Archive of Past Minutes
2005 Minutes - An archive of minutes from June 2005 through December 2005 - 28 pages - 164 KB - pdf
2006 Minutes - An archive of minutes from January 2006 through December 2006 - 29 pages - 181 KB -pdf
2007 Minutes - An archive of minutes from January 2007 through November 2007- 29 pages - 136 KB -pdf
2008 Minutes - An archive of minutes from January 2008 through December 2008 - 26 pages - 127 KB -pdf
2009 Minutes - An archive of minutes from January 2009 through December 2009 - 19 pages - 57 KB - pdf
2010 Minutes - An archive of minutes from January 2010 through November 20010 - 13 pages - 62 KB - pdf
Minutes from meetings in 2011
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Sep | Oct | Nov
January 18th, 2011
In attendance: Ed Taggart, Merv Burton, Emily Ankney, Marc Roy, Bo Hysong, Marissa Geib, Nick Lautzenheister, Gary Miller, John Slack, Tyler Issacs, Maureen Wise, Mike Farber, Gary Alkire, Rebecca Alkire, Belle Everett, Chelsea (KSU student)
President Ed Taggart called the meeting to order at 5:35pm.
Belle Everett presented the treasurers report. There was an deposit of $120 to the general Huff Run account, bringing the balance to $8,282.65. It was motioned to be accepted by Bo Hysong, and was seconded by Mike Farber.
The January minutes were approved. Motioned by Belle Everett and seconded by Merv Burton.
Old Business
Community Mural: Emily presented the idea of creating a community mural to the Village Council, and they did not like the idea for the Huff Run building (it is rented from Village Council). However, the idea is not dead as she is exploring other options, and it was discussed about possibly painting the mural on the Post Office instead. Ideas were taken to be incorporated into the mural, and historical photographs were passed around. Any concept will be presented to the community and village council for approval before going forth. Emily is also working on getting a grant to pay for the paint and possibly scaffolding needed.
February Fundraiser: Maureen and Emily are excited to announce that Taggarts (in Magnolia) has agreed to donate 10% of its income from Tuesday, February 15, 2011 to Huff Run for the “I Heart Huff Run” fundraiser. Everyone is invited to go and eat ice cream, and do their part to support Huff Run. It is also the day of our next meeting, so it was decided that we will hold the meeting there. It will run at its normal time, 5:30pm, and everyone can come and order food and participate in a Huff Run meeting.
Community Garden: Emily is also working on another community improvement activity. She has been looking into creating a community garden in a vacant lot that the village owns, and has approached council about the idea. They greatly approve, and said that she can go ahead into the planning phase. The EEC (Environmental Explorers Club) will help maintain the garden, and more details will be worked out. Belle Everett interjected that she is involved with Crossroads RC&D Council, and they are very interested in helping Huff Run with this project. She will put the coordinator in touch with Emily so they can touch base.
Grant Update: There is nothing to report for grants this month. Muskingham Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD) announced that final decisions for their grants will be awarded in February; we have 2 grants waiting for a decision by them.
New Business
Project/Grant Update: Junes Pond, the project adjacent to Fern Hill, is completely done now. ODNR completely funded this small project. Lyonns phase II is bidding currently, and is expected to include a settling pond. It will begin construction in summer of 2011. Acid Pitt phase II is also being considered as a possible site for some mitigation work to be done by Valley Mining Co. More information on that will be presented when it is available. We are closing our 319 grant, as the project it funded has been completed. We are also closing our OEEF grant, as it paid for education activities last year. We are opening and starting a grant with the Office of Surface Mining for the Lyonns phase II project. We are still awaiting news concerning our grant with the MWCD; we have found out that our septic upgrade grant has not procedded into the final round of consideration, but our Awareness Days grant has. We should know in mid-Febuary whether or not we were awarded it. Maureen is also working on a new 319 grant for HR-38, and will be submitting that in the future. Emily is working on a grant from Dominion to help fund our possible mural project.
Window Clings: Maureen informed the group that we are down to fewer than 5 window clings. This is the gift we give to new members, and it was decided that we would like to continue giving something as a thank you gift. Maureen will go ahead and order more window clings, even though they have gone up in price.
15th Year Anniversary: On August 16th, Huff Run will have our 15th year meeting. It was discussed about the celebration, and it was decided that it would be a good idea that we celebrate it on the normal Tuesday night because weekends get too busy. More details will be worked out and discussed in the future.
Crossroads RC&D Council meeting: The annual meeting will be held on Friday, Febuary 18th at 9:30 am. Huff Run gets one free seat, as we are getting an award, and in the past 3 other members have gone. It was decided that Huff Run will pay for Emily, Ed, and Marissa to attend this year.
Correspondence: None
Ed Taggart adjourned the meeting at 6:44pm.
As a reminder, our next meeting will be held at Taggarts in Magnolia on Tuesday, February 15, 2011 at 5:30 pm. You are invited to come have dinner and ice cream with us as we conduct our meeting!
Respectfully submitted by Marissa R. Geib, Secretary.
