AGM 2019

Thank you everyone for attending our Annual General Meeting that was held on Nov. 19! We had a great turnout despite the cold, snowy weather.

Below are some of the highlights from the meeting:

President Christina Matisons opened the meeting and provided clarification why we are having another AGM when we just had one in June! The RCA AGM has generally been held in June, however our financial year ends in August. This creates a significant delay in delivering our audited financial statements to our members. At the June AGM, we presented our 2017-2018 audited financial statements which was 10 months after our financial year end. We want to deliver our audited financial statements in a more timely manner. Today we will present our 2018-2019 financial statements, just 2.5 months from the end of our financial year end. We hope to maintain a November AGM in the future.

President introduced Board of Directors, key volunteers and staff as well as guests from the City of Calgary, Ward 12 office and Calgary Police Service. Christina thanked outgoing volunteers and staff: Heather Kolesar, Jamie Unruh and Cassandra Ratke for all their hard work and commitment to RCA.

Treasurer Walter Janzen presented a summary of the 2018-19 audited financial statements. In terms of capital assets, community centre building was constructed in 1991 and the original value has fully depreciated. This year we were able to add $200K value to the building by completing significant renovations. RCA financial position is more stable compared to previous years. However, cost reductions and revenue increases must continue to be the focus. It was reported that the auditor has removed the following statement: ‘significant doubt about the Riverbend Community Association's ability to continue as a going concern’ from her report, which is reassuring that RCA is on the right path to stabilize its financials.

President Christina Matisons and VP Communications, Olga Maciejewski presented the revised bylaws which were last updated in 2011. New bylaws were updated for clarity and flexibility that also align with the RCA’s purpose and objectives. Highlights include: a rolling expiration date from 12 months after membership purchase instead of the previous set date of Aug. 31, greater clarity of meeting proceedings, frequency of Board Meetings from 4 to 6 per year, ability of electronic voting for the Board of Directors,clarification of borrowing powers and other financial and management matters. Please see the Revised bylaws document with annotations detailing the revisions. A special resolution motion to accept the new bylaws was approved. A special resolution form will be filed with Alberta Registries.

Director of Playgrounds, Jason Morton presented the Playground Taskforce Report. Two playgrounds were replaced this summer, Riverview Circle with new equipment, and Riverrock Manor with used equipment as well as benches and picnic tables. An online survey launched earlier this year had 54 respondents. The Riverbend school playground was rated as most visited and over 50% noted it was the most important playground in the community. Survey respondents also supported recommendations included in the report. A key part of the report addressed five area playgrounds that are up for replacement in the next five years. Each playground was rated as fair, and suggests a replacement date as well as suggested themes. Those present at the meeting fully supported recommendations included in the report. As the next steps, the report will be shared with the City of Calgary Park department for feedback, and a final official report submitted to the Ward 12 Councilor with hopes to work with the City, RCA and community to implement the plan.

VP Communications, Olga Maciejewski spoke to this past summer’s INSTALation project that saw community engagement on social media increase with 200 Instagram followers and a trendy new hashtag: #rivebendyyc. Programs and Events saw the availability of online registration for sports leagues and other programs, as well as new popular programs such as knitting, tai chi, and nordic pole walking. Olga encouraged all members to register for the upcoming Kids Christmas Party taking place on Sat Nov 30th 10am-12pm. Cost is FREE for RCA Members and $5 (per child) for non-members with online registration; $10 (per child) for ALL at the door (cash only).

The Rink Rats have planned another great skating program this winter. Rink Coordinator, Michael Baker announced 2nd Annual Crashed Ice Rink Opening event scheduled for Saturday Jan 11th 1-4PM , as well as kids’ shinny on Tuesday nights 6-7:30PM, starting on Jan 14th, and adults shinny on Thursday nights 7:30-9:30PM, starting on Jan 16th. Rink Rats are always looking for more volunteers to help with the rinks. Please email info@riverbendcommunity.ca if you are interested.

Heather Kolesar, Memberships Coordinator explained that she recently contacted all 200+ lifetime members to confirm whether they still live in Riverbend and obtained their updated contact information. She noted that last fiscal year (2018-19) membership increased by 26%. She was also happy to report that for the first time in many years, the number of annual and lifetime members is balanced. The RCA plans to continue to expand member benefits.

RCA needs to recruit Director of Volunteer Resources, and plans to focus on developing a volunteer recruitment plan to increase volunteer engagement. See details of all available volunteer roles.

Ryan Munday was voted in as a Director at Large for a two year term.

