Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance
Minutes of the Board of Directors Meeting
Friday, February 6, 2015
2:00 p.m. at CCIDA Conference Room
Directors present: Mark Geise, Pierre Chagnon, Lyle Hajdu, Linda Barber, Randy Sweeney, Cecil Miller
Absent: Marty Bova, Edward Wright, Don Emhardt
Others in Attendance: Chautauqua County Executive Vince Horrigan, and Chautauqua Lake & Watershed Management Alliance Executive Director Candidate Erin Brickley
I. Call to Order
Interim Chair Pierre Chagnon called the meeting of the Chautauqua Lake Watershed Management Alliance to order at 2:05 pm. He noted for the record that there was a quorum (6 of 9), with Linda Barber joining the first 15 minutes of the meeting by speaker phone.
II. Approval of Minutes
A motion to accept the minutes of the 1/22/15 Board Meeting was made by Mr. Sweeney and was seconded by Mr. Hajdu. The motion was approved unanimously.
III. Executive session to review personnel matters relating to the hiring of Erin Brickley and the proposed benefits package
A motion to enter into executive session was made by Mr. Miller, and was seconded by Mr. Sweeney. The motion was approved unanimously.
IV. Approval of the proposed benefits package and the hiring of Erin Brickley as Executive Director
Upon returning to regular session, based upon a thorough evaluation of qualifications, references and interviews of candidates for the Executive Director position by the Screening Committee and the Interim Board, the Interim Board determined that Ms. Erin Brickley was the most qualified candidate for the position. Several of the board members communicated that Ms. Brickley’s commitment to Chautauqua Lake, academic background, personality, writing skills, team-building experience and attention to detail make her a prime candidate for this position. Mr. Geise stated that the benefits package, as was discussed in executive session, are acceptable to the interim board as well as Ms. Brickley, and are within the constraints of the budget.
Motion: Interim Chairman Chagnon called for a motion to recommend hiring Ms. Brickley as Executive Director of the Chautauqua Lake & Watershed Management Alliance, in accordance with the proposed benefits package. The motion was made by Linda Barber and was seconded by Lyle Hajdu. The motion was approved unanimously.
Discussion: Mr. Chagnon communicated that we needed to strategize on how to best introduce/acclimate Ms. Brickley to the stakeholders and the public. A discussion ensued that concluded with the interim board members agreeing to introduce Ms. Brickley to their respective peers. Cecil and Don will decide on how best to introduce her to the Chautauqua Lake Mayors and Supervisors; Mr. Sweeney will introduce her to the foundations; Ms. Barber, Mr. Hajdu and Mr. Chagnon will introduce her to the water/watershed groups; and Mr. Chagnon, Mr. Horrigan, and Mr. Geise will introduce her to the County Legislators. It was agreed that a calendar of events should be created (Mark), we need to develop a press release (Mark/Dave), and that we should have another Chautauqua Lake Rally in the first quarter of 2015 (Dave), all of which will aim to update/energize the stakeholders and public on where things are at with the Alliance and introduce Ms. Brickley as the new Executive Director.
V. Nomination and election of Governance Committee
A motion was made by Mr. Chagnon and was seconded by Mr. Hajdu to nominate members for the Governance Committee, who will make recommendations regarding governance structure, legal council, membership dues & fees, strategize on progression to a permanent board, and other governance matters. Mr. Wright, Mr. Hajdu and Ms. Barber where nominated, and Pierre was recommended to serve ex-officio. The motion was approved unanimously.
VI. Nomination and election of Finance Committee
A motion was made by Mr. Chagnon and was seconded by Mr. Hajdu to nominate members for the Finance Committee, who will make recommendations regarding financial management, budgeting, auditing responsibilities, grant administration and other financial matters. Mr. Sweeney, Mr. Miller and Mr. Emhardt where nominated, and Pierre was recommended to serve ex-officio. The motion was approved unanimously.
VII. Status updated on the Chautauqua Lake Macrophyte Management Strategy (MMS)
Mr. Geise communicated that the technical review group, the project team and several Alliance Interim Board members have met on two separate occasions to review the MMS draft in light of the recommendations made by the technical review group. The recommendations, which were organized into spreadsheets by Mr. McCoy, are being meticulously vetted, and revisions are being made to satisfy the recommendations of the review team. To date, the review team has reviewed and revised Chapters 1-6, and is meeting on Tuesday, February 10 at 3:15 in the CCIDA Conference Room to review/revise Chapters 7-10. Mr. Chagnon, Mr. Hajdu, and Ms. Barber stated that they were very pleased with the process. The Alliance members recognized the importance of engaging technical advisors and other stakeholders to help develop the best and most comprehensive plan possible. Mr. Horrigan communicated that the County is committed to completing the MMS plan and fully supports the mission of the Alliance. Ms. Brickley stated that she would like to attend the meeting so that she can begin her familiarization process.
VIII. ADJOURN
Upon motion by Mr. Hajdu and seconded by Linda Barber, the Board adjourned the meeting at 3:30 pm.