GHI Annual Meeting Old Greenbelt Style

Wednesday at (GHI) annual membership meeting it was vintage Greenbelt, as members launched verbal sparring matches over contested bylaws changes -- sometimes evoking laughter and at other times audible moans from the members who showed up and stayed for the count.

But what is Greenbelt without debate? One glance at our history shows that's the stuff we're made of -- in early times, neighbors duked it out over pets and clotheslines, moms marched through Roosevelt Center donning their rebellious shorts and the town was aghast over the recalcitrant family who painted their unit pink.

Today the issues may have changed, but some members still show up at annual meetings ready for a rumble.

It was nice to see a bit of the old spirit still lives. Kind of made me want to run out and put some shorts on.

With changes, and amendments to changes, and amendments to amendments to changes, a long night was inevitable for the meeting with a 7:30 p.m. start time, chaired by Tokey Boswell, GHI vice president. After members concluded debate on the first suggested bylaws change and finally voted its fate at 8:50 p.m., Boswell, announced with a grin, "That's one," breaking the audience up with laughter.

, one member petition and their outcomes, will be posted on Patch later tonight.

In addition to addressing  business, members honored Sylvia Lewis, GHI Board treasurer and past president. "We'll miss you," Boswell said and presented her with a plaque, gift and kiss, while praising her for 13 years of excellent service. Lewis thanked fellow members, adding "It was nice to be given the opportunity to kiss Tokey too."

Members also honored fellow member Suzette Agans, who is stepping down from her position as GHI Board president. Agans did not attend the meeting due to illness, but Boswell praised her to the members. "Her leadership and her patience will be missed," he said.

Fritz Gutwein received bright ideas recognition for his suggestion to create a GHI page in the Greenbelt News Review, and Emily Brunstein won an award for naming the page.

Five GHI Board seats with two-year terms were up for a vote, with five members running for them:
Tokey Boswell, Chuck Hess, Bill Jones, Laura Moore and Patricia Novinski.

Three members ran for three Audit Committee openings with one-year terms:
Debbie Cooley, Bill Edwards and Dianne Wilkerson.

Five positions were open on the Nominations and Elections Committee, but only four GHI members filed: Paula Clinedinst, Henry Haslinger, Rick Ransom and Karen Yoho. The Committee can fill the fifth position sometime in the year, according to Boswell.

Jim Cohen, Buildings Committee chair, reported on the Committee pilot program, explaining its first year's purpose was to take measurements of items like temperature, humidity, energy costs and member comfort and create a baseline measurement. For the second year, the Committee plans to make insulation improvements and take new measurements. In the last year, it hopes comparisons of the first two-years' measurements will guide it in determining the proper replacement for baseboard heaters.

When the floor opened up to members issues, Greenbelter Lore Rosenthal, with Simplicity Matters Earth Institute, noted that a recent publication didn't provide details on how GHI incorporated green practices and supported green investments.

Matt Berres, GHI manager of maintenance operations, responded by specifying some forward-moving green practices it has been implementing.

Rosenthal and Berres have agreed to elaborate their viewpoints in a future Patch discussion.

Sheila Alpers, GHI Investment Committiee chair, addressed Rosenthal's investment concerns. "Our policy does not say anything about socially responsible investment," she said, declaring the committee was mute on the issue, not coming out for or against green investments. Boswell suggested that anyone interested in becoming an Investment Committee member let the new GHI Board know.

Before closing, Lewis warned residents who had not turned in their Homestead Tax Credit papers in to GHI to do so, pointing out nearly 250 members had not.

"You'll lose it, and you'll never get it back," she said, urging people to let Gretchen Overdurff, GHI general manager, know if they had lost their paperwork.

Hess agreed, "Many of the homes, if they lose the Homestead Credit, their taxes will double, or more."

The meeting adjourned at 10 p.m. on the dot, some members complained of the cold as they shuffled out, some griped about the hour, while others rushed off to vote. Several members appeared horrified that their Homestead Tax Credit forms weren't turned in,  which, in turn drew compassionate members to their sides with advice and sometimes an arm over the shoulder. Viva la Greenbelt!

Information booths were stocked with literature and giveaways, offering advice and goodies to members before and after the meeting. They included:

• The Woodlands Committee, which gave members sun- and shade-friendly plants, including St. John's Wort, Autumn Fern, Creeping Phlox and Leadwort.

• The Buildings Committee, which handed out a compilation of member questions on the pilot program with its answers to them.

• The Companion Animal Committee gave out Dos and Don'ts and information on good animal care practices, as well as emergency preparedness literature.

• The Web Site Task Force demonstrated its new GHI website, which compiled the information from two sites into one master site with a new design and user-friendly interface.

• Lore Rosenthal also handed out information on green practices, as a member of GHI.

Kathleen Gallagher, Nominations and Elections Committee chair told Patch she hoped to send out tonight with the vote count. So stay tuned for the final count.