BELL COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS ASSOCIATION · BELL COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS ASSOCIATION Minutes of the Board of Directors Meeting February 26, 2014 Board Members Present: Laura Murphy,

BELL COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS ASSOCIATION

Minutes of the Board of Directors Meeting

January 22, 2014

Board Members Present: Laura Murphy, Randy Brown, Jerry Lewis, Myra Crenshaw, Peg Fleet

Other Members Present: Ursula Nanna, Gary Slanga, Fran Sheppard, Bernie Hurta, Carla Harmon,

Don Wyatt, Sophia Gomez, Mary Ann Everett, Gail Christian, Charles Newsom

The Meeting was called to order at 9:00 a.m.by Laura Murphy.

The Minutes of the December 4, 2013 were approved.

TREASURER’S REPORT:

Gail handed out the new budget and explained it. A motion to accept the budget was made by Mary Ann

Everett and Jerry Lewis seconded it. A separate account will be opened when funds come from the state

for the state conference. One hundred and forty three members have paid up.

Programs and Socials: Randy Brown

The speaker for February 2014 will be Mary Ann Everett on pruning. There will be an annual planning

meeting tomorrow at 11:00 for the Killeen Municipal Gardens. Four rows of onions and turnips have

been planted. There will be a plant swap before the April meeting. Our plant sale is scheduled for

March. In May our new extension agent will talk on water resources.

Policy & Planning: Jerry Lewis

Voting on the by-laws will be at the February meeting.

Corresponding Secretary: Peg Fleet

Peg has sent out a few cards. Let us remember Jeannette Karr who is scheduled for surgery next week

and also Melissa Fletcher needs our prayers.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Greenhouse/New Building: No report

Outreach/Education: Gary Slanga

There will be a seed/plant swap at Harker Heights Parks and Recreation from 9-11:00 Saturday. The

presentation for us hosting the 2015 State Conference will be on February 1 in College Station. A vote

on our presentation will be taken at that time.

Grounds & Maintenance/Plant Sales: Sophia Gomez & Brenda Albro

The special needs area is pruned and cleaned. The group is working on the front gardens. The bricks in

a heart shape are complete and just need Knuckle Block. Don Wyatt has worked on the bed and has laid

the stone. The irrigation is in.

Garden Tours: We probably will not have garden tours until the State Conference is over.

Youth Programs: Mary Ann Everett

Twelve students were presented three certifications January 7: Growing Vegetables, Water, and Seeds

of Despair. Trimmier Science night is Thurs. Jan 22 with nature masks. Cavazos Science night is

Thurs. Jan 30 with nature masks.

New Class: Fran Sheppard

There are twenty one interns for the new class of 2014.

Awards: Bernie Hurta

February 5 is the date for the committee meeting for State Awards and final date for State Awards is

March 12. The categories have changed and most of them are education oriented.

Killen Community Gardens: Reported by Randy Brown

Blooming Bell: Terrie Hahn-No report

Webmaster: Louann Hight-No report

New Business:

There will be a clean-up day on Feb. 5 at 9:00 a.m. which is Burger Wednesday. Bring a lunch

and be prepared to get rid of not wanted items taking up space. There are a couple of people

designated as “go to” people for questions. Don Wyatt will handle inside and outside of the

fence, and Fran will handle the office.

Tomorrow six people will go to the Grounds Conference.

The plant sale is March 29.

Remember the planning meeting for Killeen Municipal Gardens tomorrow.

Remember the Harker Heights seed/plant swap Saturday.

The Home and Garden Show is February 21-23.

The Youth Fair is coming up February 3.

If anyone wants to go with Gary to the meeting in College Station on Feb. 1, let him know.

The board meeting was adjourned at 10:00.

Respectfully submitted,

Myra Crenshaw



February 26, 2014

Board Members Present: Laura Murphy, Jerry Lewis, Myra Crenshaw, Peg Fleet

Other Members Present: Ursula Nanna, Gary Slanga, Bernie Hurta, Carla Harmon, Don Wyatt,

Sophia Gomez, Mary Ann Everett, Gail Christian, Louann Hight, Terrie Hahn, Mary Lou Edmonson,

Karen Colwick.


The Minutes of the January 22, 2014 were approved with one correction.


The January financial report was reviewed and approved for filing.

Programs and Socials:

Laura reported that each member will have to sign a Texas Master Gardener Volunteer Agreement

which is state wide. It specifies such things as professional behavior, the volunteer will carry out his or

her duties, avoid conflict of interests, etc. It will be presented to the association and new class for

signatures and kept in the office. There should be one for every member.

The board meeting for April is April 30. The general meeting in May is May 14 and will be in the new

building. Next month general meeting will be about the plant sale.


The by-laws were approved at the general meeting and will be on the web site.


Peg sent out cards to Jeannette Karr and Melissa Fletcher.

