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Friends of Ludlow Auditorium PO Box 83 • Ludlow, VT 05149 Tel (802) 228-3238 • email: info@fola.us [a 50l (c)(3) organization]
"Our purpose is to promote the use of the Ludlow Auditorium for the benefit and entertainment of the people of Ludlow, the surrounding Black River area, and its visitors"
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FOLA Meeting Minutes (in reverse chronological order)
FOLA Q2 Meeting Monday March 25, 2019 10am Ludlow Town Hall
Present: Scott Stearns, Janet Pace, Ralph Pace, David Almond, George O. Thomson, Marty Nitka,
Absent: Jim Alic, Paula Ferro, Kevin Kuntz, Rachael Liff, Don Richardson, Harry Welch
President Scott opened the meeting at 10:01
d. Bathroom discussion. Pam did not have anything new on this. Wright said if we wanted to do this we “would need to be a toilet with a very quite flush! ” There was no further discussion on this possible project.
Respectively Submitted by
George O. Thomson Secretary
FOLA – Annual Meeting Minutes Conference Room – Ludlow Town Hall January 29, 2019
Present: Ralph Pace, Chairman, David Almond, Marty Nitka, George Thomson, Janet Pace, Harry Welch, Paula Ferro, Scott Stearns Absent: Don Richardson, Jim Alic, Kevin Kuntz, Rachael Liff, Public: Frank Heald The drawing for the winner of the Movie Raffle will take place later as the tickets were not brought to the meeting. Chairman Ralph Pace opened the meeting at 10:01. 1. Nominating Committee Report - Ralph entertained a motion for Chairman for 2019. A motion was made by Paula for Scott to be Chairman. The motion was seconded by Marty. After some discussion of Scott also continuing as the Program Chairman, the motion was passed unanimously. A motion was made by Scott for Jim Alec to continue as the Vice Chairman; for David Almond to continue as the Treasurer, for George Thomson as Secretary. The motion was seconded by Ralph and passed unanimously. Following the election of officers, Ralph turned the meeting over to Scott. 2. Vote on Board Membership and Officers 2019 – Ralph indicated that there were no new board members but next year some directors will need to be reelected. 3. Summary of Prior Year – Programs, Movies, and Other Activities Written documents were provided to the board members. We reviewed the list of movies and activities offered by FOLA. There was a declining attendance rate. It was felt that this might be due to the larger variety of things on TV including Netflix and similar type TV programming. Scott suggested just having activities in the building helps foster further attendance at FOLA events. The most recent Documentary on China had 40+ attendees. We might possibly want to take this into consideration in future planning. It was also suggested that attendance is related to the season. The biggest event all year was Enerjazz. Paula asked about the possibility of steaming concerts. There was some discussion about further considering this but we would have to look at the associated fees, which can be rather large. 4. Financial Reports – a) 2018 Income and Expenses - David explained the financial reports that were presented in a packet to the board. For the Financial Statement for the year ending on December 31, 2018, expenditures included some things that were for 2019. David explained that the scholarship is already paid; the fees for the DVDs were already paid, and money was already spent for the Blue Ray project. He indicated that altogether $1,900 of the expenditures relate to 2019 but were paid in 2018. David also presented a Cash Basis Financial Statement January 1, 2019 - January 28, 2019. Revenues are recorded when deposited. There was some minor activity during this period. We had $316 in revenue and expenditures of $274. He bought some forever stamps prior to the price increase. . b) 2019 Equipment Upgrades and Approvals – There are equipment upgrades proposed for 2019 (see notes in the packet). Ralph provided a detailed explanation including pictures of the items, a description, the purpose and the cost of each item. The total cost for these things was $2,872. The cost of all these proposals is included in the proposed budget, which was subsequently discussed. Ralph indicated that the revenue from the town is now in appropriations in the town budget. Via email, Jim A suggested we hold The last item on expenditures is for water. In the past water for movie night was secured by individual donations. In the future this should be in the budget. We need about 24 cases for the season and have budgeted for this. Harry made a motion to approve the proposed budget as presented for 2019, which includes the equipment upgrades. Marty seconded the motion. There was no further discussion and the motion was passed unanimously. Ralph shared we will need someone to manage the website. For this next year, however, he will continue to maintain the website. He will need input for everything. i.e. press releases should be available a month in advance. He suggested next year we might want to change the provider for which we will need do some planning. The general hosting cost for the year is $400. These fees will probably go up in the future. We actually have two websites – one is for desktops and the second is for cell phones. He thinks Word Press would be a good option for us. We need to consider security on the site because we use PayPal. We will need to transition the PayPal account to Scott as well as currently Ralph is the contact. Ralph also suggested we consider getting a business credit card for the organization. There are many things that he paid for in the past and then was reimbursed for. Having a credit card would be easier and more transparent. 5. Report on Fund Raising – Ralph reviewed the 3 page Summary of 2018 Fund Raising that was included in the packet provided to the board. . ... See packet.... Last year we sent our 2,000+ cold requests with approximately 98 responses. Ralph recommends we no longer include Cavendish and Mt Holly in the mass mailings but do strategic target mailings in those towns. He indicated that there was an increase in mailings in Ludlow to include some condominiums. He recommends we keep the Ludlow mailing the same. An important aspect of this is the FOLA data file. He said there is an initial mailing to people who had contributed in the past. We have used Quick Print for mass mailing, which costs about $.16 per mailing. They do everything. For businesses we do first class mail. Some money comes to us through PayPal for which there is a small fixed charge of about 2.5% Ralph asked about creating a 2019 Fund Raising Committee that he felt was a good idea. In past Ralph did the greater majority of this work himself although David sends out the thank you letters promptly. Someone will need to maintain the data file that Ralph will distribute. 6. Report of 2019 Program Plans – The Operator Calendar was distributed for all of the activities for the year. There are still some events that need operators. Streaming and silent movies is more complicated and requires more people to manage. People can sign up to help with those through Scott. Ralph suggested we should renew the Broadway HD and streaming which costs $99 before the Mar. 16 streaming of Billy Elliot Live. There was some discussion over this and it was felt that it is quite costly and we would have to subsidize the cost, as our take at the door certainly would not cover the high costs. The question was asked if we should we use a streaming service. Any streaming license will certainly increase our cost. FOLA does need to investigate licensing for streaming specific events which will be complicated and expensive. Marty volunteered to be the point person for the steel drum program Calipso Connections scheduled for Feb 16. David and Beth are usually the greeters. They could use some help with this and substitutes. We still need someone to organize the Christmas show. Interested persons can talk with Scott. There was some discussion about adding other things to the events calendar. Scott asked about another jazz group that has contacted him. It was felt that at the moment one jazz performance was enough. Lisa Marks talking about some other things. She would like to do some other theater work/activities with kid sin the schools possibly in the spring. Whatever we do, we need to make sure we coordinate everything with Pam in the Town Office, as there is paperwork to fill out. 7. Other business - a) FOLA Policy Compliance There is a couple of by laws changes that we should consider. Information on this will be sent out through email. b) Streaming License – See notes above, c) Fundraising objectives – Ralph said when preparing a fundraising letter some objective should be indentified in the letter. We want to have a goal/purpose for the fundraising clearly articulated. d) Audio –Light Console Revision - The light board will be moved to a new table and there will be an overall upgrade to the space. The plans for next year include having a lighting person come in and go over all of our lights to determine their life span and to do some training on the light console. e) FOLA Town Projects - Jim had asked about a bathroom backstage. Ralph indicated there was previously some discussion with Frank about this. Presently there are no pipes upstairs and Frank was concerned about potential for a break and some water damage. Ralph contacted Wright Construction at Scott Murphy’s request to discuss options. They have walked through the area twice. They concluded we could do an ADA bathroom. Ralph mentioned that it would need soundproofing. Nothing has been decided. There is some interest on behalf of the town so this could potentially be a joint project with FOLA. There was some discussion on egress from the balcony as there is only one way to get to and from the balcony at the present time. Ralph mentioned at some point there is some painting that should be completed. George moved we remove Ralph as signator and add Scott to all documents that might require the signature of the chair. The motion was seconded by Marty. All approved. There was some discussion on the proposed letter to go out for Producer Level Sponsorship. Ralph will do the posters for the Peter Sellers series but will have to wait until we know the sponsors. We may need individual posters for each of the three Sellers movies depending on the number of sponsors. Scott will do posters after that. There are about 117 businesses in the town. We can get chamber mailing list and then cull down the list to the ones we want to use. The Chamber will provide labels once a year so we want to take advantage of that for the annual fundraising letter. Marty made a motion to approve the Producer Level Sponsorship letter. Paula seconded the motion. It was approved unanimously. . Ralph indicated we need to get a new address. It was decided to keep the address for the present time but we will need to come up with a plan at another time. We should have a PO box AND a physical address for deliveries. Frank expressed his personal congratulations to FOLA for the fantastic job the accomplished under the leadership of Ralph in renovating the auditorium. He further congratulated the organization for providing such a diversity of wonderful events. He is so impressed with all that FOLA has done since its inception and expressed his deep appreciation. Ralph made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 11:35. There was a second by Harry. It was so moved. Respectively submitted, George O. Thomson Secretary Addendum to the Annual Meeting Minutes of January 29, 2019
Via electronic means on 2/4/19:
I, George O. Thomson make a motion for FOLA to obtain a credit card with a cap of $1,000 through Peoples Bank with Chairman Scott Stearns as the signer. David Almond seconded the motion. The motion was passed with a majority of votes from the Board.
I, Scott Stearns move we authorize George O. Thomson, Secretary of FOLA, to sign any necessary paperwork required by the bank to add signers to the checking account and to secure a credit card. David Almond seconded the motion. The motion was passed with a majority of votes from the Board.
Minutes of FOLA Meeting, September 18, 2018 at Town Hall Minutes by Martin Nitka: Meeting called to order by Ralph at 10:00 a.m. in the Ludlow Town Hall. Present were Ralph Pace, Jim Alic, Sandra Russo, Scott Stearns, Dave Almond, Kevin Kuntz. An agenda, financial report and a proposal for movies to be shown had been e-mailed to all directors. Dave reported that FOLA had spent $603.05 more than we had taken in for the period from 1/1/18 to 9/17/18. Scott reported that his movie proposal would require a budget of $2,319 as outlined in his proposal which included two rack cards, one for the basic events and one for the movie series (Peter Sellers movies), each at a cost of $200.00. There was discussion as to whether we should have a separate rack card for the movie series and it was decided that a poster for the move series would be preferable. This would save $200 but the ink cost for doing posters would be about $55. The alternative budget of $2,119 with the addition of $55 for ink was approved. Additionally Scott’s proposal for movies was adopted except for some date changes which Scott would make. There was also discussion of hosting a pot luck dinner with Rick Winston from the Vt. Humanities Council but no action was taken pending discussion with town manager about having food at the auditorium. Ralph indicated he would explore possibilities for events with the Weston theater folks. Minutes by David Almond 3. Fund Raising:
d. We have the Ludlow and Cavendish grand lists but still need to get the grand list for Mt Holly (Don Richardson). e. Available directors to author any hand written appeals. 4. Remainder of 2018 Events - Of the seven remaining events, the only one that needs more attention is the Christmas event. Scott and Sandra, together with local school officials, have substantially planned that event and primarily just need to follow through on those plans. 5. Annual Meeting: a. Date - Tuesday, January 29, 2019 at 10 AM in Ludlow town Hall. b. and c. -Nominations and by-law changes - Sandra Russo will be the only member of the FOLA Nominating Committee. Directors and members present at the meeting will be able to vote. An agenda item for the meeting will be to determine whether the by-laws will be amended to also allow members to vote by email. Nominations are expected to include: Co-chairs, Ralph and Scott; Vice Chair, Jim; Treasurer, David, Secretary, Marty; Movie and Program Director, Scott; Nominating Committee, Sandra. The intent is to allow Ralph to reduce his responsibilities in 2020 to that of a non-officer director. Sandra will produce some news releases aimed at attracting new directors to FOLA and advertising the annual meeting. Jim will have further discussions with Graham about becoming a director specializing in attracting musical programs to FOLA. Another potential director is Matt S. 6. New Equipment - Microphones are to be acquired for approximately $800. Remaining equipment needs to be determined. Need to inform Ludlow officials of any purchases that might need to be funded by the town. 7. 2018 Operators - With the reduced number of events in 2019, Scott volunteered to do all equipment operation, to include updating of FOLA's laptop as needed. 8. Other Business – None 9 Adjournment - 11:30 am by affirmative vote of all directors present. The meeting adjourned at 11:33 am. Respectfully submitted, Martin Nitka and David Almond Martin Nitka, Secretary & David Almond, Acting Secretary
Minutes of FOLA Meeting, July 31, 2018 at Town Hall The meeting was called to order by Ralph Pace at 10:31 am. Present were David Almond, Don Richardson, Kevin Kuntz, David Almond, Sandra Russo, and Ralph Pace. David presented the fiscal status of FOLA as of July 31, 2018. We had a cash balance of $4,474.41. We anticipated receiving an additional $2,000 in August from the town for funds approved at the March town meeting. We had a commitment of $800 for the Sept 15 band concert. Ralph reviewed the license status for movies. He said several correspondences had been received from MPLC urging us to renew the cancelled license. Letters/emails by Messrs. Almond and Alic to MPLC indicated we had resolved the matter and requested that MPLC cease contacting us. A brief review of the movie calendar for 2019 followed. It was noted that the movie committee would meet the following week to select movies and streaming for the coming year. It was also decided that one of the streamings would be of “Billy Elliot Live” which we failed to stream this year due to a laptop audio port problem. The upcoming events for the remainder of the year were reviewed. The status of the new music teacher at the schools was a matter that Sandra indicated would be addressed in preparing for the annual Christmas program. It was agreed that FOLA would perform the email broad casting for a BRAM and Booknook event planned for Sept. 11. Don also requested input on how FOLA could assist Fletcher Farm. It was suggested that they consider an art display in the auditorium. Ralph reviewed the laptop audio problem and its resolution, the painting of the stage and removal of the piano harp by Wright Construction as a pro bono effort, Weston’s use of the auditorium to rehearse ‘Fun Home’, and the future use of a New York stage architect to see if a single stage set was feasible, probably in January, 2019. The purpose and organization of fund raising in the fall was briefly discussed. Sandra and Ralph would prepare a more detailed outline of its purpose, population, and management for future consideration by the board. The possible long term goals to improve the auditorium were briefly discussed. It was the consensus of the meeting that auditorium air conditioning and a restroom were too expensive to consider. The meeting adjourned at 11:47 am. Respectfully submitted, Ralph Pace Ralph Pace, Acting Secretary
Minutes of FOLA Meeting, May 14, 2018 at Town Hall The meeting was held on May 14, 2018 at 9:30 a.m. An Agenda had been e-mailed to all directors. Directors in attendance Ralph Pace, Scott Stearns, Sandra Russo, David Almond, Don Richardson, Kevin Kunz, Jim Alic and Martin Nitka. Agenda Item 1 Financial Status Dave Almond had prepared a financial report which had been e-mailed to the directors. The corporation has cash on hand, as of May 3, in the amount of $7,103.35 and expects to receive another $2,000.00 in the summer as voted by the Town of Ludlow. It has near-term commitments of about $6,800.00 for audio system upgrades, scholarship grant, and the cost of a musical group in the fall. Agenda Item 2 Movie Licensing FOLA had been operating pursuant to an arrangement with MPLC. It had been our understanding that this covered FOLA for licensing arrangements to show the movies. That has not been the case. It appears that the rights to show most movies are held by either Criterion or Swank; and the cost to run these movies is substantially higher. To run the movies that we have schooled for 2018 the cost would be $2,830. This does not include the cost of live-streaming of Broadway shows, which would cost $100-200 per year, unlimited as to number of shows. Kevin Kunz made a motion, seconded by Don Richardson, to deal with Swank for our movies. Motion passed. There was also some discussion about having local businesses underwrite specific moves, as an additional fund raiser. Dave Almond, Don Richardson and Jim Alic agreed to work on this. Scott Stearns and Ralph Pace agreed to look into on-line promotion of our programs. No formal action taken.