February 15th, 2011
In attendance: Ed Taggart, Merv and Marlene Burton, Emily Ankney, Marc Roy, Cliff Seemann, Marissa Geib, Maureen Wise, Nick Lautzenheister, Jim Toms, Sonny Halter, Gary Alkire, Rebecca Alkire, Belle Everett, Rose Geib, and Lauren Geib
President Ed Taggart called the meeting to order at 5:38pm at Taggarts, in Magnolia, Ohio, as part of our “I <3 Huff Run” Fundraiser.
Belle Everett presented the treasurers report. There was no change from the previous month’s balance, making the total $8,282.65. It was motioned to be accepted by Sonny Halter, and was seconded by Nick Lautezenheister.
The January minutes were approved. Motioned by Belle Everett and seconded by Nick Lautezenheister.
Old Business
Decals: We have gotten a quote to order more of the window decals we present to new members. They would be $4.26 each, which is quite close to the $5 memberships most new members get. This price is at a discounted rate; normally they would be $6.56 each! So far, we have given out 150 since we started handing them out. Ideas were discussed as to other membership rewards, and it was decided to go ahead and purchase 125, so we would get a further price reduction. Belle motioned for the purchased, and Marissa Geib seconded it.
New Business
Project/Grant Update: We are looking into some new grants for future funding, including Buehler’s “Scenic River Coffee Co.” grant and also possible funding from the Sandy Valley Eagles. This month we did turn in a Miller Coors grant for riparian plantings along the stream bank. ODNR will once again offer to fund summer internships, so we will be applying to receive that funding. We are still waiting to hear about our grant with the MWCD; our Awareness Days grant has progressed to the final round of funding. We should know this week or next whether or not we were awarded it. Maureen is also working on a new 319 grant for HR-38, and will be submitting that in the future along with a new OSM grant. We have officially closed our OEEF grant and are still in the process of reporting and closing our OEPA 319 grant. Emily is still working on the grant from Dominion to help fund our possible mural project, and she is also looking for grant funding for our community garden project.
As far as projects go, the Fern Hill Project (HR-42) is looking quite different lately, with a new system being installed to eliminate some challenges that have come up to sampling. ODNR is continuing the design for HR-38, and currently the rights of entry are being sought. A new engineer has been assigned the Farr II project, so thoughts are getting moving on that as well. Finally, the Lyons II project has been bid and was awarded to Diamond Construction.
Water Quality Update: We have had good news from ODNR and OEPA! The scores are in from our summer’s MAIS (bug) and IBI (fish) sampling studies this summer, and our watershed has progressed leaps and bounds from the first study conducted. Four sites were studied, and all of them have reported higher IBI “scores” than the previous study. The scores take into account both the quantity and the rarity and variety of fish found in the watershed.
Correspondence: None
President Ed Taggart adjourned the meeting at 6:44pm.
Thank you to everyone who came to the meeting and also ate dinner and had ice cream at Taggarts in Magnolia! Our “I <3 Huff Run” Fundraiser was a success, with over $400 dollars raised, and a great night had by all members who attended!
Respectfully submitted by Marissa R. Geib, Secretary.
March 15th, 2011
In attendance: Emily Ankney, Bo Hysong, Nick Lautzenheiser, Kevin Merritt, Eva Price, Marc Roy, Ed Taggart, Maureen Wise
Ed Taggart called the meeting to action at 5:37 pm in the Huff Run office
The Treasurer’s Report was passed around by Maureen Wise (as the treasurer, Belle Everett was not in attendance). We did not have enough members in attendance to accept and it was decided we will accept the treasurer’s report at the April meeting
Huff Run did not have minutes to approve (as the secretary, Marissa Geib was not in attendance). It was decided that we will accept them at the April meeting
Old Business:
Fundraiser Results: Taggart’s Ice Cream gave us only $100. Huff Run received $300 in donations. It was decided that this would not be done again because Huff Run did not make enough. It was decided that Huff Run would try to come up with a new fundraiser for the summer.
Community Garden: Emily Ankney has reached Chris Zoller about testing the soil to make sure it can be used to plant and there is a meeting set up to do the testing in April. Huff Run would like to try to get the mulch and seeds donated. There was discussion on whether we would charge for the plots. This discussion was tabled and will wait until plans on the garden move further along.
New Business:
Project Reprioritization: At Huff Run’s most recent TAC meeting with ODNR, attended by Emily Ankney and Maureen Wise, and based on the AMDAT sampling and macros/fish sampling it was decided that we will keep working on our biggest loader sites. These include: Farr phase II, HR36, Lyons phase II, Fern Hill concrete CSA injections, Ed’s Wetland, the gob piles at HR38, Harsha S and the stream restoration. ODNR will not go forward with any other projects unless there are significant changes. These include: Acid Pit phase II, Fern Hill, Harsha S, HR 38 and HR 25.
After the projects are done, ODNR would be done with Huff Run and it would be as restored as it could be.
