Third Haven Monthly Meeting - Property & Grounds Annual Report
10th Month 10th, 2010

Committee: Lorraine T. Claggett, Stephen Gerni, Butch Kemp, Bill Lane, Priscilla Bond Morris, Clay Owens (co-clerk), Ken Russ, Sally Vermilye, Rob Wieland, Winslow Womack, Joyce Ziegler, and Larny Claggett clerk. A great and dedicated group.

Major efforts this year:

  1. Property and Grounds accounts for roughly half of our meeting's budget. Last year the Property and Grounds expenses were slightly over budget—extra expenses in snow removal and lawn mower maintenance were encountered.
  2. Spring spruce-up day and first fall leaf rake day. Good attendance. Good work. Good days all around. With the leaves raked, we're hoping to get the grass better established.
  3. Old meeting house windows. Butch Kemp spear headed the effort to repoint and paint windows. This was a joint effort with the Trustees. They provide the funds and we the oversight.
  4. Winslow has been invaluable in looking after and repairing the window sills on both old meeting houses.
  5. General tree pruning. Rob Wieland spear-headed this effort. Again, this was a joint effort with the Trustees. They provide the funds and we the oversight. This brought attention to a fungus infection of the beech tree—it will soon need major attention.
  6. Oil pre-purchase and boiler service contract with Wise Oil was renewed.
  7. Clay put the brick meeting house sound system back in good working order.

On-Going Initiatives:

  1. Better accessibility to our buildings, including more user-friendly knobs for the common room, ramps, and hand rails.
  2. Renovations to brick meeting house. Quaker quest is considering a make over of the entrance/office area. Reworking the signage at Washington Street is another quaker quest initiative.
  3. Priscilla and Lorraine are focusing on improvements to the brick meeting house, specifically the blinds, cushions, carpet, and getting rid of the mustiness. Priscilla arranged for Ward Bucher, architect, to look at the brick meeting house's foundation and floor structure. The masonry appears solid, but the floor is in poor condition, no surprise there. This is a big issue and deserves much more thought.
  4. Benches for Old Meeting House and/or Common Room.
  5. Grounds Site Plan - continuing effort to map and keep updated our graveyard and significant vegetation. Winslow has prepared a plan of the plaques on the wall - to be used for future plaque layouts. It's already in need of updating.

Caretakers:

This year has been a roller coaster ride. As we began to budget for this fiscal year 2010/2011, Clay and I met with Sam Webster to talk over the job. At that time Sam informed us that he and Vickie were looking to retire at the end of August. We received the news, but asked that he formalize it with a letter. No letter ever came. Soon after the Websters said they wanted to continue as resident caretakers a while longer. There was immediate relief from the committee. But, this issue will return in the not to distant future, and the meeting, not just property & grounds, should be prepared. The meeting recognizes and appreciates the care the Websters have given to the upkeep of our buildings and grounds.

Thanks to all in the meeting and the trustees for their support. Submitted to the monthly meeting for the property and grounds committee,
Larny Claggett

Third Haven Friends Monthly Meeting is a member of Southern Quarterly Meeting of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of Friends General Conference of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).

Meetings for Worship: Sundays 10:00AM, Wednesdays 5:30PM

Childrens' program: 1st and 3rd Sundays 10:00AM

Meetings for Worship with Attention to Business: 2nd Sunday of the Month following Meeting for Worship (except for the months of July and August)

Contact: 405 S. Washington St., Easton, MD 21601; (410) 822-0293; 3rdhaven@gmail.com; Find Us on Facebook

DONATE:


back to top...

Last Updated: March 26th, 2024; Website design and maintenance by Line by Line web design