Agenda Item 3-Movie Operators. The schedule of movies with designated operators was tweaked. See attachment. Agenda Item 4-Upcoming Events. It was the consensus of the board that no plans for a candidates' forum be worked on until after the outlook for primary contest was clearer. Agenda Item 5-Audio Upgrade Status. Ralph reported that the audio upgrade should be completed next week. Agenda Item 6-Fund Raising. Discussion was held about raising the cost of corporate sponsorship from $100 to $200. No action taken. Agenda Item 7-FOLA Name. The Selectmen had voted to name the auditorium “The Frank Heald Auditorium” and there was discussion as to whether we should change the name of our corporation from “Friends of Ludlow Auditorium” (FOLA) to reflect this change. The consensus was that we should remain as is. Other Business: No other business. Meeting adjourned at 10:30
____________________________ Martin Nitka, Secretary
Minutes of FOLA Meeting, February 28, 2018 at Town Hall The meeting had been scheduled for 2/28/18 at 10:00 a.m.to dedicate the new dressing room. There was also an Agenda that had been e-mailed to all directors. Directors in attendance Ralph Pace, Sandra Russo, Harry Welch, Martin Nitka. Jim Alic joined us later. There was a ceremonial ribbon cutting attended by Marji Graf of the Chamber. Photos were taken. The Directors re-convened in the downstairs conference room. Agenda Item 1 Equipment Training. Light Console. Only Ralph and Scott know how to run the lighting console. More operators needed. Training will be scheduled, at cost of $350.00, for other people. Audio Board; Blue Ray. No problems-we have enough people to run this. Streaming: We need periodic lap top updates. Schedule: Due to use of Town Hall training will be scheduled sometime in late April/early May. Grant Request: Okemo Challenge grant in its last year. Ralph will file a request for $950 to cover costs of above. This will cover training, interior headset, Blue Ray player. Agenda Item 2 Fund Raising It was decided that Ralph would re-circulate a list of possible projects to the directors and ask them to add to the list, if they wish, and to be prepared to prioritize the items on the list. We will then have an idea of what we want to accomplish and the costs involved. Appropriate fund-raising plans can then be made. Harry Welch and Jim Alic both confirmed that, rather than lending $1,000 each to Fola, as they had previously offered, they are donating these sums as an outright contribution. Agenda Item 3-Star Wars Movie Selection. We will proceed with showing of Last Jedi on July 7. Agenda Item 4-Financial Status. Ralph reported that we had $5,800 “spendable” funds. Other Business: Jim said he would follow up with the Museum on the status of the scholarship. Meeting adjourned at 11:00 Respectfully submitted, Martin Nitka, Secretary
Minutes of FOLA Meeting, January 22, 2018 at Town Hall The annual meeting was called to order by Jim Alic at 10:24 am. Present were David Almond, Don Richardson, Marty Nitka, Scott Stearns, Sandra Russo, Jim Alic, and Harry Welch. The board reviewed the 2017 season. The Martian and Spectre two lowest turnout films sponsored by FOLA. May need to re-evaulate thrillers. Les Miserables was lowest turnout for a streaming event (but there was no parking available around the town hall). Discussed moving to 7.30pm start time to attract more out of towners. Don suggested we send info to the Mt Holly Flash (more immediate than the Chit Chat). David suggested a survey to figure things out. Action Item - Don will talk with Bruce about leveraging the Okemo website to get the word out about movie/streaming events. David reviewed the 2017 financials. Revenue up. Continue to get town meeting article funding from the town of Ludlow. Christmas show has been down the last two years in terms of donations. David walked through the 2018 proposed budget. Website bill is high as they had been sending bills for the last 4 years to a non-existent email address. Action Item - Scott to confirm with Rick Winston for cost of April talk. Don suggested we ask the town of Mt Holly for a grant. This would need to be for 2019. Group thought it was worth asking. We bought a new light board for $100 instead of getting a loaner. Edit to the budget as proposed - reduced the cost of Equipment by $1500 as the money needed for lightboard failure work is covered in another line item Budget approved with changes. Marty would like more consistent labeling of incomes and expenses so that it is easier to compare year to year. Jim made a note that Glen Brown will probably not be up to Ludlow over the summer. Fundraising Report - General consensus is that we do it again in 2018. Jim said we will have a meeting in the summer to discuss mailing lists and prune mailing lists for fall fundraising effort. The meeting adjourned at 11.31 pm. Respectfully submitted, Scott Stearns Scott Stearns, Acting Secretary
Minutes of FOLA Meeting, October 6, 2017 at Town Hall The meeting was called to order by Ralph Pace at 10:31 am. Present were David Almond, Marty Nitka, Mary Jane O’Hara, Don Richardson, Jim Alic, Harry Welch, Scott Stearns, Sandra Russo, Bruce Farr, Ralph Pace and Janet Pace. The meeting opened with the introduction and approval by the board of Sandra Russo as a new member of the board. David presented the status of the financial condition of FOLA indicating a cash balance of $6,503.14 as of September 29. Ralph discussed the status of the fund raising noting that we had a net gain of over $1325. He also indicated that, due to his error, a portion of the mailings to out-of-state solicitations were misnamed. He added that additional mailing to individuals and businesses would take place in October. Jim updated the board regarding the status of the dressing room project. It was agreed that the audio proposal submitted by Boston Soundworks would be approved following consultations with Gary Peck of NA Theatrix. The board agreed to delay ordering a blu-ray upgrade until the financial impact of the audio upgrade was known. The other portions of the planned capital purchases were likewise delayed. It was decided that FOLA would not enact a capital spending cap requiring multiple bidders at this time but would examine each proposed capital project individually regarding bidders. Scott presented the movie committees list of movies, streamed events, and proposed lectures. The board discussed the list and agreed to the basic schedule proposed subject to other events not included in the list. The board agreed that the movie and streaming events should also be added to a new rack card of FOLA’s 2018 activities. Scott discussed preparations under way for the annual Community Christmas Celebration. Mary Jane suggested that she had found statutory evidence that allowed non-profits to place sandwich boards on public property. She indicated she would forward this information to the chair. The board set January 22, 2018 at 10:30 am as the date of the annual meeting. Ralph noted that the Articles of Incorporation limited the number of board members to the range of five to nine. Marty agreed to examine the Articles and prepare a revision to increase the number of board members. The meeting adjourned at 11:49 am. Respectfully submitted, Janet Pace Janet Pace, Secretary
Minutes of FOLA Meeting, August 7, 2017 at Town Hall The meeting was called to order by Ralph Pace at 10:31 am. Present were David Almond, Marty Nitka, Mary Jane O’Hara, Don Richardson (via phone), Jim Alic, Kevin Kuntz, Harry Welch, Scott Stearns, Ralph Pace and Janet Pace. David updated the board on the financial status of FOLA. Ralph reviewed the status of fund raising. He indicated that 1450 property owners, primarily in the Vermont area, would be contacted as well as approximately 120 area businesses in separate mailings. QuickPrint of Rutland had quoted a price of $847 for the individual property owner mailing; Ralph estimated that the business mailing would be less than $200. David suggested that both letters should include a statement that FOLA was an all-volunteer group. Jim discussed the status of the dressing room renovation. Materials for the construction were to be delivered that afternoon. The board reviewed the remaining events for 2017. It was agreed that the Christmas program as well as future streaming events will be consolidated within the function of the movie committee. Scott noted that he would call a movie committee meeting in early September. Ralph indicated that he was in discussion with Piper Goodeve of the Weston Playhouse regarding a possible musical event but that nothing definite was determined. The board considered scheduled and possible programs for 2018. At Jim’s suggestion, the movie committee would be asked to look into programs provided by Vermont Humanities that might be suitable for the Ludlow area. Ralph indicated that the Castleton jazz band had confirmed a September 15 date for three hours of music and dancing. Bruce Farr will be asked to see if there will be a Black River Folk & Blues Fest next year. Don asked if additional square dancing programs could also be planned for 2018. The board agreed that they could. The meeting adjourned at 11:33 am. Respectfully submitted, Janet Pace, Secretary
Minutes of FOLA Meeting, June 12, 2017 at Town Hall The meeting was called to order by Jim Alic at 10:31 am. Present were David Almond, Marty Nitka, Mary Jane O’Hara, Don Richardson, Jim Alic. Kevin Kuntz, Harry Welch, Scott Stearns, and Janet Pace. David updated the board on the financial status of FOLA. As of June 9, FOLA had a bank balance of $4,436.77. He noted that a $1,500 town meeting contribution was due during the summer. David also indicated that FOLA had a 2018 commitment to a Castleton University Jazz Dance Band for $800. Jim Alic discussed the streaming problem FOLA had with its laptop. He said that Matt Sydorovich, a local PC guru, had been employed to analyze the problem and had correct some laptop settings and instructed us how to avoid the “visible buffering” problem. He added that Matt had suggested using the Roku system approach for streaming. There are some questions as to whether Roku can support quality audio. The dressing room budget for $1,789 was discussed by the board. It was decided that the single dressing room (the one on the left-hand side of the two old dressing rooms) would be the only one constructed this year. Jim noted that discussions with Frank Heald and Lisa Marks, LES teacher responsible for current student productions, indicated that LES would place all its props and other gear that it wanted save on the main stage. FOLA would then be free to discard the remainder of equipment. A motion was made to approve the budget at a $2,500 cap to cover any unexpected problems during the renovation. The motion was passed unanimously. It was also noted that Ken Cook, the electrician, needed to be contacted to get his needs defined before any construction work was started. The question was raised as to whether there would be a Black River Folk & Blues Fest this year. Jim said he would discuss the matter with Bruce. (Subsequent contact with Bruce confirmed no Fest this year.) In other operations matters, Don indicated he was interested in being trained in the use of the audio-visual equipment used by FOLA. Jim noted that operating manuals for the equipment had been sent to all board members. Jim also advised the board that FOLA had agreed to co-sponsor a double feature movie with the Village merchants on Friday, June 30. Scott had agreed to show the two films, “Back to the Future” and “Jailhouse Rock”. The proceeds from the gate would go to the Merchants’ association. Don said that a square dance was set for June 24. It was noted that this date was in conflict with the planned streaming of “Kiss Me Kate”. He also noted that any future square dance event would not be associated with the Rutland club. Currently, June 17 and July 22 have been set for square dancing in the auditorium, pending confirmation from Don. The board discussed fund raising for 2017. It was agreed that the objectives of the fund raising would be to cover costs associated with the dressing room project, enhanced professional blu-ray device, and integration of all audio speakers into a single system. The scope of the appeal would be Ludlow area businesses and Ludlow area residents. Jim announced two possible new events. On a date to be determined FOLA may cosponsor a speech by New York Times Paris Bureau Chief, Alyssa Rubin along with Spring Lake Ranch. He noted that Black River Good Neighbors had asked if FOLA would join it in sponsoring a sing along program of “The Sound of Music” during President’s Week in 2018. The board decided that the movie schedule for 2018 will be proposed in September. Scott has agreed to chair this committee. The board agreed to renew its membership in Black River Academy Museum. The meeting adjourned at 11:15 am. Respectfully submitted, Janet Pace, Secretary
Minutes of FOLA Meeting, March 6, 2017 at Town Hall The meeting was called to order by Ralph Pace at 10:32 am. Present were David Almond, Janet Pace, Bruce Farr, Mary Jane O’Hara, Marty Nitka, Jim Alic, and Ralph Pace. David reviewed the financial status of FOLA. He noted that we had a cash balance of $4,869.82 at the end of February. He also indicated that he had reported the detailed expenditures of our streaming project to the Ludlow Rotary. The Rotary Club had given FOLA a $2,000 grant; since our total cost for the project was $1,046.34 in excess of the grant amount, FOLA had satisfied Rotary’s reporting requirements. Ralph reviewed the current year activities to date, concentrating on the Marissa McGown concert that raised $777 in donations; the net gain for FOLA was $277. He also indicated that the first streaming program, the musical “Gypsy”, brought in enough donations to more than cover our year’s subscription to BroadwayHD.com. David reviewed the status of the proposed FOLA scholarship award in memory of Anita Alic. He noted that doing the award through the Ludlow Rotary Club would be difficult since all extant Rotary scholarships are named after Rotarians. David noted he had been in discussion with the Black River Academy Museum (BRAM) about that organization making the award which would be funded by FOLA. Following a lengthy discussion, a motion my Marty was passed that would authorize David to negotiate the scholarship, to be called the ‘Anita Alic Memorial Scholarship for the Performing Arts’, with BRAM. The scholarship would be in the starting amount of $1,000 to a student residing in Plymouth, Ludlow, Mt Holly, and Cavendish who had demonstrated an active interest in some aspect of the performing arts. Candidate evaluation for this award would be done by BRAM. Annual funding for the award would be done by FOLA with the understanding that the actual award would be dependent on FOLA’s ability to generate the award amount without severely damaging its normal programs and activities related to the auditorium. The motion was unanimously passed. Ralph raised the question of purchasing a digital keyboard to support musical functions in the auditorium. After a brief discussion, it was decided to table the project. The board discussed the need to prepare a useful dressing room area back stage. It was agreed that we should review this need. Our next meeting will begin with a tour of the back stage to evaluate the dressing room need as well as the removal of old props and a piano that did not work. Ralph explained to the board that he had prepared a document describing the auditorium and its uses which he had forwarded to Frank Heald, town manager, for use by all parties using the auditorium (draft document attached). He also distributed the “wish list” of FOLA potential activities which he asked all board members to use to rate their priorities for each item. Ralph closed the meeting by asking board members to become more involved in the actual operation of equipment and their uses during our programs. The meeting adjourned at 11.33 pm. Respectfully submitted,
