LPENA Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
June 25, 2022

Directors Present: Cathy Parks (moderator), Carol Gruszka, Lisa Mackaness, Stacy Vermette

Directors Absent: Niel Allen, Lorraine Armstrong, Kent Carroll, Ide Gagalis, Mandy Hand, Jeff Smith

Opening: Cathy Parks, moderator and meeting host, opened the meeting at 10:45 p.m. Lisa Mackaness, who had been unable to attend prior BOD meetings, introduced herself and her family (virtually) to the other attendees.

Treasurer’s Report: Treasurer being absent, there was no updated Treasurer's Report.

Old Business:

• Website: Lisa provided updated status on the new website www.lakepasadena.org and said she would begin adding historical data. Carol will provide Lisa with PDF copies of whatever she has in her computer folders for upload to the new site.
• Lakes: Lorraine Armstrong attempted to contact city-employee Chris Allen to initiate talks about improvements to Lake Disston. Cathy noted that a representative of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) had taken a lake-water sample, per request of a neighbor, to determine if the water condition had worsened. No details are available.
• Book Club: Cathy still anticipates start-up of a Book Club after Labor Day.
• Social: Stacy Vermette reviewed planned social activities for 2022:
  • “Wednesday Wine Walk-Through” gatherings will begin on September 7. Anyone who wants to participate can grab a container of wine (or other beverage) and join these walks around the lakes. Specific times to be determined.
  • “First Friday Porch (or front yard) Parties” will begin September 2. These monthly evening informal gatherings will be hosted by a volunteer association member, with yard signs indicating time and place posted in advance. On the day of the party, the host will post a large inflatable flamingo in the front yard. All neighbors are invited to attend, bring their own drinks and an hors d’oeuvres to share, and socialize with other neighbors. A motion was made, seconded, and unanimously approved for LPENA to purchase the flamingo. Stacy volunteered to store it between these monthly events.
  • A Fall Festival will be held on November 12 at Bear Creek Park (pending city approval) for the entire neighborhood, to include music, food trucks, and activities such as sack races, a display of homemade items (e.g., preserves, baked goods) to raise funds, a petting zoo, mini-hay rides, apple bobbing, fortune tellers, pumpkin decorating contest, face painting, etc. A city mini-grant will be sought to cover some expenses.
  • Monthly beautification awards will be presented for outstanding front yards, with each month’s winner posting a rotating LPENA Yard of the Month sign on their front yard. Details of the committee to select the winning yards and the monthly prize (perhaps a donated gift certificate from a nearby business) are still to be determined.
• Fund Raiser: Early discussion of a neighborhood yard sale to raise funds for future activities was mentioned; no details yet. All social and fund-raising activities will need volunteers from the neighborhood to step forward to lead and work to make them a success. Start talking to your friends about what YOU can do.
• Facebook Page: Several ideas were mentioned (e.g., welcome to new neighbors) for the new LPENA Facebook page.

Upcoming Meetings:

• The next BOD meeting will be held at 6:00 p.m. on August 8 at Cathy Parks’ house.
• The next general meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on September 13, pending scheduling at the Menorah Life facility. Attendees will be encouraged to bring back-to-school supplies for students and teachers of nearby schools.

Closing: The meeting was adjourned at 12:00 noon.

Respectfully submitted,
Carol Gruszka, LPENA Secretary