West Norwalk Association September 2019 Board Meeting
Date: September 9, 2019
Board members in attendance: Ken D’Arinzo, Stephen Galyas, Brian Forschino, Anthony Carrano, Kristin Clemens, Rob Notley
The meeting commenced at 7:37pm.
Old Business
Treasurer’s Report
Kristin reported to the board members in attendance that the West Norwalk Association’s funds have neither significantly increased nor decreased since the previous board meeting.
Annual Meeting
Brian Forschino has been in contact with the owner of the Oak Hills Clubhouse Grille since our previous board meeting, and has confirmed that this year’s WNA Annual Meeting will take place at the Clubhouse Grille on October 24th at 7:00pm.
Ken D’Arinzo and Isabelle Hargrove (not present at tonight’s meeting) have confirmed that both Democratic and Republican candidates will be attending the meeting. Each candidate that represents the West Norwalk district will be allowed to speak for 5 minutes, while all other candidates will be allowed 2 minutes. Anthony proposed that we increase the time limit for non-district candidates to 3 minutes, but the board agreed to not make this change.
Anthony will present the WNA President’s Update at the Annual Meeting.
The board members in attendance discussed the food and drinks that will be made available at the Annual Meeting.
Ken mentioned that, most likely, more people will attend this year’s Annual Meeting than in previous years due to 2019 being a mayoral year.
Anthony suggested that we ask the Clubhouse Grille to prepare either crudités or cookies and coffee, along with a cash bar.
Kristin suggested that we choose the dessert option.
Brian mentioned that 7:00 is the time that people who work in the city usually get off the train, and that they may be looking for more than desserts.
The board members in attendance agreed that we will ask the Clubhouse Grille to prepare desserts and coffee. The board members in attendance also agreed upon the budget for food.
Brian will update the membership forms prior to the Annual Meeting.
Annual Newsletter
Kristin asked the board members in attendance if we are planning to send out this year’s Annual Newsletter prior to the Annual Meeting so neighbors can read it before attending our meeting. Anthony said that he is aiming for neighbors to receive the newsletter prior to the Annual Meeting.
Anthony has reached out to St. Matthew’s Church for an update on their recreation center, LaKota Oaks, and Ponus Ridge Middle School for updates on their construction. He will also be reaching out to Oak Hills Golf Course in the coming days.
Anthony proposed that this year, we offer ad spaces in the newsletter to West Norwalk residents and businesses. The board agreed. West Norwalk residents/businesses will be able to purchase a 1/8-page ad space for $150, and each ad will be reviewed by the West Norwalk Association board members.
Stephen will send an email blast to West Norwalk residents informing them of this option.
Holiday Party
During previous WNA board meetings, WNA board members have discussed the potential to host this year’s West Norwalk Association Holiday Party at LaKota Oaks. During these meetings, the board members agreed that the Holiday Party will occur on or around December 6.
Anthony had reached out to LaKota Oaks asking about their availability, and they recently contacted him to inform him that, unfortunately, another party has their main entertainment space occupied during the evening of December 6.
Anthony also mentioned to the board members that, in the past, he has scheduled for events to be held in a large room that is located in another area of LaKota Oaks. He suggested that we inquire about reserving this room. However, he did mention that this room is not as nice as LaKota Oaks’ main entertainment space, and that they will most likely not have it decorated for our party. The board members in attendance did not like this idea.
Several board members asked if we can move the Holiday Party to another date and inquire about LaKota Oak’s availability on this new date. Anthony will get in touch with LaKota Oaks and inquire about booking their main entertainment room for December 5th.
A major concern to the West Norwalk Association is the cost of hosting the Holiday Party at LaKota Oaks. Anthony has been in touch with their head caterer, and they have provided us with a quote for food and drinks. After a 30% “good neighbor discount”, which includes one-and-a-half hours of hor d’oeuvres, cookies, coffees, and teas, as well as a cash bar with special rates, the cost would be $5,200 for 150 guests, or approximately $52 per person. The board members in attendance were outraged and agreed that if we are going to host our Holiday Party at LaKota Oaks, we will need to re-negotiate this price. Anthony is going to get in touch with LaKota Oaks and report their response to the board
members.
The board members in attendance briefly discussed the idea of contacting other possible venues for our Holiday Party, but the board members agreed to wait until we hear back from LaKota Oaks.
New Business
No new business was discussed at tonight’s meeting.
The meeting adjourned at 8:14pm.
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