In attendance:

Scott MacPherson, E.D.
Jennifer Myszkowski, President
Carey Baker, Vice-President
Daniel O’Sullivan, Treasurer
Mike Hines (remote)
Gloria Caballero
Keishla Archeval (remote)

Not in attendance:
Ismary Santiago
Vinnie Bonilla
Jayne Melendez
Carolyn Rogers-Harris, R.I.P.

Call to order: 6:39pm

Accept prior meeting minutes – October 16, 2025

• Motion to Approve prior meeting minutes Daniel
• Second: Carey
• Vote: Unanimous approval.

Directors Report

Profit and Loss

Balance Sheet

2026 Draft Budget

PT Director of Production Job Description

• General Operations
  • Extremely high activity levels: 2–3 events per week, 2–3 productions per week, and city meetings nearly daily.
  • The organization is operating beyond capacity, with sustained high activity since late September.
  • A brief lull expected Thanksgiving week and first week of December.
  • Continued strong mix of events: music, debates, theater, and regular TV productions.
• Event & Activity Tracking
  • Tracking events and attendance through the calendar system; could be improved.
    • Jennifer suggested including event/activity metrics in annual report and member communications.
• Part-Time Director of Production Position
  • Based on workload, Scott recommends hiring a part-time Director of Production.
  • Job description presented.
  • Motion to approve the job description:
    • Motion: Daniel
    • Second: Gloria
    • Vote: Approved unanimously
  • Scott intends to post the job in December; interviews to begin in early January.
• Budget Overview (Preliminary Discussion)
  • The budget assumes $90,000 per quarter in cable revenues (10% decrease from prior year).
  • Includes $75,000 in retained earnings for services/equipment.
  • Earned revenue projected to drop due to last year’s one-time grant funding.
  • 3% salary increases and a 10% health insurance increase included.
  • $14,000 shortfall in this version, but Scott believes it can be covered via grants and sponsorships.
  • The budget will not be voted on until December.
• Finance & Compliance Updates
  • 2024 taxes filed.
  • All filings for 2022–2024 brought into compliance with required shift from cash basis to accrual basis accounting.
  • Noted that the Attorney General’s Office rejected filings in previous years without formally notifying the organization.
  • Recommendation to contact Rep. Pat Duffy and Sen. John Velis regarding the communication issue.
    • Jennifer volunteered to draft a letter.
• Membership Report
  • 2–3 new members per week.
  • Approximately half join through Digital Navigator services.
  • Total membership: 496.
  • Suggestion: Include membership numbers and a simple dashboard in each Director’s Report.
• Technology & Facility Notes
  • Major equipment failure: device at City Hall that embeds Spanish-language audio died.
    • Temporary solutions in place; device out for repair.
    • Comcast troubleshooting ongoing to restore full bilingual broadcast.

Old Business

Committee Reports

• Marketing & Development Committee

• • • No major updates.
    • Scott will send details on Shokazoba Afrobeat Orchestra performance once confirmed.

• Grants, Sponsors & Fundraising

• • • Sponsorship subcommittee creation to be revisited in January annual meeting.

• Facility & Technology Committee

• • • Cornice repair: Still tabled.
    • Multiple equipment failures noted; repairs ongoing.

• Personnel Committee

• • • One employee is currently on short-term disability through mid-January.
      • PFMLA approved; Holyoke Media will pay the difference between state benefit and policy amount.
      • Temporary support staff being brought in through holidays.
    • Future personnel policy review recommended for early 2026.

• Finance Committee

• • • MOU with the city still in progress; Scott in communication with Mayor Josh Garcia and Superintendent Anthony Soto.
    • Timeline likely extends past year-end due to upcoming holiday schedules.
    • Plan to move funds into higher-interest accounts and establish relationship with a new bank.
    • Extra mortgage payment to be addressed after internal fund transfers.

• Editorial Committee

• • Meeting not yet held; scheduling conflicts. Will revisit next month.

New Business

• Post-Event Survey
  • Strong agreement to implement a brief post-event survey for organizers.
  • Should be simple but meaningful to capture actionable feedback.
• Strategic Plan (Initiation of New Process)
  • Scott proposes starting a new strategic planning process for 2025–2030.
  • Will create Google Forms using previous strategic plan structure (SWOT + core questions).
  • Discussion points:
    • Include recent/former board members.
    • Engage community partners (e.g., Senior Center, Homework House).
    • Ask executive directors from neighboring media centers.
    • Provide simplified survey for members to encourage participation.
    • Include grant writer in process for data gathering and alignment.

Tasks & Action Items

Motion to adjourn

• Motion: Daniel
• Second: Carey
• Vote: Approved unanimously

Meeting adjourned at 7:41 PM