Executive Board Meeting

6:30 PM, November 4, 2010

            Maria Baril, Mary Blank, Gen Ells, Loisanne Foster, and Joanne Thomas were present. Loisanne read the Secretary’s Report which was accepted as corrected. Mary Blank presented the Treasurer’s Report which was accepted as submitted. The book sale at Murray Hall carried out by Mary and Maria on Sunday, October 10 netted $70.00. We have a total of $3,111.15 in our accounts.

Old Business:

            Maria has submitted to The Keene Sentinel an article and a photograph of The Odd Fellows Hall, Old Marlow Academy, for their feature “The Way We Were.” The Board selected the Perley Fox home  on Fox Hill as a possible submission to the feature. Loisanne has agreed to ask Gerry and Bill Plotts if she may photograph the house and has access to the history of it for a short article.

            Some suggestions for future  submissions to this feature are the Chapel, Jones Hall, and the Whittemore house (Gen Ells).

            We discussed Murray Hall’s continuing restoration. Gen Ells suggested that, when we consider reproduction glass for the front door, we should not ignore B & J Glass of Keene.  She also suggested that we ask Pat Gallup for a donation. We have come so far in the restoration. We have certainly shown our sincerity and determination to conserve this historic building and make it a community venue.

New Business

            We discussed producing new cards for sale at Christmas on the Pond. Mary will arrange to have printed 100 cards at Silver Direct of Marlborough for $60.00. These will be the sketches we have sold before. We have permission to use the Marlow winter scene by David McLanahan and Al Blank has a wonderful fall photograph he will let us use for cards. Loisanne will be in charge of producing these or having them produced from an original at Staples, using calendar paper, “Allure.”

            When Maria discussed the coming membership letter, she shared an idea that we might also send a letter to each resident  as well as to our members about our proposed restoration of the white fence by the Pond.

We could “sell”  sections of the fence as we did with the cushions in Jones Hall some years ago. It would be The People’s Fence. We could see what we might raise this way and go to the town for the rest. This would be our major 250th Anniversary project. We could go to individuals, businesses, banks, doctors, dentists and the like. A four foot section would cost $157.00. If we use black locust wood, someone suggested, it would last a century.

            Joanne Thomas proposed that she and her husband take on the special project of producing a Marlow map of hiking trails including abandoned woods roads and the like. We heartily approve and support this project. We suggested that Jim Strickland, the Alan Plumb family, Tim Simons, and Ted Aldrich would be wonderful resources.

            Gen Ells aired a request by Susan Schmid: Would the Board consider allowing she and her husband Art to exercise by walking around inside the Grange, Murray Hall. Art needs a level surface for his exercise since his stroke.  We support public use of Murray Hall. It is our vision for the building that it fill many community needs. We agreed gladly to this, but, for protection of the interests of MHS, we must ask that she sign a waiver before this begins.

            The meeting adjourned at 8:10 PM. The next meeting is at The Chapel at 6:30 PM on Thursday, Dec. 2.

Respectfully submitted,  

Loisanne Foster