Property & Grounds Annual Report Fiscal Year 2023 - 2024:
Committee members: Bill Lane, Robert Gladney, Nancy Robbins, Mary Yancey, Amy Kimball, Sally Claggett, Sam Steffens, Drew Gundlach, Dan Sweeney, Priscilla Bond Sener, Clay Owens, Ben Tilghman, Winslow Womack (emeritus), and Larny Claggett, clerk.
Activities from 10/23 to 10/24
A. The property and grounds committee provides hands-on care and oversite of our campus.
We work to maintain our buildings in good repair; plain, pleasing, and unpretentious; with quality materials (e.g. the brick meetinghouse doors); and safe. The meeting, through the property and grounds committee, provides for our caretaker and pays the utility bills. One change the committee is instituting is to remove the trash pick-up from the Town’s operation to us doing it in-house, at some cost savings to the meeting. The property and grounds committee oversees about half the monthly meeting’s annual budget.
B. Meeting wide semi-annual clean-up days in the spring and late fall with the usual efforts to mulch the beds with raked leaves, weeding and vine pruning, mowing, and general cleaning of buildings.
The old meetinghouse was given a thorough dusting since most of the restoration work has been completed. It was recognized that some persons couldn’t make the clean-up days, but were able to come at other days. There is always much to do.
C. Vines continue to be a growing problem.
Patrick Kelly was hired to administer herbicidal treatment on heavy vine and phragmites infestation in the meadow. After the die back, Clay has kept the vines/weeds somewhat in check with mowing. Vines and understory growth along our entrance drive have been attacked by meeting members as well as our neighbors. Property and Grounds with support of the Landscape Planning working group is continuing to work with Patrick Kelly and other professionals to help with our removal of vines and other invasives.
D. The big property and grounds investment in 2024 has been a new riding lawn mower.
The trustees have participated in paying for the mower and a service contract. Clay puts the mower to good use, but also uses the old, smaller mower for special areas and tight spaces.