The 2008 Membership Year is Here 2008 Membership Dues Statements will be mailed out to most business members in January.  The Board of Directors has not made any changes to the dues structure for 2008.  While we continue to have increasing costs across the board, including time and energy to maintain an internet presence, we hope to hold all dues levels at their present level for the foreseeable future. PAY BY CREDIT CARD WITH PAYPAL! Because of many requests in the past to accept credit and debit cards, a credit/debit dues pay feature was added last year. Every membership level is able to pay with this feature using the links below. PayPal is our processor of credit and debit card payments. Payments made through PayPal are secure and safe. No one at the Association has access to any account information. You may use any debit or credit card with the Visa or Mastercard logo, as well as Discover and American Express. Plus, you obtain an instant receipt for tax purposes! You can pay your dues in 6 easy steps. Locate the description and amount on your invoice received in the mail for 2008, or call FHIA to get the appropriate amount (206-380-2317) Find the same description and amount on this page Click "Buy Now" PayPal securely and safely collects any payment information Receive your payment receipt in your e-mail Sit back and relax, knowing you are supporting your community! (Please let us know if your dues description is not noted below and you would like to pay through PayPal.  We can e-mail a direct link for you.) If you have questions or concerns about your dues statement, be sure to contact Michael Gray at 206-380-2317.  FHIA is 501(c)(3) non-profit, and all dues are tax-deductible. Thank you again for supporting the First Hill Improvement Association!   $750.00 MAJOR INSTITUTION/CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP $400.00  DEVELOPER/LARGE BUSINESS MEMBERSHIP $125.00 STANDARD BUSINESS/NON-PROFIT MEMBERSHIP $50.00 SMALL (1-5 EMPLOYEE) BUSINESS Leadership and Current Members For 2008, our President is Mr. Tony Fuoco, long-time member of our Neighborhood Plan Committee, and Director of Bishop Lewis House. Supporting Mr. Fuoco are our elected co-vice presidents for this year, Joanne Coombs and Jim Erickson, both area residents.  Our new Board of Directors/Neighborhood Plan Committee consists of: President and Event Chair - Tony Fuoco Communications Chair - Michael Gray Finance Chair - Michael Gray Land-Use Chair - Martha Barkman Neighborhood Chair - Patricia Edmund-Quinn Business/Government Liaison - Jim Erickson Major Institution Chair - Darren Redick Business Chair - Meggan Petershick Resident Chair - Joanne Coombs Our membership roster includes the following organizations, plus a variety of smaller businesses and many area residents... Virginia Mason Medical Center     1223 Spring Street Condominium Swedish Medical Center                 First Hill Plaza Condominium Harborview Medical Center          Therapeutic Health Services Seattle University                              The Polyclinic Puget Sound Blood Center               St. James Parish First Presbyterian Church          The Gainsborough Condominium The Sunset Club                                   The Stimson-Green Mansion Horizon House                                      Harbor Properties OPUS Northwest, L.L.C.                             Holland Partners First Baptist Church                        Trinity Episcopal Parish Wright, Runstad, and Co.                      Arca Architecture Parkview Plaza Condominium                   Northwest School Starbucks Coffee   New Leadership and Responsibility Structure Adopted Beginning January 1, 2006... In late 2005, the Neighborhood Plan Stewardship Committee examined re-working the leadership structure and division of responsibilities within the organization. The goal was to delegate basic responsibilities to a number of members, to insure that no one person becomes over-burdened, and that the departure of a member will not have a debilitating impact on the group. Over the years, the titles of certain positions within the group became blurred, with the current Neighborhood Plan Stewardship Committee acting as the de facto Board of Directors of the Organization. It was hoped that clearing up the multiple titles would eliminate a lot of confusion. Amendment to the Bylaws Effective January 1, 2006: Nine Member Joint Board of Directors/Neighborhood Plan Committee Standing President/Event Chair: Acts as President for official duties; leads monthly meetings and arranges for speakers, sets agendas in coordination with other chairs. Recorder and Communications Chair: Records meeting minutes, prepares material for disemination via e-mail or FAX, monitors voice mail box, handles Association communications to outside groups and individuals. Sends meeting reminder notices, monitors and responds to incoming e-mail. (This position may eventually be responsible for website development and maintenance at some point). Finance Chair: Prepares and distributes annual dues statements, collects and tracks funds received. Oversees Association financial accounts and handles accounts payable. Prepares documents and necessary paperwork for any grant or funding requests for the group. Prepares annual financial statement.  Land-Use Chair: Monitors bi-weekly Land Use Digest postings and notifies group of any land use actions in the First Hill area. Represents Association at Land Use hearings and reports outcomes to the group. Neighborhood Plan Chair:  Acts as "resident expert" of the plan, insures all issues and developments coming before the Board for review are consistent with Plan goals. Sound Transit/Government Liaison: Acts as a representative of the Association to Government, Civic, and Corporate Leaders, and keeps abreast of all activities associated with Sound Transit and other public transportation issues. Major Institution Chair: Acts as liaison with the four major institutions located on First Hill, and represents their concerns and issues to the group. Position to be held by a representative of one of the institutions. Business Chair: Acts as liaison to the small and medium-size business community and represents their concerns and issues to the group. Resident Chair: A First Hill resident who will act as a liaison to the residential community and bring their concerns and issues to the group.   The Neighborhood Plan Stewardship Committee One of the primary functions of the Improvement Association is to serve as the steward's of the City of Seattle's Neighborhood Plan for First Hill.  In this role, the Stewardship committee, which is comprised of a cross-section of member's of the community, reviews current development proposals, zoning regulations, and other pertinent issues, and evaluates their merits based on the goals and guidelines called out for the in the Neighborhood Plan. The Stewardship Committee meets monthly as part of the FHIA monthly meeting. Additional special meetings are also called as needed to evaluate specific issues.  For information on the Neighborhood Plan, you can go to the City of Seattle's Department of Neighborhoods Web Site, at  http://www.cityofseattle.net/neighborhoods/npi/plans/fhill/ First Hill Park About our group... The First Hill Improvement Association has served Seattle's First Hill Neighborhood as a community service organization since 1958.  As a unique coalition of both residents and members of the business community, we work together to make First Hill a better place to live, work, and play.  Get in touch with us today and find out how you can support this vital part of the community! First Hill Park How to do your part for First Hill The Improvement Association is a non-profit organization that relies solely on community support for its existence.  Now more than ever, we need  your support to continue the work the Association does for the community, such as the continued upgrades to the First Hill Park, at Minor and University.  Won't you consider joining?  Individual memberships are just $20/year, and  small businesses start at $50.  Please call 206-380-2317 for information.