Minutes of the Annual Meeting, 4/16/25

Garden Club of Windham Annual Meeting, 6 - 8 pm, April. 16, 2025

Windham Senior/ Community Center, 1 Jillson Square, Willimantic, CT

Present: Hedley Freake, Elizabeth Huebner, Faith Kenton (High Street Hillside chair), Kathleen Mangiafico, Amy Marwood, Hannah McKay, Jay Osborne (co-president and chair, Membership and Friends of the Garden on the Bridge), Dan Phipps (Public Spaces chair and Holiday Lights co-chair), Kate Rivera, Ursula Roskoski (secretary), Jim Smart, Patty St. Louis, Debbie Stoloff (Board Member at Large), Carole Williamson (Holiday Lights co- chair), Barbara Wright (co-president), Pam Wright (Wildlife Habitat chair).

Before the official start of the meeting there were brief introductions and Ursula suggested guidelines for engaging in the meeting. Participants were requested to stay on topic, not interrupt other speakers, and not talk over others or engage in sidebar conversations.

Co-president Jay called the meeting to order at 6:20. He opened by thanking Ursula for her two years of service as secretary.

Next, he turned to the minutes of the last Board meeting on March 12 and asked for a motion to approve. Barbara moved and Carole seconded. Barbara reminded everyone that only those who were present for the Board meeting should vote. The vote was in favor, with 5 abstentions.

Barbara then presented the Treasurers’ report. She shared a slightly revised version of the financial plan for 2025 presented to the Board in March; the only change was the addition of a charge for an annual QuickBooks subscription for $450. Balances as of April 14 are as follows:

·       Garden Club Checking: $21,356.95

·       Garden Club Savings: $8,695.77

·       Friends Checking: $$30,423.96

·       Friends CD: $15,727.28

·       PayPal: $120.54

Next up was approval of a slate of officers for 2025:

·       President: Jay Osborne

·       Secretary: Barbara Wright

·       Treasurer: Patty Spruance

·       Budget & Finance Committee: OPEN

·       Membership: Jay Osborne

·       Public Spaces: OPEN

·       Wildlife Habitat: Pam Wright & Jean de Smet

·       Garden on the Bridge: Jay Osborne

·       High Street Hillside: Faith Kenton

·       Holiday Lights: Carole Williamson & Dan Phipps

·       Board members at large: Debbie Stoloff, Ursula Roskoski 

Jay noted changes: the chair of Public Spaces is now open; Barbara will serve as secretary; and Board members at large will be Debbie and Ursula.

There was a brief discussion of the role of Board members at large. They attend meetings and can vote but do not have other responsibilities. The club may have up to a total of five at large Board members.

Hannah then asked about duties related to Public Spaces. Faith explained that the club is committed to beautifying public spaces around the city, with assistance from the town. The work is voluntary, non-scheduled, and rewarding. Pam noted the chair’s role in checking in with garden stewards and keeping an eye on what needs attention. Dan described the collaboration with GROW Windham and use of the Pageau grant to support garden maintenance. Jay explained that it is basically coordinator role, making sure the needs of gardens and stewards are met. Hannah expressed interest in learning more. and Dan agreed to meet with her.

Jay then called for a vote on the slate. Carole moved, Debbie seconded, and the slate was approved unanimously.

Next on the agenda were annual reports. Reporting on the club as a whole, Barbara focused on highlights in five areas: bureaucratic, fundraising,  volunteering, social activities, and outreach to the community.

Jay turned to Debbie for a report on membership, since Debbie has been keeping records of dues. She said we have about 25 paid members. Debbie and Barbara are contacting individuals who were members in the past but have not paid in the last two years.

Pam reported that the Wildlife Habitat committee has worked on local and regional levels to support the environment and pollinators. For the 12th consecutive year, the club has maintained its status as a Certified Wildlife Habitat with the National Wildlife Federation. There have also been educational and outreach efforts.  The committee has worked with “Pollinator Pathways,” students from UConn, ECSU, ACT, Windham and E.O. Smith high schools, GROW Windham, Whitewater Partnership, Connecticut College, and other groups.

 Hands-on work at GC gardens included planting native plants, shrubs, and annual pollinator plants; removing invasive plants; cutting back vines along the Willimantic River Trail; and general clean-up in public garden and wildlife areas.