January 10, 2017 Minutes of FOLA Meeting, January 10, 2017 at Town Hall The annual meeting was called to order by Ralph Pace at 10:24 am. Present were David Almond, Janet Pace, Don Richardson (via phone), Bruce Farr, Mary Jane O’Hara, Kevin Kuntz, Jim Alic, and Ralph Pace. The board reviewed the 2016 season. David reviewed the 2016 financials. The board approved his report. The budget for 2017 was discussed and approved. Ralph reviewed the fund raising effort in the latter portion of 2016. He presented a report outlining where the donations came from. The fund raising raised just over $2,700 with a net of just over $2,500 after expenses. The grant from the Rotary District and the Ludlow Rotary Club of $2,000 brought total net fund raising to slightly over $4,500. The expenses for the implementation of streaming were discussed and approved. The board also approved inclusion of an additional estimated $475 for new bulbs for the projector as part of the streaming expenditures. The only remaining item to be purchased for streaming is the covers of devices associated with streaming and the projector; this was estimated at $160. Plans for the 2017 season were discussed. The program as outlined was approved. Bruce suggested that the board consider a possible new show if he can arrange to get a band. The approved this action. Don, via phone, asked for several dates when square dancing could take place. The board selected May 20, July 15, and September 16. [Due to a subsequent change in the date for the “Hit Parade of 1927” with the Ludlow Rotary Club, the May 20 date for square dancing was eliminated.] Ralph mentioned that he was in negotiations with Weston for a cabaret. Kevin presented the nominating committee report which was approved by the board. All directors were elected to another term of office. Officers elected for 2017 were Ralph Pace, Chairman, Jim Alic, Vice Chairman, David Almond, Treasurer, Janet Pace, Secretary, and Bruce Farr, Program Director. Ralph announced that Tesha Buss had resigned as a Director. Jim Alic suggested contacting Scott Stearns as a replacement. The board passed a motion that requires all Directors and Officers of FOLA to be members. A second motion by Kevin was passed that indicated that if a director of officer of FOLA missed three consecutive meeting, that director or officer would be subject to removal if so voted by the board. David indicated that all directors and officers had complied with FOLA policies in 2016 Fund raising objectives, based on FOLA’s previous wish list, will be discussed at the next meeting. Bruce suggested that FOLA consider having a fund raising dinner during the year. Bruce agreed to investigate this and report back to the board at its next meeting. The meeting adjourned at 11.31 pm. Respectfully submitted,
October 3, 2016
Minutes of FOLA Meeting, October 3, 2016 at Town Hall The meeting was called to order by Ralph Pace at 10:31 am. Present were David Almond, Marty Nitka, Mary Jane O’Hara, Bruce Farr, Jim Alic, Kevin Kuntz, and Ralph Pace. David updated the board on ticket sales revenue to-date for the Oct. 8 Black River Folk & Blues Fest. With known ticket sales, about $1200 has been raised to-date. This figure includes about 25 tickets for Black River and Woodstock High School student use purchased by various sponsors. Bruce reviewed the status of preparations for the Oct. 8, thanking all the board members for their help in selling tickets and advertising the event. It was agreed that FOLA board members would arrive at the auditorium at 6 PM on Oct. 8 to assist in final preparations for the concert. The movie schedule was discussed by Jim to deal with “blackout” dates due to the town’s preparations for town and village meetings. It was decided that the following changes would be made to the 2017 schedule: March 11 – “Brooklyn”
The board next considered fund raising. It was agreed that fund raising would be addressed to area businesses, addresses obtained through the Chamber. The focus of the fund raising would be streaming and access to various programs via satellite streaming (e.g., Metropolitan Opera, rock concerts, sports events). The board agreed that initial letters would be sent to area businesses at the end of October with follow-up letters in mid-December. The next meeting, the annual meeting, was set for Tuesday, January 10 at 10:30 am. Kevin agreed to send out nomination emails to the board. It was also agreed that the question of FOLA membership for all board members and officers would be discussed at the annual meeting. The meeting adjourned at 11:31 am. Respectfully submitted, September 12, 2016  Friends of Ludlow Auditorium
Minutes of FOLA Meeting, September 12, 2016 at Town Hall The meeting was called to order by Ralph Pace at 10:31 am. Present were David Almond, Marty Nitka, Don Richardson, Bruce Farr, Janet Pace. Kevin Kuntz, and Ralph Pace. David presented the financial update which showed a balance of $2,481.61. He noted that we had received the $1,500 approved by the March 2016 Town Meeting. Bruce discussed the status of the BR Folk & Blues Fest. He indicated that Abe Leber had been asked to prepare posters for the event and that preliminary news releases had been prepared for local papers and the web site. Ralph said he would print the posters and start the on-line sale of tickets as well as distributed tickets to Peoples United Bank, the Book Nook, and the Cheese and Wine Depot for local sales. Bruce requested that a follow-up meeting for the BRF&BF be scheduled for Monday, Oct 3 at 10:30 am to complete preparations for the Oct 8 event. The board reviewed a draft 2017 program schedule and agreed to it, excepting for the March movie series, awaiting Jim Alic’s movie committee’s proposal which would be considered at the Oct. 3 meeting. It was also agreed to have rack cards of the finalized schedule for 2017 printed. The board discussed streaming, noting that the town had proposed to get a new wifi line from TDS. There was discussion about the wisdom of using TDS. Ralph agreed to have further discussions with the town on this matter and report back to the technical committee on the results. It was agreed that FOLA would purchase a Core i7 laptop to facilitate streaming. In a discussion of fund raising for 2016, Ralph indicated that he had secured grand lists for Cavendish and Mt Holly. The Board decided that the fund raising drive for 2016 should be limited to Ludlow area businesses. In reviewing remaining events for 2016, it was decided that Kevin would moderate the Oct 20 candidates’ forum for Windsor County Senate and RW-2 House seats. Marty agreed to act as timer. A brief discussion of 2017 events followed. It was suggested that FOLA investigate possible lectures of local interest by the Vermont Humanities Group. Ralph said that a possible musical revue, in the format of a radio program was being considered, possibly in conjunction with the Ludlow Rotary Club. Don gave a presentation of lawn signs used for his square dancing organization as a possible source of advertising for FOLA events. It was agreed that FOLA would create some sample signs to be forwarded to Don for pricing. The next meeting was set for Monday, October 3 at 10:30 am. to deal with the BR Folk & Blues Fest, fund-raising and 2017 program finalization. The meeting adjourned at 11:44 am. Respectfully submitted, Janet Pace, Secretary
August 1, 2016
Minutes of FOLA Meeting, August 1, 2016 at Town Hall The meeting was called to order by Ralph Pace at 10:31 am. Present were David Almond, Marty Nitka, Don Richardson, Bruce Farr, Mary Jane O;Hara, Jim Alic, and Ralph Pace. David presented the financial update which showed a balance of $608.21. He noted that we had requested the $1,500 approved by the March 2016 Town Meeting but are still awaiting that amount. A lengthy discussion ensued regarding the needs and procedures for annual fund raising. It was agreed that the primary objective of fund-raising would be to support the needs to implement in-coming streaming. Ralph said he had been in contact with Comcast concerning the installation costs and process of a hard-wired internet connection in the balcony to support streaming. He also indicated that he had spoken with North America Theatrix of CT, the company that helped us acquire the Panasonic projector and electronic screen, about the hardware and software needs to support streaming. It was agreed that fund-raising efforts this year will consist of email solicitations of FOLA’s usual email list, letters to area businesses, and targeted mailings in the fall. A special meeting will be held on September 12 at 10:30 am in town hall to determine the targeted mailing solicitation In was agreed that our streaming needs would only deal with incoming signals. Netflex and BroadwayHD were two of the sources of programming to be initially considered. Ralph said that BroadwayHD.com currently has Broadway musicals and plays available at less than $100 a year subscription. The next major event sponsored by FOLA will be the BR Folk and Blues Fest on October 8. Bruce indicated he had secured three great bands for the event at a cost of about $2,500 including audio. He stressed the need for strong pr to enlist interest in the program that would include news releases, posters, email, and ticket availability. It was agreed that tickets for the event would be $20pp before the event and $25pp at the door. The board agreed that we should try to have a gubernatorial debate on October 20. Failing the willingness of all candidates to participate in such a debate, FOLA should focus on a Windsor County Senate and local house candidates. A good deal of time was spent discussing movies for 2017. It was agreed that FOLA should avoid R rated films unless that rating appeared to be basically inconsequential. The movie committee agreed to prepare a list of films that will be presented to the entire board at the special September 12 meeting. At Ralph’s request, it did agree to include the film “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” as the August regular movie; this will be done in conjunction with the Weston Playhouse that will present the play version as part of its 2017 schedule. The board agreed that FOLA should prepare rack cards for the 2017 FOLA season once plans have been finalized. In discussing 2017 programs, it was agreed that FOLA should seek a lecturer for one program, production of a radio-type program, tentatively called “The Hit Parade of 1934”, and seek the participation of the Ludlow Rotary Club, and continue negotiations with the Weston Playhouse to develop a cabaret-style program in the auditorium. The next meeting was set for Monday, September 12 at 10:30 am. To deal with fund-raising and 2017 movie selection. The meeting adjourned at 12:11 pm. Respectfully submitted, Janet Pace, Secretary April 25, 2016
Minutes of FOLA Meeting, April 25, 2016 at Town Hall The meeting was called to order by Ralph Pace at 10:31 am. Present were David Almond, Janet Pace, Marty Nitka, Don Richardson, Bruce Farr, Kevin Kuntz, Jim Alic, and Ralph Pace. David presented the financial update following the payment for the audio upgrade and noted that we still have yet to receive the invoice for the electrical work involved in extending the house lighting control to the balcony. He led a discussion of the 2015-16 fund raising effort. It was noted by the members that the Ludlow and local business contributions represented a very sizeable proportion of the monies raised. It was also noted that the obsolete equipment which was replaced by the new audio upgrade would be placed on e-Bay for sale. The town had indicated that any proceeds from such a sale would revert to FOLA. Ralph led a discussion of the FOLA Follies, Comedy Tonight. He indicated that it was the best follies attendance with SRO and great performances. The use of the new headsets, plus the management of same by Paul Terrasi, greatly enhanced the show. The board agree that letters of thanks should be sent to Tesha and Kasia Karazim for their hard work in making the show possible. During a review of upcoming events, Ralph indicated that FOLA would show a film made by an Emerson College student on May 18 that was taken in and around Ludlow. The movie selected for the silent movie was “Metropolis”. Jim suggested that we contact Glenn Brown to see if he was interested in playing the piano for a short film preceding the feature film. Bruce said that he had contacted three bands for the October 8 Black River Folk & Blues Fest. He also said he would contact Abe Leben for posters. The board agreed that, as soon as the bands were set, we should begin publicizing the event. In discussing the proposed October 20 candidate forum, Jim suggested that we also plan on conducting a forum prior to the Primary election. It was agreed that July 21 would be the date set for this forum. Ralph said that plans for a cabaret-style event, featuring performers associated with the Weston Playhouse, was still up in the air, awaiting confirmation from Weston. A “Wish List” of 21 suggested projects and upgrades was discussed as the basis for fund-raising in 2016. It was agreed that the purchase of a digital piano with synthesizer functionality and stage monitors for performers would be two major items purchased as a result of this fund-raising effort. The board next discussed the 2016 fund-raising program. It was agreed that it would focus on expanding corporate membership as well as more Ludlow solicitations. Don asked if FOLA would expand its fund-raising efforts in Mt Holly. He volunteered to get grand list information from Mt Holly that could be used in the drive. Ralph volunteered to get information from Cavendish on its grand list. Ralph stressed the need for board members to become familiar with the new audio system. Tentative dates for members to review the system were set for May 10 and 17 from 4-5:30 pm in the balcony. Ralph was to prepare written procedures for use of these systems. Ralph indicated that Susan McNeely had resigned from the board and that Susan Haefner had expressed an interest in joining the board. The question of ownership of the lighting equipment, originally purchased by the schools, was discussed. Ralph indicated he would review this matter with Frank Heald, town manager and Anne Gardner, BRHS teacher who presumably purchased the equipment. The next meeting was set for Monday, September 12 at 10:30 am. The meeting adjourned at 11:47 am. Respectfully submitted, Janet Pace, Secretary