COMMITTEE REPORTS



Gary will do a presentation Feb. 28 to the Killeen Senior Center. Earth Days at Ft. Hood April 25 and

Salado April 26 need 4 volunteers for each. Computer training for the new program to log in hours is

set for March 5 at 9:00 a.m. The few selected to attend this training will train the rest of the Master

Gardeners later.


A work day is scheduled for this Friday. The roses need to be trimmed. The shed was cleaned out and

Burger Wednesday on March 5 will be soups.

Garden Tours: The next tour will be most likely 2016 after the State Conference is over. Laura would

like a couple from the new class to work with Margaret Leigh and Beth Buhl.


Three Master Gardeners did grass heads at Lakewood Elementary for the first grade. We have been

getting calls from schools on building school gardens and it is suggested we have a one day workshop

this summer for teachers to learn how to put in a garden. Mary Ann asked about the budget for youth

programs. Don said there is a budget for it.


Mary Ann reported for Fran and said one member of the new class was sick and we refunded her

money. The class is going great and there are some outstanding individuals.


There are seven entries for awards. They need to be sent to her and then to the State Awards

Committee. If photos are involved, there needs to be a release signed. Bernie will put out a release

form at the next meeting.

Killen Community Gardens:

Peg reported that onions and potatoes have been planted.

Blooming Bell: Terrie Hahn

Terrie reported that she needs more articles and needs to start asking volunteers to write them.

Webmaster: Louann Hight

The by-laws are final and will be on the web site.

New Business:

The Nominating Committee will be meeting shortly and determine what offices are up for election.

They will meet in March, present them to the members in April, and vote on them in May. Installation

will be in May.

Disaster Relief: Laura and her husband got an email from someone in West asking if our Master

Gardeners could help with landscaping homes that were being repaired or rebuilt from the recent

explosion. It was decided to first go to Master Gardeners in McLennan County and then revisit the

issue.

The board meeting was adjourned at 10:05.


Myra Crenshaw



March 26, 2014

Board Members Present: Laura Murphy, Jerry Lewis, Myra Crenshaw, Peg Fleet

Other Members Present: Ursula Nanna, Gary Slanga, Bernie Hurta, Carla Harmon, Don Wyatt,

Sophia Gomez, Mary Ann Everett, Gail Christian, Louann Hight, B.A. McDevitt, Fran Sheppard, Mary

Lew Quesinberry, Pat Allen, Ilene Miller, Pam Dragoo, Ray Machovsky, Charles Newsom,


The Minutes of February 26, 2014 were approved with one correction.


The February financial report was reviewed and approved for filing.


Randy reported we are still getting Volunteer Agreement forms signed. He is not sure about the

program for April, but could present a topic himself. The plant swap will be before this meeting.


There are a couple of changes to the by-laws. JMG/Youth Programs director was left off. In Article IV,

Section 2, it should read six instead of four officers for the Board of Directors. It was added that “active

members” instead of “members” to be a director in Section 1, Article IV. See attached. A motion to

accept these changes was made by Carla and seconded by Mary Ann. It was approved.

Corresponding Secretary: Peg Fleet-No report

COMMITTEE REPORTS



Because volunteers that were attending Fort Hood Earth Day cancelled, we will not be attending.

Harker Heights 4- H is scheduled for April 14. Gail Pierce is doing the presentation. We have

volunteers signed up for Salado Earth Day on April 26.


Weather has prohibited very much work in the gardens. On Thursday and Friday we will weed and

rake.

Garden Tours: no report


We are doing grass heads at Tyler Elementary April 21 and 25 for PreK and K. Earth Day at Belton is

April 12 at Yettie Polk Park.


A few members of the new class have not turned in lessons. It is not clear at this time how many will

graduate.


The state awards have been taken care of and in September we will know if we won or not.

Killen Community Gardens: no report


Get articles in immediately if they are to be in the April newsletter.


The by-laws are still on the web site and after the vote on revisions, the changes will be posted.

New Business:

The nominating committee has a candidate for each office except they still need someone for Grounds

Committee. The slate will be presented at the April meeting. See attached.

Bernie and Louann are proposing new badges. See attached.

The Tex Appeal Magazine will be out Friday with a really good article written by Beverly Wickersham

and edited by Frances Idoux.

There will be an article on the Killeen Municipal Gardens in the Texas Gardener Magazine which will

come out in July or August, complete with photos. Look for it!!

Lyle reported that we got an email from Red Lobster in Killeen that 4-H qualified for a grant. It

amounted to $3,000 which will be used to do a joint venture with 4-H on rain water harvesting.

Bernie asked that members be taking pictures of projects for awards next year.

A Distinguished Service Award for 500 service hours was presented to B.A. Mc Devitt.

The board meeting was adjourned at 9:50 a.m.


