SCNA Board tunes up strategic plan

By Rosanna Herber
Viewpoint Staff Writer

The SCNA Board held a retreat in March to revisit and tune up the 2004 Strategic Plan developed for the association. The Saturday retreat facilitated by Carla Lehn gave board members the opportunity to plan for the future and examine how the organization is progressing towards meeting its strategic goals.

Lehn opened the meeting by pointing out to board members that many of the strategic goals set in 2004 were accomplished or well underway. In particular, SCNA has a top-notch executive director and skilled staff to maintain its operation and maintenance; Sierra 2 has been refurbished and renovations to the theatre are underway; SCNA offers a broad set of programs that enhance livability in the neighborhood; and, SCNA has a diverse and stable funding base from a variety of sources.

The board reaffirmed its commitment to the 2004 goals that have not yet been accomplished, such as guiding the neighborhood through the optimum development of the rail yard, building membership, utilizing neighborhood watch programs to enhance neighborhood safety, and supporting the revitalization of the Broadway and Franklin corridors.

New strategic goals were also set. The board approved an Ad Hoc Children's Committee that will focus on creating programs to serve children and families in Curtis Park. Additionally, each committee submitted their five-year goals to the board for approval.

Here are some highlights from the various committees. The Facilities Committee wants to reduce utility costs, proactively plan and select capital projects, negotiate a more favorable lease agreement with the city, grow Sierra 2 revenues, and establish an emergency/disaster plan for the facility. The Personnel Committee intends to review the employee handbook and establish salary ranges for job positions. The Finance Committee will help board members better understand how the budget relates to their committee work and set annual rental rates for lease and block users.

The Development Committee will continue to coordinate SCNA's major fundraising events. Efforts are underway to expand sponsorship of the Home & Garden Tour, Wine Tasting & Silent Auction and for Music in the Park. Additional attention will be given to the design of SCNA's Web site and to building membership.

The main focus of the Neighborhood Concerns Committee will be to engage and inform neighbors about the proposed Curtis Park Village development. Attention will be given to exploring funding sources for a pedestrian bridge between Curtis Park Village and City College and providing comments to the city throughout the development process. Other goals include encouraging sustainable transportation for the neighborhood, protecting heritage trees, and improving neighborhood support for the Bret Harte Elementary School.

The Senior Committee will focus on increasing programming and participation in the Senior Center. Fundraising to maintain fiscal stability is underway and the committee plans to implement the Caring Neighbors Program this year.

The Heritage Committee is preparing a history of SCNA and Sierra 2 and will convert the back issues of Viewpoint to a searchable pdf format on the Web site. To see the entire strategic plan adopted by the board, go toXXXXXXX.

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