The meeting was called to order at 6.10 p.m. with Chris Cope as Chair and Sandy Campbell as Secretary.
Minute-Taker: Sheila Alder (bw306)
Board members present:
Graeme Beckett (aw958)
Sandy Campbell (dt820), Secretary
Christopher Cope (bz787), President/chair
Gary Eikenberry (aa353)
Mark Mielke (al278)
Catherine Wenuk (ep584)
John Wenuk (ep585)
Mary Anne Dugmore (er983)
Don Francis (ba990)
Andrea Holland (es170)
Michael Williamson (em324)
NCF Staff/Management present:
Ian MacEachern (bi207), Executive Director
Sheila Alder (bw306), Office Manager
Andre Dalle (al178), System Administrator
NCF members present:
Jim Elder (aa456)
Robert Rattey (ac867)
MOTION: That minutes be approved as published.
Moved by: Sandy Campbell
Seconded by: Gary Eikenberry
VOTE: All in favor
MOTION: That the agenda be adopted as published.
Moved by Sandy Campbell
Seconded by Michael Williamson
VOTE: All in favor
This item is tabled for the April meeting.
Retiring Treasurer Millman being unavailable for the meeting, ED Ian MacEachern spoke to the report. Treasurer Millman's report is posted online.
MOTION: That the report be adopted as published.
Moved by: Sandy Campbell
Seconded by: Michael Williamson
VOTE: All in favor
MOTION: That the report be accepted as published.
Moved by: Michael Williamson
Seconded by: Gary Eikenberry
MOTION: All in favor
AGM Chair Chris Cope described the 2002 AGM a
resounding success. Voter "turnout" was excellent,
especially considering there were no major issues on the
table. The outstanding slate of candidates confirmed the
effectiveness of the Nominations Committee created by the
Board for this AGM; experience suggests the Committee
should get started earlier for AGM 2003. Much credit for
success of the AGM was due to the yeoman efforts of
volunteers like Ian Allen, as well as Directors serving
in various roles.
Director Sandy Campbell called special attention to the
work of Jim Elder, whose tireless dedication and skills
added an impressive and attractive
fact-and-feature-packed AGM site to his already long list
of contributions to NCF.
Longtime member and former Director Jim Elder, ED Ian MacEachern, and President Chris Cope made detailed presentations on NCF from their respective vantage points, as an immersion course for newcomers to the Board and a refresher for current Directors.
Jim Elder's presentation (PowerPoint) was a comprehensive overview of FreeNet, past, present, and future. He said NCF had 'caught the wave' as an exciting though primitive local internet, before the global internet started; 'surfed' with great panache for several years with little or no competition; then 'wiped out'(lost the wave) and has been 'treading water' for the last five or six years. Now, with a strong, governance Board of Directors and revitalized staff, it has the opportunity to invest in web-based online community network software (to complement the exisiting FreePort text-based online community software) that could give it a new lease on life. There will be membership-growth leverage in Smart Capital and HRDC projects, which, combined with substantially increasing-- probably doubling-- the current number of available modems could attract enough members (12-14,000) and donation revenue to put NCF on a stable, prosperous, and genuinely independent footing. (The full slide set, including some additional material which arose from discussions at the presentation, is online at http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/board/orientation/2002/Orientation.html and is best viewed when Carleton's internet is uncongested, eg. early mornings.)
ED Ian MacEachern's presentation also used PowerPoint to take Directors on a tour of NCF offices and equipment at Carleton University. Cramped quarters and old equipment illustrated the challenges staff face to keep NCF operating. Prospects, however, are bright, with major projects like Thin Client, webmail, and extended access getting ready to launch. New and upgraded office equipment, servers, and the possibility of adding substantially more and faster modems and some digital phone lines will help NCF recapture the adventurous, can-do spirit of its early days that will return it to its position as a major, important community institution.
President Chris Cope summed up with his view of NCF's raison d'etre; in essence, an organization in which a large number of community-minded people pool their assets of money, skill, and time to do good and worthwhile things of benefit to themselves and to their community. Every NCF member is also an owner and the role and duty of staff and Directors alike is to serve the owners; to strive to provide good, reliable, and reasonably-modern services. To do that, it is essential that staff and Board maintain clear two-way communications with members, because the health and prosperity of NCF depends on the willingness of members to support it.
April 16, 2002 at 7 p.m.
Location to be announced
Directors received a brief oral report on a series of informal meetings with the ED attended by Sandy Campbell, Jim Elder, and Chris Cope. They were basically intended to discuss how office and operational procedures focus on the NCF mission statement enunciated by the Board. Tone of the meetings was cooperative and supportive and all who attended agreed they had been useful and productive, resulting in clarification of which issues are most important to members, improved communication between Board and staff, identification of some possible new services to members, etc. Director Andrea Holland agreed to attend future meetings.
The meeting adjourned at 10.50 p.m.