MINUTES of ACTV Board of Directors

Meeting Date: February 9, 2006

Call to Order:

The regular monthly meeting of the ACTV Board of Directors was held in the ACTV Conference Room on February 9, 2006. The meeting convened at 7:38 PM, Isaac BenEzra presiding.

Board Members present:

Isaac Ben Ezra (President) Geraldine Vatan (Vice-President), Anna Carter (Treasurer), Josna Rege (Clerk), Mary Paris, Rusty Rowell, Rev. Bobby Wallace, Ernest Urvater.

Members absent: Jean Haggerty, Paulette Brooks

Quorum status:

This constitutes a quorum of the Board.

Presentation of January Minutes (regular meeting and special meeting:

MOTION:

A motion was made and seconded to:

Approve the January 12 Meeting Minutes.

The motion passed 7-0 with one abstention.

MOTION:

A motion was made and seconded to:

Approve the January 26 Special Meeting Minutes.

The motion passed 6-0 with two abstentions.

REPORTS

President’s/Executive Committee Report

President Isaac BenEzra gave a brief report on old and new business since the last regular board meeting, covering:

1) the decision at the Jan 26 Special Board Meeting to close the Executive Director search; a message was sent out to ACTV membership; Mr. BenEzra stated that he would name a board member to begin the groundwork for a new search, so that as soon as ACTV’s continued funding was secured, the search could move forward without delay;

2) the need for the President to sit down with the current IED to discuss the station’s needs and his continued availability for the coming period;

3) the President’s attendance at January 30^th meeting, Amherst Select Board, when the CAC and their Ascertainment Attorney Solomon presented the RFP for Comcast ;

3) an update on the contract renewal process with the town (report to follow);

4) Program Manager Ken Carroll’s preparation of a 30-minute compilation tape of recent ACTV productions for the Select Board;

5) Jon Persson’s 2005 Retrospective Screening on Saturday, Jan 28^th (attendance approximately 15) and presentation by Membership Committee to Jon as ACTV’s most active new member-producer of 2005;

6) the Personnel Committee meeting on Friday, Feb. 3 (report to follow).

Status Report, Ad Hoc Committee To Renew

Josna Rege gave a report on the current status of the contract renewal process with the Town of Amherst. Ms. Rege, Ms. Brooks, and Mr. Urvater have been attending the weekly Cable Advisory Committee meetings. The CAC has now acknowledged that ACTV is the only organization who is in a position to provide PEG access services. It had also put forward a draft contract with its proposed revisions. Mr. BenEzra will name Paulette Brooks as chair of the negotiating committee, and when she returns from Alaska she will convene that meeting to begin writing the language for the contract ACTV wants for the next 10-year license period. ACTV must write to the Chair of the CAC, Mr. Venman, to inform him of this process.

Treasurer’s Report (See attached December 2005 Financial Report):

MOTION:

A motion was made by Rusty Rowell and seconded by Mary Paris to

Accept the December 2005 financial report, subject to audit.

The motion passed unanimously.

Personnel Committee Report [Executive Session]

Interim Executive Director Report [See attached report]

Mr. Arbour had prepared a written report just prior to the meeting, but since he was unwell, he was unable to attend the meeting and present it.

Technology Committee Report [incorporated into the IED report, sttached]

Mr. Arbour had convened a meeting of the Technology Committee and had included a Tech. Committee report in his IED’s report, with some action items including the purchase of equipment totaling more than $10,000. In view of Mr. Arbour’s absence, the lack of a rationale for the major expenditures in the report, and Technology Committee member Rusty Rowell’s sense that the items were not urgently needed, the Board did not act to authorize the expenditures at this time.

Farewell to Geraldine Vatan

Because she will be out of the country for some months, current Vice-President and former Board President Geraldine Vatan submitted a letter of resignation, effective March 1, 2006. The Board presented her with a certificate of recognition and thanked her for her service to ACTV. Chocolate cake, a bottle of wine, and some toasts followed.

Adjournment:

The meeting was adjourned at 11:12 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Josna Rege

Clerk