Minutes of FOLA Meeting, January 20, 2016 at Town Hall The meeting was called to order by Ralph Pace at 10:31 am. Present were David Almond, Janet Pace, Marty Nitka, Mary Jane O’Hara, Kevin Kuntz, Jim Alic, and Ralph Pace. David presented a financial review through the end of 2015. We had a balance in excess of $7,100, largely due to a successful fund raising effort. He also noted that the town budget, to be approved by the voters at Town Meeting in March, would contain an article for $1,500 for FOLA. Ralph and David reviewed the fund raising for audio and electrical equipment that started in September 2015. As of the meeting’s date, FOLA had raised $4,940. Jim and Anita Alic had sent out a second business mailing in late December. Ralph reviewed the cost of the fund raising and it was the consensus of the board that the results were very positive for a “cold sell” effort. It was agreed that fund raising should become an annual project to meet the growing needs of equipment and improvements in the auditorium and FOLA’s related programs. The board decided that a poster listing all the business contributors will be posted in the auditorium to recognize their donations. Considerable time was devoted to the review of the proposed 2016 budget. After lengthy discussion, the revised budget was approved. The board reviewed the scheduled activities for 2016. It approved holding four classes for area students on musical theater and underwriting up to four high-school level students as “interns” at the 2016 summer Theater Labs at the Weston Playhouse. Ralph noted that he was in the process of arranging a ‘quid pro quo’ show with Weston Playhouse theater performers in the auditorium on May 28. Currently, a three singer musical revue is being considered. The cost to FOLA would be $450 which would include a pianist. Kevin presented the nominating committees report for officers for 2016. The report was accepted by the board. Officers for 2016 will be: Ralph Pace, Chair; Anita Alic, Vice Chairperson; David Almond, Treasurer; Bruce Farr, Program Director; and Janet Pace, Secretary. All board members will be up for reelection in 2017. David reviewed policy compliance in 2015. When several members not voting, all other members indicated they were in compliance with FOLA’s policies. It was agreed that FOLA would not undertake the creation of an endowment fund but would concentrate on raising funds as required to satisfy its goals. Ralph raised the question of expanding the military honor rolls currently posted in the stairwell of town hall. It was agreed that Kevin would review such honor rolls existing in Veterans Memorial Park and report back to the board at the next meeting. The drawing of the winning raffle ticket for FOLA’s 2015 movie collection followed. Fred Marin was the winner. The meeting adjourned at 12.31 pm. Respectfully submitted, Janet Pace, Secretary
Minutes of FOLA Meeting, November 9, 2015 at Town Hall The meeting was called to order by Ralph Pace at 10:31 am. Present were David Almond, Don Richardson, Janet Pace, Mary Jane O’Hara, Kevin Kuntz, Jim Alic, Bruce Farr, and Ralph Pace. David reviewed the financial status of FOLA indicating that there was a balance of in excess of $3,900. He noted that some of the expenses absorbed this year were for 2016 activities. Ralph reviewed the fund-raising status. 2,400 mailings were sent to individual Ludlow property owners with an additional 116 to area businesses. To-date $2,570 has been received; of this total, $1,250 was from businesses while $1,320 was from property owners. The cost of the fund-raising was $1,596. The large mailing was sent out October 21, 2015. Jim Alic offered to send follow-up mailings to area businesses that have not yet responded to the business mailings. A review of the project to be funded by the fund raising ensued. Ken Cook estimated the cost of running house lighting to the balcony and outlets in the stage at $1,000. The cost was running electrical outlets to the sides of the auditorium was deferred. The estimated cost for 7 new wireless headsets and related expansion of the audio box was $3,855. Grant requests for thios project have been submitted to Ben & Jerry, the Vermont Community Foundation, and the Windham Trust. The board reviewed the forthcoming FOLA Follies rehearsal in November and the Christmas Celebration in December. Following this, the board considered the proposed 2016 schedule. The movie schedule, previously approved, was augmented to determine if a brief lecturer from the Vermont Humanities could be arranged to open the March movie series of Hitchcock film. Jim agreed to look into this. The Follies was scheduled for February 27. Two proposed candidate forums was reduced to a single general election forum in October. Jane Hart will present a lecture on her book, “The Hidden Children”, in February. The annual Christmas program was scheduled for December 16, 2016. Bruce presented a report on the Black River Blues and Folk Fest recommending two groups for the Fest, Lonesome Brothers and the Meadow Brothers. He also recommended House Blend, an acapella group, for a separate concert. Bruce will also look into a Night of Jazz concert. Don indicated that he would like to have another introduction to square dancing included in the schedule as well as a discussion on alternative energy sources. Both were agreed to by the board with the square dancing set for May 21 with the energy discussion pending selection of a date. It was agreed that all open program dates would be submitted by December 15, 2015 so FOLA could publish its schedule. Ralph proposed that a class for area students be developed with the Weston Playhouse. The class would be for 4 weeks and concentrate on musical theater. He also noted that Weston had requested that FOLA consider underwriting the cost of internships at the playhouse during the 2016 season. The board agreed with the class proposal and authorized Ralph to continue discussions with the playhouse concerning the internships. The board agreed to amend its by-laws to changed the board membership to a maximum of 15 members. The board agreed that FOLA would offer awards to deserving area personalities on a biennium basis, beginning in 2016. The date of the annual meeting was set for January 20, 2016 at 10:30 am in town hall. The meeting adjourned at 11.59 am. Respectfully submitted, Janet Pace, Secretary
Minutes of FOLA Meeting, August 3, 2015 at Town Hall The meeting was called to order by Ralph Pace at 10:31 am. Present were David Almond, Don Richardson, Janet Pace, Marty Nitka, Mary Jane O’Hara, Kevin Kuntz, Jim Alic, Anita Alic, and Ralph Pace. David reviewed the financial status of FOLA indicating that there was a balance of $1,074.79. He noted that an additional $1,500, the amount approved by the March 2015 Town Meeting, would be available to FOLA in August. A review of the square dancing and SBA events followed. Don indicated that the first square event drew 50 plus people while the second one drew a much smaller group. It was agreed that Don would discuss future square dancing event dates with his club and get back to FOLA with suggested dates. Ralph noted that the SBA (Small Business Administration) workshop on starting new businesses only drew three people. This event was co-sponsored with the Okemo Valley Chamber of Commerce. Ralph reviewed the movie attendance and passed out a full history of FOLA’s movies sequenced by attendance. The silent movie festival drew the highest turnout. The average attendance rate was 30 people. He also reviewed the silent movie program scheduled for August 22. Don asked what LPC-TV could do to promote the movies. He indicated that he would seek to discuss this with LPC since he was now a member of its board. The movie committee agreed to prepare a list of proposed movies for 2016 for an October FOLA meeting. The major future events for 2015 and early 2016 were discussed. The Oct. 10 BR Folk and Blues Fest was the initial subject. Ralph explained his current understanding of the event’s status; one band had agreed to participate. Ralph said he would ask Bruce Farr, the Program Director, to schedule a September meeting to cover the Fest. Bruce could not attend this meeting due to business obligations. It was agreed that the FOLA Follies of 2016 should be planned for late February or early March in 2016. Ralph will contact Tesha Buss on this. Ralph also said that he had advised Connie Wilcox that the annual Christmas program was scheduled for December 18; she indicated that she had it on her schedule. Mary Jane said she would contact Rhonda Rivers about her participation in the Christmas program. The meeting addressed possible future programs. It was suggested that these might include a program dealing with Vermont’s covered bridges, programs presented by the Vermont Humanities organization, and possible collaboration with the Weston Playhouse. The group discussed fund-raising for 2015. Ralph suggested that the purpose of such fund-raising be to acquire six more audio headsets and expansion of the audio controls to support these headsets; additionally, the fund-raising would underwrite the cost of extending the control of the auditorium’s house lights to the balcony, a project previously approved by the board. The meeting approved these goals as the purpose of this year’s fund raising. The estimated cost of the headset/audio control expansion was $3,600; the estimated cost of the house light expansion was $1,500. The question of seeking donations versus membership was discussed. Since, based on the 2013 fund-raising, a number of donors opted for both membership and donations, it was felt that we should continue to offer the two options. It was agreed that the fund-raising effort should be divided into two categories: personal property owners and business. Ralph said he had purchased a current town grand list and reduced it to the elements needed to support a mail fund-raising drive. He noted that it consisted on over 2,700 entries. Based on Marty’s suggestion, the listing would not be broken down by property value. Instead we will conduct a special “sorting party” on August 18 at 10:30 am in town hall to review the entire list selected from the grand list prior to mailing preparation. Jim agreed to prepare a fund-raising letter designed for business solicitation while the draft prepared by Ralph would be used for personal property owners. The meeting adjourned at 12.14 pm. Respectfully submitted, Janet Pace, Secretary
Minutes of FOLA Meeting, May 4, 2015 at Town Hall The meeting was called to order by Ralph Pace at 10:32 am. Present were David Almond, Don Richardson, Janet Pace, Marty Nitka, Bruce Farr, Kevin Kuntz, Jim Alic, Anita Alic, and Ralph Pace. David reviewed the financial status of FOLA indicating that there was a usable balance of $2,071. He noted that an additional $1,500, the amount approved by the March 2015 Town Meeting, would be available to FOLA in mid to late July. Ralph reviewed the May through August movies, including the annual silent movie festival scheduled for August 22. He asked for volunteers to show the June movie since he would not be in Ludlow at that time. David and Kevin indicated they would be available to show the film, Nebraska, on June 6. David also said that FOLA would be billed for its annual movie license in June. Don Richardson explained the status of the May 23 square dancing event. It was agreed that we needed to promote the event. He noted that at least 12 members of the group running the program would be present. Based on the size of the area between the stadium seating and the stage, he estimated that 40 people could be involved in the square dancing. Bruce discussed the status of the 3rd annual Black River Folk and Blues Fest scheduled for October 10. He has already made preliminary arrangements for two of the three groups to perform at this event. They are the Lonesome Brothers (www.lonesomebrothers.com) and Dana & Susan Robinson (www.robinsongs.com). He said he was in the process of looking for a blues group to complete the event. It was agreed that we needed to promote the event. The group reviewed three new proposed projects for the auditorium. They included:
The meeting reviewed two estimated quotes provided by Paul Terrasi covering the first two items. It was felt that we needed to discussed the difference between the two alternatives suggested by Terrasi. Ralph agreed to arrange a meeting between Terrasi and he FOLA subcommittee handling technical equipment, The meeting decided that there was no need for the additional spotlights. Ralph noted that he had still not received any quotes from Cook Electrical regarding the extension of the house lighting to the balcony. Jim said that we should depend on the use of walkie talkies we already have in the balcony to communicate between the balcony and orchestra regarding house lighting. Ralph reviewed fund raising efforts in 2013 and 2014. It was decided to concentrate fund raising efforts this summer on raising funds for the six additional headsets and transmitters. We will concentrate on contacting people for donations first using email. Following this effort, we will then send out membership requests. The meeting adjourned at 11:50 am. Respectfully submitted, Janet Pace, Secretary
