GPICA General Membership Meeting Minutes
Please note that minutes are DRAFT until approved by the membership.
Meeting Information
● Date & Time: 2025-04-01 18:33:44
● Location: First Baptist Church of Pine Island
● Board Member Attendees: Christine Blum, Nadine Slimak, Deborah Swisher-Hicks, Steve Eldredge, Sue Dahod and Kathy Chumley
Meeting Notes
1. Treasurer’s Report for March 31, 2025
Steve presented the treasurer’s report for the end of March, highlighting a total income of $257, primarily from interest, and expenses totaling $185. He discussed bank charges and the strategy of maintaining a $10,000 cash balance for unplanned expenses. He also talked about the long-term goal of setting up a CD ladder so that there is some amount of GPICA’s investable assets maturing every month.
Treasurer’s Financial Report Greater Pine Island Civic Association for Month Ending March 31, 2025:
INCOME
- 03/31/25 Interest Earned (Trusit MM) $ 15.52
- 03/31/25 Interest Earned (FH MM) $ 1.77
- 03/27/25 Interest earned (CD 5515) $ 42.00
- 03/10/25 Interest earned (CD 7361 ) $ 53.70
- 03/10/25 Interest earned (CD 7312) $ 118.88
- 03/10/25 Zeffy Deposit $ 25.00
TOTAL INCOME $ 256.87
EXPENSES
- 03/31/25 Service Charge (FH) $ 10.00
- 03/26/25 Safe Deposit Box Rental $ 70.00
- 03/21/25 Service Charge (Truist) $ 5.00
- 03/12/25 Check-First Baptist Church of Pine Island $ 100.00
TOTAL EXPENSES $ 185.00
- ENDING TRUIST CHECKING BALANCE $ 1,685.31
- ENDING TRUIST MONEY MARKET $ 8,992.67
- ENDING FIRST HORIZON CHECKING BALANCE $ 1,000.00
- ENDING FIRST HORIZON MONEY MARKET $ 718.20
- ENDING BALANCE-CASH $ 103.00
- ENDING CHECKING/MONEY MARKET/CASH BALANCE $ 12,499.18
- CD 7312 (First Horizon-3.85%, Matures 06/08/25) $ 40,253.27
- CD 6606 (Truist-4.00%, Matures 07/26/25) $ 15,000.00
- CD 5515 (First Horizon-3.65%, Matures 09/25/25) $ 15,000.00
- CD 7361 (First Horizon-3.50%, Matures 12/10/25) $ 20,000.00
2. Community Resilience and Recovery Initiatives
Collaboratory and Resilience Planning: Tessa Lesage (Chief Impact Officer) and Jon Romine (Community Resilience Strategist) from Collaboratory were introduced. They discussed their role in community resilience planning, emphasizing the development of resilience hubs in partnership with Lee County. These hubs aim to provide community services and coordinate resources during emergencies.
● Resilience Hubs and Community Recovery
The Collaboratory team discussed the establishment of 4 pilot resilience hubs (hubs will be set up at the Collaboratory, Franklin Park Elementary, the IMAG History and Science Center, and Pine Manor Community Center). The goal is to enhance community resilience by coordinating logistics and resources efficiently within the geographic locale. The project involves multiple partners and aims to eventually create a network of resilience hubs across Lee County.
● EPA Community Change Grant Program
The meeting highlighted the success of the Collaboratory in securing a grant from the EPA’s Community Change Grant Program. The grant, awarded in December 2024, is nearly $20 million, $8 million which is earmarked to support the development of the pilot resilience hubs.
● Future Makers Coalition and Workforce Development
The Future Makers Coalition is an educational workforce initiative focusing on healthcare, education, logistics, and manufacturing sectors. The initiative aims to improve programming and coordination in these sectors, with a new focus on construction workforce development.
● Infrastructure Improvements
The meeting also discussed stormwater and transportation infrastructure improvements as part of the resilience hub project. These improvements aim to enhance community resilience andsupport the functionality of the resilience hubs.
3. Q&A
● County Communication and Representation
Discussion on the communication between the community and the county, with Jess Carney and team representing the Matlacha Civic Association at the county level. Concerns were raised about the lack of direct county representation in meetings.
● Lee County Resilience Plan
Concerns about the lack of attention to Pine Island in the Lee County Resilience Plan, despite previous participation. The community feels neglected in terms of disaster recovery and resilience efforts.
● Funding for Resilience Hubs
Discussion on the funding allocated for resilience hubs, with $8 million from the first $20 million and additional applications for $33 million. Concerns about the sufficiency of funds and the need for more resilience hubs.
● Grant Status and Future Funding
Discussion on the status of current grants and the future of funding applications. Concerns about the risks associated with changes in funding for social services and other domains.
● Community Engagement and Support
Acknowledgment of the community’s efforts and the role of organizations like Collaboratory in supporting resilience initiatives. Emphasis on the importance of community input and collaboration with government entities. Currently, the Resilience Plan indicates two hub locations on Pine Island and 1 in Matlacha. It is unclear and not within the Collaboratory’s domain to determine when additional hubs (in addition to the current 4 pilot hubs within Lee County) might be developed.
● County Coordination
Clarification on who the community is coordinating with at the county level, involving various departments depending on the topic. The timeline and specific steps for expanding the resilience hub network beyond the initial four hubs is currently not clearly defined as the first four hubs are pilot projects.
The meeting presentation on Resilience Hub Network can be found here
4. Community News and GPICA Updates
- Deadline for applications for the ELEVATE FLORIDA RESIDENTIAL MITIGATION PROGRAM is April 11, 2025.
- The Membership renewal system is changing, with emails going out for online renewals.
- Next meeting of the GPICA is May 6 and will be held at The First Baptist Church of Pine Island (5363 Avenue D, Bokeelia).
— Respectfully submitted by Steve Eldredge, Secretary
Please note that the meeting recording was not archived and is no longer available on Facebook.