Project/Grant Update: Grants: MWCD for our education grant is holding off until March to determine the award, Buehlers grant program would work for our education grant, so, if MWCD does not come through, we have Buehlers as a possibility as well. Closed the OEEF grant. We are waiting on the OEPA 319 grant because of conflicts in applying for one with other watersheds under Rural Action, Norcross Grant allows us to apply for money for better equipment, we did get our intern grant from ODNR for this summer, there are a few grants being looked at for the community garden by Emily Ankney
Projects: Lyons: the contract is not done yet
Awareness Days: The Awareness Days are scheduled! They will be on May 6th, May 13th, May 20th, May 26th. More info is to come!
Photo contest: In the past we have given 1st place $50, 2nd place $30, and 3rd place $20 to total $100. Do we want to move forward with this same thing for this year, our ninth annual photo contest? This was not approved due to low attendance, however, we will move forward with this as in the past.
Correspondence: Huff Run was in the paper recently because we received a new award from Crossroads RC&D. This was an appreciation award for allowing them to use some of our sites for their training of their members.
The meeting was adjourned by Ed Taggart
Respectfully Submitted by Emily C. Ankney, AmeriCorps Member
April 19th 2011
In attendance: Ed Taggart, Merv Burton, Eva Price, Marc Roy, Emily Ankeny, Maureen Wise, Bo Hysong, Gary Alkire, Nick Lautzenheiser, Belle Everett, Marissa Geib
The meeting was called to order at 5:36 by President Ed Taggart.
Belle Everett presented the treasurers report. There was a little activity with donations and awareness day checks, bringing the balance to $10,041.28. It was motioned to be accepted by Nick Lautzenheiser, and was seconded by Merv Burton.
The January minutes were approved, pending a reading suspension by Belle Everette. Bo Hysong motioned to accept them, and Marissa Geib seconded.
Old Business
Community Mural: Emily updated the group on the changes to the Community Mural planning. A new designer is working on the project, Marc Roy, a graphic design major from Kent State University. Also, Emily has secured the Mineral City garage as the building to house the mural, with the side facing the park as the one to be painted. Emily is also working on getting a grant to pay for the paint and possibly scaffolding needed.
Community Garden: Emily is also continuing working on the community garden project, but there have been a few obstacles materialize. Mineral City owns far less of the property that the garden was going on than we originally thought, and the area they do own is very gravely and rocky. So, she is looking into grants to cover the costs of putting raised beds onto the property. The soil has not yet been tested.
Awareness Days: Emily has been busy doing the pre-awareness day classroom presentations, visiting multiple schools already. Volunteer sign-ups were discussed and passed around, and Emily is still looking for help for many of the field trips! Feel free to contact her if you are available to help any of the days.
Photo Contest: The group needed to decide whether or not to offer a cash reward for the photo contest this year and Belle Everett motioned that we stick to the same prizes as offered for previous years ($50 for first place, $30 for second place, and $20 for third place). Marissa Geib seconded the motion, and all members passed the motion.
New Business
Project/Grant Update: Our 319 grant has been officially closed, and Maureen is working on completing a new one for the HR-38 project. She is searching for a sponsor, as Rural Action cannot serve as ours for this round of consideration. She is speaking with Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District to possibly be our sponsor. HR-42 is moving forward with concrete pumping, and may possibly have another design coming. HR-36 was visited with the TAC for the first time. A long series of ponds was found as well as rare subsidence holes with and an obvious mine entry.
As for grants, MWCD has still not gotten back to us. We are expecting final word this week.
Clean Sweep: Sandy Township is once again hosting a clean sweep, and it will happen on April 30th from 9am-Noon. At noon, a lunch will be provided for all volunteers at the Sandy Valley Eagles Park Pavilion. If we are going to participate, we need more volunteers this year than in the past. All are welcome to come out and help, and the bags, gloves, and vests are provided. Please meet at the office at 9am if you can help!
Mining: Gary Alkire presented current mining updates for the watershed from Rosebud Mining Co. The Hope Rd. mine permit application has been submitted, and the Rose Twp. Mining application has been deemed complete since 2009, and has yet to receive an engineering review.
Correspondence: None
Ed Taggart adjourned the meeting at 6:25pm.
Respectfully submitted by Marissa R. Geib, Secretary.
May 17, 2011
In attendance: Ed Taggart, Merv Burton, Emily Ankney, Bo Hysong, Marissa Geib, Nick Lautzenheiser, Maureen Wise, Belle Everett, Rose A. Geib
President Ed Taggart called the meeting to order at 5:32pm.
Belle Everett presented the treasurers report. There were two withdrawals made from the general Huff Run account for Awareness Day and EEC expenses, bringing the balance to $9,701.28. It was approved unanimously.
The April minutes were discussed and approved by all. Motioned by Nick Lautzenheiser, and seconded by Bo Hysong.
The meeting was suspended from normal order of business to discuss and take officer nominations. Belle Everette motioned for it, and Marissa Geib seconded.
Officer Nominations: For the 2011-2014 nomination period, Bo Hysong nominated Nick Lautzenheiser for the office of Vice-President. He accepted the nomination. Belle Everette nominated Marissa Geib for the office of Secretary, and she also accepted the nomination.
Old Business
Awareness Days: Emily presented on the past and upcoming Awareness Day events. There have been two completed, and there are two more coming up at the end of this week and on Thursday of the following week (May 20th and 26th). They are going well, and the weather has been cooperative so far! She thanked everyone who had volunteered so far, and also recognized those who helped out at the last minute. Anyone who is interested in volunteering for the next two days should contact her soon to fill job vacancies.
