Minutes of the Madoc & District Chamber of Commerce 

Tuesday, May 16, 2006 

Madoc Public Library & Cultural Centre 

 

  1. Call to order by Rob Price, President 

  2. Introductions:   Rob Price, President

                          Judy Smith, Treasurer

                               Ellen Wilson, Secretary

                       Jim Bakker, Coordinator

                       Cliff Andrews, Madoc Market Vendors

                       Mary Andrews, Madoc Market Vendors

  1. Approval of Agenda:  1. Moved by Jim Bakker & seconded by Cliff Andrews that the agenda be approved.  Carried

  2. Minutes of  the April 18th  meeting:  Moved by Ellen Wilson & seconded by Jim Bakker that the minutes be approved as read.  Carried.

  3. Business arising from minutes:  The Vintage car shows are in jeopardy.  No other group has come forward to help organize these weekly shows in down town Madoc.

  4. Correspondence:  i.  Position Paper from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce addressed to the federal government.   ii. Letters from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce   concerning two competitions:  A young entrepreneur award for those under the age of 25 who have been successfully operating a business  for over two years, and a best communication award for the Chamber who has been most innovative in promoting the work of the Chamber of Commerce.  iii.  Letter from the Municipality of Centre Hastings replying to the Chamber’s request for use of the former Timr-Mart property for parking.  At this time the council feels the site surface to be too unstable for parking, however they are going ahead with some improvements around the Market Square area.  

  5. Business arising from correspondence:  None

  6. Financial Report:  There is $5336.89 in the bank.  There are 85 paid members to date. Jim Bakker has spent $272.00 for computer upgrades and the purchase of a new laser printer for the Chamber of Commerce office.

  7. Old Business:  i.   Madoc & District  Main Street Initiative:  Regular meetings are scheduled for each community.  The next one for Madoc is June 5th, 7:00 p.m., at the Madoc Public Library.

  1. Community Radio:  The application has been made for a license to the CRTC who are not acting as quickly as we would like and it is hoped that approval will be received by end of summer.  The radio studio site in Madoc will be upstairs at Wilson’s, with some soundproofing and other modifications being needed.  Two digital tape recorders have already been purchased and some local programming has already been recorded for airing at a later date.  The station manager will also provide local radio feed for several key Market Square events over the summer.

  2. Comfort Country ... At a Glance:  The due date for editorial copy is past.  Jim has downloaded the business data base from the Comfort Country web site in spread sheet format to use in the publication.  

  3. Market Square events:  The May 13th yard sale went well.  There is now no vacancy at the square for new vendors and a waiting list has been started.  

10.  New Business: i.  Welcome bags  (called goodie bags in previous years).  These bags consisted of  promotional and give-away materials collected from each business.  Types of things put in the bags were flyers, pens, key chains, restaurant menus, informational brochures etc. and these were distributed at the Madoc Lawn Bowling Greens when they hosted several All-Ontario Championships.  Jim Bakker sees the need for keeping a steady supply of these to be handed out at larger events held in the area, for example, family reunions, or to visitors to the area who stop by the  Tourist information booth.  The Chamber will be looking for volunteers to collect this material and stuff the bags.                                           ii.   Sink for the Market Square:  To comply with health regulations concerning food handling facilities at the Market Square, a portable sink, dedicated to hand washing, must be installed outside at the Square.  The municipality will pay for changes to the plumbing and the Chamber will provide $300.00 for the purchase of a sink.  This sink will be stored when not in use.                                               

                   iii. Jim Bakker has set up another seminar entitled “How to turn community events into business sales” for June 22 at the Two Loons at 6:30 p.m.  This is open to all Comfort Country area merchants, businesses and their employees, and individuals.  The cost is $7.00 at the door.  A flyer with all the details will be mailed soon.  This meeting is sponsored by the Community Futures Development Corporation of North and Central Hastings and the Madoc and District Chamber of Commerce.

iii. The Community Futures Development Corporation of North and Central Hastings aided by  the Madoc and  District Chamber of Commerce will be conducting  a programme on September 26th on governance.  This seminar is aimed at the boards of directors of non-profit or charitable groups and will help explain the roles of the various officers and board members.  It will be free of charge and will be held at the Two Loons in Madoc.  More information will follow.  

 

 

11.  Next Meeting:  Tuesday, June 20th , 7:30pm at the Madoc Public Library.

 

12.  Meeting Adjourned.  Motion by Jim Bakker for adjournment.