Pittsfield Beautification Committee
Minutes
April 7, 2011

Members Present: Ida, Nicole, Theresa, Tina, Nancy, Paula, Carole

Members Absent: Judith

Carole opened the meeting at 6:35 p.m.

Acceptance of Minutes:

The minutes were reviewed and on a motion by Paula, seconded by Nicole, they were unanimously approved.

Treasurer’s Report:

Tina reported that there were no changes since last month and the balance in the Beautification Committee’s account was $1,224.97.

Old Business:

Nicole reported that the bulbs are up in all the lots she planted in the fall. She also noted that she and Theresa and Paul have all the garden names and addresses and she has given all parties copies of the agreement. The garden signs have been designed and approved by all parties and Nicole will now meet with Dave from Diamond Signs to get them made. Nicole reported she had permission from the town to place the signs on existing poles or signposts such as at the Crescent Street lot. Discussion ensued on placing the other signs in the lots themselves. On a motion by Paula, seconded by Nancy, that a check in the amount of $225 to Diamond Signs for the garden signs be written, and the motion was unanimously adopted. Nicole will then meet with Dave from Diamond Signs to get the signs made. Barton Lumber is the only group that has not given money for the project but they mentioned they could donate landscape ties for other lots which could possibly cover their donation. Nicole also reported that Dan Schroth had started work on the Crescent Street lot but ran out of time and needs to get more granite pieces. She expects him to resume work soon. Grass on the Tilton Hill lot has not been completely dug out yet but Nicole has students needing community service at school who will assist her next week with this project. She will let Dan know when that lot is ready so he can begin to construct a small stone wall in that area. Nicole suggested letters be written and a newspaper article be done to thank Diamond Signs, Dan Schroth, Fuzz Freeze (who donated the granite for Crescent Street) and Joey Darrah for all their help. Paula will write a newspaper article. (Thanks Paula) The article should also include info on the spring and summer flower plantings, the sponsorship program, donation cans around town and possible fall fundraising.

Tina mentioned that she was scheduled for surgery and she would be unavailable for a time to sign checks. Carole asked Nancy if she would be willing to be a second signer in case Tina was not available. Tina and Nancy will work out the details. (Thanks Tina and Nancy.)

Nancy mentioned that she is planning a yard sale during the Community Yard Sale day, which is on Saturday, June 4th. She will have a designated table for the Beautification Committee. This could also be mentioned in the newspaper article notifying people that we are accepting donations.

Carole distributed a copy of a letter written to the owners of the Aranosian lot thanking them for allowing us to beautify the lot and asking if we could construct a stonewall. Carole received a call from the owner thanking us for beautifying their lot and giving us permission to do whatever we feel is appropriate on that lot. The question specifically was asked about replacing landscape ties with a rock wall or some other structure to outline the garden.

Carole asked if the committee could possibly meet on Monday evenings since that is the only time Judith comes to Pittsfield to work at the library now that she lives in Bedford. She could come to our meetings if we met sometime around 7 p.m. Judith is a very valuable member of our committee and we hope she will continue to be part of our group and all members agreed that this plan would work for them.

New Business:

Theresa noted that Richard Plante is no longer able to mow the Washington House lot. Nicole will approach Joey Darrah to ask is he will donate his time to mow the Aranosian lot as well as the Washington House lot. This will need to be done before the next meeting so we can let Dennis Volpe know that we will no longer require his services.

Carole reported she had received a call from Derek Hamilton from the Pittsfield High School asking if we could use kids on Earth Day, which is Friday, April 22nd. I told him this would be most useful for raking the Aranosion and Washington House lots. Nicole volunteered to supervise and decide what needed to be done on each lot. She said she would make sure there are enough rakes and shovels for all to participate. (Thank you Nicole.) All members of the committee are also invited to supervise the students who will walk down from the school and donate their time from 1-2:30 p.m.

The Washington House lot was discussed and Nicole will be able to look at what is there when she works there on Earth Day with students from the high school. She will report back to us at the next meeting on suggestions she may have for the lot. It was also noted that the landscape ties at that lot need to be replaced.

Nicole gave us a report on research she had prepared on what the gardens would require to get the soil back in shape to have plants thrive. Nicole agreed to purchase what she needs for this process and was given permission to shop where she can find the best deals. (She’s a great shopper and a wonderful resource for our committee. Thanks Nicole.) She will get receipts to Tina for reimbursement. Nicole also noted she thought one yard of mulch would be enough for the lots but we can see how far a yard goes. She would like to get the students to do this during Earth Day.

Nicole asked about the flowers that are put into the 5 buckets around town and she volunteered to get them donated or get a much better price than $35 apiece. She also suggested we buy a few 6-packs of perennials from Heaths and she would plant them in her garden until fall when we could transplant them to various lots. She also thought we may need pansies for some of the lots for color before we are able to do the June planting when we can take advantage of the sale at Sunflower Gardens in Alton. This can be decided at our May meeting.

Theresa asked about putting up the flags on the Washington House Lot. Carole volunteered her “Paul” and Theresa said her “Paul” would assist. They could also take the fence down at that lot. (Thank you to the two “Pauls”.) She also asked if we were going to put out the collection cans this year. It was suggested they be put at Jitters, Bell Brothers and Jacks. Theresa volunteered to continue this project and collect the money. (Thanks Theresa.)

The flag project was discussed and Nicole asked if it was something the Cub Scouts could do. Carole felt the flagpoles were too long and a bit bulky for younger children and felt that they would not be able to keep the flags from touching the ground. These flags also have to be rolled up properly when they are collected. Nicole said she had a few individuals in mind and she would talk with the Cub Scout leaders to see if this would be a project they could take on and report back to us at our next meeting. There are 77 flags and they are put out on Memorial Day, Flag Day, Fourth of July, Old Home Day, Labor Day and Veterans Day.

Date of Next Meeting and Adjournment:

The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 9th at 7:00 p.m. at Theresa’s home. (Thank you Theresa for always hosting us.) Whereupon the meeting adjourned at 8:15 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Carole Richardson, Co-Chair