Clean Sweep: Maureen gave a short thank-you to all volunteers who helped with the annual Sandy Township Clean-Sweep again this year. There were seven volunteers from Huff Run, which is a good turn-out considering the short noticed that the group was given. Bo Hysong, member and also a Sandy Township trustee, said a sincere thank-you to all who participated.
New Business
Project/Grant Update: Maureen updated the group on the following project changes and developments: At Fern Hill, we are waiting on a contract to be signed before we move onto the actual pumping of cement into the project. The Lyons Phase II project should be under construction soon. Farr III is starting to be considered for design by ODNR, and HR-36 is in the Reconstruction stage currently. HR-37 (Hilltop Project) is coming along, with the design underway by ODNR. Maureen was excited to announce that she did submit the EPA 319 grant to fund the project, and that Huff Run (our group) was the administrator. As for grants, Maureen discussed the EPA 319 grant that would fund HR-37, which would come to a total of $350,000. This would be the first time our group actually would administer a 319 grant, but at the discretion of our executive board she applied through Huff Run to avoid conflict with other Rural Action watersheds that were also applying. No organization can administer more that two of the grants, and two other watersheds were applying and had no other group who could administer who were formerly asked. A concern about the OEPA rule about holding back the last 10% of the grant until the final report is completed was discussed. The executive board decided prior to applying that this is a cost of applying for the grant and that if Huff Run must take out a loan for $35,000 then so be it. She was also excited to announce we did get funding for Environmental Education through a Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District grant, and the $10,425 would go towards Awareness Days, EEC, Party in the Park, and the Fall Tour. Maureen also turned in a Norcross grant to possibly purchase some new specialized sampling equipment, as well as a new computer for the office. Emily is working on a grant from Lowes that would help defray the cost of the community garden and mural, and is expecting to turn it in soon.
Mud Run Watershed: Maureen presented the group with maps of Mud Run Watershed, which is in Warwick Township, Tuscarawas Co. She, along with Emily and ODNR, have been collaborating to start a watershed group in the area, as ODNR is looking to start working on AMD restoration projects in the area soon. It is a badly polluted stream with a large, also polluted tributary. Belle Everette, a trustee of the township, has been highly involved, and is looking to hold a public meeting in July, with an AMDAT plan hopefully being completed by December. Rural Action is applying for another AmeriCorp member to work in the watershed, and they would have a home office of Huff Run, with Maureen being the coordinator for both watersheds. Continued sampling is being conducted, as well as small private meetings with landowners in the area. So far the reception has been very positive, and everyone is excited at continuing the tradition of restoration and conservation in our area watersheds.
15th Year Anniversary: On August 16th, Huff Run will hold a 15th Year Anniversary Celebration at the McDonald-Marlite Center in New Philadelphia. The group discussed the premise of the event, and decided it should be both a celebration as well as an opportunity to fundraise and spread the word about Huff Run. Susan, the Rural Action Development Coordinator, will help collaborate on the celebration, and has been offering advice and help as we decide how the celebration will proceed. The group decided to charge a flat fee of $20 a ticket, with a full sit-down dinner being provided by the center. A discussion was held whether to offer a silent auction or Chinese auction during dinner, and the entire subject was decided to be discussed and decided at the June meeting.
ODOT Clean-Up: Huff Run still sponsors a portion of St. Rt. 800 through the adopt-a-highway program. We needed to schedule a clean up for this section, and the group decided on Monday, June 6th. Many folks are meeting in the morning to pick-up, but bags and vests will be available all day so whenever anyone wants to do a section, they can just stop by the office and pick up supplies. All trash can be left, bagged, on the side of the road and ODOT will pick it up.
Correspondence: Ed received a letter from ODNR asking for any historical maps of mines in the area, Merv Burton will look to see if he can get copies of some for them.
Ed Taggart adjourned the meeting at 6:53pm.
Respectfully submitted by Marissa R. Geib, Secretary.
June 21st, 2011
In attendance: Ed Taggart, Merv Burton, Emily Ankney, Marc Roy, Marissa Geib, Nick Lautzenheiser, Maureen Wise, and Belle Everett
President Ed Taggart called the meeting to order at 5:37pm.
Belle Everett presented the treasurers report. There were withdrawals made from the general Huff Run account for Awareness Day and EEC expenses, along with one addition from memberships, donations, and 15 year anniversary celebrations, bringing the balance to $9,930.28. It was motioned to be accepted by Nick Lautzenheiser, seconded by Merv Burton, and it was approved unanimously.
The April minutes were discussed and approved by all. Motioned by Nick Lautzenheiser, and seconded by Marc Roy.
Officer Nominations: For the 2011-2013 nomination period, Bo Hysong nominated Nick Lautzenheiser for the office of Vice-President. He accepted the nomination, and with no other nominations, became vice-president. Belle Everette nominated Marissa Geib for the office of Secretary, and she also accepted the nomination, and also with no other nomination, became secretary. Congratulations to our new officers.
