ATTENDEES: JR Bogert, Jay Campbell, Steve Eisenberg, Bruce Kellogg, Lori McGraw, John Payne, Armando Petruccelli, Teri Schunk, Chris Smith, Phil Wade, June White
- Meeting called to order by Chamber President, John Payne, at 7:35 am.
- Secretary’s Report: motion to accept by June, second by Bruce, carried.
- Treasurer’s Report: motion to accept by Roger, second by Bruce, carried.
- Jay also reported that 66 membership invoices have been paid. JR will start following up on those that have not yet paid.
- Phil provided a Village Report. The budget is in process and is due this month. It is clean up month so if you have brush, put it out to the curb. They hope to get the Kirby Street water main break repaired. Phil will be working on the CBDG grant for Village residents.
- Dolores was unable to attend but provided a Town Report. Water is on at General Clinton Park. 10 of the seasonal sites have been rented. There are now 6 homeowners receiving home repairs through the CDBG grant that was received this year. The pool bathrooms just need the partitions put up and they will be done. John Harmon has a crew coming this weekend to sheet rock the Community Center. Grievance day will be on Wednesday, May 24th from 4:00 – 8:00 pm. Electronics clean up day will be at the Highway Department on Saturday, May 6th from 9:00 am – Noon. Look for more details in the current issue of Bainbridge Connects that will be arriving in the mail soon.
- Teri spoke about 4TownsForward. They are selling 50/50 tickets for the music festival. The drawing will take place at Noon at Bob’s on Saturday, April 29th which is the same day as the 4TownsForward Community Yard Sale. So far, Teri has 87 addresses that will be participating and will be put on the map. In addition, tickets are on sale for the Music Festival taking place on Saturday, July 1st from 2:00 – 10:00 pm at the Sidney Airport. There will be 7 bands performing throughout the day. The Super VIP tickets are now sold out and they have sold about 1,000 tickets. So far, they have received $130,000 in sponsorships, some of which will be used to create a nest egg for next year. Additional proceeds will be split equally between Afton, Bainbridge, Sidney & Unadilla. There will be beer & cider and lots of food trucks. With any large event, many volunteers will be needed to help make this event successful. If you can help out, please contact Teri.
- The General Clinton Canoe Regatta was discussed. Things are moving along but volunteers are needed to help in several areas. If you are able to help out, please let me know.
- The Community Center meeting was further discussed. A tree came down and landed on the neighbor’s garage/workshop. According to JR, since the tree was healthy and there was no prior notification from the neighbor, their homeowner’s insurance would be responsible for covering the cost of the damage. John advised there are an additional 10 trees behind the Center that should come down as they could present a problem in the future. John will get quotes to have them taken down. We will review once he has the quotes to determine next steps. Roger will drop the cameras off at the Center so that they can get installed and he will continue to work on getting the basketball equipment returned and replaced. At the April 6th meeting, Dolores Nabinger was nominated as President, Roger as VP, Erika Fleming as Treasurer and Wendy Jennings as Secretary. 7 directors were also nominated.
- Roger reported that the Bainbridge and Unadilla Fire Departments will be hosting “Coffee with First Responders” on Saturday, April 29th from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm. There will be a fireman, police officer and EMT present at each location.
- The Chamber was discussed – what benefits do we provide our members. I pulled out the attachment that was put together a few years back. These benefits still apply today –
Member Benefits/Services
ADVOCACY– The Chamber is the community’s leading advocate and champion for business. Its primary objective is to create a climate of growth and success in the community.
BUSINESS DIRECTORY– Members can set up their listing online on the Chamber Website and can change or update it as often as they want.
BUSINESS REFERRALS– The Chambers policy is to refer chamber members.
COMMITTEES– With most organizations the more effort you put into the Chamber, the more you will benefit from it. As members become more involved in chamber committees, they are given a chance to have an impact on the business environment in the Bainbridge area, help their business, and make contacts.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT– Get involved in your chamber and give back to the community by becoming knowledgeable about business issues and active in local projects. Your business customers will be grateful for your efforts.
CONSUMER CONFIDENCE– Chamber membership tells your customers that you are a reputable business that actively participates in the local business community.
BUSINESS AFTER HOURS– Members are invited to socialize with other members and business owners in a comfortable setting to share their individual business schedule, specials, and updates.
LOW-COST ADVERTISING-Now more than ever it is time to take advantage of the many effective and affordable marketing and advertising opportunities available to Chamber members only.
NETWORKING– A unique opportunity to establish relationships with other businesspeople in which you learn about their business and learn from their experiences.
NEW MEMBERS– Let the chamber help you promote your business. The chamber will gather information and submit an article to announce your membership.
SPONSORSHIP– As a way of gaining exposure within the business community, chamber members have many sponsorship opportunities to put their business in front of your target audience.
- Our next Board of Directors Meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 2nd and the next General Membership Meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 16th at the back of Bob’s Diner @ 7:30 am.
- Motion to adjourn by Armando, second by June, carried. Meeting adjourned at 8:45 am.
Respectfully Submitted:
Christine Smith, Secretary