(Updated on 5/25/22 to correct amount of donation from the Lions Club to $1000)
We (Vicki and Jim Pope, Diane Austin, Chris Corey, David Fessenden, Annette Quimby, Gina Bent, Peter Webb) came. We conversed. We dithered. Minutes were deemed an improvement over the usual. The Treasurer’s report was reviewed and appreciated. An exceedingly generous donation of $1000 from the Brookline Lions Club was gratefully received. Such kindnesses keep the wolves from the Barnaby house door. The requisite federal and state filings for a charitable organization have been completed and submitted. Whew.
The remaining BHS 2022 calendars were donated to the schools. Eric DiVirgilio reports that the 2023 calendars, in an abundance of optimism that that we will see that day, are already in the works. Thank you, Eric. By the way, Eric continues to craft well-researched and informative video installments posted on our website, brooklinehistory.org, recounting a full history of the railroad in Brookline. The 12 monthly sponsorship in the calendar are up for grabs. Last year we had more interested businesses than available sponsorships, so we encourage early registration. The sponsorship fee is $100.00 for each a promotion on each month of the year.
Another funding source crucial to our continued existence is memberships. Memberships are of several levels and are by calendar year. The BHS membership form is attached below. Please consider joining our roll of members, even if you might not attend the monthly meetings. Our monthly somewhat fixed overhead expenses total about $1,200.00, not including surprises such as will be mentioned below. Christmas tree sales, calendar sales and donations help sustain us, but serving our mission to preserve and promote Brookline’s history remains dependent on financial support of others – individuals, businesses and organizations. We also are thankful to the folks who donate their time, work and talent on regular basis to support the cause.
The oldest work party in the southern New Hampshire area continues its sincere efforts. New recruits are always welcome; although, the initiation rituals can be daunting. Recently, the storage shed was jacked up and its foundation plumbed up sufficient to accommodate the earth’s rotation, coffee break snacks were put out of their misery, and many of the world’s problems were remedied by breath-taking ease. Work of a more exacting nature has been done to bring our replica of the Brookline Meetinghouse to life. An extensive fact-sheet regarding the story of the meetinghouse has been completed and is available for free to the public at 17 Meetinghouse Hill Road.
Incidentally, we marveled at the annual efforts of Vicki and Jim Pope to erect over 100 American flags along Brookline streets in advance of Memorial Day. An enormous amount of work each year that does our town and the people they honor proud. Thank you to the Popes, their several assistants and to the Lions Club. And thank you to the contributors whose $25 donations enable a flag to honor a loved one. The Popes are also the champions of Brookline’s 4th of July parade which will return this year. The parade will be followed by a free hamburger and hot dog celebration and reading of the Declaration of Independence reading at the Ball Park after the parade, thanks to the Lions and the Hollis Brookline Rotary Club. Participants and paraders are welcome.
The attendees had a long discussion on a difficult financial matter. Last month we received a significant invoice representing over 5 years of periodic work and materials in improvements to the barn. The work was well done and extensive, but given the lack of billing over that period of time the BHS made an apparently mistaken assumption about the terms of those services. The BHS intends to honor the bill, but, given the amount due and the BHS’s resources, it was reluctantly decided that payment would also have to be made over of time. It was agreed that the provision of similar services in the future will have to be handled on a more business-like manner.
The next meeting will be June 8. Preoccupied by the above matters, the minute taker failed to record who will provide snacks, but has the vague memory that Annette might have volunteered.