Minutes of FOLA Meeting, January 14, 2015 at Town Hall The meeting was called to order by Ralph Pace at 10:31 am. Present were David Almond, Janet Pace, Bruce Farr, Tesha Buss, Marty Nitka, and Ralph Pace. Member candidate Don Richardson was also present. Ralph opened the meeting by asking for approval of invited candidates for membership, Don Richardson and Lisha Klaiber (not present due to work schedule). They were approved as Board members by unanimous consent. Bruce led a discussion of the 2014 programs, especially concentrating on the BR Blues & Folk Fest. He noted that the Fest has been scheduled for October 10 in 2015. It was felt that the event deserved much better pr promotion, especially hitting the younger people’s demographics. Don offered to assist in this effort through his marketing experience and contacts in M Holly with Chit-Chat and News Flash. Ralph agreed to research available email distribution lists FOLA might consider purchasing. The group also discussed asking Jim Alic to investigate programs offered by the Vermont Humanities that may be good for Ludlow. Efforts to increase pre-event sales via enlarged local ticket distribution outlets was discussed as well as increased ticket sales via PayPal. Ralph reviewed the movies for 2014 noting that the 27 person average for 2014 movies was in keeping with the average historical attendance level since the inception of the movie program. Programs for 2015 were considered. It was announced that the Rutland Curbstone Chorus would be booked for March 14. The group decided that the payment basis for this event should be the gate minus $50 for the town. Other possible events included the Castleton Jazz Band and square dancing suggested by Don. Tesha also noted that she had an energy program that may be presented by FOLA. The Fola Follies of 2016 was also discussed. Tesha indicated that the event will be scheduled for February 27 with a possible February 26 date if found viable. Since the rehearsal cycle is four to five months before the performance date, it is considered a 2015 activity date. Tesha will suggest a theme for the Follies. David reviewed the financial status of FOLA for 2014; he also presented a historic P & L of FOLA since its inception. The proposed budget was unanimously approved by the meeting. The nominating committee’s slate of officers for 2015 was approved unanimously. They are: Ralph Pace, Chairman; Anita Alic, Vice-Chair; David Almond, Treasurer; Janet Pace, Secretary; and Bruce Farr, Program Director. The entire board members were unanimously approved for new three year terms through 2017. David reported on board member compliance to the various FOLA policies; he indicated that members were in compliance with the policies. Ralph indicated that the acting class sponsored by FOLA with the Weston Playhouse would not be conducted in 2015 due to the unavailability of a competent instructor. The meeting reaffirmed the need to have the auditorium house light controls extended to the balcony so that we could centralize management of the house lights in the balcony to coordinate with lighting requirements during movie and other program events. The question of changing the normal meeting time was considered. The board felt that the current morning schedule was still best for the needs of FOLA. It was noted that members who were unable to attend these meetings due to employment situations could still contribute to FOLA’s activities since the bulk of decisions are handled via email discussions and votes. The meeting adjourned at 12:15 pm. Respectfully submitted, Janet Pace, Secretary
FOLA Board meeting – Monday, November 3 In attendance: Anita Alic, Jim Alic, David Almond, Kevin Kuntz, Janet Pace, Mary Jane O’Hara. Anita ran the meeting. As a first order of business, Marty Nitka was approved as a new Board member. Next there was an extensive discussion of the BR Folk and Blues Festival. David had prepared a final financial summary of the event comparing 2014 to the event in 2013, as follows: 2014 2013 REVENUE:
______________ ________________ EXPENSES 2062 2350 After a brief discussion, the Board voted to do the event again in 2015 on the Saturday of Columbus Day weekend (October 10). Although we all understand the there are and will be many competing events, we agreed that this was more than offset by the large number of visitors in town for the long weekend. The discussion then turned to specific areas for improvement in 2015. These include:
Next we discussed and selected movies for the 2015 schedule. As follows:
The silent movie selected for the Silent Movie Festival was The General. Other programs throughout the year were discussed and all agreed that The Castleton College Jazz Group, the Rutland Curbstone Chorus, and the Weston actors wishing to do “I do, I Do” should be solicited with firm dates to be proposed. David will follow up with George re the Curbstone Chorus. The other two will be left to Ralph (he needs something to keep him busy). Discussion of potential new Board members followed. Names mentioned included:
Other names should be submitted by Board members not in attendance. In other business:
Reported by Jim Alic
Friends of Ludlow Auditorium Minutes of FOLA Meeting, July 28, 2014 at Town Hall The meeting was called to order by Ralph Pace at 10:31 am. Present were David Almond, Janet Pace, Mary Jane O’Hara, Bruce Farr, Jim Alic, Anita Alic, Kevin Kuntz and Ralph Pace. Martin Nitka audited the meeting. David reported the financial status of FOLA. Following the expenditure of $5,000 for the new seating in the auditorium, FOLA had a balance of about $1,300. David noted that FOLA was also expecting $1,500 approved at the 2014 Town Meeting. Ralph noted that we still have potential financial commitments for the forthcoming Black River Folk and Blues Fest in October and the November appearance of Gorman and Dover. The latter is in the amount of $1,000 while the former has yet to be finalized but was reckoned to be in the $1,800 range. It was agreed that ticket prices for both events would be set at $15 a ticket. A brief review of movies for the remainder of the 2014 season followed. Ralph noted that Andy Ohotnicky and Bill Kneebone had occasionally served as projectionists. It was also agreed that the movie DVDs and Blu Rays for the 2014 season would be raffled off following the pricing used last year. Raffle tickets will be made available at the remaining FOLA events for 2014 plus via the web site. Ralph advised the committee that FOLA had agreed to assist the Library, museum, and others in presenting a program called “The Last of the Dough Boys” about World War I. FOLA would only be responsible for auditorium access, audio, and, if needed, video. All other arrangements would be handled by the sponsoring group. The Christmas program, scheduled for Friday, December 19, was discussed. Anita agreed to discuss the question of future Christmas program dates with the museum so that we can continue to avoid date conflicts but hold the FOLA Christmas program earlier in the month. Bruce discussed the status of the BR Folk and Blues Fest. He noted that he had secured one of the three bands and was hoping to add a second in the near future. The committee agreed that the total number of bands should be three at Bruce’s recommendation. In discussing other 2014 programs, the committee agreed that we should conduct the candidate forum even though there did not appear to be any contested seats as of this date. It was also felt that, due to low attendance from last year’s program, the Halloween movie should be cancelled. The sub-committee on movie selection indicated that it would seek to acquire a greater number of relatively new movies for inclusion in the 2015 event calendar. There selection list will be submitted to the committee for approval in time for the films to be purchased in 2014. In considering the question of the next FOLA Follies, he committee felt that we should plan on this event for every other year and run it for two performances. This will mean that the next Follies will be tentatively scheduled for mid-February, 2016. Ralph indicated that he had discussions with our audio technician about replacing the four headsets with lapel units. With the committee’s approval, Kevin and Ralph will investigate the practicality of this change. The committee also approved contacting the town’s electrician about the cost of extending the house lighting controls to the balcony. The committee considered several questions concerning 2015 programming. It was decided that, if the Weston Playhouse was still interested, and could provide an instructor, FOLA would seek to repeat the classes for area public school students that was so successful this year. Ralph will contact the playhouse in this matter. Jim Alic indicated that he would contact Vermont Humanities to see if we may establish a collaborative series of programs or lectures that may be of interest to area residents. The meeting adjourned at 11:42 am. Respectfully submitted, Janet Pace Janet Pace, Secretary
Friends of Ludlow Auditorium
Minutes of FOLA Meeting, March 31, 2014 at Town Hall
The FOLA meeting started at 10:35 AM. In attendance David Almond, Bruce Farr, Mary Jane O’Hara, Janet Pace, Ralph Pace and Kevin Kuntz. David called the meeting to order and reported that the FOLA Follies follies were a great success . Attended by 91 people with gross revenues of $505. David stated that although he thought the Follies were an overall success there were 2 problems. First the singers microphones were intermittent and the Key board at times overwhelmed the singers voices. Discussion ensued and a decision was made to investigate new microphones prior to the Christmas program .
A
discussion about the preparation For a FOLA FOLLIES 2015 was postponed
until our next meeting. It will depend largely on Tesha’s Participation.
She will have a lot on her plate in the upcoming months with her new
baby. David reviewed the financials and noted that We anticipated additional revenues in the coming months of $ 1500 from the Town of Ludlow as well as an Okemo Challenge Grant and an expenditure of $600 for our movie license. FOLA’s tax return was filed today and accepted by the IRS.
Bruce discussed the upcoming Blues Fest , scheduled for 10/11/14 . He has already had several inquires from potential performers. He proposed the the performers be limited to a total of three groups (or individuals) . He will be working on there selection over the following months.
Ralph reminded us that the following were planned in the near future Opus 28 April30 Barbara and Sam Lloyd May 17 Jari
Piper May
31 It was decided that we would offer The Lloyd’s 75% of whatever the donations were at the door.
Mary Jane volunteered to conduct a survey in front of Shaws to determine if there should be any changes for our movie plans in the future. The questions she the sample will attempt to determine 1 Favorite day of the week to attend 2 Types of Movies 3 Ages of potential attendees ( demographics) 4 Other.
Ralph discussed our seating plans for the auditorium . We are still awaiting a proposal from Cassandra’s for the re upholstery of the existing chairs. Kevin and Ralph will continue to investigate new individual chairs.
Kevin moved that meeting be adjourned and David seconded and all approved . Meeting adjourned at 11:30.
Submitted, Kevin Kuntz, Acting Secretary
FRIENDS OF THE LUDLOW AUDITORIUM ANNUAL MEETING January 16, 2014
Present: Board of Directors: Ralph Pace, David Almond, Janet Pace, Anita Alic, and Jim Alic
The meeting was called to order at 10:31 AM by Chair Ralph Pace.
Respectfully submitted,
Janet Pace
Janet Pace, Secretary
January 16, 2014 (Annual Meeting Package)
Friends of Ludlow Auditorium (FOLA) Annual Meeting January 16, 2013 at 10:30 AM Ludlow Town Hall Conference Room
Agenda 1. Summary of Year a. Programs i. Programs ii. Community Forums iii. Community Christmas Celebration b. Movies i. Movie – 2013 Summary c. Other Activities
2. Financial Report a. 2013 Income and Expenses b. 2013 Grants c. 2014 Budget Proposal d. 2014 Budget Approval
3. Report on 2014 Program Plans a. Bruce Farr - Outline of Activities
4. Report on Fund Raising a. Membership b. Donations & Grants c. Fund Raising Project for 2014
5. Nominating Committee Report a. Chairman – Ralph Pace b. Vice-Chair – Anita Alic c. Treasurer – David Almond d. Secretary – Janet Pace e. Program Director – Bruce Farr
6. Selection of New Officers for 2013 & Election of Directors
7. Other Business a. FOLA Policy compliance b. Sponsorship of Weston Playhouse Classes c. Work with VT State Music-Comp Opus Concert d. Reach out to Cavendish/Mt Holly Organizations e. Upgrade House Lighting Controls to Balcony f. Recognition of non-FOLA projectionists g. Other
8. Adjournment
Friends of Ludlow Auditorium (FOLA) 1 Whispering Pines Ludlow, Vermont 05149
Officers:
Ralph Pace, Chair Anita Alic, Vice-Chair Bruce Farr, Program Dir. Janet Pace, Secretary David Almond, Treasurer James Alic, Dir. Susan McNeeley, Dir. Mary Jane O’Hara, Dir. Kevin Kuntz, Dir. Tesha Buss, Dir.
FOLA – Friends of Ludlow Auditorium
Summary of 2013
FOLA, during its fourth year of operation, brought a number of new venues to the Ludlow Auditorium in 2013.
Some of the activities sponsored by FOLA during this period included:
· The ‘regular movie series, showing films that included:
· FOLA 1st Follies of 2013 (a musical revue) · 1st Black River Folk & Blues Fest (4 area bands) · “Sky Blue Boys”, aka Banjo Dan, concert · “Hey, Boo: Harper Lee and to Kill a Mockingbird”, presentation on To Kill a Mockingbird · Health Care Exchange for Small Businesses, forum on VT health care exchange · The annual Community Christmas Celebration
As part of its community support goals, FOLA was involved in six collaborations with other town and area groups:
· FOLA co-sponsored a healthcare forum on VT’s healthcare exchange with the Okemo Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce · FOLA sponsored a lecture/discussion on the background to the creation of the book, “To Kill a Mockingbird”, with the Weston Playhouse · FOLA assisted BRACC in presenting the film “The Hungry Heart” · FOLA assisted the Winter Carnival group in the showing of its extreme skiing movies · FOLA presented the Movie, “Rear Window”, to support a Friends of the Library program · FOLA presented a Halloween comedy for area children
In keeping with FOLA’s purpose to enhance the auditorium and promote its use for the benefit of the residents of Ludlow and the area, FOLA purchased a new movie screen which was donated to the Town. The new screen, twice the size of the original screen, is electronically controlled so that, when not in use, it is stored, out-of-sight, above the proscenium arch of the auditorium’s stage. This provides a higher quality screen image, greater flexibility of use, and eliminates the need for Town personnel to move the screen off the stage when the stage is used for other purposes.
