04/30/2024
🚨 First want to announce to everyone: We will NOT be doing a Jeannette Summerfest Event Page this year! We WILL attempt to fundraise to have fireworks for this year and POSSIBLY a small party beforehand, but please see below for details and my explanation.
- Some notes/highlights from D⁷'s board meeting:
Date: Monday, April 22, 2024
Time: 7pm
Location: Mosaic CDC Office Conference Room, Glass City Bank Building, 411 Clay Avenue, Jeannette, PA 156444
Attendees: Ty Daniels - D⁷ Founder and President; Michelle Langdon - Vice President, acting Secretary; Nate Keisel - Board member; Davina Shaulis;
Absent: Juanita Sanders, Treasurer (with cause);
* Robin Mosley (resigned);
* Robert Carter (resigned, due to health issues);
* Recap of last meeting/notes
* Old business:
- Jeannette Summerfest 2023 and DCED grant funds expended. Balance left to be spent by end of July 2024 for Summerfest to be D⁷'s contribution to fireworks and/or pre-fireworks festivities.
- Resignations of Mosley and Carter.
* New business:
- Introductions and submission of Shaulis to be 5th board member.
- Jeannette Summerfest for this year. I, myself, Ty Daniels made decision to not do a Sunmerfest for this year for several reasons:
1 - Last year, we spent over $24,000.00 from awarded grant money, which I have a very hard time warranting spending that amount of money, for a 1-day community event, instead of investing towards something more beneficial, for the community (which I will mention a few ideas, following below), although I DO feel that the community event is very important for the reasons that I decided to begin it -
Positive promotion for the city;
Bringing the community together....people of all ages, races, bakgrounds, along with business and organization promotion and exposure with and to those citizens and families of the community; Lastly, to hopefully create fond family memories that I've experienced, growing up in Jeannette. Funds FOR these purposes, are well spent, but I feel they can and need to be used more efficiently.
2 - With the Thursday Band and Food Truck events, I feel that the band and food portion of Summerfest, is redundant. A large part of my initial reason to starting the event was to have something separate which focused more on families and children, instead of primarily adults.
Unfortunately, I have not been able to book a company to bring in actual carnival rides....and last year, we spent over $7,000.00 for rides and games that were only able to be used for part of the event, and many items that weren't able to be used at all, because of weather and lack of an electrical supply, due to spacing and cable or generators required.
Also, with the exception of last year's "monsoon" weather, I DO feel that craft vendors have benefitted very well, from the Summerfest event. Not all, with some selling no or only 1 item, but others doing very well, averaging $250 in sales, but with some best sellers selling well over $600 in sales.
Generally, I'm not sure which other community events allow craft vendors to do as well, but aside from any possible future Summerfest events my personal suggestion to the JBA, would be to allow 5 different craft vendors to be able to sign up for each of the Thursday Food Truck events. I think that they would do very well, in a situation like that. I will forward this suggestion along.
My conclusion, with disappointment and suggestions from board members, for THIS year again, is to attempt to get the necessary funds for fireworks. Schaeffer Fireworks is waiting to hear what we will plan for this year. Minimal cost spent for the past two years on fireworks, is $6000.00/year. I think that a $10,000.00 firework display is what the community deserves, but $6000 is the minimum that we will need to raise. It will be up to the community and I will release a fundraiser for them, very soon.
I also have great ideas and plans for Summerfest 2025, but don't want to release any ideas or information about that yet....that will solve the issues that I've listed above.
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- Short-term projects that we've decided to focus on, which are looked at as high priorities and needs for the community:
1 - A mobile, fresh grocery truck. I have been planning to do this for about a year now, but costs for a truck has deterred me. Board members feel that this is an important need and that we should pursue it, so I will continue to research everything needed and we will begin fundraising for a mobile grocery truck, soon.
2 - Transportation, specifically for young and older people that want and need to work, but have transportation issues on getting to and from work. This need was presented by Nate Keisel, as one that he sees as very great. Discussion of all presently available options were discussed.
We will look at a plan to develop some kind of occupational tranportation service. I also feel a need to develop a long-term program that will help individuals acquire their own vehicles and driver's licenses and set aside a budget to buy, insure and maintain them.
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Finally, after hearing Davina Shaulis' background and immense involvement with community groups, children and activities, VERY eager acceptance to voting her as our fifth board member, took place.
I am still in search of 2 more board members, to equal a total of 7, of which I feel the position will choose...and not the other way around.
Meeting adjourned at 8:30pm.
