PCC Board of Trustees report, September 2014

Board meeting report

The board met on July 29, the first full meeting of the 2014-2015 board year. The first order of business was approval of the governance dates for 2015. The board approved the following:

• Voting eligibility: March 31
• Annual meeting: April 28
• Election: April 28 through May 14
• Ballot count meeting: May 18

The board reviewed the trustees’ roles as fiduciaries. The session was led by trustee Stephen Tan, an attorney entering his ninth year on our board. He covered the trustees’ duties (care, loyalty, disclosure and good faith), rights and protections.

The outgoing finance committee reported on its review of the Quarter 2 financials.

The board approved committee rosters for the four standing committees for 2014-2015:

• Board development: Julianne Lamsek (chair), Taso Lagos, Sandy Voit, Bruce Williams
• Member relations: John Sheller (chair), Taso Lagos, Karen May
• Finance: Sandy Voit (chair), Karen May, John Sheller, Bruce Williams
• CEO evaluation: Maggie Lucas (chair), Carol Binder, Stephen Tan, Bruce Williams

The committee chairs are to present their 2014-2015 work plans for approval at the September board meeting. The board also reviewed the 2014-2015 board calendar.

Carol Binder is the board’s representative on the nominating committee. She reported that the committee has selected Julie Tempest to serve as chair. The committee approved a timeline, reviewed and approved key documents (applications, etc.), and made assignments to interview current trustees and management for feedback.

PCC Farmland Trust

PCC Farmland Trust executive director, Rebecca Sadinsky, presented the following as among the trust’s milestones for July 2013 through July 2014:

• The purchase of an agricultural conservation easement on the 40-acre Helsing Junction Farm is nearly complete. The farm began as a 75-member CSA and over the years has expanded slowly to its current size of 1,200 shareholders, who each week receive all of the farm’s products — all certified organic.
• The “On the Farm” series has launched. With titles including “Birding on the Farm” and “Geology on the Farm,” these small, informative sessions with 15 to 25 participants create an up-close look at elements of the complex ecosystems promoted by sustainable farming. In addition to the topic at hand, all events include time with the farm operator talking about the farm’s food production. The point is to broaden public appreciation of the diverse advantages of farms near our cities. The ideas are endless and Sadinsky welcomes yours.
• Conducting public tours of organic farms. During the Orting Harvest Fest, the trust shuttled visitors to four nearby farms, all currently transitional-to-organic or organic certified.
• Planning farm work parties, including mobilizing more than 125 volunteers, mostly Boeing employees, to plant a 100-foot native plant hedgerow that will eventually serve as a protective buffer for the organic fields on the Reise farm in the Puyallup Valley.
• Earning accreditation in the Land Trust Alliance. The professional guidance provided by the alliance will be useful in maintaining best practices in the trust’s land stewardship and land acquisition programs.
  Sadinsky also made a formal request to have the trust’s annual fundraising letter mailed later this year to PCC members. The board approved the request.

Next board meeting

The next board meeting is scheduled for September 30 at 5 p.m. Member comments at 6 p.m.