Board Blurb: June 2025

6/11/25

Prepared by Laurel Watt (2025 RCMG Secretary)

Summary for the June RCMG Board of Directors Meeting

The RCMG Board of Directors Meeting was held on June 10, 2025 on Zoom. The next Board Meeting will be on Tuesday, July 8, 2025. All RCMG’s are welcome to attend these meetings.

Special Guests

RCMG Name Change Request – Tim Kenny & Diane Griewe

Tim Kenny and Diane Griewe from the State MG Extension Team shared their proposed process for addressing a name change request from Ramsey County Board of Commissioners. The commissioners have informally requested that we drop the word “Master” from our program name. Tim reported that they have not yet received a formal request, but when this happens, we will be asked to vote on keeping the current name or adopting the name, “Extension Horticulture Volunteers.”

RCMG Board members, in addition to many other RCMG volunteers attending the meeting, had a variety of questions, comments, and concerns that were posted in the chat and conveyed to Tim by RCMG Board Chair Kay Wimer. Unfortunately, we did not receive much clarity or information at this time.

A task force will be convened to gather answers to the many questions we have about the ramifications of this proposed vote and how we proceed with a response to Ramsey County and the Extension Team. Stay tuned for more information on this in the coming weeks.

Plant Sale Committee Update – Cheryl Brady

Cheryl Brady reported that the Plant Sale was a great success! We had over 1,400 shoppers, 8,800 plants, and at this time, the estimated net revenue is projected to be $28,845.50. Cheryl thanked the many RCMG volunteers who made this major endeavor happen. Watch for a more detailed report on this year’s Plant Sale in the next newsletter and mark your calendars for next year’s sale on May 16th of 2026!

Committee Updates

Communications Committee Update – Stacy Sola & Nanette Boudreau

Nanette and Stacy shared the stats on our social media outreach, and it is clear that the Plant Sale generated a lot of interest in our posts. However, the “open” rates for our internal newsletters remain down. Please encourage your fellow MG’s to read the newsletters! You can also encourage friends and family to participate in Speakers Bureau classes which are now posted through September by sharing these posts on your own social media.

Education Committee Update – Gene Ranieri & Sue Mason

The Team has organized the “June at the Barn” meeting. The format is similar to the 2023 meeting. The theme is “All about Pollinators.” The Garden Gate program will feature MG’s gardens and RCMG projects. The August meeting will be hosted by Washington County Master Gardeners and will feature a presentation by Dr. Mark Seeley. The remaining meetings for the year should be finalized soon.

Finance Committee Update – Laura Savin

A final version of the Purchasing Policy was shared. The Committee will be having a retreat in July to work on their agenda for the rest of the year, including how to publicize the Purchasing Policy, developing the Financial Aid Policy, and other items.

Membership Committee Update – Susie DeShon

Susie and Tiffa have been contacting interns from 2023 and 2024 to advise them about the number of volunteer hours they need to complete their internship. This needs to be entered into the volunteer database by December 2025; if this is not done, they will be removed from the program.

Leadership Updates

Secretary Update – Laurel Watt

The April Board Minutes were approved.

Treasurer Update– Kathy Passe (Interim Treasurer)

The Board moved to approve Kathy Passe as Interim Treasurer following the recent resignation of Kristina Hughes. There were no reports yet for April and May, but Kathy did request a motion to move the profits from the Plant Sale into the Money Market account, and the motion was approved.

Program Coordinator Update – Darren Lochner

No report.

Chair and Vice-Chair Report

Vice-Chair Report – Beth Fritcher

No report.

Chair Report – Kay Wimer

Kay proposed postponing the previously scheduled retreat on June 24th until there is more progress on the issue of a possible name change for the program as well as ongoing discussions with the State Team regarding our non-profit status. The Board agreed to postpone.

New Business

No Old Business.

No New Business other than the motion to create the task force to address the possible name change. See RCMG Name Change Request above.

Old Business

No Old Business.

2025 Board Leadership: Kay Wimer (Chair), Beth Fritcher (Vice-Chair), Laurel Watt (Secretary), Kathy Passe (Interim Treasurer), Gene Ranieri (Education Chair), Susan Mason (Education Co-Chair), Tiffa Foster (Membership Chair), Susie DeShon (Membership Co-Chair), Nanette Boudreau (Communication Chair), Stacy Sola (Communication Co-Chair), Laura Savin (Finance Chair), Darren Lochner (Program Coordinator).