On September 3, Ritchie Community League hosted the first board meeting of our new term. The board of directors gathered in the hall for a full meeting plus orientation, getting a good taste of what’s to come over the next year.
Here’s a short summary of board business that was shared, and decisions made. Minutes are always available on our website (click here), and members can request time to speak at an upcoming meeting by emailing the Secretary.
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
The 2027-27 board of directors!
Carly had a great report for us tonight, including an update from the concert fundraiser and some information from the Ritchie Hall Revitalization Committee. We are still waiting on our construction firm and granting partner to sign agreements, but that is all on track. We received the City of Edmonton feedback on the revised development permit and have a couple updates to make, including a variance on our existing parking lot, new bike rack requirement, and some parking lot repairs. More on all of that to come.
INFILL
The board had an important discussion about infill in Edmonton and how it’s currently playing out in Ritchie. Daniel and Lisa (Civics Director and VP) will be putting together a proposal for how the board can assist and inform our members on this important topic. We also learned that the City’s infill liaison team is starting up soon, which will become a much needed resource for the league in the future.
INVESTMENT
The board voted to invest some of our restricted funds in a non-restricted GIC that will mature in time for the first draw of new hall construction expenses (March 2027). This will earn the league extra interest that will in turn be used for new hall construction. Thank you to our Finance Committee for digging into all of the options to help make our money work a little harder for us.
FINANCIAL REPORTS
Last but not least, we received the financial report from Treasurer. Nicole has done a lot of work over the past year not only to streamline our bookkeeping tasks, but also to make these financial reports easier to understand and more accessible to the board and members. The first quarter budget was on track, and we are now halfway through our most “profitable” quarter, anticipating membership renewal numbers to meet or beat last year’s. It’s an exciting time for our league, and we have the pie charts to prove it! This colourful chart shows how the diversity of our funding builds sustainability into our league’s finances and enables us to continue our community-centered programming.
BY THE NUMBERS
Nicole keeps track of a lot of numbers for the league, including our volunteer timesheets. The board of directors put in over 1000 hours so far in 2026, and our teams and event volunteers increase their hours every year. We are excited to finish work on the Volunteer Recognition Framework this year, and expand how we acknowledge these folks for all their hard work.
