Minutes of General Meeting
July 8, 2008


Welcome

  • There were no new attendees.

Old Business

  • River Cleanup
  • David reported the river cleanup project is finished.. thanks to the rains.

Treasury Report

  • Jacque reported a balance of approximately $36,000 (pesos). She reported the addition of the PayPal donation button on the website and said a test donation of 10 pesos was successful. When donations are made via PayPal, PayPal holds the money until we instruct them to transfer it to our bank account or to another party. Jacque and Manuel are working with Bancomer to establish a bank account in the Amigos' name.

Committee Reports

  • Environmental

    Nothing to report

  • Garbage

    The Garbage Committee met with Rodrigo Pena (the Lo de Marcos delegate) and he approved the location of the site saying 'do as you wish'. It will be located on the southeast corner of the Universidad and Calle Las Minitas intersection. The shape will be long and narrow but wide enough for two rows of containers, a total of 12. Sr. Pena said it needs to be closed to prevent odors from traveling and to keep animals from accessing the trash. There was discussion about including a recycling section as well as trash collection. The Garbage Committee will wait for a recommendation from the Recycling Committee. A price of $11,000 to $12,000 (pesos) has been approved by the Officers.


    The garbage site will also contain a rest area for walkers along Calle Las Minitas. Grass and a bench will be installed.


    There is a hole behind the garbage site and Ron will check on filling it with dirt. He and Manuel will ask Raul to donate the machine time.


    Manuel spoke with Aldamaria about the work Ron did yesterday to clear the debris and sand beside her house. She resides in the yellow house on the beach, formerly owned by Peter O'Toole. The rain water flows in front of her house and around the side of her property on the way to the ocean. It was full of leaves and branches from trees and bushes. She's very appreciative of the assistance and eager to help Amigos in the future. Sr. Pena will pay the bill for the clearing of debris.

  • Recycling

    Ana explained that the Punta Mita Foundation and the Peace Organization are creating labels for recycling containers for all cities along the Riviera Nayarit coastline. The labels will be similar and therefore, recognizable. Manuel suggested installing temporary containers in the RV parks along the beach and the Recycling Committee will ferry them to the collection center in San Pancho.


    Aldamaria would like to construct a collection site for recyclables at her house on Calle Las Minitas. Her location provides easy access to most people in town and using labels from the Punta Mita/Peace organization, it will be easily identifiable. Some voiced disagreement saying the area has washed away during heavy rains, and the location will be unsightly on the main tourist road of Lo de Marcos. When people are accustomed to one location, it's difficult to change it. After the opposition was considered, the Recycling Committee agreed to meet with Sr. Pena to find a location for the collection of recyclables.

  • Membership

    Jacque reported two new members, both from Canada

  • Signs

    No activity reported.

  • Website

    David reported that emails announcing the website were sent to all members and offered appreciation to many people:

    Dulce and Lupita for translation work.

    Ana for brochure information.

    Jacque for the treasurer's reports, the PayPal investigation, the River Walk story, the membership and email lists.

    Werner for the report on the Garbage Committee's work.

    Ron for the suggestion about implementing PayPal.

New Business

  • None.

Open Discussion

  • David reported the approval of three changes made by the Officers Committee relating to committees.

      • 1.  A member of a permanent committee must be a resident of Lo de Marcos for more than six months.

        2.  If a person is a resident of Lo de Marcos for less than six months, they may be a member of a temporary committee.

        3.  The chairperson of a committee need not be bi-lingual

Meeting adjourned