Minutes of General Meeting
January 12, 2010


Welcome

  • All in attendance were welcomed. Three local women attended and asked for membership applications at the end of the meeting. Filimon Perez was introduced as one of the strongest workers in the recycling effort.


New/Old Business

  • The Officers group decided to retain the six month residency requirement for Amigos officer qualification, citing the need to be in Lo de Marcos that length of time in order to fulfill their obligations and responsibilities. The Officers also decided to reduce the Committee membership residency requirement to five months, thereby allowing those who live in Lo de Marcos for a shorter period of time to have a significant influence in the group

Officers' Nominations and Elections


  • Manuel Maassen was nominated for the position of Vocal. He accepted the nomination. Judith Romiti was nominated for the Treasurer position and she accepted. There were no other nominations. Because there were no contested positions, the group decided to accept the current nominations and suspend voting.

    The new group of officers is:

    President – David Graff
    Treasurer – Judith Romiti
    Secretary – Jacque Graff
    Vocal – Yajaira Cazarez
    Vocal – Ana Embury-Lewis
    Vocal – Manuel Maassen
    Vocal – Mitch Schilling

Sport Committee


  • Amigos created a temporary committee to investigate the need to support the organized sporting community in town. Currently, there are soccer, basketball, and baseball teams, composed of boys, girls, men, or women. The teams need moral support as well as financial support. It has been shown that young people involved in sports have less inclination to pursue recreational drugs and a life of crime. Various teams have requested Amigos support in the past. Volunteers for the committee are Tyler Henshaw, Yajaira Cazarez, and Mitch Schilling. Tyler is the intial chairperson.

    Fundraising Committee

  • There are many posters around town and plans are underway for the February 6th Fundraiser. We will host a live auction of technical items not normally available in Mexico. Bands will play, including a reggae, cubana band. There will be a Taste of Lo de Marcos where restaurants offer samples of their fare. Please notify the group (fundraiser@amigosdelodemarcos.org) if you have items to donate and/or you'd like to help plan, organize, and execute the event. The date is quickly approaching!.

Committee Projects for 2010

 

  • FundRaising

    The committee will organize and present a fund raiser event on February 6, 2010, including live music, food, sales of donated items, and volunteer involvement.

    Fundraising was approved by a vote of 26-2

  • Garbage


    The committee will purchase 30 plastic trash barrels and construct 50 metal and concrete bases. The bases will contain a device to attach a bin for plastic recycling. The committee will also maintain the barrels. The barrel/bin combinations will be placed in the less developed parts of town as well as popular trash collection points. The committee will work with the garbage collection company to ensure their routes include these locations.

    Plastic Trash Barrels (30 @ $250) was approved by a vote of 27-1.
    Base for Barrels (50 @ $350) was approved by a vote of 27-1.
    Maintenance Expenses was approved by a vote of 28-0.

  • Recycling

    The committee will move the recyclables currently stored at Yajaira's house to a location accessible to the recycle company vehicle. They will also maintain the bins and the tricycle used by the volunteers. The committee will contract one person for a year to manage the collection, sorting, cleaning, and preparation for disposal of the recyclables. The committee also asks the Amigos group to request the town of Lo de Marcos to fund an additional person for this project.

    Move Location of Recycle Center was approved by a vote of 28-0.
    Maintenance of Recycling Equipment was approved by a vote of 28-0.
    1 Contract Recycling Person was approved by a vote of 26-2.
    Add'l Recycling Person Funding by Community was approved by a vote of 27-1.


  • Community Outreach

    The committee will produce a 2011 calendar featuring photos of Lo de Marcos events and environment along with a common phrase, both in english and spanish. If 1000 calendars are ordered, we need to sell 537 (minimum donation $40) to cover the costs. If 500 are ordered, we need to sell 490 to cover the costs.

    Calendars for 2011 was approved by a vote of 22-6.

  • TShirts

    The committee will replenish the T-shirt inventory.

    T-shirt was approved by a vote of 27-1.

  • Signs

    Nothing to report.

  • Schools

    No proposal.

  • Website

    The committee will continue to maintain the website in both english and spanish. It seeks people to translate English to Spanish. If you're available, please contact us at info@amigosdelodemarcos.org. Thank you.

    Website Hosting was approved by a vote of 27-1.
    Translations was approved by a vote of 27-1.

  • Security

    The committee will host a special session featuring a guest speaker knowledgeable about personal and home security.

    Presentation to Members was approved by a vote of 26-2.

  • Drainage

    The committee will oversee four rounds of testing at four locations in Lo de Marcos -- both lagoons, the beach, and a randomly selected well in town. The samples will be tested in La Penita and results posted at the delegado's office, the beach, and this website.

    Water Testing was approved by a vote of 27-1.

  • Senior Center

    The committee will help fund meals, nine times a year, to the seniors. They will also maintain a fund for emergencies and continue to provide the well-known weekly chauffeur service.

    Meals for Seniors was approved by a vote of 24-4.
    Emergency Funds was approved by a vote of 27-1.
    Transportation was approved by a vote of 28-0.

  • Animal Protection

    The committee will sponsor a spay and neuter clinic in Lo de Marcos, offering free sterilization and medical care to dogs and cats. The committee works with the organization PEACE and donations may be made to PEACE at the clinic. The committee will also purchase two small animal traps to be used for cats.

    Spay/Neuter Clinic was approved by a vote of 25-2 with one abstention.
    Small Animal Traps was approved by a vote of 22-5 with one abstention.

  • Health Clinic

    The committee will replenish the supplies as well as purchase a coffee maker.

    Medical Supplies was approved by a vote of 27-1.

  • Officer's Discretionary Fund

  • The officers will maintain a reserve fund that supplements the projects of committees, answers special needs in the community, and purchases supplies for the operation of Amigos. There will be full disclosure of their expenditures.

  • Officers' Fund was approved by a vote of 26-2.

Meeting adjourned

  • Thirty people attended the meeting including seven officers of Amigos.

    jg: secretary