Present: 30 (including board members Carla Lee, Jan Decker, Jane Byrnes, Joyce Wood, Ron Nutt, Steve Beer, Sheryl Nutt. Absent: Amanda West and Jim Byrum)

6:30 Cookies were baked by Beth Devins and purchased by Tenny Goertz. President Ron Nutt opened the 7pm meeting. Acting secretary Jane Byrnes summarized the minutes of the member meeting of 11-18-08 and they were accepted as corrected. Treasurer Jan Decker stated $2,227.72 in WNA account; report was accepted.

Communications Chair Tony Decker reported that 12,800 Link Letters had been delivered by more than 50 volunteers but that more delivery volunteers were welcome. He sends occasional updates to the 130 email addresses he has, and there are 467 names on the list he maintains of folks who�re been involved with WNA. Police Officer Heather Frazier stated there should be no motorized or 4-wheel vehicles in any park. Crime has dropped in Wichita and in the WNA area. Heather introduced another police officer, Tracy ____, who also works for EMS.

Naturalist at Great Plains Nature Center, Jim Mason, said there will be a controlled burn in late February or early March, depending on weather conditions, in one area of Swanson Park in order to maintain native prairie and biodiversity. There was an accidental burn in October, cause unknown, which endangered homes.

Website Chair and webmaster Joyce Wood announced www.westlinkneighborhood.org is functioning, has already had 300 hits and she invites comments and suggestions. She credited her committee, Jack Wilkins, John Poettker and Jane Byrnes.

President's annual report, verbal: Ron Nutt stated that on the community center that the stressful economy prevented fund-raising with corporate donors. He stated that his plans evolved to a new, unspecified location, to save $400,000. He wants this without taxes or city involvement.. The Westlink Neighbors Foundation's 501c3 status may be in question. Other 2008 topics included the expansion of WNA to include 10,000 more residents in 3100 households; Ice Cream Social in May; Sunshine Committee; meeting in October on flooding; Clean Up Day in September; new website; Christmas decorating contest, prizes and single-house winner John Poettker; and Link letter edited by Jane, underwritten by Amanda, distributed by Tony, and ads obtained by John Willoughby.

Activities: Jane added for 2008 the WNA-wide garage sale which is also planned for 2009; the Sunshine Committee which has been getting fewer names and will be discontinued if there are no more contributions for folks to whom to send cards. She announced that the informal National Day of Service project to clean the shores of the Little Ditch attracted four folks. John Poettker announced that the area for the Clean-Up Day this September will be decided by a competition recruiting volunteers between south-of-Central and west-of-Little-Ditch. Carla Lee, WNA representative to Wichita Independent Neighborhoods (W.I.N.) reported on their Neighborhood University and annual meeting. WIN's main issues are currently dog bites and ordinances and zoning for clubs. Jane distributed the WNA Proposed Calendar of Events for 2009.

Election: Carla Lee, Steve Beer, Sharlou Messerschmidt and Jane Byrnes served as the Nominating Committte. Carla and John Poettker conducted the election. Continuing members on the board are Carla Lee, Jane Byrnes, Jim Byrum and Sheryl Nutt. Elected to two-year terms were new members, Richard Wood and Rita Zaudke; and incumbents Amanda West, Jan Decker, Joyce Wood and Ron Nutt. The slot for a representative from south-of-Central was not filled.