Willimantic Public Library Community Meeting Room
Call to order - 4:05 pm In Attendance – MarieAnne Beauchesne, Jean DeSmet, BarbaraGibson, Roland Johnson, Susan Newcombe, Jay Osborne, Ursula Roskoski, Linda Roy, Patty Spruance, Debbie Stoloff, Barbara Wright Minutes of 10/11/22 were read and were unanimously accepted Treasurer's Report – Bank account balance as of 2/15/2023 submitted by Budget and Finance Chair Jennifer Duchesne: Friends of the GOB Checking - $40,738.86
Garden Club Checking $11,439.83
Garden Club Savings - $8,503.75
Budget and Upcoming Expenses - Barbara drew attention to the proposed budget for 2023, stating that we are in pretty good financial shape. The Garden Club has received some nice donations and has the opportunity to apply for a $500 grant from Last Green Valley to be used for the upkeep of gardens, support of volunteers, ie. providing lunch, water, etc. Discussion ensued and a suggestion was made that, because the Garden Club does most of its work for the benefit of the town, we might approach the town council about some possible additional financial support, especially for such items as insurance or water. A comment was made that we do get in-kind help from the town in the form of Public Works assistance with digging holes, setting up irrigation, etc. A follow up to the original suggestion was that, if we pursue getting additional financial support, it might work best to approach the town council rather than individual departments. Draft slate of officers– to be voted on at April meeting President:
Vice President: Barbara Wright
Secretary: Ursula Roskoski
Treasurer: Patty Spruance Chair, Membership Committee: Debbie Stoloff
Chair, Budget and Finance: Jennifer Duchesne
Chair, WildlifeHabitat: Pam Wright, Jean DeSmet
Chair, Public Spaces: Faith Kenton Board Member at large: Marty LaVoy
Board Member at large: Carole Williamson
Barbara presented the proposed slate of officers, mentioning especially that the seat of the president remains vacant. She stated, further, that she is willing to step into that position if someone else will step forward as a co-leader, and/or step into the vice president's position. She asked the board to give this some thought and bring it to the annual meeting in April.
Membership - It was noted that having Debbie on the job of managing dues and also allowing memberships to be renewed on-line has increased the initial rate of renewal considerably; Debbie reported that about half of the membership has paid, but there are some minor confusions about payment which will be resolved. She will be writing follow-up notes to those who have not yet responded. She reiterated that, in this role, she is willing to handle membership data, and therefore she is very thankful that Jay Osborne, a new member, has stepped forward with willingness to handle recruiting.
Website Update - Barbara introduced new member, Linda Roy, who is willing to work on website upkeep and expansion. It was noted that $1000 has been set aside and that a process will be worked out to pay a website manager
Upcoming Events
Annual Meeting - April 11, 2023; from 6:30 to 8:30; the site has not been determined but there are three under consideration: the Dugan Mill, the Veteran's Center, the Abundant Life Church
Garden on the Bridge - April 13, 2023; 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm; Reception and Art Sale fundraiser
Plant Sale - May 20, 2023; 10 am to 2 pm; at Faith Kenton'shome
Open Garden - June 6, 2023; from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm at Delia Berlin's home; theme - What can you do with a small garden? Then visitors can cross the street to Shirley Mustard's old barn and garden
Concerts at the Amp - Ruth Cutler is working on organizing more, very popular, concerts at the Amp on the hillside at the Garden on the Bridge
Other - lots of discussion of possibilities
Next Meeting - The next Garden Club meeting will be Tuesday, April 11, 2023
Adjourned – 5:15 pm
Respectfully submitted, Ursula Roskoski, Secretary