2009 Winter BOD: Richmond

July 7, 2022

The GCV Board of Directors met January 6, 2009, at the Kent-Valentine House. President Cabell West commended board members on Strategic Plan implementation progress and summarized recent electronic vote board actions.

Finance Chairman Marsha Merrell reported that a recall of fire sprinkler heads at the Kent-Valentine House had created near panic when a contractor specified drilling 12-inch holes in the ceilings at GCV’s expense. Fortunately, a simpler solution was found and disaster was averted.

At Cabell’s request, Conservation and Beautification Chairman Anne Doyle presented a briefing on how GCV effects change in Virginia’s environmental policies.

“I would say that our greatest legacies are conservation of natural resource conservation and protection of open space. The publication, Conserving the Commonwealth, documents this. In the past, our access to decision makers fueled our success. Today though, our credibility within Virginia’s environmental community comes from our ability to mobilize educated, articulate volunteers — our membership. Our efforts, however, are limited by our minimal access to information. We don’t have full-time lobbyists and we don’t have attorneys on staff who can write legislation. We must instead rely on information from organizations like the Virginia League of Conservation Voters (VALCV), which writes the invaluable Legislative Scorecard and the Briefing Book, and the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) before we can formulate our focus during the General Assembly. Otherwise, we risk wasting the valuable time and effort of our members. I fully believe that by showing greater monetary support of these organizations, we will increase our access to information and can thereby more effectively formulate successful legislative strategies.”

Jane White of Hillside Garden Club was invited into the board meeting and presented GCV with a copy of The Book of Attributes, a detailed description of the topography and plantings of the Old City Cemetery in Lynchburg, a former Common Wealth Award winner.

Flower Shows Chairman Betty Michelson reported that her committee had rejected an offer of a silver trophy to be awarded at a flower show to the best photograph of a Historic Garden Week arrangement, feeling unqualified to judge photography.

Remaining business included a discussion on whether the GCV should allow sponsors for our websites, with the HGW Committee directed to investigate the possibility; plans to reduce the number of printed Guidebooks by 10,000 – 15,000 in response to a decrease in advertising revenue; an update on maintenance projects at the Kent-Valentine House; Outlook Committee plans to review suggestions for redistricting clubs to allow for cluster meetings; Personnel Committee plans to update the GCV Employee Handbook; a discussion of electronic voting policy; and plans to establish an Executive Committee.