PABA Frustration and a new adventure...

After a two month break from meetings for the first time since I joined PABA (Parkesburg Area Business Association) we resumed our regular meeting schedule.  I was really hoping that after a summer break that the members would come back with a renewed enthusiasm and be ready to tackle some of the issues we are facing head on.  Instead, our president did not attend (he was at a school function for his son so it was understandable) and the 'fabulous four' joined by the 'fabulous fifth' sat around the table.  The meeting started at 7:00 PM.  There was really no agenda that we could follow.  The treasurer had forgotten to check our mail box and had not updated the membership numbers.  As secretary I did have the minutes from the June meeting.  Under 'Old Business' we went over the July Bike Race' again.  It was an activity that we were unable to sponsor due to our low number of active members but we have one member who is beating a dead horse in getting an explanation as to why we did not support it.  The result is that we are going to survey our membership to see their reactions and/or issues with the bike race.  (30 minutes of my life gone that I can never get back.)  Then we moved through a couple of items quickly before getting into two issues, one from the Vice President and one from our absent President.

The thing you need to know about our dear Vice President is that he was once a school teacher.  He learned long ago that in order to get his point across to his students he had to find a way to say the same thing in 30 different ways.  He does that very well.  What could be done in a couple of simple sentences usually takes at least 15 to 20 minutes.  He now makes signs and banners.  Our president had told a new business owner to contact the VP about possibly repairing a sign that is an orphan at the end of our Main Street.  We got the whole story, including the failure of several Borough officials to follow through on things, that ended in new business people putting the whole idea on the back burner.  As near as I could see, this had nothing to do with PABA and yet now, the same member who wanted the survey now wants PABA to adopt the sign and fix it up ourselves so businesses can hang their names on it.

Then we got into the final issue... the way the Borough works when new businesses try to come into town.  It involved a business that wanted to open a small shop in an abandoned building, put money into the project based on comments from the Borough Manager only to have the Borough Council tell the entrepreneur be told they could not do what they wanted to do.  They were dumbfounded as the Borough Manager had told them it was OK only to have him deny that he had done so.  It is a story we have heard before and is one of the reasons that our businesses are closing down and why new businesses do not want to come into town.  But with only 4 or five active members, there is little we can do as an organization besides write letters or complain.  This is really something that has to be fixed from the Borough side and those who feel passionately about it need to go to the Borough meetings or run for office so they are in the position to change council.

The meeting ended around 9:00 PM.  Between redundant ways of saying the same thing, going round and round on what we should do on past events and present issues, I have never been so frustrated.  It at least cemented my resolve to not allow myself to be re-elected to the secretary post for 2014-2015 and free up that time in my life for other pursuits.

Venting done.

Today I will be making up a banner or table cover for the Lions Club.  Tomorrow I will be setting up table at the local thrift shop for White Cane Day collection.  I will head there after I am at the dentist getting my crown prep done.  Then I will be there Saturday in the morning soliciting donations before a lunch by the chairman of our White Cane day committee.

Tonight I begin what will be 22 1/2 hours of gun safety training.  I am excited about this class.  I am still a bit nervous about handling a gun.  The first two nights are strictly about dealing with the pistols.  I will be using their weapons for the first couple of classes since I have not yet purchased my first gun.  They will be helping us figure out the type of gun that we will actually need to purchase.  I need to be there around 6:30 PM and it will go until 10:30 PM tonight.  Each Thursday night this month will be a class and then the Saturday before I leave will be an all day class.  Not sure what I will be certified as when I am done, but I should be more comfortable with a gun by the time I am done.

So, another busy day.  My quiet week has become more busy than I expected!  Good thing I am retired!!