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The Friends of Hemlock Gorge

Minutes of Meetings in 2023

January	February	March
April	May	June
July: No Meeting	August: Picnic Meeting	September
October	November	December

Minutes for January 11, 2023

Next Meeting: Tuesday February 8, 2023 at 7:15

To be continued.

Respectfully Submitted,

Sheila Purdy, Secretary

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Minutes for February 8, 2023

Next Meeting: Tuesday March 7, 2023 at 7:15.

Present: Paul Roberts, Rena Getz, Evan Weststrate, Loumona Petroff, Robin Dexter, Bill Humphrey, Sheila Purdy

Evan chaired the meeting in John’s absence.

Treasurer Report: Robin stated that the balance was $6,980.00. Evan said that he was preparing to mail posters this month for online contributors. He said there were 2 or 3.

Cleanup Days Planning: The spring cleanup is planned for April 29^th and the fall event for October14th. Evan pointed out that the spring cleanup is one week after Earth Day. Since it was unknown how many volunteers would attend, it would be good to plan for various projects for them. It was additionally not known if Emily would be supervising the Echo Platform cleanup again this year. Also, could extra volunteers be assigned to Quinobequin to collect trash? Are there any special projects such as painting or signage to accomplish at the event? Defining trails more clearly by clearing overgrowth and making clear signs could help visitors follow trails more easily. These projects could be organized in in advance and planned at the next meeting.

Scout Report: Paul presented an update on Scout activities. Scouts are working on a project to construct box steps at the steep part of the trail for enhanced safety. Paul is overseeing that required approval is in place to begin the project. Paul also suggested that NewTV could cover some of the events such as Scout projects or the cleanup volunteer events. He also said that special planned events could be advertised in the local paper. Friends suggested events such as pond skating or bungee jumping(?). If events are planned and well attended, the Friends could possibly invest in an additional picnic table. The Friends were not agreed on the purchase of armrests of backrests for the new benches. They could enhance safety but not allow as many people to sit comfortably.

Future Meetings: Friends agreed that for the near future meetings would continue to be hybrid, but in warmer weather this could change. Everyone supported waiving the fees to use the Emerson Community Center for meetings, but could possibly use the Waban Center as an in-person backup venue. Future meetings should continue to be hybrid in all cases.