Rockland Neighbourhood Association
Meeting of Board of Directors
March 12th, 2003
Friends of Government House Meeting Room

Directors present - Catherine Spencer, Brian Allen, Dave Clark, Jane Lunt,
Leida Marie Grant, Susan Bartol-Drinker, Helmut Hissen, Gordon McAllister,
Kathryn LeSueur, Ethelyn McInnes-Rankin, Cecilia Peters, Doris Schuh, Walter Yeo.

Regrets - Honya Androsoff, Frank Ryan, Pamela Tobin
Guest:  Councillor Chris Coleman

Meeting called to order at 7:32 PM    Introductions of new board members.

1.  Approval of the agenda M/C (BA)

2. Minutes of the Meeting of Directors – January 8, 2003,
Motion:   (DC)                                Carried

3. Financial Report as of  February 28, 2003

Membership Account        $5817.82
Matching funds Account    $1194.61
Monument Account        $  962.75
Garden Account        $  814.19

Discussion about account balances, memberships

Motion:   (DC) to delete those who have not paid since year 2000.        Carried

Discussion: GM, WY - follow up personal contact to determine if they wish to renew.

New signing officers. Currently DC and CS (JS retired).
Motion:  (LMG):   CS, BA, DC and DS to be signing officers for 2003.    Carried

4. Correspondence
    -  GM email from Mayor Lowe:
invitation to sit down with Chris Coleman, CS and GM (April)
-  CS invite to Y AGM
-  Craigdarroch Castle upcoming event
-  City: re: RNA plan update?
Council will assess priorities for all neighbourhood plans.
          The request to enshrine the revised plan as a bylaw was not addressed.
-  City: Brian Sikstrom attend a Board Meeting
      (possibly include Gonzales and Fairfield).
                Later expanded to include all neighbourhood associations
             Workshop to show the relationship between Official Community Plan,
             Neighbourhood Plans and the Zoning Bylaw.
    CC:  ensure that our needs are met and not diluted by the now large meeting.
- City: Staff Liaison -Recreation Services and Community Development Division:
           Karen Ramsay
-  training opportunities: - bullying; community building workshop series
-  528 St Charles - request for Heritage designation, includes the whole property
-  1243 Oscar request for Heritage (out of Rockland area)
-  Fairfield Community Association Primary Health Care Centre proposal.
- BA will be our spokesman on health care issues. First meeting next Tuesday at Fairfield Community Association Topic: the model of James Bay Clinic
-  Independent Living BC  - new name for BC Housing
-  Drug Task Force information
-  Friends of Government House: Cary Bulletin

Outgoing:
-  CS  - Thanks to all guests who attended and helped with AGM
- speakers, scrutineers, etc.
-  filed changes to Constitution and Bylaws
(note that changes have been received but not yet approved).


5.  Phone Calls
- CS: domestic alarm systems. City Police propose to not respond to calls that ring
   in to private security agencies; ADT, Price's etc.
   Discussion on potential impact on Rockland residents, impact on security
agencies. Suggested that each person who has a contract with an alarm service   consider calling their company to see what action they will take.

- CC: will take our general concerns forward tomorrow; the Police Board is raising the proposal with the committee of the Whole. Cost of attending to false alarms from residential properties is the issue. Two free false alarms, then City Police will charge.

-  Crime statistics for 02.03.01 to 03.02.28 (Gordon Gummer)

Break and enter     50
theft of vehicle       9
theft from vehicle     43
assaults         10
mischief         35
total                           147


-  Craigdarroch Castle survey: relations with the castle are great; issues have  arisen, but been dealt with amicably. Parking on lower lawn? What other areas are suitable for parking? What other events would appeal to residents?

5. Appointments to committees

Community Association Network – Susan Bartol-Drinker.
                     CS and SBD will attend next meeting.

Communications – Don Hamilton will chair and attend next board meeting

Garden - Ethelyn McInnes-Rankin will make a call to Camosun to discuss their     possible involvement.  Former Board member Janet Simpson will assist Ethelyn and Dave Clark.
 