Myra Crenshaw


Minutes of the Board Directors Meeting

April 30, 2014

Board Members Present: Randy Brown, Jerry Lewis, Gail Christian, Peg Fleet.

Other Members Present: Lou Hight, Gary Slanga, Pat Smith, Pat Allen, Don Wyatt,

Charlotte Jones, Fran Sheppard, Bernie Hurta, Ursula Nanna, Mary Lou Edmondson, Lou

Height, Susan Terry, Judy Herrmann, Walter Ponder, Lyle Zoeller, and Barbara Beebe.

The Meeting was called to order at 9:00 a.m. by Randy Brown.

The Minutes of the March 26, 2014 board meeting were approved as presented.

Treasurer’s Report: Gail Christian

The March financial report was reviewed and approved for filing.


Randy stated that he had a speaker lined up for May to talk about water management.

There might, however, be a swap with the speaker scheduled for June. Randy also

reported that 21 of the 23 rows of vegetables had been planted at the Killeen Community

Garden. The remaining two rows will be for okra, which will be planted mid-to-late

May. One of the peach trees has fruit on it.


Nothing new to report.



COMMITTEE REPORTS

State Conference: Gary Slanga

Gary reported that the committee meetings are going well. Bernie asked about the profit

factor, since the organization won’t have a plant sale next spring. Susan Terry produced

a list of approximately 250 potential conference sponsors and vendors that should

produce significant income.

Rainwater Harvesting Committee: Gary Slanga

Members of the committee are Gary Slanga, Lyle Zoeller, Don Wyatt, Ursula Nanna,

Laura Murphy, and Charles Newsom. The committee has met to discuss use of grant

money the 4-H received from Red Lobster to install a water tank behind the new

building. More funds will be needed in the future. The next meeting is planned for May

14th

after the General Membership Meeting.

Greenhouse/New Building: Don Wyatt

Don reported that Lyle had obtained some chairs for the new building. He also said that

he has 40 bags of potting mix coming in on May 1st. Lyle said that it might be possible to

get more chairs if we need them. Tables are needed for the new building.


Laura and Gail did a presentation for the Tigertown 4-H. Because of the upcoming

conference, outreach and education will stop or slow down during the coming months.

Harker Heights Parks and Recreation has asked for programs in July and September.

Grounds & Maintenance/Plant Sale: No report.

Garden Tours: There will be no garden tours until our State Conference is over.


Programs were conducted earlier in the month at Tyler Elementary School. On July 22nd

,

we will conduct a training day for teachers interested in putting in and maintaining school

gardens. She doesn’t know how many C.E.U. will be awarded. Sign-in will be at 8:30.

Attendees should pre-register by June 30th

.

Mary Ann had received a request from the chapter of the Boys and Girls Club that meets

at Liberty Hill School for assistance with a garden project. The club wants to create a

raised bed garden using concrete blocks and had submitted a request for supplies that

included various flowers, vegetables, fruits, and materials to construct the garden bed.

After some discussion, members concluded that the club needs a sponsor and that the

Bell County Master Gardeners cannot serve in that capacity. We can invite club leaders

to attend the July class. One issue that will arise is resources for materials, both for the

club and for the teachers. Susan mentioned the garden project at the Salado elementary

school, which had been helped by a grant from Lowe’s. Others could do something

similar and also check with Home Depot. Mary Ann would like to send an e-mail to the

membership requesting their input. Gary said that we could possibly publish a resource

list. Susan suggested putting it on the website.


The New Class Committee will meet after the Board Meeting to discuss graduation.

Three interns have not turned in any hours.



Killeen Community Gardens: Edie Campbell

Randy reported under Programs and Socials.


The Blooming Bell will be published a few days later than usual.


The finalized by-laws are on the website. The site also has two links for the 2015

conference. Stacye Parry has volunteered to monitor the 2015 conference e-mail address

and direct messages to the appropriate committee chair.

New Business:

Induction of officers will take place at the May board meeting. Board members

usually provide snacks. Randy will coordinate and provide a sign-up list.

Lou Hight has turned in hours for vegetables and Earth Kind. She is currently

working on First Responder hours, focusing on roses, and needs some roses to

evaluate. Judy Herrmann has about 25 and offered to have Lou check them.

Mary Ann stated that we need a protocol for approval of service projects. Lou

suggested that Jayla might have some criteria. Gary said that he would ask Jayla

if she has recommendations for projects for Master Gardeners. He thought that if

a project involves teaching the public, it could likely be approved. If new criteria

are developed, old projects could be grandfathered. Lou also proposed guidelines

for what constitutes a demonstration garden. Jerry made a motion to task the

incoming 2nd

Vice President, Bernie, to form a committee to investigate a protocol

for approving service projects and continuing education hours. Gail seconded.

The motion carried. Bernie, Lou, Gary, Gail, Jerry, and Susan volunteered to

serve on the committee.

