The Mountain Board Matters
A regular meeting of The Mountain Board of Trustees was held February 21-23, 2014.
Ted Wisniewski presented the end-of-year financial report for FY2013, which showed that the revenue and expenses were balanced. The budget for 2014 was approved by the Board.
Matt Velker, Facilities Manager, presented an update on the improvements to the facilities, including the wells and waste water system. He also reported that long-needed repairs are being made to the electrical systems in the White Oak office building and the Craft Barn. The Mountain's WiFi capability will be enhanced by running fiber to service the buildings at the bottom of The Mountain. Trustees were invited to view the progress in the conversion of the Milestone offices to a 4-bedroom, 2-bath guest cabin that will be handicapped accessible.
Leadership Development Team
The Board is in the process of finalizing the slate of nominations for Trustees 2014-2015.
The team piloted the use of a Nominations Committee with two appointed members who were not current trustees.
The Board will review the results of this initiative and determine next steps for 2014-2015. The Leadership Development Team also recommended that an ad hoc committee of trustees be formed to propose a new model of governance for the Board.
Institutional Advancement Team
Reported the results of the 2013 Annual Campaign, debt reduction, and discussed the current status of The Mountain Patch property at the base.
Interim Director's Report
2013 was a successful year for The Mountain. For the third consecutive year The Mountain has grown stronger as a result of increased programming and contributions. The Mountain's 2013 year-end statement continues to support our financial optimism. A huge thanks to you, our Mountain family.
The Mountain staff values every guest, every youth and every member. The Mountain staff are good stewards with the Mountain's property and your charitable contributions. We know the difference every dollar makes and are working hard to get the most out of them. Since approximately one third of our revenue comes from our generous donors, I want to share some of our 2013 successes.
A well-timed $5,000 donation for buildings was used to replace eight out-of-date propane heaters in the bunkhouse cabins. The vendor sold us the new heaters at cost and charged labor for only six of them.
Bob and Carolyn Hargrove donated $100,000 towards improving our water and wastewater systems, to include three major improvements...road to the wastewater treatment plant, well house, and sewer line. Through much research and comparative bidding, Mountain staff stretched those dollars to improve a total of eight aspects of the water system.
Children from more than 60 families were given the opportunity to attend MountainCamp thanks to donations made for MountainCamp scholarships.
An anonymous $30,000 donation was used to pay off debt held by The Mountain. This gift was used to retire promissory notes and inspire others to forgive demand notes and accrued interest. This generosity has made a substantial improvement in The Mountain's balance sheet.
The Many Hands Peace Farm at The Mountain received donations, in terms of money, seeds, mulch, and tools. The popularity and success of our garden program has lead to a $2,500 donation to start a "garden internship program" in February 2014.
A $50,000 gift was given with another gift pledged for 2014 from Joni Winston to help mend our one-lane two-way road to the top of The Mountain. We can't wait for this to happen.
At Homecoming this Memorial Day weekend, I will share more details about these and other Mountain improvements. Please join us, so we can tell you how your dollars are really making a difference.
Homecoming & Annual Meeting
Memorial Day Weekend
May 23-26
This Memorial Day tradition is an inter-generational weekend full of fun and family with a little bit of work mixed in.
Enjoy Steve O'Neil from Earthshine Nature, a grass-roots non profit that works to promote wildlife conservation and education through unique outreach programs. In addition participants will have the opportunity to enjoy an astronomy workshop, herbal tour of the mountain, Mind-Body Strengthening and Empowerment Yoga Workshop and a concert by Lee Knight, and many other exciting workshops and opportunities. Register online today!
Don't forget to sign up for Volunteer Weekend April 18-20.
Look forward to a forthcoming News Blast describing 2014 Programs.
