meeting Minutes

MINUTES
NERC Board Meeting
April 1, 2004

Present
Board Members: Chris Way, NH, President of the Board; John Trevor, RI, Vice-President; George MacDonald, ME, Treasurer; Jeff Bednar, PA; Brenda Grober, NY ESD; Jeff Schmitt, NY DEC; Guy Watson, NJ; Brooke Nash, MA DEP; Peter Allison, MA DEP; Carolyn Grodinsky, VT

Advisory Members: Marie Kruzan, ANJR; Chip Foley, SRI; John Manak, Con Edison
Staff - Lynn Rubinstein, Executive Director and Secretary; Mary Ann Remolador, Assistance Director; Chaille Blais, Office Manager

Recorder: Chaille Blais

Conference Feedback: Discussion focused on the increased quality of the speakers and the continuity of the topics over the two-day conference. It was suggested to begin the conference with a topic overview and then have subsequent speakers go more in depth.

Vendor Issues: Mary Ann reported that two of the three vendors were very happy and reported having made great contacts at the conference. The remaining vendor wanted more than what was verbally agreed upon prior to the conference. John Manak suggested that guidelines be developed and we obtain a signed agreement from the vendors.

Attendance: There was discussion regarding the timing of the conferences and how that may negatively impact the attendance. Having conferences at the end of the month and during the March/April timeframe is not good timing for many companies/organizations. It was decided that though the conference fees have increased, NERC is flexible enough to give discounted rates if people ask, and that price isn't the reason why attendance has dropped as of late.

Marketing: This topic was discussed in relation to attendance and it was suggested that we do a "Save the Date" postcard a couple months prior to the event and then follow up with a flyer. John Manak offered to distribute the flyer to his contact group, which NERC does not have in the database and suggested that other businesses could do the same. Brooke shared that she thought municipalities should be more represented at the conferences and she would do more aggressive outreach in Massachusetts. Carolyn noted that having the supervisory level employees from the states attend would make them more cognizant of the benefits to be had from coming to NERC conferences. Carolyn and Brooke agreed to be a marketing sub-committee within the Planning Committee to better address these issues.

Topics for upcoming conferences:

• International recycling efforts
• Items not being recycled
• Domestic Plastics Market Dying
• Markets for Industrial By-Products
• Education in the Schools
• Re-framing the Recycling Message

Brenda and Marie will contribute more topic ideas and speaker suggestions. Chris noted that conflict is okay as long as it is well managed, so we need not avoid potentially fractious discussions.

Board Retreat:

• Lynn proposed that the group meet in the summer (Aug. 4^th-6^th) to discuss the following:
• Operating Plan FY '05
• Fiscal Security
• Ways to Reinvigorate & Retain Interest in NERC
• State Membership Dues and how the by-laws impact membership
• The Face of NERC - what do members expect/need from us?

Lynn said that she envisions the full Board being there for Aug 4^th and maybe half of the following day, and then the Executive Committee would meet for the balance of the time.

Board Officers: Lynn welcomed the NY contingent to the group. Due to changes in New Hampshire's program, Chris can no longer be a Board member and it is time to do nominations and voting for new Board members. Lynn will contact everyone for nominations and then a formal vote will take place via email.

Annual Letters of Appointment to the Board: Lynn asked that she be given these letters, on agency letterhead, no later than September 1^st.

Fundraising - grants and projects. NY markets database has turned into a potential 5-year project to gather information on market outlets throughout NY, New England, and southern Canada.

Toxics in Packaging Clearinghouse - NERC has submitted a proposal to assume the administration for this effort. A decision is expected May 1^st, with a July 1 start date. 21 states are eligible for membership in the Clearinghouse, but not all have joined. If awarded the contract, Patty Dillon, Dillon Environmental Associates, would be retained as a dedicated consultant to staff the project.

Staffing Update: Moon's hours have been increased to 35 hours per week. Jessica Wozniak, Project Manager, will be at 25 hours per week soon. Mary Ann is the primary supervisor for the staff's program work.

Advisory Dues: Lynn reports that the new structure for Advisory Memberships has had positive results. We now have 20 paying advisory members that have contributed $15,250.

Treasurer's Report: George referred everyone to the budget handout and noted that the budget is doing well. Expenses were less than projected, and the $22, 000 shortfall in state dues has not had too much of an impact on cash flow. Overall, the financial forecast is good.