Old Business:

Gail has been experimenting with the new volunteer management system. Some

members have begun inputting hours, but it does not go into effect until the new

club year beginning June 1st.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:57.


Peg Fleet



May 28, 2014

Board Members Present: Laura Murphy, Randy Brown, Jerry Lewis, Gail Christian, Myra

Crenshaw, Peg Fleet.

Other Members Present: Lou Hight, Gary Slanga, Pat Allen, Don Wyatt, Charlotte Jones, Fran

Sheppard, Bernie Hurta, Ursula Nanna, Mary Lou Edmondson, Lou Height, Mary Ann Everett,

Jan George, Gail Garner, Charles Newsom, Carla Harmon, Susan Terry, Walter Ponder, and Ray

Machovsky

The Meeting was called to order at 9:04 a.m. by Laura Murphy.

The Minutes of the April 30, 2014 board meeting were approved as presented.


The April financial report was reviewed and approved for filing.


The June speaker will be Jim Herrington of Wetland Flowering Plants. The July speaker is Jean

Flores on Vermicomposting. The Killeen garden has everything in and growing except the okra.




Peg thanked everyone for letting her know who to send cards to. Judy looks good and is at

Cornerstone. Let Pat Allen know from now on, who needs cards sent to them.

COMMITTEE REPORTS


Gary said the webinar is working okay. We have some hotel contracts that will get arranged and

put on the website. People will call and make reservations themselves and a cutoff date will be

online. The 2014 conference will have 32 presentations and the website is up for it. Channel 6

will be our media sponsor for the conference and may broadcast the weather from it. The Belton

Journal will publish something about the conference on June 9. Hidden Falls Nursery is

providing a wagon for the backdrop.


Charles, Lyle and Don help put in the barrel for rainwater harvesting. There will be a

demonstration on how it all goes together on June 30 from 9-12a.m. We will be teaching 4 H

students at the demonstration and any of our members can get 2 hours of education hours for

attending.


No report.

Outreach/Education: Gary Slanga-No report.

Grounds & Maintenance/Plant Sale: No report.



There will be training for teachers on how to set up gardens on July 22 at Liberty Hill.


Of the 21 in the class 8 were certified. Class hours are going to be 58 instead of 75. Service

hours are still 50.


Continue to take pictures and notes on any projects good for an award entry.

Killeen Community Gardens: Edie Campbell

No report


Get your info to her by the end of the month.


No report

New Business:

Starting in July, general meetings will have social time at 10:00 and the speaker will talk

at 10:30. The business meeting will start at 11:30. Mary Ann made the motion and Gail

seconded to accept these new times.

Robin Poole designed a logo for use of our local chapter and a discussion of selling

patches ensued. We would make sure we sell them to prevent nonmembers buying them.

See attached. There will be more discussion at the monthly meeting.

Gail made the motion to have a banner made with our name and the state logo. It was

seconded and approved. It will have a solid background, approximately 2 ft x 6 ft with

grommets for hanging.

Charles brought up that some wanted sound proofing in the new building but electrical

should be put in first. A bid which is attached was presented. Our building is considered

a warehouse which defines what we can do with it. Mary Ann made a motion which was

seconded and approved to table the discussion on electrifying the building. Further

discussion will be at the June meeting.

Installation of New Officers followed.



Myra Crenshaw



June 25, 2014

Board Members Present: Gary Slanga, Randy Brown, Pat Johnson, Gail Christian

Directors Present: Louann Hight, Mary Ann Everett, Susan Terry, Walter Ponder

The meeting was called to order at 9:03 a.m. by Gary Slanga.

The minutes of the May 28, 2014 board meeting were approved as corrected


The May financial report was reviewed and approved for filing.


The July speaker is Jean Flores on Vermicomposting.

Policy & Planning: No report.

Corresponding Secretary: No report.

COMMITTEE REPORTS


There will be a Hospitality Committee meeting on July 9 and a Social Committee meeting after.

There are 6 weeks left till the web site opens for in-house registration beginning August 15. Gary

will prepare a marketing CD to send to all counties that have master gardener groups promoting

the conference that will include printable registration forms for snail mail registration.


There will be a demonstration on June 30 from 9-12a.m. We will be teaching 4-H students at the

demonstration and any of our members can get 2 hours of education hours for attending.

Landscaping around the system is under way.


There was no response to the bid for electrical outfitting for the new building. Charles Newsome

made a motion that all upgrades to the building be suspended until after the conference. Mary

Ann Everett seconded the motion. The motion passed.

Outreach/Education: Susan Terry

There are several requests for programs from Extension Education on July 8 and 19, POE on July

10 and Temple Garden Club on October 2. Members have volunteered to give the programs

requested.

Grounds & Maintenance/Plant Sale: Walter Ponder

Rain water collection landscaping being done and work continues on the grounds.



Eleven teachers have signed up for the School Garden training. On June 19 a class was given to

about 30 students at Jefferson Elementary including gardening and grass heads.

