April 2025 Minutes of Zion Cemetery Preservation & Maintenance Society Board Meeting

Minutes of Zion Cemetery Preservation & Maintenance Society Board Meeting
Regular Board Meeting Thursday, April 17, 2025 - 4:37PM
CALL TO ORDER
Fred Hearns called the meeting to order.
Board Members Present: Fred Hearns, Leroy Moore, Reva Iman, Woodrow Simmons, Michael Randolph, Robin Lockett, Jeraldine Williams
Board Members Absent: Kiah Wilson
Non-Board Members Present: Ronan Barnes (PMG), David Iloanya (THA)
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Approval of the minutes from the Board meeting of March 20th was motioned, seconded and approved by unanimous vote of the board.
PUBLIC COMMENT
No public comments.
SUMMARY
The meeting began with Mr. Fred Hearns opening the floor for public comments. No public comments were made.
Mr. Hearns continued by requesting approval of the minutes from the board meeting of March 20, 2025, as it was motioned by Woodrow Simmons, seconded Reva Iman and approved of by unanimous vote of the board.
Mr. Hearns kickstarted the meeting with updates on old business, starting with Zion Owners, Gonzmart and Creech. Mr. Hearns shared that he sent an email to Mayor Castor, requesting an update. There are no further updates from Mr. Gonzmart and Mr. Creech at this time.
Mr. Hearns continued with updates on the NEA Grant with the City of Tampa. Mr. Moore shared that his meeting with Robin Nigh was rescheduled. An update will be provided to the board once the meeting is held.
An update on the Fundraising Committee was requested by Mr. Hearns. Michael Randolph led the discussion by sharing that the focus for possible funding has been narrowed down to two groups. The two groups are black celebrities and black business owners. Mr. Randolph handed out drafted letters that could potentially be sent out to each group, and reviewed them with the board. Mr. Moore expressed that budget updates will be added to the agenda for future meetings. Mr. Hearns shared that a discussion on website development should be added to the agenda as well.
The meeting continued with an update on the Robles Park Village redevelopment project. Mr. Moore shared that there is still a wait for confirmation from Florida Housing Finance Corporation. Mr. Moore continued with a review of information that was shared at previous board meetings.
The board proceeded with a review of the final draft of the strategic plan. Mr. Randolph led the review of the strategic draft plan while all others followed with hard copies. Updates and changes were pointed out and discussed. The board will individually review the updated plan, leaving the strategic plan in a drafted stage for now.
Minutes of Zion Cemetery Preservation & Maintenance Society Board Meeting
The board concluded with an update on new business, discussing the NAACP board member appointment consideration. The letter is a request to keep NAACP, Hillsborough County Branch, informed on future Zion board meetings, while considering Yvette Lewis to fill a vacant seat on Zion's Board of Directors. Mr. Hearns suggested that the Zion Nominations Committee meet to further discuss before the board takes action that leads to a final decision. The board agreed to send the request to the nominations committee in accordance with the Bylaws.
ACTION ITEMS
* The board to review, take notes and share comments on the current strategic draft plan.
* The nominations committee to meet and discuss the board member appointment consideration.
NOTICES AND UPDATES
The board to review budget updates, going forward.
The board reviewed attendance over the last twelve months.
The board to discuss website development, going forward.
The next Board Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 8, 2025, at 4:30pm, in-person at the new Tampa Black History Museum.
ADJOURNMENT: Meeting was adjourned at 5:41pm.