Download Sheltering Hands Board of Directors Meeting Minutes from 2-20

Sheltering Hands Board of Directors Meeting Minutes from 2-20-15
Meeting called to order at 5:11pm
Board members present: Gina Evers, MaryEtta Fisher, Kathy Fleck, Susie Fromm, Debbie Wabbersen, and
Dan Pope
Absent: none
Minutes, Reports
1. Dr. Fleck reviewed the meeting agenda procedures and opportunities for audience
members/guests to speak.
2. The minutes from 1-16-15 were presented for review. A motion to approve the minutes as
presented was made by MaryEtta Fisher and seconded by Susie Fromm. Motion approved 6-0.
3. The Treasurer’s report was made by Dan Pope. See attached report #1. MaryEtta Fisher asked
about the 3 different petty cash accounts (adoptions, CCP, general). Dr. Fleck explained the 3
different accounts and what they were used for. No further discussion on that topic.
4. Penny Stanley gave the adoptions report. See attached report #2. Highlights- our adoptions area
has been painted, a new cabinet has been added to replace the aging one, new cage pads and floor
coverings have been made/ordered. There were three adoptions during the Valentine’s Day
adoption event. Total adoptions so far- January- 13, February (through 2-20-15)- 13. Two cats
were returned, 1 died, we took in 4. The adoption fee was dropped to $50 for the event and will
remain in place until further notice. Penny presented the adoptions center book with available
cats in it for times when volunteers are not present. Book will be added to as pictures come in.
Suggestions for future- get kittens to center earlier in the week so they can become more
comfortable with the area and put a better foot forward; change vocabulary to be more client
friendly, i.e. home delivery rather than home inspection; discuss background checks and the
information to give Penny more guidance on what is acceptable and what isn’t. MaryEtta Fisher
expressed her appreciation to Penny for all her hard work. Mention was made of getting cats up
and current on Petfinder.
5. The foster report was delivered by Dr. Fleck. See attached report #3. We have a total of 246 cats
in foster care. The report indicates (based on foster parent input) that 76 are adoptable, 170 are
not.
6. The education report was delivered by Gina Evers. See attached report #4. Information was
shared on updates to the website, including uploaded videos of cat care under resources for cat
owners. Dr. Fromm mentioned that there were additional helpful videos at Alley Cat Allies.
7. The membership report was delivered by MaryEtta Fisher. See attached report #5. We have 6
new members and one new volunteer.
8. The Community Cats report was delivered by Dr. Fleck. We are currently spay/neutering close
to100 cats per month. MaryEtta Fisher asked for clarification on what services were being done on
what days at the surgery center. Dr. Fleck related that weekends were mainly for the Community
Cats program. Wednesday surgery days were for voucher cats, foster care cats and some TNR cats.
Dr. Fleck announced that Susan Nastav, who is currently part time in the CCP, would be full time
starting on April 1st, 2015. Her primary duties will be the Community Cats program and technician
for surgeries.
The floor was opened to the public for comments on items 1-8 above.
Old Business
9. The Board reviewed the submissions for our revised mission statement. Gina Evers shared some
thoughts on formulating a mission statement, i.e. it should be concise so that all members could
articulate it. We reviewed the three submissions submitted prior. See attachment #6. After
discussion of wording and placement, Debbie Wabbersen made the motion to accept the
following as our mission statement“Improving the lives of cats through humane care, spay/neuter, adoptions, education and support
services.” Gina Evers seconded the motion. Guests commented on the importance of education. Motion
passed 6-0.
10. Development of manuals for all positions. Directors and staff will be coming up with ideas for
manuals, information for their respective areas. Gina Evers offered to help anyone in creating
manuals.
11. Remodeling status- Dr. Fleck reported that March 14th-15th would be the “demolishing” weekend
when painting would take place. Rick Hughes will be heading the work up. All improvements,
other than painting, can be used in a future facility.
12. Census compliance- Dr. Fleck reported that foster photos are not complete. Monthly updates
should be submitted but not all have at this point. It was reiterated that we do take cats back if the
adoption does not work out. That message will be more clearly articulated in our phone message.