New Class: No report

Awards: no report

Killeen Community Gardens: The Killeen garden has had an abundant harvest, with over 300

pounds harvested last week and 486 pounds of produce since January 20, 2014. Veggies go to the

Senior Centers, Families in Crisis and Soup Kitchen. The Killeen garden group has started

monthly planning meetings with the first one on June 24 at Hallmark in Killeen with 11 master

gardeners in attendance. This group will make a planning graph of new areas to be developed. An

information presentation about the Killeen community garden will be prepared for a BCMG

meeting in the future.

Blooming Bell: no report


Routine maintenance was done on the web site.

Old Business:

Starting in July, general meetings will have social time at 10:00 and the speaker will talk

at 10:30. The business meeting will start at 11:30

More discussion about the local chapter logo was held. It was suggested we research old

records for information about the logo and/or ask Eileen Miller about this topic

The banner has been completed.



Pat Johnson



July 23, 2014

Board Members Present: President, Gary Slanga; 1st VP, Randy Brown; 2nd VP, Bernie Hurta; Treasurer, Gail Christian; Corresponding Secretary, Pat Allen,

Other Members Present: Don Wyatt, , Gail Garner, Mary Ann Everett, Fran Sheppard, , Charles Newsom, Laura Murphy, Melinda Arriola, Lou Hight, Susan Terry, Jan George, Charlotte Jones, Carla Harmon and Jerry Lewis.

Meeting Called to Order: 9 a.m.

June Minutes approved as presented.

Treasurer’s Report: Gail Christian – June report Reviewed and Approved. Memorial donations for Lawrence Cox will be used to buy a cement garden bench for our garden.

Programs & Socials : Randy Brown---

For August General Meeting, the speaker will be Duncan Brooks, Certified Arborist speaking about “Oak Wilt” at 10:30 a.m.

KMCCG harvested 290 lbs. of vegetables bring total of 705 lbs. for the year.

KMCCG article published in the July/Aug. issue of Texas Gardener.

KMCCG will have monthly planning Breakfast for the 2015 conference starting July 29th at Harker Heights I-Hop.

Still working on Ft. Hood 2015 Tour for conference.

Tex Appeal Editor, Catherine Hosman, would like to do article on 2015 Conference. Corresponding Secretary: Pat Allen - 29 Letters were sent out to members who had not paid dues. Sympathy cards were sent to the family of Lawrence Cox. Thank you note sent to Ilene Miller for Memorial Gift in honor of Lawrence Cox. Shared Temple News article (July 21) pertaining to the 2015 MG Conference. Committee Reports:

State Conference: – Gary Slanga - Web site has been updated and news article was put in the newspaper. All committees have been hard at work. Registration is still trying to get information nailed down for the Registration Form.

Rainwater Harvesting Committee: – Gary Slanga - Demonstration was held on June 30 on how to construct and use Rainwater harvesting. Our tank has water in it and is operational.

Greenhouse/New Building: – Don Wyatt - Everything has been put on hold for now

Outreach/Education: – Susan Terry - EEA Presentation, “Earthkind and Water Conservation”- presented on July 8th

& 14th

Grounds & Maintenance/Plant Sale: —Walter Ponder/Carla Harmon & Jan George -

Workday set for August 6th & 20th, 7a.m. More help is needed maintaining the grounds. Only 4 people helped last week. Weeds have been sprayed to help with weeding. Jan George suggested that we ask for volunteers at General Membership meeting.

Fall Plant Sale scheduled for October 4th. Jan also mentioned a Planning Meeting for Plant Sale on Aug. 20.

Hamburger Wednesday is August 6th.

Garden Tours—There will be no garden tours until our State Conference is over

Youth Programs: MaryAnn Everett -- 13 teachers attended School Garden training. Evaluations were all positive and expressed desire for more training like this. Lisa Nix, Salado teacher, has requested a JMG manual for use with her students. We do have one available. A new Gardening Badge has started with the Boy Scouts. They will be making

composting beds on site. “ BIG Conference” in Waco, Feb 2015 has asked for $100 donation to help sponsor event. Laura Murphy suggested that we give the $100 contingent on letting us advertise. Motion was made and passed.

New Class: Fran Sheppard ---Needs a volunteer to put up posters advertising for New Member Class—Lou Hight. suggested that Lyle put something in the paper about new class.

Awards: Bernie Hurta -- Local Award’s Nominations are due by October 31st.

KIlleen Community Gardens: Edie Campbell (not present)

Blooming Bell: Terrie Hahn (not present)

Webmaster: Louann Hight---Todd is doing a great job. When sending any information for the Conference Website, be sure to send to both Todd ([email protected]) and Louann ([email protected]). Regular Website requires ongoing maintenance. Face Book Link has been added to Website.

