Minutes of the Meeting Held on Tuesday 18th March 2008 at 7.00 p.m.

at The Parish Community Centre

Present:               Doreen Rothery (Chair)

Barbara Cockburn

Mick Drewry (From Item no. 4 Onwards)

Amos Kaye

Anne Kaye

Sean Moran (Up to item No. 9)

Darren Rothery (Secretary)

Mary Smith

1. Apologies

   Apologies were received from Mary Horn. 

2. Minutes of Meeting Held on 19^th February and 2^nd March 2008

   The minutes of the meetings held on 19^th February and 2^nd March 2008 were approved with the exception that on minutes of 2^nd March, option ‘c’ was approved, not option ‘a’ as stated in error.

   Sean Moran asked if any copies of utility bills had been received from the Parish council. It was confirmed that this would relate to future bills only, to enable DPCA to monitor usage against bookings.

3. Matters Arising:

1. DPCA Storage

   Doreen confirmed that the upstairs room was now padlocked and there was a sign on the door referring any electrical problems to Allen Pestell.

   It was noted that an emergency torch has been purchased and fixed on the wall at the side of the steps in the kitchen.

2. Insurance

   Darren reported that he was still making progress on obtaining further quotes for the insurance. The insurance renewal is due on 29^th April and a decision will need to be made at the next meeting.

   Darren asked the Parish Councillors at the next PC meeting if they could again raise the matter of a letter from the Parish Council to DPCA requesting us to insure the building on their behalf.

3. License Application

   Doreen advised that the full license has been granted, effective from 1^st March 2008.

   A meeting still needs to be arranged with the bar man regarding booking arrangements etc. It was noted that, as the license application would have been expensive, Steve has made a commitment to the Community Centre and would therefore want to get as many bookings as he could.

4. Change of Name of Centre

   Doreen advised that the change of name to "The Parish Community Centre" has now definitely been confirmed by the Parish Council.

   Doreen reported that she has met with a representative from a sign company and discussed requirements for a large sign on the building and a free-standing sign within the grounds facing the road. An early estimate of cost would be somewhere in the region of £1,000 for this signage, which would have to be grant-funded.

   The signage would include the new DPCA logo and possibly a map showing the area covered by Dunford Parish.

   Doreen agreed to check with BMBC Planning if planning permission would be required for the freestanding sign due to its size.

5. Possible Use of Centre by Sure Start

   Doreen noted that she has been in contact with Sure Start who said they would come back to us when they start looking at this area.

6. Bus Hire for Dances

   Doreen reported that she had been in contact with ‘Dial A Ride’ but they have not come back to her.

   Sean has noted that he has received a quote for the hire of a 16 seater mini-bus for the weekend and this would cost between £190 - £250. It was agreed to put this idea on hold for the time being but Sean and Doreen to continue trying to obtain cheaper quotes.

7. PA/DJ Equipment

   Darren confirmed that this equipment has now been purchased, and was used at the Easter dance. All agreed that this was a good purchase.

8. Internet Site

   Darren tabled three logos which he had had prepared by an advertising agency free of charge. The logo would form the basis for new letterheads and would also be used on the Internet site. Of the three options presented, the committee preferred the logo from design "A" and the typography from design "B". Darren agreed to go back to the advertising agency to ask if they would produce a revised logo.

   Darren summarised various alternatives regarding web hosting and domain names. It was agreed that the web hosting company UK2.net should be used as this provides a simple web design facility and would cost approximately £50.00 per annum. The preferred Internet name was www.dpca.info which would cost £8.00 per annum. It was agreed that Darren establish an Internet site for the DPCA on this basis.

9. Car Boot Sales

It was agreed that the committee would take no further action on this. However, If anyone approaches us regarding car boot sales we would re-address the matter.

Mick Drewry arrived.

4. Treasurers Report

Darren Rothery summarised the financial activity since the last meeting. It was noted that the funds available to the DPCA currently stand at £2,968.42. In addition £950.00 was outstanding from Crag Rats which was being chased by Barbara.

 

It was noted that repairs had been carried out to the guttering at a cost of £80.00 and that the fire door was in urgent need of repair. To this end Barbara has contacted Brian Mitchell who will repair/replace the fire door as a matter of priority.

 

Sean Moran asked if £250.00 from the bike rally in September was adequate as they would probably be making quite a large sum themselves. It was agreed that a fixed amount should be charged to avoid any confusion and that possibly the charge be increased if they book again next year.

5. Ceiling Up-Date

Doreen reported that the ceiling was now finally complete and that she had spoken to the Managing Director of the company who confirmed there were two problems with the ceiling.

 

The first problem is that the Centre is damp (being a wooden building, the heating/cooling causes condensation and damp which has made the tiles curl at the edges).

 

The second problem was that the struts were not cut correctly and some of the tiles were not the correct size. He did agree that this was not of an acceptable standard and repairs were carried out as soon as he saw the problem.

