BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MYRNA LOY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING AND MEDIA ARTS
February 19, 2001
MINUTES


The Board of Directors of the Myrna Loy Center met Sunday February 19 in the Myrna 
Loy Center at 7 PM. Bob Anderson convened and chaired the meeting. Present were Bob 
Anderson, Leigh Bohn, Chip Clawson, Ali Sheppard, Peter Bovingdon, Allen Lefohn, Melinda 
White, Martin Holt, Phyllis Lefohn, Hattie Jo Lehman, Pat Clinton, and M.J. Williams. Not 
present were Board members Michelle Allen and Ellen Alborn. Non-Board member present was 
MLC Director Ed Noonan.

A motion to approve the minutes of the January 21 meeting was made by Allen Lefohn 
and seconded by Melinda White. The motion carried.

Ed Noonan presented the Administrator's report. The On-Broadway fundraiser raised $1,800. 
The Myrna Loy Center experienced its biggest grossing weekend for films ($5,109) during the 
past week. Also a new attendance record of 1059 for three days was set. The first week 
attendance at Chicken Run was 784. Last week was also a great week for special events such as 
the Carrigan Dancers, a rental that was sold out, a Montana Shares fundraiser, and a sold out 
concert with Altan. The MLC also made a new friend in Daniel Mayer Selznick, who gave a great 
lecture. Taking the week to thank volunteers for the past year also seemed to be appreciated. Ed 
wrote a Your Turn on the subject to parallel the "thank you" event. The Ying Quartet's three 
days were wonderful too. Al Lefohn's pictorial page on the website presents a good idea of how 
the Ying event went. One thing that has happened with all of this is that staff is creating a strong 
working relationship. The staff took two days for a staff retreat that proved to be a thoughtful and 
valuable experience. It helped make the staff ready for strategic planning. Krys just returned from 
the Kennedy Center meeting and said it was a valuable experience. Christy has done a great job in 
organizing rentals. The MLC had three busy days with the Highway Patrol last week. The County 
Commissioners gave the MLC tentative permission to rent the building during the day. On 
Wednesday on February 21 at 3 PM there will be a meeting with the City Manager on parking at 
in the City County Building. Friday February 23 marks the end of this busy month with Obo Addy 
at the Civic Center. March will be a lighter month and the box office will be opening later 
(probably 5 PM) to allow the hourly staff to work fewer hours and the full-time staff to take some 
time off after a busy two months and in anticipation of a busy April and May ahead. Because Teri 
Drake's mother died, no financial report will be available for this meeting. Income should be on 
target or better. However, heating expenses may possibly be higher. The MLC purchased a new 
popcorn machine when the old one gave out. It had been coming and the money was in the 
budget for building/major supplies. The MLC is having a problem with a leaking pipe and had to 
replace motors on the furnaces. Stanchions have been purchased to control the crowd waiting for 
tickets to the movies. A sound consultant came in two weeks ago from Seattle. His report will be 
coming. All of these costs should fall within the budget. 

Leigh Bohn presented the Finance Committee report. There was no financial report due to 
Teri Drake's personal emergency. The draft of the audit report has been completed. There is some 
concern about a phrase in the report indicating a concern about the financial condition of the 
Myrna Loy Center. Leigh Bohn indicated that discussion is occurring between the MLC and the 
auditors concerning the wording.

Ed Noonan discussed the status of the MLC's participation in the Montana Shares 
program. After a short discussion, Chip Clawson made a motion that the MLC remain in the 
Montana Shares program as an Associate Member for one year. Hattie Jo Lehman seconded the 
motion. The motion carried.

Chip Clawson presented the Program Committee report. He discussed the committee's 
recommendation for selling beer in the movies. The majority of the Program Committee favored 
the recommendation. Martin was concerned about the use of alcohol in the building because of a 
legal requirement that alcohol can only be used where a sprinkler system has been established. It 
was agreed by the Board that Ed Noonan should contact the Fire Marshall and discuss where 
alcohol can be used at the Myrna Loy Center. Chip Clawson made a motion that a 2-month trial 
period be implemented with the selling of beer for use in the auditorium and screening room, 
conditional on the Fire Marshall's agreement that it is legal to do so. Ali Shepherd seconded the 
motion. During the discussion, it was agreed by the Board that Ed Noonan would develop a beer 
policy relating to the trial period. There was concern about underage drinking and how to monitor 
for such if it existed. The motion carried.

Allen Lefohn gave the Board Recruitment Committee report. Judy Palmquist is currently 
considering the Board's offer to become a member. The Board discussed Jim Nys as a candidate 
for Board membership and recommended him for membership. Leigh Bohn will contact Jim Nys 
and offer him membership. The Board discussed the possible membership of David White, who as 
a volunteer is responsible for the computer network at the Myrna Loy Center. David had 
indicated an interest in joining the Board. During the discussion, some members were concerned 
about couples and the number of couples serving on the Board. The Board took no action on the 
membership of David White.

Martin Holt presented the Building Committee report. There is a leaky pipe in the 
basement and the committee will take action when needed to solve the problem. The timing of the 
action is dependent upon the urgency of the repair and the fact that it would be cheaper to make 
the repair following the spring thaw.

At the December 2000 meeting, the Board decided to table a motion concerning the 
appointment of Ed Noonan to the Executive Director position but indicated that it would review 
the motion at a later date. It was decided to revisit the discussion at the February Board meeting. 
The Board, under the direction of Bob Anderson, discussed the Executive Director position. 
Following a discussion, Chip Clawson made a motion that Ed Noonan be hired as the full-time 
permanent Executive Director of the Myrna Loy Center. Allen Lefohn seconded the motion. The 
motion carried. The Board agreed that the new Board member, Jim Nys, would be responsible for 
developing the appropriate paperwork that would describe the personnel arrangements.
The Board discussed the planning (long range and strategic) process. The idea of bringing 
in a consultant to assist in the planning process was discussed. In addition, the idea of a concrete 
plan with benchmarks was mentioned. One board member desired that the plan be extended out to 
20 years. The difference between long range versus strategic planning was discussed. The Board 
briefly discussed Morrie Warshawski's published materials. The Board agreed that a Planning 
Committee consisting of Board members would oversee the planning process. Allen Lefohn made 
a motion that a Planning Committee be formed to take the lead in developing a process that leads 
to a strategic and long-range plan. Ali Shepherd seconded the motion. The motion carried. It was 
agreed that Leigh Bohn would chair the Planning Committee with Melinda White, Ali Shepherd, 
Hattie Jo Lehman, and Pat Clinton serving on the committee. Bob Anderson and Ed Noonan 
would serve as ex-officio members to the committee.

It was agreed that the next meeting would be held at the Myrna Loy Center on March 19th 
at 7 PM.

Ali Shepherd made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Pat Clinton seconded the motion. 
The motion carried. 

The meeting was adjourned at 9:05 PM.


Approved	Date

March 13, 2001
Draft