New Business:

Harker Heights Plant & Seed Swap will be Aug. 16, 1-5:30 and would like for BCMGA to participate again this year. Good chance to advertise for New Class Members and to sell our book. Melinda Arriola will head up that event.

Tours for 2015 Conference – Laura Murphy---Plans are to have “Historic Salado”; Railroad Museum Tour & ride Amtrak to McGregor, have lunch, then ride bus back; Ft. Hood Tour-- Thinking about other possibilities like visiting the Gault Site (it’s strenuous); Vineyards, or having a Museum tour (SPJST Museum, Bell County Museum, etc.)

Bernie Hurta requested a Service Hours/Projects Committee meeting for Aug.13 following the General Membership Meeting. Committee is Bernie, Lou, Gary, Gail, Jerry, Susan, and Mary Ann. Discussion will be on the “Protocol for Approving Service Projects”; if project educates the public, should it be approved? Lyle’s role in approving service projects; What constitutes a demonstration garden? Do you receive service hours for maintaining it yourself? “Old Projects” should be grandfathered in. Do we want to have a list of those projects and who is in charge of them?

Bernie also needs to meet on August 27th after the BOD meeting to work on the 5 year Strategic Plan for BCMGA (last one was 2008). Directors will be asked to come up with goals for their various committees. This includes Association goals-Gary Slanga; New Building/Future Greenhouse- Don Wyatt & Charles Newsom; Outreach/Education, Susan Terry; Youth Education, Mary Ann Everett; New Class, Fran Sheppard; Grounds, & Maintenance, Walter Ponder & Carla Harmon; Killeen Municipal Gardens, Randy Brown (Edie Campbell and others); Plant Sales, Carla Harmon & Jan George

Charles Newsom contacted Chapman Sign Studio to see if they could do the cutouts for the Conference Table Decorations. They are willing to do XYZ router cutouts at no charge & provide(2)4X8 sheets of plywood (@/NC) if we would be willing to mention/advertise their business at conference. We would have no problem with advertising as a donor/sponsor.

Laura Murphy mentioned that the Dallas Arboretum has a new Children’s Garden -- we could get good ideas from it and perhaps use those on the McLane Children’s Hospital Garden.

Old Business: Haven’t heard back from Senior Expo ---they want us to participate---booths are $165---we participated for free last year. We are not interested in paying for a booth, with all of our conference expenses ahead of us. We probably will not participate in event this year.

Meeting Adjourned at 10:15


Pat Allen (in absence of Pat Johnson)



August 27, 2014

Board Members Present: President, Gary Slanga; 1st VP, Randy Brown; 2nd VP, Bernie Hurta; Treasurer, Gail Christian; Recording Secretary , Pat Johnson; Corresponding Secretary, Pat Allen.

Directors Present : Walter Ponder, Carla Harmon, Fran Sheppard, Edie Campbell, Louann Hight, Mary Ann Everett, Susan Terry

Meeting Called to Order: 9 a.m.

July Minutes approved as presented.

Treasurer’s Report: Gail Christian – July report Reviewed and Approved.

Programs & Socials : Randy Brown---

The program will be the Fall Plant Sale Jan George, Carla Harmon and Pat Johnson at 10:30 a.m. at September General Meeting.

KMCCG continues to harvest vegetables, specifically okra and tomatoes, but did not weigh them.

KMCCG did a strategic plan and will have their monthly planning meeting on 8/26.

They are preparing the area around the sidewalk in preparation for the 2015 conference. Corresponding Secretary: Pat Allen –Sent sympathy card to Melissa Fletcher. Thank you notes sent to those making contributions. 2nd Vice President: Bernie Hurta –

The “Volunteer Service Hours Defined” will be put on our website.

BCMGA SERVICE Hour Project List will be put on our website with contact persons.

Projects already in progress will be grandfathered in.

New ones as of August 1, 2014 will need to be approved by the Extension Agent. o MG’s fill out project approval form. o Extension Agent approves projects o Extension Agent notified BOD President of approved project o BOD President notifies BOD o Project goes on website list

Committee Reports:

State Conference: – Gary Slanga –

2014 State Conference is in 3 weeks – He stated he needs 2 videos for the 2015 conference promotion at this year’s conference, one on meals and one on tours.

He will prepare 78 video presentations for Lyle Zoeller to send to county agents.

Discussion continued regarding conference presentation details and web requirements.

Distributed business cards for the conference.

Rainwater Harvesting Committee: – Gary Slanga - We have an offer to paint a mural on the water harvesting container. Carla Harmon is looking into it.

Greenhouse/New Building: – Don Wyatt - Everything has been put on hold till after the conference. We have 13 bricks to be laid.

Outreach/Education: – Susan Terry – two talks are scheduled, one at the Senior Center on 9/5, and one on Shade Tolerant Plants on 9/4. The Killeen Garden Club would like a talk on poisonous plants on Halloween at their regional conference.