Old Business
15 year Anniversary Celebration: Maureen presented the current state of the plans for our upcoming anniversary celebration. She is seeking business sponsors, and so far has raised around $1000 for the event. Invitations are being created, and she asked for a budget for the printing and production costs of the invitations. Marissa Geib motioned to pay for the printing and mailing of the invitations and Nick Lautzenheiser seconded. The motioned passed unanimously. It will be held at the McDonald/Marlite Center on Tuesday, August 16th at 6pm. We will also be having a silent auction and a membership drive at the same time, and will be taking orders for hoodies and selling kayak raffle tickets.
Silent Auction: Maureen also talked with the group more in detail about the silent auction. She is looking for donations of items or services to offer for auction, and has been getting some items donated already from area businesses. If any member would like to donate to the silent auction, simply get in touch with Maureen. A discussion with more ideas ensued.
New Business
Project/Grant Update: Maureen updated the group on the following grant changes and developments: she was excited to announce that she did hear back from Norcross, saying they did receive our grant and will let us know there decision in late July. She was also excited to announce we did get funding for Environmental Education through a Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District grant, and that they awarded us 7% in administration costs, so we will have some funding to support office expenses included in the grant. Finally, Emily heard back from Lowe’s and was denied for her community garden/mural grant. She is currently looking for other sources of funding. There were no updates about projects.
Future of EEC: Emily discussed the future of Environmental Explorers Club with the group, and asked their opinion on changing the direction of EEC from a separate, independent group to simply assisting with Library programming in Mineral City. We have been approached by the Library to do such, and their program is already very similar to our own. Emily believes it will provide more structure and routine for the children, and many of the children who come to EEC already attend Library programming, so we would be reaching the same, if not a larger, audience. It will be up to the incoming AmeriCorps member exactly how she handles it, but the group agreed that it may be a good idea to mold the EEC group into more of a library-programming event.
Retirement Party: Marissa announced to the group that Jim Gue, an ODNR employee who has been integral with the creation and mission of Huff Run since the beginning, is retiring on June 30th. Because he has been such a devoted and beloved member of Huff Run, the office is organizing a retirement bar-b-q lunch in his honor on Friday, June 24th. It will begin at noon, with lunch at the Mineral City Park Pavilion, and continue throughout the afternoon with food, fun, and memories. Members are invited to attend, contribute a side dish or dessert, and/or contribute to a small fund we are collecting to give Jim a retirement gift. Contact Maureen with any questions, or to donate for a gift! All those present signed up to bring a pot luck item.
Party in the Park: Maureen announced that she has been contacted by the Village of Mineral City Council, stating that they are not officially sponsoring a Party in the Park this year. As Huff Run is such a large supporter of this community event, we have decided to take over the event and run it as planned, on August 21st. Maureen is contacting local organizations that have participated before and if any members have any suggestions about activities or participants please get in contact with anyone in the Huff Run office. We will still have the conclusion of our kayak raffle at this event.
Kayak Auction: Marissa discussed with the group that they have once again have secured a donation to purchase a kayak. We will again be raffling the kayak and selling tickets for $2 each, or a book of 6 for $10. The winner will be drawn at the Mineral City Party in the Park on August 21st, and the winner need not be present. It is a Future Beach “Fusion 10” kayak, 10”4’ long, with adjustable seat and back cushions, and will come with a paddle. Stop by the office is you want to purchase some tickets, and you can pick some up to sell to friends and family while you’re at it. You could get a $460 kayak package for the price of a $2 ticket!
A short discussion about a filing cabinet donation was had. Merv Burton , his son Ron and Belle will work together to pick it up.
Correspondence: None
Ed Taggart adjourned the meeting at 6:41pm.
Respectfully submitted by Marissa R. Geib, Secretary.
July 19, 2011
In attendance: Ed Taggart, Merv Burton, Emily Ankney, Marc Roy, Marissa Geib, Nick Lautzenheiser, Maureen Wise, and Bo Hysong, Eva Price
President Ed Taggart called the meeting to order at 5:34pm.
Belle Everett was not present to give the treasurers report. There was one deposit of membership monies and donations, and there were also 3 checks to be written bringing the balance to $10,925.28. It was motioned to be accepted by Bo Hysong, seconded by Nick Lautzenheiser, and it was approved unanimously.
The June minutes were discussed and approved by all. Motioned by Nick Lautzenheiser, and seconded by Marc Roy.
Old Business
15 year Anniversary Celebration: Maureen presented the current state of the plans for our upcoming anniversary celebration. We mailed invitations today, to members and citizens who have been active in huff run in the past. Everyone is being asked to RSVP to the office with their dinner choice of chicken, pork, or vegetarian. We have ordered buttons to give as favors, and are currently working on more favors. Table centers were discussed, and members discussed getting donations of centerpieces to later be sold that night. It will be held at the McDonald/Marlite Center on Tuesday, August 16th at 6pm. We will also be having a silent auction and a membership drive at the same time, and will be taking orders for hoodies and selling kayak raffle tickets. Silent auction item donations were discussed and some members agreed to help find more items.