The funding sources for these expenditures in 2013 included:
1. A Town Meeting approved article for $2,000 2. FOLA Membership and out-right donations from a variety of individuals and organizations 3. Donations at FOLA sponsored events
While plans for 2014 are still being developed at this time, FOLA plans to present, in addition to its monthly movies, a new edition of the Black River Folk and Blues Fest, a second FOLA Follies musical revue, a candidates’ forum for the forthcoming state elections, the annual Community Christmas Celebration program, and several other musical events.
Long range plans will focus on the purchase of new seating for the auditorium that will afford greater comfort to the audience, replacing the current seating, much of which dates back to the 1923 opening of the Town Hall building.
Officers for 2013 included: Ralph Pace, Chairman; Anita Alic, Vice-Chair; David Almond, Treasurer; Janet Pace, Secretary; Bruce Farr, Programming Director; James Alic, Director; Kevin Kuntz, Director; Mary Jane O’Hara, Director; Tesha Buss, Director, and Susan McNeeley, Director.
More detailed information on FOLA may be found on its web site, www.fola.us.
Financials for FOLA 2013 follow:
FOLA (FRIENDS OF
LUDLOW AUDITORIUM, INC.)
REVENUES: VT Community Foundation Grant $ 2,250.00 Voters of Ludlow 2,000.00 Folk & Blues Fest (net of $2,350.00 in expenses) 698.00 FOLA Follies (net of $393.70 in expenses) 207.30 Banjo Dan Concert (net of $478.00 in expenses) 40.00 Community Christmas Celebration 342.65 Movie Donations (net of $250.00 in expenses) 1,491.15 Movie Sponsorships 200.00 Memberships: Individual 250.00 Family 900.00 Business 400.00 Other Donations 5,356.00 Miscellaneous 261.82 Total Revenue $ 14,396.92 EXPENDITURES: Asset Transfers to Town of Ludlow: Movie Screen $ 7,125.16 Black Out Curtains 990.02 Laptop Computer 333.45 $ 8,448.63 MPLC License 550.00 Annual Website Fee 195.00 Annual Dues 300.00 DVDs (includes $194.87 re 2014) 448.45 Piano Tune 150.00 Copying Service, Town of Ludlow 30.00 Charitable Donations 100.00 Paper and Ink 171.12 Fund Raising Supplies and Postage 941.26 Miscellaneous 386.11 Total Expenditures $ 11,720.57
EXCESS OF REVENUES OVER EXPENDITURES $ 2,676.35
INCREASE IN NET ASSETS: Cash Balance at November 30, 2013 $ 4,222.00 Cash Balance at December 31, 2012 < 1,545.65 > $ 2,676.35
NOTES: FOLA is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. Of the cash balance at December 31, 2013, $1,500.00 is restricted ($1,000.00 grant for a 2014 project and $500.00 minimum bank deposit).
Financial Statement from FOLA’s Inception:
FRIENDS OF LUDLOW
AUDITORIUM, INC.
REVENUES:
Donations: Ludlow Voters $ 6,500.00 VT Community Foundation Grant 2,250.00 Ludlow 250th 475.00 Movies and Sponsorships, net 3,747.64 Productions, net 3,429.48 Individuals & Others 16,778.81 Memberships 8,193.36 Miscellaneous 261.82
Total Revenue $ 41,636.11
EXPENDITURES:
Asset Transfers to Town of Ludlow $ 27,339.75 Piano 990.00 DVDs 1,215.86 MPLC License 550.00 Miscellaneous 3,835.17 Fund Raising 3,483.33
Total Expenditures $ 37,414.11
CASH BALANCE, DECEMBER 31, 2013 $ 4,222.00
Budget Proposal for 2014
Friends of Ludlow Auditorium
Minutes of FOLA Meeting, July 29, 2013 at Town Hall
The meeting was called to order by Ralph Pace at 10:31 am. Present were David Almond, Susan McNeely, Janet Pace, Mary Jane O’Hara, Bruce Farr, Jim Alic, Anita Alic, Kevin Kuntz and Ralph Pace.
David reported on the financial status of FOLA, indicating that we had a cash balance of $5,257.29 as of July 25. He noted that an additional $2,000 was expected to be in July or August from a voter-approved appropriation at the March Town Meeting. For details please refer to the Financial Statement distributed with the meeting’s agenda.
Jim and Kevin updated the board regarding the status of the electronic screen for the auditorium. David had sent a deposit check to North American Theatrix in mid-July. The screen is expected to be installed in early Fall.
The board was updated on the purchase of a movie license through Motion Picture Licensing Corporation that, per the license agreement, will permit FOLA to display any movie that may be purchased for home use.
Ralph reviewed the coming events. He indicated the movies to be shown for the remainder of the year. He detailed the collaboration with the Weston Playhouse and The Book Nook which will result in the use of the auditorium by Mary McDonagh Murphy to discuss how “To Kill a Mockingbird” came to be written by Harper Lee. He outlined the plans for the August Silent Movie Festival which will feature a full-length and short Buster Keaton films. Glenn Brown will play the piano for the short while Jeff Rapsis will return to provide the musical background for the feature film.
The board agreed that we should revert back to scheduling just one movie a month with the exception of the silent movie festival and the Halloween comedies for the kids, if both of these events prove to be successful.
Ralph noted that FOLA will collaborate with the Okemo Valley Chamber of Commerce to present a healthcare exchange forum for small businesses on September 10.
Bruce described the plans for the October 12 Black River Folk and Blues Festival. The four festival bands will cost FOLA $2,000 plus an estimated $300 for sound management. Sam’s Restaurant has given FOLA a check for $250 towards underwriting the event. Bruce indicated that he would contact other area businesses to solicit additional underwriting. The board voted to set the ticket price for the event at $15.
Ralph presented a proposal to the board for the second FOLA Follies for 2014 that would involve doing a radio version of The Music Man. The board decided that it preferred the format followed in the 2013 Follies.
The date for the Annual Meeting in 2014 was set as January 16, 2014 at 10:30 am.
In Other Business, the question of having a sandwich board outside town hall was raised so that people, unfamiliar with its location, would be able to find it.
The meeting adjourned at 11:47 am.
Friends of Ludlow Auditorium Minutes of FOLA Meeting, April 15, 2013 at Town Hall The meeting was called to order by Ralph Pace at 10:31 am. Present were David Almond, Susan McNeely, Janet Pace, Mary Jane O’Hara, Bruce Farr, Tesha Buss and Ralph Pace. Ralph summarized the results of the fund raising efforts to-date. He indicated that $4,345 had been raised at a cost of $918.11 for materials and postage. There were 1705 mailings to both Ludlow and non-Ludlow property owners with property assessed at $300,000 or more. Of this number, 53 responses had been received, representing a 3.1% rate of return. He added that LaValley’s had also contributed in-kind with a 12 ft step ladder for use in the stage area of the auditorium; the retail value of the ladder was $280. Ralph noted that Town Meeting had approved an allocation of $2,000 to FOLA, an amount receivable by late July. Two grant requests to the Okemo Challenge Grant ($2,500) and the Ben & Jerry Employee Grant Fund ($1,000) had been submitted. It was noted that FOLA had a maximum $2,400 commitment for two events; David added that this amount would be considerably lessened based on ticket and gate receipts for the two ticketed events. David reported that FOLA had a cash balance of $6,970.95 with $5,425.30 of that coming from January 1 through April 15, 2013 activity. He added that he had submitted the annual tax filing to the IRS and that it had been approved by same. The meeting gave a round of applause to Tesha Buss in reviewing the success of the FOLA Follies of 2013. Everyone commented on the professionalism of the performances and the very positive approval generated by the audience of more than 125. Tesha was congratulated for the excellent direction and execution of the follies. It was also suggested that Cindy Wooten, who provided the musical support for the program, be given two free tickets to the two ticketed events scheduled for 2013 for herself and her husband, Mike. It was also agreed that both Cindy and Mike would be made honorary members of FOLA. Ralph explained that the DVD of the follies was still being made by LPCTV; the delay was the result of LPCTV’s move into its new facilities at the Ludlow Community Center. The Board agreed that the completed DVD of the follies should be uploaded to YouTube. The Board approved the expenditure of $50 for gels purchased from the Weston Playhouse that were so successfully used in the follies by Robin. Ralph reviewed the status of films to-date noting that the average attendance per film was 20. He indicated that the new projector was working well and that it was hoped that the new screen would be installed by the fall of the year. Related to coming events, the board decided that the silent movie festival scheduled for August should consist of a full length Buster Keaton comedy plus one Keaton short. Jeff Rapsis has agreed to play the music for the full length comedy while Glen Brown had said he’d like to play for the short film. Bruce Farr reported that a major conflict existed between the planned September 28 date for the Black River Folk & Blues Festival with the planned gala of the Black River Academy Museum. Bruce was asked to see if he could arrange alternate dates for the four bands comprising the Folk & Blues Festival. Ralph indicated that several events had been scheduled in conjunction with other area groups. He said FOLA would work with the Weston Playhouse to present a discussion on August 8 of author Harper Lee as a prelude to the Weston presentation of a stage version of “To Kill a Mockingbird”. On Sept 21, FOLA will present “Rear Window” in association with the Friends of the Library as part of their discussion of film director Alfred Hitchcock’s works. On Sept 10, in conjunction with the Okemo Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce, FOLA will sponsor a panel discussion on the proposed healthcare exchange for small businesses, conducted by Health Connect. Susan McNeely asked if it would be possible for FOLA to arrange to show old-time comedy movies, such as the Three Stooges, for young school children. Ralph said he would contact school officials to see if such an event could be arranged. As for possible new events, Mary Jane discussed the possible use of a gospel music group led by Pam Timmerman. Bruce said he would discuss this with Pam for a possible 2014 date. The board approved having Ken Cook, electrician used by Town Hall, investigate the possible expansion of the lighting control for the house (orchestra) lighting to the balcony as part of FOLA’s efforts to consolidate all lighting and audio controls in one location. The meeting adjourned at 11:32 am.
FRIENDS OF THE LUDLOW AUDITORIUM ANNUAL MEETING January 24, 2013
Present: Board of Directors: Ralph Pace, David Almond, Janet Pace, Bruce Farr, Anita Alic, Jim Alic, Kevin Kuntz, and Mary Jane O’Hara
The meeting was called to order at 1:30 PM by Chair Ralph Pace.
” I read all of our FOLA policies today. Each director is required to sign a statement annually which affirms such person has received a copy of FOLA's conflicts of interest policy, has read and understands the policy, has agreed to comply with the policy, and understands that FOLA is a charitable organization and, in order to maintain its federal tax exemption, it must engage primarily in activities which accomplish one or more of its tax-exempt purposes.
I have conducted the procedures described in the Periodic Review required by Section 7 of FOLA's conflict of interest policy and found that FOLA is operating in a manner consistent with charitable purposes and does not engage in activities that could jeopardize its tax-exempt status. I have no cause to believe a member has failed to disclose an actual or possible conflict of interest. Also, I have not received any information from any director this past year pursuant to the FOLA Whistleblower Policy and, in my capacity as the Compliance Officer under such policy, I have not received any information from any source that would indicate any violations, as described in the policy, have occurred or require further investigation. The minutes of the FOLA Board of Directors should indicate that these annually required procedures were accomplished. “
January 24, 2013 (Annual Meeting Package) Friends of Ludlow Auditorium (FOLA) Annual Meeting January 24, 2013 at 1:30 PM Ludlow Town Hall Conference Room
Agenda 1. Summary of Year a. Programs i. Programs ii. Political Debates iii. Community Christmas Celebration b. Movies i. Movie – 2012 Summary c. Other Activities
2. Financial Report a. 2012 Income and Expenses b. 2012 Grants c. 2013 Budget Proposal d. 2013 Budget Approval
3. Report on 2013 Program Plans a. Bruce Farr - Outline of Activities
4. Report on Fund Raising a. Membership b. Donations & Grants c. Future Plans
5. Nominating Committee Report a. Chairman – Ralph Pace b. Vice-Chair – Anita Alic c. Treasurer – David Almond d. Secretary – Janet Pace e. Program Director – Bruce Farr
6. Selection of New Officers for 2013 & Election of Directors
7. Other Business a. FOLA Policy compliance b. Other
8. Adjournment
1 Whispering Pines Ludlow, Vermont 05149
Officers:
Ralph Pace, Chair Anita Alic, Vice-Chair Bruce Farr, Program Dir. Janet Pace, Secretary David Almond, Treasurer Jean Eggleston, Dir. James Alic, Dir. Susan McNeeley, Dir. Mary Jane O’Hara, Dir. Kevin Kuntz, Dir. Tesha Buss, Dir. FOLA – Friends of Ludlow Auditorium
Summary of 2012
FOLA, during its third year of operation, brought a number of new venues to the Ludlow Auditorium in 2012.
