May is finally here along with flowers, gardening, and The Moscow Farmer’s Market! It is so nice to see the world around us turning so green and full of life. The Moscow Food Co-op held its May Board meeting at the 1912 Center. The meeting was attended by all Board members, the General Manager, Co-op staff, and an interested Co-op owner. We reviewed monitoring reports regarding B3 policies, which cover asset and liability protection, and B5 policies which cover provisions for soliciting and responding to customer feedback as well as ensuring a safe and discrimination-free environment in the store. The reports were in good shape and were accepted and approved by the Board. The Board also monitored policies that pertain to how the Board shall govern and approach its responsibilities. The reports were helpful to remind everyone responsibilities we have, as well as areas where we need to improve. The Board also discussed the Annual Meeting, which was held on April 27 at Maialina Pizzaria in Moscow. We all agreed it was well organized and a huge success, which was accomplished by great planning by members of the Board Owner Communication Committee and staff and management of the Co-op. Thank you, everyone, for great planning, implementation, and attendance! And, thanks to the staff and ownership of Maialina for awesome food and a great space!
In our Study and Engagement Series, we heard from Andie Severson, Executive Director, of Sustainable Moscow Area Regional Transportation (SMART Transit) who talked about the services provided, goals for the future, and the need to increase ridership following COVID. Clearly, public transit is a need in our communities, and finding ways to support and increase service is important to everyone. Andie did an outstanding job of engaging and informing the Board, and the Board was interested in ways we could collaborate. The service began in 1993 in Lewiston and then expanded to Moscow and now offers fixed routes as well as on-demand transportation. More information can be found at: https://www.smarttransit.org/.
The next Board meeting is scheduled for June 6, 2023, in the Fiske Room at the 1912 Center (412 E 3rd St, Moscow, ID). The meeting will begin at 6:00 pm. Current Co-op Owners can attend in person or via Zoom. To attend via Zoom, contact the Board's Administrative Assistant at boardadmin@moscowfood.coop for more information and to RSVP.
Further information about our Board meetings is found at https://www.moscowfood.coop/board-meetings.
Sincerely,
Mark Thorne, Board Chair