Silent Auction: While discussing the anniversary celebration, the conversation turned to the silent auction. Maureen has been successful in securing items for the raffle, but we are still seeking any donations for it. There is $400 worth of items already donated. The idea of offering a puppy for the auction was discussed, and members present seemed to agree with the idea. Marissa is going to work on securing a puppy. If any member would like to donate to the silent auction, simply get in touch with Maureen. A discussion with more ideas ensued.
Party in the Park: The Mineral City council no longer wants to participate in the Party in the Park, but Huff Run is going to organize it this year. Maureen has been getting in touch with the local non-profits, churches, and local organizations and has been arranging to hold the celebration on Sunday, August 21st from 1pm-5pm. Huff Run will do their normal activities, and other organizations are invited to participate. Ideas were discussed on how to get hot water for the AMD Tie-Dye t-shirt process that we will be holding, and any member that has or knows of a turkey fryer is asked to please contact Maureen. Also, Marissa is speaking with area businesses for donations to once again hold a kiddie tractor pull. If none can be found, Nick Lautzenheiser motioned for Huff Run to sponsor the required donation, and Merv Burton seconded.
New Business
Project/Grant Update: Maureen updated the group on the following project changes and developments: Lyons Phase II is under construction and behind schedule, but it will be completed this summer. The HR-42/Fern Hill Concrete Pumping project is going forward; with ODNR completely funding it and an expected start date sometime in Sept. Emily is working on some grants for the community garden/mural project.. Marissa is working on securing a Thrivent Financial for Lutherans financial assistance (Huff Run received it last year as well). She has submitted paperwork, and will be attending the meeting sometime in August. If anyone is a member of Thrivent Financial and would like to participate in one of our activities, please contact Marissa or Maureen.
AmeriCorps Interviews: Huff Run has conducted interviews with four applicants, and has offered the position of Huff Run AmeriCorps to one qualified person. We will be finding out whether or not they accept by the end of the week, with the start date of August 10th. The Huff Run office will house 3 full-time staff members, and preparations are in place to get the office ready for this next step.
OEC Sign-On Letter: Maureen presented a letter that is being circulated by the Ohio Environmental Council, in response to the proposed changes to the Clean Water Act. The letter supports keeping small streams and wetlands in the Act. Huff Run is being asked to sign on to the letter. Nick moved to endorse the letter and Marissa Geib seconded.
Correspondence: None
Ed Taggart adjourned the meeting at 6:50pm.
Respectfully submitted by Marissa R. Geib, Secretary.
September 20, 2011 HRWRP meeting
In attendance: Ed Taggart, Merv Burton, Teresa Arey, Nick Lautzenheiser, Maureen Wise, Bo Hysong, Blake Ott (KSU Student), Harry Ott, Rebecca, Kyle and Gary Alkire, Amanda Hook, Kyle Townsend, Jim Gue President Ed Taggart called the meeting to order at 5:35pm. Belle Everett was not present to give the treasurers report. Teresa Arey was introduced to the group.
Old Business Summer Fundraisers: Funds raised expected to pay for office utilities. 446 kayak raffle tickets were sold bringing in exactly $800.00. Nancy Trbovich is the winner. The recent banquet netted $1,470, the corresponding auction of 14 items brought an additional $647 and popcorn sales $12.11. A Thrivent Financial for Lutheran grant matched all this fundraising of $600.00. The banquet went well but was not particularly well attended and did not result in many new members.
Party in the Park - Need to come up with something to replace AMD tie dye next year. Thank you to all volunteers.
Hoodies: Order your Huff Run hoodie! It was designed by Marc Roy and feature a salamander. Orders must be placed by November 15. Orders have totaled $171 already. Funds raised also to be used to offset office utility bills.
New Business Project/Grant Update: State EPA 319 Grant submitted in May- we should know by the end of the month if approved at the state level it will be forwarded for federal EPA consideration. MWCD application due October 3, 2011. The Norcross Grant has been spent on a new computer for Teresa and a Swoffer meter. The Thrivent Grant will be completed once our check is processed. Maureen is writing an OSM grant for HR-37 (Hilltop Restoration). Lyons Phase II construction is now 95% complete with final completion including new slag channels and an enlarged settling pond expected by the end of the month. Farr Phase II drilling is moving ahead to allow for a retrofit. ODNR is working with two companies to complete HR-42 design and construction; this will involve the pressure injection of a Mineral CSA steel slag grout to treat AMD flow while precipitating metals and increasing the pH directly on site. This project is not expected to move ahead this Fall as hoped. The HR-37 project has been renamed “Hilltop Restoration” and is the design is moving ahead which includes gob pile reclamation and the installation of one limestone treatment channel.
Thomas Award - The completed Thomas Project has recently been named the national winner of a Federal Office of Surface Mining award for Small Project excellence. Only five projects awards are given nationwide per year. The award will be presented at the NAAMLP Conference in October 2011. This will be the second of two national awards for the state of Ohio (the first was for the Belden Reclamation Project), both going to the Huff Run Watershed!
Fall Tour- Those present were reminded to attend the Huff Run Fall Tour on Oct 14. Post cards were sent out earlier in the week. It was discussed which projects to visit and who could drive the 15 passenger vans.
