NEWTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Minutes of October 12, 2010
Merrimack Savings Bank
Members present: |
Bill Landry |
Mary Riordan |
John Meserve |
Kathy Meserve |
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Marilyn Landry |
Courtney Jason |
Pat Wonson |
Kathy Hoffman |
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Mike Hughes |
Ron Saunders |
Cheryl Saunders |
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Bill Landry called the meeting to order at 7:03 PM.
Secretary’s Report – Mary Riordan
Kathy Meserve made a motion to accept the minutes of September 13, 2010. Mike Hughes seconded the motion. The motion passed 7 Yes, 0 No, 4 Abstentions.
Treasurer’s Report – Bill Landry
Marilyn Landry made a motion to accept the Treasurer’s Report. Cheryl Saunders seconded the motion. The motion passed on a unanimous vote.
Old Business:
Schoolhouse Repairs –
Bill Landry reported the plastering is complete. Ron Saunders will take care of the entryway and back room electrical issues. The interior has been vacuumed. The next step is to paint the wainscoting and trim. There was discussion on what color to use. The wainscoting and trim will be the same color. John Meserve will get the name of the paint used in the bank. Bill Landry will get 3 gallons of paint, brushes and rollers. Kathy Hoffman suggested Federal Blue. The members decided a neutral color would be better. The Painting Work Party will be October 30th beginning at 9AM. Bill will keep Rob Hayes updated on our progress.
Granite State Poker –
Bill Landry reported that in order to get us registered as a charitable trust with the State of NH, we must have a Conflict of Interest policy and Dissolution policy. He received sample wording from the Attorney General’s office. Bill read the following proposed wording of the Conflict of Interest clause to be added to the By-Laws as Article IV: “At such time as any matter comes before the Executive Board in such a way as to give rise to a conflict of interest, the affected member shall make known the potential conflict, whether disclosed by his/her written statement or not, and after answering any questions that might be asked him/her, shall withdraw from the meeting for so long as the matter shall continue under discussion. Should the matter be brought to a vote, neither the affected member
nor any other member with a pecuniary benefit transaction with the Corporation shall vote on it.”
John Meserve motioned to accept the wording of Article IV Conflict of Interest. Cheryl Saunders seconded the motion. The motion passed on a unanimous vote.
Bill Landry read the following proposed wording of the Provision for Dissolution to be added to the By-Laws as Article V: “The provisions for disposition of the corporate assets of the charity in the event of dissolution of the corporation are: Upon the dissolution of the corporation, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose. If you choose to name
a specific organization to receive the assets of the organization in the event of dissolution, the receiving organization must be a like or similar one operating with the same purpose. If the specific organization is tax-exempt under IRS Code Section 501(c) (3), it must be registered with the State of New Hampshire Department of Justice.”
Cheryl Saunders made a motion to accept the wording of Article V Provision for Dissolution. Mike Hughes seconded the motion. Kathy Hoffman asked whether we should leave the wording that vague. John Meserve commented that if we named organizations in the By-Laws they might not be in operation if the dissolution happens many years later. The motion passed on a unanimous vote. Bill Landry will send the new By-Laws out to everyone. The next step is to contact the IRS. John Meserve suggested contacting Lawson Tax for help in dealing with the IRS.
Scanning Project – There was no update on this project.
Steve Closs Civil War Seminar – Courtney Jason reported she had found some recipes on the Internet for cookies from the Civil War era. Mike Hughes suggested we have hot cider with the cookies. Mary Riordan will contact the Memorial School to find out what we need to do to get the information about this event to the school and let Sally know what we have to do.
Fourth Annual Autumn Social – Bill Landry reported that at this point we have collected $1,815 from sponsors and ticket sales. We have 3 slides shows for this year’s event – Pat Wonson’s Historic Houses, last year’s event and the renovations at the Primary School house. We’ll have 3 laptops, one to show each PowerPoint. Mary Riordan and Bill will load the laptops. We have 12 articles for the drawings from local businesses. Mary Riordan offered to donate a wine rack for the drawing. Bill asked how the members felt about putting our tickets in the drawing. The consensus was that since we purchase our tickets, we could put them in the drawing if we want to. Ron and Cheryl will bring 3 folding tables Saturday afternoon. John recalled
last year we brought the artifacts to the bank on Friday and the tables were setup at 1:00PM Saturday. Kathy Meserve, Marilyn Landry and Sally Woodman got the wine from Jewell Town Winery. Bill will make the signs for the wine and soda windows. They still need to get the cheese and cracker plates. Cheryl Saunders offered to donate a cheese and cracker plate. Posters for the event are posted around town. It has been in the Carriage Town News once and is on Cable Channel 20. Cheryl Saunders will put it on the Town Hall board.
New Business: None
Other:
Mary Riley research request – Bill asked if anyone had any information on 33 Smith Corner Road. Pat Wonson noted that Mary had done a good job of research.
Election of Officers for 2011 at December meeting – Bill Landry reminded the members that his term is up this year. According to the By-Laws, he cannot be President next year. He asked the members to think about officers for next year.
Correspondence: None
Pat Wonson made a motion to adjourn. Cheryl Saunders seconded the motion. The motion passed on a unanimous vote. Bill Landry adjourned the meeting at 8.10 PM.
Next meeting is Monday November 8, 2010, 7:00 PM at the Merrimack Savings Bank.
Respectfully submitted,
Mary Riordan, Secretary
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