In attendance: Ron Laudadio, Tracy Keeping, Brad Moore, Shelley Gale, Craig Collier, Nancy Power, Amy Taylor, Francis Peddle, Carolyn Aucoin, Lucy Poirier, and Dale Lomond
Regrets: April Gillam, Elissa Hinks, and Dion Devoe
Ron called the meeting to order at 7:10 pm.
A motion was made to accept the meeting minutes of February 6, completed by Ron in Nancy’s absence. Tracy seconded the motion. All were in favour.
1. Youth Committee Update
Following the quarterly community session in January, board members Tracy, Brad, and Ron have formed a youth sub-committee focusing on increased activities for youth, including things such as fitness and overall youth well-being. At present, three community members have expressed interest in joining the sub-committee. Their first meeting will be in the coming days. They intend to apply for provincial funding opportunities and will be looking to identify specific areas of interest for development.
2. Social Committee Update
Ron proposed changing the committee's name to “Wetlands Committee” since the committee’s primary area of focus is the Wetlands Centre. It will also help prevent confusion over the committee’s role. He commended Ann and Peter Brownrigg for the time and effort they have been putting into the Centre.
The committee hopes to have the Wetlands’ Business Plan prepared by next month.
Discussion surrounding the Codroy Valley Social Committee headed by community member Heidi Nagele. Their group has hosted several events to date, with more planned. Ron says the committees hope to reach the interests of as many community members as possible and to work together to prevent the double scheduling of events.
3. Review of Quarterly Community Collaborative Session (QCCS)
The QCCS, held at the Codroy Valley Fire Hall on Jan 30, 2024, was well attended. The intent of the event was to determine how we, as the CVADA, can help facilitate business opportunities for those who live locally.
Attendees identified three main areas of interest: tourism development opportunities, youth fitness and well-being, and developing activities and facilities for seniors. The CVADA can support these endeavours by identifying funding sources, providing letters of support, etc. A detailed report of the meeting has been published online.
The committee also provided updates on three ongoing initiatives: the upgrades to the Starlite Trail, the Codroy Valley Tourism Blueprint, and the Codroy Valley Ecomuseum.
4. Stewardship Association of Municipalities (SAM) Grant for Wetlands
Further to the board’s discussion at the Feb 6th meeting, Ron has been in talks with SAM about their proposal to provide funding to staff a position at the Wetlands Centre for a six-month period. The funding appears to be more flexible than originally thought, with a minimal focus (around 20%) on obligations set out by SAM (things like biodiversity testing and water surveys). The remainder of the time can be used to support the CVADA’s initiatives. Furthermore, if the committee finds that the funding is not working for some reason, SAM has assured us we can cancel without prejudice. The board discussed the pros and cons of accepting the offer, including hidden costs such as payroll expenses and the risk and responsibility of hiring an employee.
Ron made a motion to accept the grant, and Francis seconded it. Motion moved.
5. Wetlands Centre
It has been confirmed that the phone at Wetlands Centre is operational for both incoming and outgoing calls. The board must determine who is on the Bell account to make changes if and when needed.
6. Starlight Trail
The CVADA has continued to seek a start date for the design phase. Ron has been working on an alternate plan to find a designer this year and a builder next. The funding partners know this and are comfortable with the plan. ACOA will release some of the funds to CVADA in the coming days.
7. Upcoming AGM
CVADA will be holding the AGM in May. The date and agenda are TBD. Ron encouraged members to recruit community members to attend and consider putting their names forward for a vacancy. Seats are for two years and are open to voting.
8. WEGH2 Community Q&A on March 12
Following our request from last spring, Angie Gill and John Hogan of WEGH2 will attend an in-person Q&A meeting at the Fire Hall in Codroy from 6 pm to 8 pm. Two additional WEGH2 experts will join via a call. Following a brief presentation, there will be a public Q&A session with WEGH2. Ron requested that a few members show up early to help arrange the room before the start of the meeting.
The event will be promoted on Facebook. Community members will be encouraged to bring their questions with a reminder that the intent of the session is to offer an opportunity for constructive dialogue.
10. CVADA Newsletter
The CVADA continues to look for volunteers to help with the newsletter. The role consists of collecting story ideas with the support of the CVADA members. Nancy will contact the CNA School of Journalism to see if any students are interested in the opportunity.
Board members say they have gotten very positive feedback on the newsletter.
11. Upcoming Event hosted by Intervale Associates
Intervale will host a community outreach event at St. Ann’s Centre on March 14, 2024. The event will be open to all community members. They will share a promotional poster for us to share within the community. The agenda will follow.
12. Woolen Mill Building
Francis expressed concern about the Woolen Mill's current state of repair. This has been a recurring topic of board discussion for some time, and Ron suggested deferring until after the upcoming AGM as it will require some additional thought and consideration.
13. 3-Phase Power Extension to Codroy
Discussion surrounding available funding from ACOA. Motion to submit a proposal to ACOA to extend 3-phase power to Codroy, as this will benefit not only community members but also local employers and organizations. We understand that both Gudie Hutchings and Scott Reid support the proposal.
Ron made the motion, and Craig made the second. All in favour.
14. Community Sector Council of NL (CSCNL) Workshops
Ron recently attended three workshops offered by the Community Sector Council on behalf of CVADA. The sessions were very well attended, with community agencies and government departments participating. Topics covered included how to recruit and maintain volunteers and employees and what it means to be part of a volunteer board. Ron will send the resources he gathered to the board.
15. Retrospective Activity
Ron planned an interactive activity allowing the board to analyze its performance over the past year and seek improvement areas for next year.
The board felt the number of members on the board was positive, allowing for diverse views and experiences. The board was also happy with the level of interaction between members (via our Facebook Messenger chat), which allowed for updates outside of the monthly meetings. We also successfully engaged the community with the newsletter and community sessions and made tangible progress with projects like the Starlight Trail. Members felt that there may have been too many subcommittees started at one time and that monthly meetings at times run a bit long, given the number of committees and updates.
Meeting adjourned. The next meeting will be in early April, with a date to be determined.
Retrospective Capture:
