Community Center Meeting Minutes 9/10/2020

                                               Minutes:  Thursday, September 10, 2020

                                             Monterey, Community Center Committee

Due to Covid-19, the Monterey Community Center is closed.  This meeting was held by conference call and under the tent at the Community Center.

Meeting commenced:  10:05 A.M.

Present:  Laurie Shaw, Mary Makuc, Wendy Germain, Roz Halberstadter, JoAnn Bell, Elaine Lynch, Dennis Lynch, and Kyle Pierce (by phone)

Next Meeting Date: October 8, 2020 at 10:00 A.M. under the Community Center Tent and by phone

Minutes were approved for the August 13, 2020 meeting.  Minutes will be sent to Melissa at Town Hall to be posted.

Current Programs:

-Tai Chi will continue through end of September as private pay ($21 for next three sessions).  COA paid for first three sessions;  FWMH paid for second set of three.  Laurie will encourage David Crowe to apply for a grant for next summer/spring.  Participants can also continue through the winter by accessing his website.

-Al Anon (FGA) asked if they could meet inside the building.  It was decided:  not yet.

-John Root program on pollinators had six people attend via zoom.  It was funded by the Cultural Council and was educational as well as entertaining.

-Drumming with Kit Patten.  Second and third sessions were rainy and not many participants compared to 14 for the first session.  It was decided to make it a “pop-up” event Tuesdays at 4:30 PM.

-Ping Pong had six people last Saturday.  Dennis will ask Park Commission if there is discretionary funds to buy an outdoor ping pong table.

-Kyle reported that Bridge met once under tent and enjoyed it.

-Chair Yoga with Connie Wilson continues to go strong.

Upcoming Programs:

-Wendy G. presented idea of an outdoor holiday market.  Discussion ensued as to location (pavilion), need for heat lamps, date, contacting Fire Dept. for use of pavilion, police to help with crowd control and parking. Wendy and others will contact prospective vendors. Committee approved November 21 as the date for our Holiday Market.  Committee was enthusiastic about this idea.

-Suggestion made by Wendy G. to go back to an art tour throughout the town since we cannot host is in the MCC building with appropriate Covid safety measures in place.

-Suggestion made by Wendy G. to form a Bright Light Committee to decorate Monterey.  Elaine will contact Steve Weisz to seek discretionary funds.  Dennis/Elaine will put a blurb in Monterey News seeking volunteers for this committee.  A suggestion was made to have Santa ride through the town.

-Mary asked if the committee would be in favor of using the building for one tutor and a pod of students to help with internet learning.  Flying Cloud and Gould Farm are doing this.  Mary will get proposal from Maria Rundle about this.

-September 20 at 1 PM: Susan Guppy Farnum will present “Tea With the First Ladies” while attired in 1912 garb, discussing the history of tea in the settling of this country.  It will be videotaped.  Bidwell Museum is helping with the publicity.  It was suggested we advertise through the town’s email google group.

-September 26 at 11 AM:  Elizabeth Maschmeyer and Liz Hewitt will present “Monterey Munchies”, a talk on food preservation techniques.   It will be videotaped.

-Mary mentioned that we have two local authors. One (Stephanie Sloan) may speak and read from her book.  Mary will contact her.

-Dennis will ask Tom Ryan about a mushroom walk and talk for October.

-Mary suggested a ukulele class.

-Steve Pullen did not want to do a zoom at this time about putting the garden to bed for the winter.

-Wendy J. and Susan Johnson are looking into reviving our popular Cookbook Club in a zoom format.

-Suggestion made for a pilot project in town to help with food insecurity.  There is a Covid Aid Group in town.  Maybe town church basement could be pick up site, but not the MCC (too small).

-Mary suggested a genealogy speaker; Kyle will contact Karen Weiner to see if she is interested.

Other Business:

-Lighting:  Mary will email us information on this topic.  Mary and Laurie are going to try to meet with Select Board prior to our next MCC meeting.

-Young Writers’ Lab in the Monterey News is a “work in progress”.

-Flower Box:  contact Stephen Moore to determine if it is salvageable. 

-We have the tent until the end of October.  Hopefully the Covid grant will pay for it:  $1190.

-Cultural Council grant application deadline got extended a month, until November 15, 2020.  Encourage people/groups to apply from the Mass Cultural Council website.

Meeting adjourned:  11:50 AM

Respectfully submitted by :  Elaine Lynch