Dan reported that Public Spaces maintained its gardens in the past year entirely with volunteer labor. This coming year, with the $10,000 Pageau grant to support maintenance, he is communicating with the stewards of the gardens, identifying their requirements, and determining how to distribute the funding. The grant will pay for labor and administration in collaboration with GROW Windham.

Regarding the Garden on the Bridge, Jay noted that there were 8 summer concerts at the Amp, coordinated by Maggie Macha. In the spring, mason Marc Kelley repointed the planters and added iron brackets designed by Ruth Cutler. Carole recommended an air pruning system to prevent future damage from both roots and freeze/thaw cycles, which was installed. PW removed the soil prior to repairs, returned it, and repaired the irrigation system. New plantings were installed in October and April.  

Jordan Lumpkins  (Economic Development) referred the Friends to a CFEC grant program that provided $30,000 for a landscape architect to create a design for the Threadway Plaza. The Friends hired Brian Kent of Kent+Frost, based on aesthetics, experience, staff, diversity, size of firm, and cost. That design is now about 90% complete. In addition, the Friends are working on lighting for the Bridge, as well as for the waterfall, riverbank, and east wall of the Bridge.

In March the Friends made a presentation to the Town Council and new Town Manager, Rob Zarnetske, which was warmly received. Now in process is an MOU between the Friends and the Town formalizing their partnership.

Reporting on the High Street Hillside Garden, Faith announced that there were four piles of mulch waiting to be spread. She is expecting a new group of volunteers from Windham Tech, who will come every other Friday morning from now through the ed of school. Once the spring clean-up is done and mulch is spread, she expects the garden to require just ongoing maintenance. Overall, the garden looks very good.

Carole and Dan spoke for Holiday Lights. Carole began by asking whether the club wanted to continue the light display next season. She explained that she and Dan have enough lights and other supplies to go forward but will need more bottles and more helping hands. Dan provided more detail on the number of lights, only half of which were used this year. The only additional expense would be purchase of new, higher-quality light timers. There was a question about how many people would be needed. Dan thought maybe four people, plus seniors from the Senior Center. The lights are now stored at PW and can be reused.

Carole wants to work on the project this summer, then install the lights in early November.. She said there had been a real learning curve, but now they have the equipment and experience. It was noted that the light display is something you don’t have to be a gardener to appreciate; it appeals to families and the whole  community. Barbara moved and Dan seconded to continue the holiday light display. Approval was unanimous.

Ursula reported on the UConn/EPA grant, for which she is the Garden Club liaison. The intent is to educate kids on climate adaptations, focusing on low-income towns. The project is due to be completed in June, but there have been stumbling blocks: location of the project, lack of transportation, and how to integrate the EPA curriculum with the Middle School’s curriculum, which focuses heavily on standardized testing. Money has also been a stumbling block. The UConn people wanted the Garden Club to front the money to buy a greenhouse. We are now waiting for a check from UConn and hoping that by the end of the school year the greenhouse, rain gutters, and rain barrels will be installed to show students how water moves.

Since time was short, the two action items -- strengthening Garden Club accounting practices and attacking blight at Heritage Park – were tabled and attendees were asked to review the list of events and announcements.

Debbie Stoloff  announced that Ann Kouatly (member of both the Mansfield Garden Gate and Garden Club of Windham) was opening her grounds to visitors on 4/21 and 4/22; she has a magnificent display of spring bulbs. Amy Marwood praised the Garden Club signs that Faith had placed in several gardens around town and said it was important to have them. Jay responded that new signs are in the works; they will include the link to the website and a QR code.

There was a 10-minute break for refreshments and socializing. Then the group turned to Elizabeth Huebner and her guided conversation on why we garden and how gardening enhances the mind/body connection.

At the end of the exercise Elizabeth recommended four books. Three of them – Gathering Moss, Braiding Sweetgrass, and The Serviceberry – are by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Kimmerer is an author, mother, scientist, decorated professor, and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. She is SUNY Distinguished Professor of Environmental Biology, and the founder and director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment.

The fourth book, The Wild Braid: A Poet Reflects on a Century in the Garden, is by Stanley Kunitz (1905-2006), poet and winner of the 2006 American Horticultural Society Book Award. Throughout his life, Kunitz created poetry and tended gardens.

The meeting ended at 8 pm.

Respectfully submitted, Barbara Wright, Secretary