13. Secretary files- We have received some old files, but not all. Dr. Fleck consulted with an attorney
regarding the missing files (2007-12) and was told it is not a serious problem if we cannot get
them, which, at this point, does not seem likely. It was stated that we need to have a more
formalized backup system in place for future.
Floor was opened for comments on items 9-13 above.
New Business
14. Dr. Fleck reported on the Stremmel estate. We received the proceeds from an IRA in the amount of
$212,205.02. A market analysis of the Stremmel home in Quail Meadows shows a potential value
of $164,000. The contents of the home are still being valued (over 100 paintings, including some
Highwaymen paintings). Dr. Fleck has contacted a couple of auction houses regarding disposal of
the home contents. Any sale via that method would take about 3 weeks to stage. No final decision
was made.
15. The Stremmel estate has a 2001 Toyota Sequoia valued at $9,000. Dr. Fleck proposed keeping the
van for transport and other Sheltering Hands related activities. Debbie Wabbersen made the
motion that Sheltering Hands keep and not sell the 2001 Toyota Sequoia from the Stremmel
estate. Susie Fromm seconded the motion. Motion passed 6-0.
16. Volunteer workshops- It was discussed that anyone interacting with the public, including
adoptions, CCP, etc. should attend an introductory session (to be developed) and monthly training
(either as a group or in their respective volunteer areas). Topics to be included in introductory
session include Sheltering Hands history, basic policies, the volunteer handbook (still in
development), and the duties of different volunteer assignments.
17. Budget planning- in briefly discussing budget planning and how to best use bequests and other
funds, it was mentioned that enriching the cats lives was foundational. More to be discussed later.
18. Dr. Fleck presented a potential property for purchase in Ocala- a prior animal clinic on 2.9 acres
fronting US 27. The address is 10397 Hwy. 27, Blitchton, Fl. Dr. Hughes, Rick Hughes and Dr. Fleck
have had a chance to inspect the building. It consists of a vet clinic, additional home/building,
trailer, assorted sheds, a large open barn structure, etc. It is zoned for a veterinary practice. The
buildings appear to be in good shape. The property now belongs to the bank. It was suggested the
vet clinic could be utilized as a new surgical center with the front building being a retail center. We
may wish to keep our current location for adoptions where we could house about 30 cats. It was
mentioned that Elaine should be moved out of our current site by 6-1-15. Because of continuing
problems with Elaine and the fact that she no longer performs any tasks for us, it was discussed
asking her to move sooner. Board members were encouraged to visit the potential site. A motion
was made by Susie Fromm to proceed into checking out the property mentioned above, or
other suitable properties, for purchase. Debbie Wabbersen seconded the motion. Motion
passed 6-0. Guest comments- ask for donations on a site such as GoFundMe.
19. Dr. Fleck reported that there has been a steady decline in the presentation and health of cats in the
Keris’ foster home. Ms. Keris has grown increasingly belligerent to Dr. Fleck and others and the
Board is concerned about her ability to care for the cats she has (79 Sheltering Hands cats plus an
undetermined number of her own). In a confrontation with Dr. Fleck, Ms. Keris refused to allow
Dr. Fleck to place any of the Sheltering Hands cats in her care into any other location. When told
she could not be a foster if we could not make decisions on the cats, Ms. Keris remarked that if we
wanted to take a couple of cats, we had to take them all. Dr. Fleck said we would do so. Ms. Keris
was also asked to return the tax card she had for Petsmart and she refused. Suggestions were
discussed about how to best deal with the situation. Dr. Fromm would like to try and intervene in
the situation and it was agreed to allow her to do so. It was stated that if she or others could not
obtain Ms. Keris’ agreement to allow us to assess and place our cats in other locations, that we
would need to obtain a court order and help to allow us to retrieve the cats.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:45pm.
Attachments:
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Treasurer’s Report
Adoption Report for January/February
Foster Report
Education Report
Membership Report
Mission statement documents (2)