February 2018 Meeting Minutes

Call to order Meeting was called to order by President Mary Lou Kriner at 12:03 followed by the flag salute. Minutes The minutes from August were read and approved. Treasurer’s Report None. Membership Invoices for upcoming dues will be mailed out on October 1, which will include a reminder of Nov 1 deadline. Guest speakers Greg Gardinier gave input on the Chamber website upgrade, asking the board to ponder the question: “What industries are we trying to help?” with one possibility being that the Chamber focus on ( by means of the Chamber website) hiking, biking, and hunting that bring tourists to the area. Suggested using a drone to get good footage for website. Suggested new logo; scalable. Will try to have a rough website mock-up done by the October Chamber meeting, but might not be able to finish the project this year. It was suggested that the Chamber assign a committee to work on the website planning over the course of the next 6 months. Shayla Wiggins reports: The cost for the Chamber to sponsor the art fair estimated at 200.00. This would pay for flyers as well as banner. Options were discussed. No action yet taken. TVBRC Nothing to report. RV Park Ahead of projections, at 12,635.00 Old business The motion to participate in this year’s Knowlton family corn-maze passed. New business The seasonal lights around the visitors center and the town Christmas tree need to be refreshed/replaced. The public works crew are charged with this task. A suggestion to get strings of light with replaceable bulbs was made. The issue of hiring a band to play Friday during Winterfest was discussed. The event has been held at the Kuhler in previous years, with the band costing 500.00, and the income from admission fees coming in at about 500.00 as well. The final monies from this event go to the Samaritan Riders, for funding Christmas presents for needy families. It was suggested that, if the Chamber goes forward with this event this year, that the Samaritan Riders be asked to help collect admissions fees at the doors. Another suggestion was made that the Chamber not throw this event this year, and instead spend the money on events for children during the Winterfest festivities. With no consensus reached, the issue was tabled for the next meeting. A new cabinet of Chamber Officers will be elected in December. Those interested in running need to make their intentions known to the board. The membership was asked to brainstorm Banquet themes to pitch at the next Chamber meeting. The CCC will hold an Emergency membership meeting on September 15th at 2pm. Meeting adjourned 12:59

Call to order Meeting was called to order by President Mary Lou Kriner at 12:02 followed by the flag salute. Minutes The minutes from June were read and approved. Treasurer’s Report None. Membership Dues are coming up. If paid by 11/1, members will be included in the info-book. A campaign for new members was brought up, and two methods were discussed: Going door to door, and mailing invitations to new businesses. Guest speakers Attorney Dale Crandall announced his expansion project, with law offices in Okanogan and Twisp in development. With the addition of a new attorney, Robert Schiesser, the practice will be expanding and able to take on a greater variety of cases. Shayla Wiggins announced her plans to host a one day Art & craft market sometime in spring/summer 2020. The market would give under-represented and unique medium artists (such as sculptors) a chance to sell their work. At the first sale, artists will not have to pay a fee for having a booth. The event may also include live music, as a way to feature local musicians. The Chamber seems to be interested in providing sponsorship for the event, once the plans are finalized and we are closer to the date of said event. TVBRC Nothing new to report. Will close for winter by the beginning of October. RV Park Law enforcement has been called to address issues with travelers sleeping on the park tables. This year, the park has earned: 8,292.00 for camp spaces 1,046.00 for water use 1,032.00 for garbage service Current Total= 10,370.00 The budget was made for 12,000 originally, so we are currently 1,568.00 (1,630.00) short of that goal. There have been many public comments to the effect that the park has improved greatly over the years. The ideas of adding a shower and laundromat to the park were brought up. Old business The Chamber’s web presence was discussed. It was suggested that the chamber attach more photos to the google listing for the RV Park to attract more travelers. Regarding the art installments from Beyond the Frame:To be Native ; It was brought to the attention of the Chamber that the artwork received was much smaller than anticipated, and that it had been suggested by Amanda Jackson that we might blow up the images and make them into vinyl posters for shop windows. Possibilities for the project will continue to be investigated. New business With Winterfest coming up (December 6 & 7), members were asked to keep a lookout for candidates for this year’s Santa. The business of the month for the following months were decided: August: The Old Creamery September: Crandall Law (Tentatively, might switch months) October: The Okanogan Family Faire November: The American Legion December: to be decided at the next meeting It was suggested that the Chamber could go Facebook Live with some of the local businesses, possibly partnering with the High School leadership class for interviewers. The Garlic Festival is August 23 (12:00-8:00), and August 24 (11:00-8:00). There will be locally grown garlic for sale. Tickets for 2019 Okanogan Family Faire are available for purchase online. The event has been bringing in many well known music acts in recent years, and has seen an increase in attendees attracted to the faire because of the bands. The Okanogan County Economic Alliance has trainings and resources available to local businesses. The American Legion is hosting a pig roast on September 14. It will be open to the public, with a cost of 12.00 per plate. The CCC will be holding a reception for the art walk artists at 4pm on September 15th. The Chamber discussed having a free community BBQ on September 15th, from 2:00-4:00, just before the CCC’s reception. . Meeting adjourned 1:31pm.

Call to Order Meeting was called to order by President Mary Lou Kriner at 12:04 followed by the flag salute. Treasurer’s Report None. Membership 58 current Chamber members. Guest Speaker None. TVBRC The TVBRC is now open for the season. RV Park The park is now open, and doing well. The new WiFi reaches throughout the entire park. The sprinkler system needs fixed, and the Porta-Potty needs more frequent servicing, which will be looked into. Old Business Lee attended the Aviation conference, with upwards of 12,000 people in attendance. He gave away approximately 1,200 apples and 350 packages of sliced apples to promote tourism in our county. The Kuhler music event raised 584.00, which will provide 13 free swimming lessons for local kids. With contributions from Parks & Recreation, we will collectively be able to offer 24 lessons this year! Tonasket Pharmacy was slated to be the next Business of the month, but as they will not yet be open, the Kuhler was voted as the Business of the Month for July. The Founders Day parade went well, with 53 parade entries; up from 51 in 2018. There were 8 runners at the fun-run. There were 5 entries for the 1st Annual Soapbox Derby. Parade winners were listed and will be posted for public viewing in the newspaper and on the Chamber website. New Business Additions to the website were discussed, and Sara agreed to take a look and try to make some improvements. Marylou presented two candidates for President; Heather Brownlee and Sara Dunn. An open call was given to those interested in doing anything for Halloween, and it was suggested that we get in touch with the Knowltons, who have a well attended Corn-Maze type event at their property every year, and see how we might be able to assist with or add to their event. Community Announcements The Fathers day fly-in is coming up, and there will be 12 dollar steak dinner. Kids fly for free. The Wenatchee Children's Circus will be performing June 22. The new Tonasket information brochure was passed around, and members were instructed to give feedback, comparing it to the Conconully pamphlet. It was brought to the group's attention that new teachers will be coming to the area, and interviews were recently conducted for a High School principal. Sitzmark Ski hill will possibly work with the Lions club to get insurance to operate next season. The Lions club will host a yard sale at the Lutheran church next Saturday, June 22. Meeting Adjourned Chamber will take July off and be back on August 13th.