 

Barbara asked if she could comment on an incident which occurred during the installation of the ceiling, and she read out a prepared statement. The salient points noted were:

• Barbara, acting in her capacity as Deputy Chair of the Parish Council, at the request of the Chair of the Parish Council, had called to the centre to monitor progress. She was concerned about the gap at the edge of the ceiling and raised these concerns with the workmen.
• Joan Cook became involved in the discussions and agreed to extra work being carried out
• A letter was then sent to the DPCA members in August 2007 from Joan Cook which was critical of Barbara. This was noted at the DPCA meeting but not discussed as Barbara had chosen not to make an issue of the letter at that time.
• Barbara now feels that, in light of the comments made by the MD, as the job was not properly completed, she was vindicated in her actions at the time.

The committee agreed that it was inappropriate for Joan Cook to air her personal grievance with Barbara on DPCA letter-heading (given that Barbara was acting on behalf of the Parish Council) and that Barbara had been ‘wronged’ by the presentation of this letter at a public meeting. 

6. Easter Dance De-Brief

Doreen handed out a statement of income and expenditure for the dance and it was noted that we raised £185.09 for the up-keep of the Centre.

 

Doreen commented that the majority of the funds raised were actually from DPCA committee members and that the ‘community’ actually gave very little support.

 

Darren said he was very disheartened by the response to the dance and he was unwilling to take on the role of DJ again in the future. In essence he felt that it was difficult to please such a wide selection of people.

 

Discussion took place as the merits of continuing with the dances in their present format and it was agreed to put the dances on hold for the time being.

 

Darren suggested that the best way forward was to have themed dances so that the people who attend know what type of music etc. to expect, e.g. a 70’s night would be 70’s music.

 

Barbara suggested that she try and contact someone she knows who might be willing to put on a dance at a later date to attract a younger audience. It was agreed that anyone wanting to put on a dance was welcome to use the facilities and equipment now in the Centre.

 

7. 2008 Gala/Gala Dance

Doreen advised that Woodhead Mountain Rescue have now confirmed they will be attending.

 

Anne Kaye advised that the Neighbourhood Watch would like to have a stall and Doreen said that the Senior Citizens Association would also like a stall.

 

It was agreed that all stalls will be charged £5.00.

 

Mick said he had contacted TA who could not attend.

 

Sean noted that he is still to contact the local Scouts and ATC.

 

Sean also advised that he had been speaking to someone from the Hade Edge gala committee and there could be a way of borrowing some of their equipment. It could be that some of our committee help at their gala and they reciprocate.

 

Mick agreed to prepare leaflets advertising the scarecrow and sunflower competitions and it was agreed that when these are distributed, sunflower seeds will be attached to encourage people to plant them. Sean agreed to provide the sunflower seeds.

 

Judging will take place in the week prior to the gala and the winners announced at the gala.

 

Doreen agreed to speak the Safer Neighbourhood Team to see if they can provide some rope for separating areas at the gala.

8. 2008 Diary of Events – Theme Nights

As mentioned above, these are now on hold.

9. Bookings

   Barbara advised that the model aircraft club has confirmed their requirement for the use of the field for the forthcoming year and has sent in their cheque.

   The following bookings were noted:

   Caravan Club Thursday 20^th – Monday 24^th March

   Darren Rothery/Allen Pestell Monday 7^th April

   Northern Communications Centre Tuesday 8^th April

   Local Elections Thursday 1^st May

   Pony Club Sunday 10^th May

   Anne Kaye advised that there should be a booking from Mr Pears regarding a wind turbine consultation and it was agreed that this would be charged at £200.00 in line with the charges for other wind turbine meetings.

   Sean left the meeting.

10. Funding Requests

It was noted that the potential funding request for the DPCA were currently on hold until the funding body was in place. It was noted that there is a Residents Association meeting called for Thursday 27^th March.

 

Doreen advised that, in her capacity as Treasurer of The Crime and Safety Sub-Group, she had been given an application form for ABC funding from South Yorkshire Police. Andy Thompson had advised Doreen that there were a number of incidences of thefts/attempted thefts from sheds in the area and Doreen has therefore completed the application form for the provision of shed alarms for the community. This has been done in the name of the DPCA and Dunford Parish Senior Citizens Association as they would liaise with DPCA on the more vulnerable members of the community.

 

Doreen confirmed that she had spoken to Barbara, in her capacity as Deputy Chair of the Parish Council, to advise her of this application in the absence of a funding body and Allen Pestell who was on holiday, as the closing date for applications was 20^th March.

 

Doreen also advised that she had been contacted by Sophie from Eon with the offer of £250.00 for display boards for the Community Centre. All agreed to accept this offer. It was noted that these are for Community Centre use and not the youth club.

11. Any Other Business

The Chair reported that Mary Horn has resigned as cleaner due to ill health. Mary is to continue as a member of DPCA committee.

 

The Chair noted that the Community Centre does not have a Health and Safety Policy and this is illegal. Mick Drury is to look into obtaining a Health and Safety poster and a model policy for the DPCA to adapt.

 

Doreen also asked for a volunteer as a Health and Safety Officer.

 

Anne Kaye and Mick Drury both presented copies of newsletter produced by other organisations and it was agreed to look into production on behalf of DPCA.

12. Date and Time of Next Meeting

The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 22^nd April 2008 at 7.00 p.m. in The Parish Community Centre.