Ohio Mineland Partnership Meeting: Will occur on October 11th and will include a presentation on the Mud Run Watershed. Merval Burton made a motion which was seconded by Bo Hysong to send Ed Taggart and Belle Everett to attend with paid fees of $60 each. The motion was approved.
December 2011 HRWRP meeting: It is typical that this monthly meeting be cancelled. By Hysong and Nick Lautzenheiser made and seconded the motion that this be the case again this year. The motion was passed.
Maternity Leave: Maureen Wise desires to add an additional 6 weeks to the approved 6 weeks given by employer Rural Action. She proposes that during her absence she additional 6 week absence she will call into the office twice a week and come into the office once every other week. The entire leave period is proposed from November 22nd through mid-February of 2012, during which Ed Taggart and Nick Lautzenheiser will make themselves available to Emily and Teresa to assist in everyday office operations. The group approved a recommendation for the additional absence be forwarded to Rural Action.
By Laws: copies given to those in attendance requesting review of sections pertinent to annual period of operation and term of officers (especially the V.P.) for October discussion. Possible revision proposals could be mailed in November 2011 or January 2012 for member consideration.
Mining Permits: Gary Alkire of Rosebud Coal presented an application map for proposed Middle Kittanning seam (#6) mining for the Hope Road area. This application was sent to ODNR for review, comment and approval consideration approximately three months ago. Other applications including and extensive proposal for the Fargo Road area, are expected to be submitted in the near future.
Meeting adjourned 6:27 PM.
Minutes submitted by Jim Gue, interim Huff Run Secretary.
October 18, 2011 HRWRP meeting
In attendance: Ed Taggart, Nick Lautzenheiser, Maureen Wise, Belle Everett, Teresa Arey, Bo Hysong, Merv Burton, Michael Farber
Call to Order: 5:34pm
Minutes Approval: After reading through the minutes from last meeting and noting that there were spelling mistakes, Nick Lautzenheiser made a motion to approve which was seconded by Bo Hysong. The minutes were approved.
Treasurer’s Report: From July 20 to Oct 18, the total amount spent was $8,902.40. The total profit was $5,063.06. As of October 18, the account balance was $7,085.88 with $140 in the EEC fund.
Old Business
Hoodie Reminder: Members were reminded to place their order for Huff Run hoodies. Each hoodie will bring in a profit of $9. If someone is willing to pay an extra $5.25, the hoodies can be shipped to them. HRWRP should get them in early December.
Update Bylaws: We wanted to change the article about the initial terms of the officers. Vice-president and secretary only serve one year. What is unclear is that only the initial officers elected to the position served only one year. All the new officers elected to the positions serve two years. The article about initial terms will be removed and replaced with the statement that officers will serve two years, with vice-president and secretary elections in odd years and president and treasurer elections in even years.
Edits were made to the treasurer’s position description. Sentences describing the annual meeting and at the special request of the president were removed. Article VII Section 3 was a verbatim repeat of the earlier description of the treasurer’s responsibilities and deleted.
Should we add something about reviewing the bylaws every few years? The group decided to make a new Article (Article IX) and place before the article about amending the bylaws. The article about dissolution will remain the last article. The dissolution article will be updated to include something about the members having more of a say in where the money goes following the dissolution of the HRWP.
Any mentions of staff or paid staff will be removed.
Typos and awkward sentences pointed out by Nick Lautzenheiser were brought to the attention of the group and changed.
At the next meeting, a revised copy of the bylaws will be brought to the meeting along with a petition. Once at least five members sign the petition, the petition and a copy of the revised bylaws will be given to Ed Taggart before all members receive a copy in the mail. The revised bylaws approval will be voted on at the January meeting.
Fall Tour Follow-Up: This past Friday, Oct 14, the Huff Run Watershed Restoration Partnership held its annual Fall Tour of the Watershed. We had around 20 participants and the group was very engaged. Following a free lunch, we visited the newly completed Lyons Phase II Project, the Linden Project, and the national award-winning Thomas Project. Fortunately, it was a beautiful and rain free day. Funding was provided by the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District.
New Business
Project/Grants Update: A grant was turned in for the OSM Clean Streams Project. There was preliminary acceptance. This grant will go towards the reclamation of the HR-37 gob.
The MWCD grant for the 2012 educational fund was submitted. The amount of the grant was higher than last year because the funding for educational activities in Mud Run was included.
Future Grants
Maureen Wise is working on the Watershed Coordinator Grant
Teresa Arey and Emily Ankney will be working on community garden and community mural grants
Belle Everett will be talking with the Kimble Foundation.
The Lyons Phase II project is complete.
Lease Agreement: The lease for the building needs to be renewed. Like last year, the rent is $1. Nick Lautzenheiser made a motion to accept the terms of this lease which was seconded by Belle Everett. The lease agreement was approved by the group and will be submitted to the city.