Once the meeting adjourned, attendees were able to mingle with neighbours, volunteers and City, Ward 12 representatives.

Ward 12 prepared a monthly report, which was not presented at the Tuesday’s meeting, but is available below.

Also available below is the presentation from the meeting.

Thank you everyone for attending our Annual General Meeting that was held on June 4th! About 70 community residents - 26 of which were members - turned out to hear about the Board of Directors’ Strategic plan as well as updates on community engagement and organization.

Below are some of the highlights from the meeting:

Treasurer Walter Janzen presented Audited Financial Statements for 2017-18 as well as the summary of the most recent financials. Overall the RCA is doing better than last year but there is a lot of work required to ensure the positive trend continues.

President Christina Matisons and VP Communications, Olga Maciejewski presented the RCA Strategic Plan 2019-21 with a focus on community engagement that aims to build awareness, increase participation and engage volunteers. Another critical focus is on organizational effectiveness such as more efficient internal processes, examining finances with a goal to increase revenue and decrease spending to ensure a long-term sustainability of the organization and the building.

Communications is a big part of community engagement. We’ve increased our Facebook audience by 22% and have included a cover photo contest and local profile feature dubbed “Our People, Our Community” in the RIverbend Review newsletter. Future plans include a new community logo and branding, and an Instagram account and campaign.

Community Advocacy saw a positive with the recruitment of a Director of Playgrounds, Jason Morton who has been working closely with the City to ensure the older playgrounds are replaced, not just removed. The City will be replacing the playground near Riverview Circle sometime this summer. They’ll be replacing the aging slide, swing and play structure with a new modern play structure. The City has also committed to making short term changes to the River Rock Manor park. In the coming weeks they will be replacing the aging wood on the picnic table, and benches. They’ll also freshen up the yellow lines on the biking trails. In fall 2019 they’ll install used playground equipment (they’ll collect over summer) in the areas of the park that currently remain empty.

Riverbend School Council representative, Celina Greer updated on the Riverbend School Playground that will be torn down in 2020. The group is in the middle of fundraising and grant applications and is looking for help. The fundraising group is now a part of the Park Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps improve public spaces. Read more details on their website.

High level overview of the Enhanced Landscaping Management program which could help beautify our neighborhood was shared. The RCA is hoping to recruit a volunteer to lead the ELM program to fruition. You can find more details about the ELM program on City of Calgary website

After identifying some gaps, the RCA has seen an increase and variety in programs and events . The skating rink had a great season this past winter and saw more usage than it has in quite some time. Several new programs introduced include Nordic Pole Walking, Knitting, and several summer programs such as kids soccer, mobile skate park, lawn chair theater and the City’s Stay and Play. Riverbend will also host to 4 summer camps including ball hockey, theater, dungeons and dragons, and Mission Hill Church. RCA is recruiting a Director for Program and Events as well as Event Leads.

Secretary Heather Kolesar has also taken on the role of Director of Membership which saw an increase by 20%. Residents can now sign up with the new online platform. Expansion of membership benefits continues to be a focus. Heather has been in contact with current members for feedback and ideas and encouraged others to get in touch.

The RCA is looking for Director -Volunteer Resources to help enhance the volunteer program. Always looking for more people to help out!

President Christina Matisons presented on the Executive Committee and Board accomplishments and future goals. The past year saw the Board recommit the the RCA mission, vision and values as well as developed the Strategic Plan for 2019-21. A Team Structure was implemented and a new Community Coordinator was hired. Future plans include the continuation of the Team Structure as well as the revision of the by-laws.

From a finance and funding point of view, the RCA plans to ensure steady grant funding, which has not been the case in the past.

From the Facilities team, Directors Ken Schultz and Mike Hall spoke to the updates on the building. The team was able to secure $300K in funding. Four of five HVAC units have been replaced, fire alarm panel will be replaced and the parking lot and curbs are being paved. A walk through of the building allowed the team to draw up a list of items to address that will hopefully help increase the rentability of the hall. Planning to address the recommendations of the Energy Efficiency Audit including replacing the dishwasher, cooler and other items.

Current Board Members were re-elected for a two-year term.

In new business, three representatives from Calgary Transit were present to address questions about new changes to the local bus route 75.

Once the meeting adjourned, attendees were able to look at poster boards set up around the room with info on several topics of interest including playgrounds, traffic, volunteering, membership, the ELM program and more. as well as enjoy wine and cheese and chat with their neighbors, volunteers, City, Ward 12 and Tanya Fir office representatives.