Emerald Ash Borer has forced the city of Minnetonka foresters to remove or treat more than 60,000 ash trees. This leaves a huge surplus of cut branches and logs. Currently, metro-area cities pay a fee to ship their extra mulch to a dump site.
But anyone who has seen the price of lumber lately might wonder: why wouldn’t a city try to make use of these surplus ash logs? KFAI’s Timothy Foss visited some Minnetonka foresters at their new sawmill to learn how they are doing just that.
Today on MinneCulture, we’re headed all the way back to 1900, when Minneapolis was a very different place than it is now. As the mill capital of the world, Minneapolis was packed to the brim with seasonal workers, thriving brothels, and scheming card sharks. But to Mayor Albert Alonzo Ames, it was just a piggy bank waiting to be smashed open. Over the course of a year and a half, Ames turned the Minneapolis Police Department into the most powerful crime ring the city had ever seen.
In the newest episode of the MinneCulture podcast, Tony Williams tells the story of the rise and fall of Mayor Ames. Listen to MinneCulture wherever you get your podcasts or right here on KFAI.
(This document is also available publicly at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TbWlIyWSx879aDKHuslf_yZx9slB4yXinaXHyp59HSQ/edit?usp=sharing)
The March board packet can be found at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1N5aGvoB046QUZ0HButBNmzpxYqE12j_Z
Kevin called the meeting to order at 7:03, read the mission statement and land acknowledgement. Jacque volunteered to serve as timekeeper.
Members in attendance: Kevin, Jacque, Chris, Michael, TJ, David
Members absent: none!
KFAI Staff present: Nora
Public guests: Willie Dominguez
Kevin thanked everyone for supporting him in his work – this feels like a cool time for KFAI and he is excited! Please let me know if he can help in any way. “We have a lot to do.”
The agenda was amended with a new item of board business and closed session at the end and approved unanimously.
Minutes were approved unanimously.
Willie joined us during board business
Jacque presented her notes from the board orientation/retreat, which can be found in the board packet.
Some board members may still need to sign several policies and acknowledgements.
We look forward to further meetings with Sam Choo!
Discussion turned to finding candidates to fill vacant board seats.
Kevin asked if there was any sort of document or narrative we could share with potential board members – a “why serve on the board?” to share. If we didn’t have such a document, he would be willing to help work on one – or a new one.
Jacque suggested LinkedIn might be a good place to seek candidates and also find inspiration in how other nonprofits are doing things. Kevin agreed that finding other groups and people in alignment with us would be a very good thing.
This also dovetails with finding potential people to serve on the Community Advisory Board.
Nora linked us to https://kfai.org/now-accepting-candidate-applications-for-kfai-fresh-air-board-of-directors/ which was also the cart text we have used in the past few election cycles.
TJ asked why we can’t seem to retain people. How can we invite people who are interested in staying for a longer haul than have been?
Jacque said that prepping candidates for the reality of serving on the board ahead of them joining will help. Seeking candidates already serving on like-minded nonprofit boards will also help because they will already be cognizant of “how heavy [the] lift(s)” are. We may also find a way to bring in diversity of veterans vs. newbies in terms of nonprofit board experience.
Nora had some suggestions for how we could sell people on board service as well. She said something about “fun?” I may have missed that.
Jacque recommended one hour followup meetings with Sam to help us remain focused on strategic planning, CAB and governance.
7:43 Nora’s report is available in the packet.
One additional item not mentioned in the report – plans for KFAI to host an open house during Open Streets Cedar Riverside (Sunday, August 20, 2023)
7:56 Jacque didn’t have a report tonight. There were some issues getting the updated financials in time. A report will be attached to the board packet when it is available and next month Jacque will present both this month and next month’s report.
7:57 Kevin challenged the rest of the board to contribute strategies for recruitment, both for the Board of Directors and the Community Advisory Board. “How can we reach into the community for great representation?”
David asked if it might be a good idea to reach out to our larger donors and see if they had interest – or at least suggestions. Nora said she could generate a list of potential contacts for engagement. David suggested board members see if any names are familiar and we could make some phone calls.
Willie suggested we start posting more bulletin board calls for participation to show we are welcoming. He also suggested past board members who may not necessarily want to go back to being a board member might still like to volunteer on committees or assist in outreach efforts. How about some carts to announce we’re seeking committee participation? “Whatever our efforts, we have to be welcoming.” He suggested that our previous outreach committee notes could be found in the files.
8:10 Willie is happy to be here! “We just gotta keep pushing – I hope we can invite more people to the process – open those doors up a little more.”
8:13 The board entered closed session for discussion of staffing roles and evaluations.
8:58 Motion to adjourn passed.
Respectfully submitted,
Christopher R. Zimmerman
Secretary
This week, Dominic Labbe from Humanware chats with Sam and Charlie about the third generation of the Victor Reader Stream! Also don’t forget to donate to KFAI at kfai.org!!
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Dr. Antony Stately is the Executive Officer and President for the Native American Community Clinic in south Minneapolis, which provides primary care, dental care, and behavioral health services the Twin Cities Native American community.
In this episode of I’m Awake with Robert Pilot, courtesy of AM950 Radio, Dr. Stately shares with hosts Robert Pilot and Ogimaa Giniw Ikwe his own experiences recovering from COVID, prior to vaccination availability, and makes a case for getting the bivalent booster, especially for those 65+.
This month’s Fresh Air, Inc. Board of Directors meeting takes place on MONDAY, MARCH 27, 2023, at 7:00 pm.
Please Note
This is a virtual meeting; participants can participate online or by phone.
If you have questions about the meeting or wish to add an agenda item, please email board@kfai.org before the meeting. In addition, the Board roster, contact information, previous board minutes, and financials are available at kfai.org/board.
KFAI Board meetings are open to the public, and everyone interested will be encouraged to attend. The meeting begins promptly at 7 pm.
Meeting Details
Monday, March 27, 2023, starting at 7:00 pm (CT).
Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEqcemgqTksH9Mi4MeC2_uO1UPXSAoYLRFv
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
The packet of public documents for this month’s meeting can be found at: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1N5aGvoB046QUZ0HButBNmzpxYqE12j_Z
Weaponized Incompetence:
Emily Colay, Samantha Stinson Preston, John Lunak
This week, Sam and Charlene talk to Nancy and Peter Torpey from the podcast “Eyes on Success.” Also, it’s our pledge time. Please show your monetary support to KFAI, go to kfai.org to pledge!