Grounds & Maintenance/Plant Sale: —Walter Ponder/Carla Harmon & Jan George -

Workdays set for September 5th, 10 th & 17th, at 7a.m.

Hamburger Wednesday is September 3.

Garden Tours—There will be no garden tours until our State Conference is over

Youth Programs: MaryAnn Everett -- It is OK to have a table at the “ BIG Conference” in Waco, Feb 2015.

New Class: Fran Sheppard – Only one student so far. Posters have been placed at locations that allow us to post them.

Awards: Bernie Hurta -

Nominations for the Green Thumb, Golden Trowel, and Intern of the year Awards are due October 31. Forms can be found on our website and will be available at the September 10 monthly meeting. Nominations should be sent to Bernie Hurta.

State awards entries are due in January. Hopefully there will be information at the State Conference in September.

KIlleen Community Gardens: reported by Randy Brown (see above)

Blooming Bell: Terrie Hahn (not present)

Webmaster: Louann Hight---reported Minimal activity on the website.

New Business:

Laura Murphy offered information about a potential speaker or tour - Tim Miller, Milburg Farms, first certified organic gardener in Texas.

Rene Bucanan has 2 gallon containers with plants to donate.

Gail Christian presented the approval form for projects.

September board meeting will be held on 9/17 instead of 9/24 due to the 2014 State Conference

Old Business - Deadline for the members to submit early conference registration is September 15. The regular membership meeting is September 10.



Pat Johnson



September 17, 2014

Board Members Present: President, Gary Slanga, 1st VP Randy Brown, 2nd VP Bernie Hurta, Treasurer, Gail Christian, Corresponding Secretary, Pat Allen

Other Members Present: Fran Sheppard, Karen Colwick, Lou Hight, Charlotte Jones, Gail Garner, Walter Ponder, Terrie Hahn, Daniel Perry, Susan Terry, Laura Murphy, Tina Mazur, Terry Bradburn, Sandy Sedberry, Jan George, Mary Ann Everett, Carla Harmon, Mary Lou Edmondson, Stan Henn, Jane L Van Praag, Beverly Hilliard, Ilene Miller, Ursula Nanna, Ray Machovsky

Meeting Called to Order at 9:05

August Minutes Read and Approved

Treasurer’s Report: Gail Christian---August report reviewed and Approved

Committee Reports:

Programs & Socials: Randy Brown---

Speaker for October will be Sarah MyKrane from the Harker Heights Activity Center/Class on how to make “Seed Paper”

Talked to III corps G5 and they have accepted schedule for Fort Hood 2015 State Conference Tour

September KMCCG Vegetable total to date is 138.25 pounds / Fall squash, spaghetti squash, and okra are being harvested now

Killeen Garden club will visit garden on October 9, 2014 – 9:15 – 9:30 (expecting 10 – 12 people)

Laura Murphy added that Self-guided tours will be offered for State conference ( Cav Platoon performs on Thursday mornings :& Wildflower Tour

Policy & Planning: Bernie Hurta---

Strategic Plan has been sent to members/should come up for Board approval at Oct meeting

Lou Hight will put the Strategic Plan on our website

Awards Deadline is October, 31, 2014

Nomination forms are online

We have entered 7 areas for awards at Permian Basin conference

Corresponding Secretary ---Pat Allen

Sympathy Card sent to member Jane Capen & Family regarding her daughter’s death

Thank you note sent regarding Memorial Gift for Lawrence Cox & notes sent to Lawrence’s family notifying them of the gift

Gary asked for reminder as to who is sending notes to Vendors and sponsors---Gail Christian is handling this.


He also discussed his video that he is preparing for the State conference. There was discussion about getting a new computer, knowing that we would probably need it for the state conference.

No Greenhouse update

Outreach/Education: Susan Terry

Programs are to be planned for Oct – Feb only/There will be no programs past February due to our 2015 State conference

Killeen Lions Senior Center and Belton Horticulture have requested programs

Gary noted that Master Gardeners are to be educated & mentioned that Jayla Fry is offering a class on Speaker’s Bureau.

Susan noted that we need to provide more opportunities for Education to our own members

Youth Programs : Mary Ann Everett

Nature Festival is October 18, 9am-2pm at Bend of the River Ranch

Master Gardeners will have a booth and do “Grassheads” Vera Townsend is in charge of that booth and needs volunteers

Event is free. We will have flyers pertaining to the upcoming Master Gardener training class


At this time we have 8 paid class members and 1 unpaid

Grounds Maintenance & Plant Sale—Walter Ponder, Carla Harmon, & Jan George

Grounds are continuing to be cleaned up for the upcoming Plant Sale

Carla asked about how we could best utilize our Rainwater tank to get water to our beds/ possibly need to look into getting a pump

