MCCC Minutes - October 15, 2009, 7:00 p.m., 102 River St., Superior
Present: Anita Bailey, Mary Jo Berry, Guy Gould, Dixie Hendershot, Sue McLees, Mark Hlebichuk, George Bailey
1. Program - Mark Hlebichuk, Industrial Hygienist for IHESS (Industrial Hygiene, Enfironmental & Safety Services, Inc.)
Mark, certified in mold and environmental quality issues, explained the work that he does in dealing with hazardous materials. He has been in the field since 1986, working in the capacity of emergency response and preparedness, serving as a legal expert witness for Superfund sites. Mark would be the likely candidate to provide technical expertise to the community during the Superfund cleanup of the Flat Creek mine tailings, should the Chamber receive the EPA TAG grant. The cleanup probably will continue for 3-4 years, possibly 6. He explained that citizens have a legal responsibility to their neighbors for cleaning up their own property from contamination. George reported that the $50,000 TAG grant will be formally applied for in November 2009. The Mineral County Chamber of Commerce is the only organization that submitted a letter of intent to the EPA so it most likely will get it. George will write the grant and submit it by the deadline. Mary Jo Berry, who has agreed to be the community coordinator for the TAG grant, reported that EPA testing will be done again in the spring for those who didn’t have it done this fall.
2. Minutes of the September 17, 2009 meeting were read and approved (Mary Jo so moved, Sue seconded).
3. Treasurer’s Report – Guy will work with Roni Haskins, accountant, to improve financial reporting to membership. Guy also will receive the bank statements. A list of bills were presented and approved for payment. (Dixie so moved, Sue seconded). A discussion followed about the feasibility of retaining the Windfall answering service. No action taken.
4. Superior Car Show – Since the organizers of the annual car show have recruited another volunteer, they have withdrawn their request for the Chamber to formally support the event. However, Chamber will continue the event by providing helpers, advertising on the Chamber website, and providing liability insurance.
5. Office Space for the Chamber – Office space is available for rent at 102 River St. in Superior. Rent is $183.34/month plus utilities (approximately $23.00/month), with a 1-year lease being required. George mentioned that one of the requirements for an organization to receive the TAG grant is that there be a dedicated office space for the organization to disseminate information and that the grant would cover part of the cost. Ideas included: putting hand rails on the staircase (Mary Jo will check into cost), rugs for the floors, possibly picnic tables in the parking lot, sandwich board sign on the sidewalk, possibly could be staffed by volunteers (RSVP will be contacted). After discussion, it was voted to lease the space for a year, beginning November 1, 2009. (Sue so moved, Dixie seconded).
6. 1910 Fire Commemoration – Anita will contact Carole Johnson about putting information about the fire on the Chamber website.
7. Membership – Anita will have 2010 Chamber applications ready to send out after the November meeting. A discussion followed on the benefits of being a Chamber member, which will be posted on the website, along with the Chamber application. Member benefits include a ‘hot’ link to their business website from the Chamber website, promotion of business activities & events through mass e-mail and Chamber website, business cards and advertisement displayed at Chamber office, advertisement and small welcome gifts for new members in the Mineral County communities, networking with other local business people. Chamber provides insurance for community events such as Railroad Days, Superior Car Show. Chamber members can receive free benefits, such as the Hiawatha Trail offering complimentary tickets and shuttle passes for a day to Mineral County Chamber members. Chamber member businesses will receive a member sticker to display in their window. It was suggested to host an open house at the new Chamber office, possibly in January, promoting all Mineral County businesses. Also suggested was to hold business promotion open houses in St. Regis & Alberton, as well. It was decided to keep the dues the same for 2010. It was suggested to offer a reduction in dues to those businesses that have just recently joined the Chamber in 2009. That item was tabled till the next meeting. It was reiterated how valuable the website is to Chamber members and a brief report was given on the information that webmaster Glenda Wallace presented at the September meeting. The Chamber website address is
Meeting adjourned. Next meeting: November 19, 7:00 p.m.
Superior, 102 River St.
Anita Bailey
Secretary