Environment – Dave Clark will get the group together and determine a scope of proposed action and bring it back to the board for approval.

Graffiti - Honya Androsoff

Health issues - Brian Allen

History - Bev Patterson

Social – Cecilia Peters

Traffic and safety (including emergency preparedness)
- lots of volunteers but none are on the board.
                     Walter Yeo volunteered to Chair.

Land Use, (Zoning): - Brian Allen will chair.
Members:  Leida-Marie Grant, Helmut Hissen,
Leigh Large, Kathryn LeSueur, Ethelyn McInnes-Rankin, Dennis Ramsay , Frank Ryan

Ethelyn can explore the formation of a heritage home group that could liaise with the board and with the Land Use  committee.


7.  Committee functions - Catherine proposed that each committee should come up with
terms of reference, measurables and objectives, timelines by April Meeting, or by May at the latest.


8.  Strategic Planning -
Discussion:
HH: The committees serve the Board – there should be top-down direction from the board.  Could wait for the strategic plan, or have each group put forward their collective ideas as a starting point.

A Strategic Plan will clarify what we hope to achieve, set standards and benchmarks as measureables to judge our performance. (accountability).

North Park Neighbourhood Association can serve as an example
- A copy of their work has been forwarded to some RNA board members.
It addresses social aspects, the neighbourhood’s strengths, the challenges.

We could work out our version - expand on the bullets in the constitution – develop a document more comprehensive than the current plan.
Then we can set time bounded goals, contingent tasks.

WY: The value is in the process, need a professional facilitator. The end product is a bonus. It should not be a legal document, and it should be updated annually.

HH: Proposed to invite a North Park representative to relate their experience. Extraordinary meeting proposed as we have a full agenda for April and for May.

KL: - Insurance, liability
Don Drysdale from Vancouver gave a presentation. Raised some points - would
like a discussion with the board - is it zoning only and should be dealt there first?

LMG: -case study Oxford-Linden down zoning against the owner's wishes, cost
the City $600,000.
Message from Silver Spray experience - tread on private property rights with care.

If RNA restricts itself to collating comments, not passing on opinions, and
that restricts our liability. Also liability limited by the fact that we are an incorporated society. (One proviso - "ultra vires" – must not undertake activities that are outside the purposes listed in our constitution.)

CS: - The City takes out a group policy that covers personal injury. Taking a  stand on a rezoning issue could expose us to legal action from either party.
 
GM - Make your job specification as broad as possible to reduce personal risk.
e.g., driving a senior to a city hall meeting, home later - where is the liability? (question - what job descriptions? Is this something covered in our C&B?)

KL proposes that this be defined as a topic for Board Discussion
 

CS   insurance company asks for a list of activities,
• newsletter delivery mechanism
• what food served at functions
• annual report

If we usually restrict our zoning committee activity to collate comments and then, one time, we step forward with an impassioned position – consistency is the point that would be argued.

Acting in good faith, documented standards, process protects us.

8. Chris Coleman’s report:
• Caroline  Macklem application filed at last minute – (application incomplete)
• Looked into Despard intersection reconfiguration - not on next year's plan - traffic volume is mostly Richmond Avenue.  (Traffic circle proposed and overruled as inappropriate.
• Cook and Sutlej has not come to City Hall yet.  Developer has gone to the community first.  It may have transportation impacts on Rockland – displaced parking, etc.
• FIX, a movie documenting the issues of the downtown east side Vancouver, is still playing - try for 7 o'clock show. There is a discussion panel between shows.
• Community Association Network -  Some CAN members had suggested CAN to be an Advisory Committee to City Hall. Easy for City Staff to liaise with a single body but that might compromise the effectiveness of neighbourhood associations and community associations.

Meeting adjourned at 9:45

Date and place of the next meeting:
April 9th,  2003    7:30    at the Friends of Government House volunteers' centre.