Some of the activities sponsored by FOLA during this period included:
· The ‘1st Thursday’ movie series, showing 12 movies that included:
· Skip Gorman and Connie Dover in a country-western concert · Start of a four film series in conjunction with Okemo · Sponsored Windsor County Candidates forum on Vermont’s · Two silent movie festival shows featuring background music · Springfield Community Chorus presented opera and Broadway music · “Sweet Music”, a quartet singing pop music · Original comedy skits by Stan and Jane Hart, “Look at It This Way” · The annual Community Christmas Celebration · Creation of a FOLA web site, www.fola.us
As part of its community support goals, FOLA was involved in three collaborations with other town and area groups:
· FOLA supported the Opus 24 project of VT MIDI where students have their original music played by members of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra for an audience drawn from all over Vermont · FOLA assisted the Winter Carnival group in the showing of its extreme skiing movies · FOLA worked with LPCTV in showing the “Irene’s Wake” in the auditorium
In 2013, FOLA has worked with the merchants of Ludlow during the 2013 Winter Carnival by presenting a film as part of the carnival based on the carnival’s theme. FOLA has also agreed to handle the showing of a film related to the disappearance of honey bees and its impact on agriculture.
In keeping with FOLA’s purpose to enhance the auditorium and promote its use for the benefit of the residents of Ludlow and the area, FOLA purchased a new projection system, at a cost of about $6,700. The new system is ten times more powerful than the initial projector and includes a lens capable of an 80 ft “throw distance” for projection from the auditorium balcony. It has greatly improved the motion picture quality. FOLA also purchased two new auditorium-sized speakers to enhance the audio segment of programs in the auditorium. All of the purchased items were given to the Town of Ludlow.
The funding sources for these expenditures in 2012 included:
1. A Town Meeting approved article for $1,500 2. FOLA Membership and out-right donations from a variety of individuals and organizations 3. Donations at FOLA sponsored events
While plans for 2013 are very tentative at this time, they will include a May 4 concert by the Springfield Choral group, an end of May banjo concert by the Sky Blue Boys (aka Banjo Dan), a special four movies series called ‘Okemo Meets FOLA’, a silent movie festival, the annual Christmas production, a special ‘kids’ Halloween movie in late October, and the 12 monthly movies. FOLA also hopes to present a special musical treat, FOLA Follies of 2013, featuring area performers.
Long range plans will focus on the purchase of a motorized screen so that the town does not have to devote resources to disassembling the existing screen when the stage is used for performances.
Officers for 2012 included: Ralph Pace, Chairman; Anita Alic, Vice-Chair; David Almond, Treasurer; Janet Pace, Secretary; Bruce Farr, Programming Director; Jean Eggleston, Director; James Alic, Director; Kevin Kuntz, Director; Mary Jane O’Hara, Director; Tesha Buss, Director, and Susan McNeeley, Director.
More detailed information on FOLA may be found on its web site, www.fola.us.
Financials for FOLA 2012 follow:
FRIENDS OF
LUDLOW AUDITORIUM, INC.
REVENUES: Donations: Ludlow Voters $ 1,500.00 Ludlow 250th 475.00 Silent Movies, less costs of $100.00 565.89 Other Movies 728.75 Sweet Music, less costs of $36.00 54.00 Gorman/Dover, less costs of $1,055.47 .53 Harts, less costs of $150.00 153.00 Community Christmas Celebration 258.00 Individuals, less costs of $5.19 2,794.81 Memberships, less costs of $6.64 383.36 Total Revenue $ 6,913.34
EXPENDITURES: Asset Transfers to Town of Ludlow: Movie Projector $ 5,757.42 Speakers 430.00 $ 6,187.42 Piano Tuning and Repair $ 550.00 Website and APP 395.00 DVDs 250.44 FOLA Annual Award 167.33 Advertising 106.00 Miscellaneous 79.83 LPCTV Membership 50.00 Fund Raising: 501(c)(3) Filing Fee $ 400.00 Printing 617.00 Postage 228.09 1,245.09 Total Expenditures $ 9,031.11
EXCESS OF EXPENDITURES OVER REVENUES $ 2,117.77
DECREASE IN NET ASSETS: Cash Balance at December 31, 2011 $ 3,663.42 Cash Balance at December 31, 2012 1,545.65 $ 2,117.77
Note: A $2,250 grant awarded in 2012 will be received in 2013. ______________________________________________________________________
Minutes of FOLA Meeting, October 15, 2012 at Town Hall The meeting was called to order by Ralph Pace at 10:31 am. Present were David Almond, Susan McNeely, Janet Pace, Bruce Farr, Kevin Kuntz, Jim Alic, Anita Alic, Janet Pace, and Ralph Pace. The results of the Gorman-Dover concert and the silent movie, Wings, were discussed. The loss of just under $200 for the Gorman-Dover concert was made up by checks from Harry Welch and the Alics. It was agreed that it was a splendid concert. The silent movie netted over $300 in donations; $100 was given to Jeff Rapsis, the musician who played through the entire three hour performance. It was agreed that we should plan on a silent movie festival next season; the agreed upon date was Saturday, August 17, 2013 at 7 PM. David and Ralph discussed the financial situation with emphasis on local fund raising. Ralph agreed with Anita’s observation that the mailer to all of Ludlow had not been as successful as planned and that future fund-raisers should rely more on snail mail with return envelops. David indicated that we had about $4,250 in immediately available cash. Jim and Kevin discussed the status of a new projector. They noted that Gary Peck had found a Panasonic project that had the throw distance we needed plus was ten more powerful than the current projector in terms of lumens. The lens for the projector was priced at about $1,800. Jim and Anita Alic offered to underwrite the difference in our available cash and the total cost of the projector and lens, valued at about $5,700. Ralph noted that he had also applied for a grant of $2,250; status of the grant application would not be known until the end of November. On a motion by David, seconded by Janet, it was agreed to go ahead and order the projector/lens through Gary. Arrangements for the coming events in 2012 were discussed. In addition to the 1st Thursday movies, these included the Windsor County Candidates Forum, the Hart’s 9 comedy skits, and the annual Community Christmas Celebration. The use of a sandwich board or a sign hanging on the entrance to town hall to advertise FOLA events was discussed. It was felt that this was a reasonable way to help people find town hall, especially out-of-towners not familiar with its location. The use of name tags was raised so that people attending our events would know who ask questions of was discussed. Anita agreed to look into this. Ralph indicated that FOLA will join with Okemo in presenting four movies. The movies are Company, Extreme Skiing, My Week with Marilyn, and The Artist. Plans for 2013 events and movies were discussed. It was agreed to change the movie date from the first Thursday of the month to the first Saturday (unless another event prohibited this) on a trial basis. In addition to the Okemo movies, the movies through May would include: War Horse, Hugo, and The Iron Lady. Ralph indicated that the Springfield Chorus may be interested in performing in May. He had also received a request for the Blue Sky Boys (aka Banjo Dan) for a concert appearance. Ralph also suggested putting together a musical revue using area talent with the help of Tesha Buss. He also noted that the Winter Carnival committee had requested FOLA to show extreme skiing films on February 8 & 9. This would only involve running projector and setting up the audio. It was suggested that FOLA consider doing something in the fall around the same time the antique show was scheduled. In the same vein, Ralph suggested showing a kids film around Halloween, such as Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. It was agreed to set October 26 at 2 PM as the time for such a movie for the kids. It was agreed that a community award be given at the Christmas production using the same e format as that given to the Harts last year. The date of the annual meeting was set for Thursday, January 24 at 3:30 PM. Kevin and Susan will serve as the nominating committee. Jim discussed the question of access to Town Hall facilities. He explained that the Democratic and Republican town parties had each decided to meet elsewhere due to the fee being charged them for usage at town hall. Ralph noted that he had discussed this with Frank Heald; Frank had indicated that FOLA, due to the basic free entertainment and public meetings, was treated as exempt from such charges. FOLA does, per past agreement, donate $50 to the town for all ticketed events. The meeting adjourned at 12:05 PM.
Minutes of FOLA Meeting, August 3, 2012 at Town Hall The meeting was called to order by Ralph Pace at 10:31 am. Present were David Almond, Susan McNeely, Janet Pace, Bruce Farr, Kevin Kuntz, Jim Alic, Anita Alic, Janet Pace, Tesha Buss and Ralph Pace. Tesha Buss was introduced by David Almond to the committee. Tesha had indicated an interest in learning more about FOLA and possibly joining the Board. The meeting opened with a discussion of plans for the August 18 silent movie festival. Ralph explained that Judy Edwards and Glenn Brown would provide piano music for the two Buster Keaton clips while the Perils of Pauline episodes had their own musical background. Jim and Anita Alic agreed to help Ralph select the Perils episodes to be shown. Bruce Farr agreed to act as emcee for the entire show. David Almond updated the board on the status of PayPal. He indicated that PayPal was now totally functional and that he had already paid for his family membership in FOLA via PayPal. Ralph noted that there was a verification problem that still needed to be resolved (NOTE: following meeting, verification problem was resolved). Ralph said that he would update web site to permit donations, membership fees, and event ticketing; the first event will be Skip Gorman/Connie Dover concert on September 29. The Board decided that it would donate $50 to the town for each ticketed and “out-of-towner” event. With respect to fund-raising, Ralph passed around a draft “postcard” that could be sent to all Ludlow mailing addresses to advertise FOLA’s need for donations using the PayPal on-line methodology. The Board decided that the mailer approach was agreeable but that the event photos needed to be captioned. Membership renewal and subscription was discussed. The Board decided that all requests for membership, new and renewal, should occur on October 1 of each year to lessen the administrative burden to managing renewal requests. David indicated that FOLA’s financial status was good, citing a balance in the $5,000 range after receiving the $1,500 voted to FOLA at the March 2012 Town Meeting. Jim and Kevin reported that they had met with Jerry about his potential donation of speakers. Bruce handed out a memo from Jerry indicating that he thought the existing speakers satisfied the needs of the auditorium and that his speakers were probably too big in size and wattage requirements for the venue. Jerry did offer several alternatives using rock and raw speakers that would require construction of speaker boxes by FOLA. Jim said he would contact Gary about the continued use of his speakers and possible replacements. Ralph noted that TW3 had already arranged a confirmed show with TJ Donovan, Democratic Attorney General candidate. He added that the October 18 Windsor County Senate and RW-2 debate was still developing. He noted that he had contacted the Rutland Herald to cosponsor a Ludlow debate consisting of Senator Sanders, Congressman Welch, and their opponents on October 4. This was still an open question. If it did occur, the normally-scheduled 1st Thursday movie planned for that date would be cancelled. The Board decided that the ticket price for the September 29 Gorman/Dover concert would be $12 per person, with kids 12 and under free. Ralph said he would contact them about whether they wanted to use the orchestra space between the stage and seating for their performance or use the stage if we arrange for tables in that orchestra space. He will also ask Gorman to handle the audio part of the performance as he did in the first concert last year. A discussion of movies for 2013 followed. While no definite decisions were made, it was agreed that a sub-committee consisting of Kevin, Jim, Anita, and Ralph would put together a proposal for FOLA’s action. Among the items discussed about movies were the need for newer films, changing movie days to Saturday (especially during ski season), and continuing our relationship with Okemo. Ralph was asked to prepare a set list of locations for each board member for distribution of event and movie posters. The status of the proposed award was briefly discussed. Details were unavailable due to Mary Jane O’Hara’s absence. Anita indicated that she thought our award format should be consistent with the first award format given to the Harts. Ralph noted that he had met with Paul Terrasi of Boston SoundWorks to discuss problems with the use of headset microphones. He noted that Paul said the headsets we currently have are state-of-the-art and, if attached properly, should pose no problems. Ralph will prepare a brief outline describing how they are to be attached (with photos). The meeting adjourned at 11:55 am.
