Council – creating a donation box for the Fremont Troll
- History House Music In The Sculpture Garden concert series
- Moisture Festival
- B.F. Day School Village Program
Two other programs – the Seattle Police Foundation Picnic At The Precincts, and the Fremont First Friday Art Walk – did not appear on the list of recommendations, and the Board agreed that some funds should be given to them as well, after a review of the Chamber budget.
Outreach Among The Community
Following the example of the Fremont Neighborhood Council, the Chamber Board voted to send a letter to the City of Seattle Department of Planning & Development encouraging early approval of a demolition permit for the previous Thunderbird Motel building. Catholic Community Services has applied for permits to build housing on the site, and immediate removal of the extremely damaged and blighted structure would lessen neighborhood concern about fire and/or crime hazards.
Ceriello then mentioned her husband (and business partner) Jon DeLeeuw serves on the Wallingford Community Council, and he offered to share information between the two groups. The Board welcomed the offer of a liaison.
Finally, the Board heard about strong concerns voiced at the most recent meeting of the North Seattle Industrial Association (which Saunderson described as the ‘Chamber Industrial Committee,’) about the City Energy Benchmarking program. The NSIA may demand the City extend the compliance deadline (from April 1st) to September, or December 31st. For its February meeting, the NSIA has scheduled Rob McKenna, to speak as State Attorney General.
To learn more about the Fremont Chamber, and either help achieve its goals for 2012, or add to them, attend the next meeting on February 29th. Meetings remain open to the public, and take place on the last Wednesday of the month, at 8a, at History House.
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©2012 Kirby Lindsay. This column is protected by intellectual property laws, including U.S. copyright laws. Reproduction, adaptation or distribution without permission is prohibited.