Burgers will be served on Friday before Plant sale

Pat Johnson has articles planned for sale

Susan Terry suggested that she contact Channel 6 for the Plant Sale and advertise our conference

4-H Club will help with sale

Blooming Bell: Teri Hahn

Going well/wouldn’t mind giving it up tho’ to anyone else who might want to do it/ is also doing the Facebook page

Website: Lou Hight

Information continuing to be added to the Website for State conference and for our organization

New Business:

Lou Hight announced the 2015 Home & Garden Show Dates / February 20, 21, 22, 2015

Ilene Miller announced that the Christmas Party will be on December 4, 2015 6 pm


Respectfully Submitted,

Pat Allen ( in absence of Pat Johnson)


Minutes of the Board Directors Meeting October 22, 2014

Board Members Present: Gary Slanga, Randy Brown, Pat Johnson, Gail Christian, Bernie Hurta, Directors Present: Louann Hight, Mary Ann Everett, Susan Terry, Walter Ponder, Fran Sheppard, Carla Harmon The meeting was called to order at 9:02 a.m. by Gary Slanga. The minutes of the September 17, 2014 board meeting were approved. Treasurer’s Report: Gail Christian The financial report was reviewed and approved for filing. Programs and Socials: Randy Brown Randy Brown will be the speaker at the November general membership meeting. The topic will be the Killeen Municipal Garden. Policy & Planning: Bernie Hurta

The date for the combined November/December Board meeting was set for December 10.

Gail Christian will look into State Tax Exempt forms form for members on master gardener business or training.

Carla Harmon, Fran Sheppard and Gail Christina will do plants for the November 18th Water Symposium.

Strategic Action Plan was approved. She will send it to Louann Hight for posting on our website.

Corresponding Secretary: No report. COMMITTEE REPORTS State Conference: Gary Slanga Items discussed regarding the conference were the silent auction, the need to add sponsor logos on the conference web site, and possibilities for publicity. Rainwater Harvesting Committee: Gary Slanga There is still money left from the rainwater harvesting project which will be used for landscaping. Greenhouse/New Building: Don Wyatt No report. Outreach/Education: Susan Terry Several programs are scheduled for the next few months. No additional programs will be scheduled until after the conference, except for the Home and Garden Show. There was discussion about expanding speakers pool to those who attended specialist classes. Training on making a presentation will be scheduled at a later date.

Grounds & Maintenance/Plant Sale: Walter Ponder After taking a little break, a work day will be scheduled a couple of times a month. Garden Tours: There will be no garden tours until our State Conference is over. Youth Programs: Mary Ann Everett Master Gardeners manned a booth at the October 18 Nature Fest. It was a great success. The youth activity presented was grass heads. New Class: Fran Sheppard There are currently 13 people registered for the new class, 12 paid. They will be invited to the monthly meeting. Awards: Bernie Hurta

There will be a state awards committee today after the Board of Directors meeting.

The local awards committee meeting will be November 5 at 9:00am. Nominations are due October 31.

Lifetime award nominations were discussed. Killeen Community Gardens: The Killeen garden has had an abundant harvest, with 238 pounds harvested last week and has donated 2,525 pounds of produce year-to-date. Veggies go to the Senior Centers, Families in Crisis and Soup Kitchen. Currently only tomatoes and peppers are being harvested. The ground is being prepared for winter crops Blooming Bell: no report Webmaster: Louann Hight Routine maintenance was done on the web site. New Business:

We will have a booth at the Water Symposium on November 18 where plants will be given away.

Tax exempt forms are available for master gardeners who are traveling on business & training. These forms are used for hotel/motel stays with the state tax exempted.

President Slanga presented information about the “Gardens and Greenway” project will restore, preserve, and develop a portion of this West Campus Greenway into a public garden and greenway to conduct formal teaching, research, and extension/outreach activities. Mary Ann Everett moved that Bell County Master Gardeners donate $1500 over three years to the Texas A & M Garden & Greenway project, a teaching & training project on the Texas A & M campus. Walter Ponder seconded. The motion carried.

The meeting was adjourned at 10:17. Respectfully submitted, Pat Johnson Recording Secretary

BELL COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS ASSOCIATION Minutes of the Membership Meeting

December 4, 2014

With a majority of Bell County Master Gardeners Association, President Gary Slanga called the meeting to order the evening of December 4, 2014 for the purpose of addressing errors that needed to be corrected in the by-laws. President Slanga explained the specific changes that needed to be made. A suggestion was made to change our fiscal year to better align with the state and reports that need to be sent to various agencies changing our fiscal year to match the calendar year (1 Jan, to 31 Dec). This change means that the officers’ length of terms will be aligned with our new fiscal year. Respectfully submitted, Pat Johnson Recording Secretary

Documents

BELL COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS ASSOCIATION · BELL COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS ASSOCIATION Minutes of the Board of Directors Meeting February 26, 2014 Board Members Present: Laura Murphy,