Mud Run Watershed: To keep HRWRP informed about the Mud Run Watershed which shares an office with HRWRP. Mud Run is primarily in Warwick Township. Mud run is 7.8 miles long and the watershed is 10 sq. miles. There is a problem with acid mine drainage. ODNR can see restoration with projects and there are 4-6 problem areas where projects could be constructed. Rural Action has added Mud Run as one of their watersheds. The citizens’ group is called the Mud Run Streamkeepers and the meetings are the first Wednesday of every other month. The proposed mission statement is “The Mud Run Watershed is a partnership to improve the quality of our watershed, rebuild our ecosystem and better our community.”
Proposed mine in Huff Run Watershed – added to agenda. Rosebud Mining has proposed to open a deep mine in the headwaters of Huff Run Watershed. We discussed the new information that has come to our attention.
Correspondence: Quilt Raffle Tickets are being sold to support the library in Mineral City.
Meeting adjourned: 7:05pm.
Minutes submitted by Teresa Arey, Huff Run AmeriCorps member
November 15, 2011 HRWRP meeting
In attendance: Merv Burton, Ed Taggart, Kayleigh Bair, Teresa Arey, Maureen Wise, Nick Lautzenheiser, Kathy Smith, Belle Everett.
Call to Order: 5:42 pm
Treasurer’s Report: A treasurer’s report had not been completed. Deposit records show that one deposit of $420 was made since the last meeting. This included money from memberships, hoodie orders, and a donation from Sisters Shopping on a Shoestring. The total account balance is $7,505.88.
Minutes Approval: Not everyone received the minutes. The October meeting minutes will be sent out with the November meeting minutes and approved at the January meeting.
Old Business
Hoodie Update: Last day to buy hoodies. The order will be placed at the end of the week and be delivered in a couple of weeks. As of Kathy Smith’s order during the meeting, the hoodie total was 50!
Bylaws: Removed “without pay” from Article IV Section 3. Belle motioned to start petition with the new changes. Nick seconded. The members in attendance signed the petition. One more signature is needed before it is delivered to Ed.
Mine letter: Pertaining to the proposed Rosebud Mine on Heritage Road in Rose Township, the group has decided to send a letter to ODNR . We sent a letter to ODNR in 2009 stating that we didn’t want the mine entrance 200ft from Huff Run, but weren’t against remining. This new letter is very similar with a few changes: HR-42 is given as an example of updip coal that contributed to AMD and that the mine entrance will be on reclaimed mine spoil. Members in attendance were invited to sign the letter if they wanted to. More members will sign it before the letters are mailed. Three copies of the letters were sent; one was sent to ODNR, one to Rosebud, and one to OEPA.
New Business
Projects/Grants Update: Two updates to the grants list under pending funding. The Watershed Coordinator Grant was submitted in November. We should hear back in December. Emily submitted a grant through Annie’s Organic Foods for a community garden. It is not clear when we will hear back. We have received a letter from MWCD stating that the staff has reviewed the grant and it has moved on to the second step, review by a technical committee.
There aren’t any changes to the projects lists. HR-42 will most likely be completed in Spring 2012 instead of Fall 2011. It is unclear when Farr Phase III will be complete. The soil is being tested for volatiles to determine what steps need to be undertaken to clean-up the soil. Once the soil is cleaned, we can start the next phase of the Farr project.
Crossroads RC&D: This Friday, there is a meeting for members to vote on whether the Crossroads group will restructure and remain a group or dissolve. Currently the group is operating a few grants on bees and the main funding has been cut, the employees are only working about 10 hours/wk. The organization was instrumental to the start of Huff Run. The members don’t have a strong opinion either way, but are leaning towards no unless a great plan to restructure is presented at the meeting. Emily Ankney will be attending the meeting on Friday as the representative Huff Run member. The group has decided that Emily will decide how to vote. They suggest voting no without a plan or voting yes if a good restructuring plan is presented.
MOU with Rural Action: Mike Steinmaus found some changes. Nick motioned to approve the MOU with the changes Mike suggested and less capitalization. Kathy seconded. The MOU was approved by the members in attendance.
EEC Update: Due to the poor attendance, EEC will be ending in December. Past AmeriCorps tried to recruit children from local schools, but were not effective. To continue to have a monthly educational outreach to the children living in the watershed, Teresa is in the process of trying to establish an environment story time at the Mineral City library. This program will consist of a story and a craft. The first one only had one child attend to make the craft, but no one signed up. Hopefully, with the help of the program director at the library, the program will grow and be a successful replacement for EEC.
OSM Legislation: The super committee tasked with deficit reduction has been given legislation from OSM that would hinder much of ODNR’s work. This legislation would eliminate ODNR set aside funds where Huff Run gets a lot of its match money for grants. The decision would go through an advisory board not based in Ohio. This would slow down funds. Also, with the reduction in funds given out, we would likely receive less money. The members in attendance signed a letter to the Ohio senator on the committee. The letter will also be sent out electronically to all HRWRP members so they can send individual letters if they would like to.
Correspondence: None
Meeting Adjourned: 6:54 pm.
Submitted by Teresa Arey, AmeriCorps member.
Monthly Meeting
Our next Huff Run meeting will be January 17, 2012 at the Huff Run Office in Mineral City at 5:30pm. Join us. Please note that we will not have a December 2011 meeting.
Our Mission
To restore the Huff Run Watershed by improving water quality and enhancing wildlife habitat through community support and involvement.