Meeting Minutes, December 12, 2006

Present:          Tom Pell – Vice President (Sam’s Meats), Angell Keene – Treasurer (D. Wendell Keene Real Estate), Carolyn Beaman – Assistant Treasurer (R. Blake Edmonds, D.M.D.), John Ungar – Secretary (ICDC), Tom Hauke (Liberty Tax Service), Tonyelle Cook-Artis (Office of State Rep. Cherelle Parker), Mike Snead (Future One Mortgage),  Deacon Mattie Carter (Agape Ministries/Agape Church)

Guests:            Cherrill Wilson (Temple SBDC), Arlene Edmonds (The Leader)

The meeting began at 8:20 AM.

Tom Pell began the meeting by discussing the lights in the back parking lot on the 1500 block of Wadsworth.  Barbara Brown had raised a concern about some of the lights being out.  Tom pointed out that the businesses now owe a few thousand to PECO for past bills.  Tom believes that he can get that expunged, but he wants to make sure that if he does, we do not fall behind in payments again.  The businesses in the affected properties believed he should try to get it expunged, and that we should start fresh.  The businesses understand that not everyone will pay their share, even though they should.  However, it is worth it to pay our share each month to have the lighting in the parking lot.

Minutes:

The November minutes were read and approved without any changes.

Treasurer’s Report:

Ms. Keene presented the Treasurer’s report.  We have $1,202.88 in our bank account.  Invoices for the next year will go out shortly.  Dues are $120 for the year, but if paid in full in January will be discounted to $100.  Once we collect dues and have more money in the account, we can begin to discuss some budget items.

Old Business:

There was no old business to report.

New Business:

WABA will once again host a joint breakfast meeting with other Northwest Business Associations.  On January 23, 2007, we will host a joint breakfast meeting at the Trolley Car Diner at 8 AM.  Chris Johansen from Market Knowledge will present a workshop about the value of networking and partners.  John Ungar is working with the West Oak Lane Business Association (WOLBA) and Mt. Airy Business Association (MABA) to plan the event.  We are hoping to hold a raffle at the meeting, and each business association has been asked to contribute something.  Liberty Tax Service offered a free tax return.  Keene Real Estate offered a discount coupon at Brown’s Linens, and Future One Mortgage will offer something – perhaps a coupon to a restaurant.  We thank all of these businesses for supporting the workshop.  WOLBA has approached Sovereign Bank about underwriting the event.

Inspector Sullivan was supposed to be a guest at the meeting, but was not present.  There was a brief discussion about how crime has decreased since Officers Moody and Merchant have been more present on the Avenue.  Both WABA and the Friends of Wadsworth Avenue have expressed their concerns to the police, and it appears that they have heard us.

Ms. Keene suggested that we conduct a survey of the merchants to see if the recent improvements along Wadsworth Avenue have improved merchants’ bottom line.  John agreed this was a good idea and said he would try to get an intern to conduct the survey.

John passed out information about a networking event in Mt. Airy this Thursday sponsored by MABA, as well as information about the proposed Cheltenham Business Improvement District.  Finally, he noted that ICDC is partnering with a neighbor to hold a Martin Luther King Day of Service Project at the Dorothy Emmanuel Recreation Center.  People who want to volunteer for the project can enroll online at www.mlkdayofservice.org.  If enrolling online, please be sure to identify the Dorothy Emmanuel Recreation Center as the project for which you are volunteering.

Cherrill Wilson from Temple Small Business Development Corporation offered to present customized business or finance workshops that she would host on site at ICDC.  She encouraged businesses to think about workshops that might be of interest to them.

The meeting adjourned at 8:45 A.M.