Minutes of FOLA Meeting, May 21, 2012 at Town Hall The meeting was called to order by Ralph Pace at 10:31 am. Present were David Almond, Susan McNeely, Janet Pace, Mary Jane O’Hara, Kevin Kuntz, Jim Alic, Anita Alic and Ralph Pace. The meeting opened with a detailed discussion of preparations for the June 1 gig of ‘Sweet Music’. Seven card tables will be used to setup the “cabaret-style” front portion of the auditorium with table cloths, lights, and flowers. It was agreed that FOLA will sell small containers of water for a $1 each; the Alics had purchased 48 bottles of water for this purpose. Janet and Anita planned to gather at the auditorium at 10:30 am on June 1 to set up the tables and chairs. The ‘Sweet Music’ group plans to arrive around 4 or 5 PM and us the main conference room to practice in before the concert. Doors will open at 6 PM and FOLA personnel will be in position by 6:30 to guide ticketed guests to either the tables in the front of the auditorium or the stadium seating. Water will be sold at a $1 per bottle in the auditorium entrance where tickets/admission price will be collected. FOLA will conduct a cleanup immediately following the concert. 10% of the ticket gate, up to a $50 cap, will be given to the town. The remaining gate will be given to ‘Sweet Music’. Revenue from water sales will be retained by FOLA and not considered in calculating the gross gate. Ralph asked the committee members to print as many programs as possible. Ralph reminded the committee that there would be a very short time span between the June 1 concert and the ‘1st Thursday’ movie scheduled for June 7. Future movie plans for 2013 were discussed. A sub-committee consisting of Jim Alic, Kevin Kuntz, David Almond, and Ralph Pace was created to formulate all plans for movies in 2013. It was agreed that it was not necessary to plan for the entire year. A critique of the FOLA-sponsored Opus 24 program followed. All who attended the student-created musical indicated their pleasure in hearing the student-composed music played by professional musicians, some members of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra. It was of particular interest that the event drew audience members who had no direct relationship with the students involved. The staff involved in Opus 24 noted their pleasure in the work done by FOLA and their interest in returning to the venue in the near future. The acquisition of new speakers for the auditorium was discussed. It was agreed that Kevin and Jim would be responsible for making a decision as to the purchase of new speakers or the acceptance of custom-made speakers by a local donor. A cap of $1,000 was place on the amount they may spend for new speakers to replace those currently on loan. The August 18 silent movie program was considered. It was agreed that FOLA would not offer any compensation to anyone for playing background music for the silent movie segments. The segments would be reduced from two Buster Keaton clips to one if FOLA was unable to find a second party willing to play background music. Glenn Brown had indicated a willingness to play for one of the Keaton pieces. David suggested a pianist who periodically plays at United Church; he said he would contact her to see if she was interested in doing this. The third piece in this silent movie feature, the Perils of Pauline, has a musical sound-track. Ralph was instructed to send a blu-ray containing one of the selected Keaton clips to Glenn Brown for his preparation for the August 18 gig. A brief review of the FOLA web site revealed that the committee was satisfied with it thus far. Anita suggested that the web address of the site be placed future movie and event posters. Ralph gave Mary Jane copies of the documentation of the award given to the Harts in 2011 so that she could research the availability of locally-created awards for the pending 2012 award to be given at the Christmas performance. He noted that a three month lead-time was desirable in the award selection. David reviewed the financial status of FOLA, noting that we had about $3,000 available. Ralph added that, by the end of July, we should be receiving $1,500 awarded to FOLA at town meeting. He added that planned membership and limited donation solicitations drive would begin in June. Under ‘Other Business’, the question was raised as to whether FOLA wished to conduct candidate forums prior to the general election in November. A tentative date in October had been set aside for a forum of Windsor County Senate candidates plus the newly-created Rutland-Windsor 2 House seat. It was agreed to continue with this effort. It was also agreed that, if Ralph could arrange it, that a gubernatorial debate be conducted in September or very early November. The meeting adjourned at 11:42 am.
Minutes of FOLA Meeting, March 5, 2012 at Town Hall The meeting was called to order by Ralph Pace at 10:31 am. Present were David Almond, Susan McNeely, Janet Pace, Mary Jane O’Hara, Kevin Kuntz, and Ralph Pace. Ralph opened the meeting with a status update on the new web site, www.fola.us. He noted that the basic site had been assembled but that access to it via search engines such as Google would be delayed until the engines had updated that respective databases with appropriate hyperlink data associated with the site. The Springfield Community Chorus event, scheduled for March 31 at 6:30 PM, was reviewed. Ralph said that the program would be a mix of operatic and Broadway numbers. With the help of the Alics, Skip Gorman and Connie Dover agreed to a second appearance at the auditorium. They suggested two possible dates: Sept. 22 and 29. By unanimous vote, it was agreed that Sept. 29 would be the desired date for the engagement. Ralph noted that the contractual side of the engagement had yet to be determined but that the Alic’s had identified an anonymous donor willing to cover $300 of any potential loss. The Alics had indicated previously a willingness to cover a portion of any loss that exceeded $300. The 2011 contract with Gorman-Dover was a $1,000 guarantee. A discussion of other possible musical engagements followed. Susan indicated that, based on her prior experience, she would be willing to contact bands in the region that might be interested in performing at the auditorium. A general review of movies that had been selected for the ‘1st Thursday’ monthly movie program ensued. It was felt by the group that the movies selected were good movies for the Ludlow area. However, there was further discussion about developing movies that either represented a niche, such as foreign films, or a lighter tone, such as musicals. The group then discussed the proposed special movie evening that would be dedicated to classic silent films. Ralph explained that the Alics has discussed this with Glenn Brown (an honorary member of FOLA who donated the piano to the auditorium). In considering this approach, Ralph had recommended that two 20 minute shorts by Buster Keaton plus several of the old “Perils of Pauline” series would be appropriate. The next step will be to get two or three qualified pianists to play background music to these clips. Ralph estimated that it would cost $40 to purchase the films. A tentative time period for this movie event was sometime in August. Two new events were added to the 2012 calendar with the board’s approval: Oct 18 was set aside as the date for a Windsor County candidates’ forum and Dec. 14 will be the date for the annual Community Christmas Celebration. With respect to the latter, Ralph advised the board that the Harts, who normally present a comedy skit, would be unable to be at the Dec. 14 event because of prior commitments. However, they had asked if they could video tape a skit for the event. The board approved doing this so long as LPC-TV was in agreement. Ralph recommended that a FOLA special award be presented to Connie Wilcox for her work both for FOLA and in the community in general. Mary Jane agreed to investigate the use of local artisans to prepare the award so long as the cost did not exceed $225. Kevin and Ralph updated the status of the audio system, noting that Gary Peck had loaned FOLA two speakers that were capable of operating in the auditorium venue. The board approved the expense of up to $1,000 for new speakers recommended by Peck to replace the loaners. Kevin and Ralph discussed the additional research performed by Peck on an appropriate projection system for the size of the auditorium. Peck recommended a Panasonic PTDZ6700UL Projector 6000 Lumen WUXGA 1DLP Projector (No Lens) 16:10 Approx: $10,000; Lens: Panasonic ETDLE350 Power Zoom Lens Approx: $2000.00. He also reviewed electronic, suspended movie screen and estimated a Da-Light Electrol HD motorized screen at $4000.00. The main reason for the projector was that it was 10 times the lamp power of our currently installed Sharp projector. Ralph estimated that the entire package, with add ons and unplanned for expenses represented an expense of $18,000. David reminded the group that FOLA’s present cash balance was about $3,000. In discussing the fund raising necessary to underwrite such acquisitions, it was agreed that a major fund raising effort will take place in 2013. Depending on the results of this effort, the purchase of a screen may be deferred. As for operating revenue for 2012, it was agreed that income would be derived from membership renewals, donations, the pending $1,500 award from Town Meeting, and, if possible, from grants. David explained the status of the 501(c)(3) application, noting we had received notification from the IRS that they had received the application and that it had been given to someone in the IRS for review. The IRS said it would take several months for it to be processed. David also reviewed the fiscal status of FOLA indicating that we had about $3,000 of expendable cash. The question of using PayPal was discussed. David indicated that his research, based on FOLA being granted its requested tax exemption status, showed that PayPal would take 2.5% of the monies paid through PayPal. The question arose as to whether that percentage included or did not include credit card fees. David said he would research that question. On a motion by Kevin, David was authorized to setup a PayPal account, linked to our existing bank account, once we had achieved 501(c)(3) status. The meeting adjourned at 12:13 pm.
FRIENDS OF THE LUDLOW AUDITORIUM ANNUAL MEETING January 26, 2012
Present: Board of Directors: Ralph Pace, David Almond, Jean Eggleston, Janet Pace, Bruce Farr, Anita Alic, Jim Alic, Kevin Kuntz, and Mary Jane O’Hara; Guest: Peter Crowley The meeting was called to order at 7 PM by Chair Ralph Pace.
1. Chair Ralph Pace reviewed the FOLA activities for 2011 (see the summary attached to the agenda package).
2. David Almond reviewed the financial status of FOLA through 2011. Kevin Kuntz asked why the piano had to be tuned twice that year. Ralph explained that he was basing the tunings on two factors: a, the need to ensure that the piano is tuned before major FOLA-sponsored events citing two events in 2011 plus the advice from Connie Wilcox on the need to tune the piano to adjust for seasonal changes.
3. During the consideration of the proposed 2012 FOLA budget, Ralph raised the question of modifying the budget to mark $3,000 for the purchase of chairs for the auditorium. Anita indicated her concern on the need for other priorities to be dealt with prior to chair replacement, noting prior discussions about projector replacement, improved audio quality, and a new screen. Jim noted that in prioritizing we should also consider the need to blackout the backstage windows in the auditorium. A motion by Kevin was passed that established the priorities as sound, projector, and screen. It was agreed that, for the time being, we would use tarps to cover backstage windows. David explained the need to keep the average of the first four year budgets under $10,000 to avoid an additional $500 processing fee from the IRS. As David explained, such an increase in revenue would be contrary to our intentions as described to the IRS. On a motion by Anita, the 2012 budget as presented was approved.
4. David discussed the status of the 501(c)(3) application for tax exemption donations to FOLA. He noted that the application had been submitted to the IRS in mid-January. He estimated that FOLA should receive a response from the IRS within two months.
5. Bruce outlined planned event activities for 2012. He noted that only the March 31 concert by the Springfield Choral Group was definite but that a number of possible events were being considered. These included several new musical concerts as well as possible return concerts by Skip Gorman and Connie Dover as well as comedy skits by Stan and Jane Hart. In addition, FOLA has a full schedule for the year for its “1st Thursday’ movies along with four movies included in the ‘Okemo Meets FOLA’ series.
6. Ralph indicated that, based on the approved 2012 budget, fund raising activities for 2012 would be restricted to membership renewal and donation solicitation from prior donors. He said that the 2013 budget would include a major fund raising effort in anticipation of costs associated with approved equipment upgrading.
7. New officers for 2012 were elected based on the previously agreed nominating poll of directors. They included: Ralph Pace, Chair; Anita Alic, Vice-Chair; David Almond, Treasurer; Janet Pace, Secretary; and Bruce Farr, Program Director.
8. In keeping with the Articles of Incorporation, the current Board of Directors was reelected to another one year term. These included the five newly elected officers plus Jean Eggleston, Jim Alic, Susan McNeely, Kevin Kuntz, and Mary Jane O’Hara.
9. Under Other Business, the following items were acted upon:
The meeting adjourned at 7:55 pm.
Minutes of FOLA Meeting, November 15, 2011 at Town Hall
The meeting was called to order by Ralph Pace at 10:31 am. Present were David Almond, Jean Eggleston, Susan McNeeley, Mary Jane O’Hara, Anita Alic, Jim Alic, Janet Pace, and Ralph Pace.
Ralph opened the meeting with a review of the audio upgrade. He noted that all the upgrade work had been completed and made operational with the exception of the out-of-phase electrical work to be done by Cook Electrical. He noted that Cook was tied up with renovation work related to Tropical Storm Irene. David said that the cost to date was just under $3,000. The committee agreed that the items purchased, which include 4 wireless headsets and transmitters, 2 wireless microphones, a large mixer to control the small and large speaker systems, the wireless equipment, and the snake used to interface with wired equipment and third party equipment, should be formally turned-over to the Town of Ludlow. Ralph was instructed to ask the Town to store the four wireless headsets and two microphones in the balcony.
The results of the recent 9 skit comedy performance by Stan and Jane Hart, with other area performers, were discussed. Ralph indicated that the attendance for the show was 175. David said that the donations for the evening totaled $701.
Ralph advised the committee that the People’s United Bank planned to award FOLA $1,000 at its cocktail reception on November 17. The affair was a celebration of the bank’s reopening following the impact of Irene. Because of the award, Ralph asked if the committee still wished to pursue the Town Meeting request for $1,500 for FOLA. David moved that FOLA not request this amount of money from the town; the motion was seconded by Susan.
During the discussion on the motion, David said he felt that FOLA should stand on its own and not request the money from the town. Anita indicated that FOLA still should request the amount. Ralph cited the need for curtains certain sections of the auditorium along with the need to upgrade the projector for clearer pictures.
The vote on the motion was 2 in favor and 6 opposed.
Plans were discussed for the December 16 Community Christmas Celebration. A small group headed by David and Janet will organize putting up the Christmas tree on the stage a week before the event. Ralph noted that he was working with Connie Wilcox and Cara White for school and musical numbers. He also said that Bruce Farr was planning on doing a reading of “The Night before Christmas”; the Harts intended to put on another skit as well. Ralph urge all the embers to be present for the event citing the technical for three or four people to handle balcony lighting, house lighting, and volume control.
The 2012 and Okemo Meets FOLA movie schedule was reviewed. Susan suggested that we have a brief introductory presentation before each movie describing any unusual or interesting facets about the film. Jim Alic agreed to make such comments beginning with the first Okemo Meets FOLA film, Young Frankenstein.
The request from the Winter Carnival to show films during the carnival, scheduled for February 9 -12, 2012 was considered. It was agreed that FOLA could not show films for each night of the carnival. The members did feel FOLA should offer to show one film during the carnival as part of its efforts to support community projects and events. David agreed to contact Liz Crowley, head of the carnival, to determine the best time for a movie and a movie selection. The only other event scheduled for 2012 now is the March 31 appearance of the Springfield Choral.
Preparation for the FOLA annual meeting, scheduled for January 26, was discussed. The board felt that the current officers should be renominated. Ralph would develop an agenda for board approval.
David reviewed the financial status of FOLA. He noted that he had prepared an income/expense document in the format required by the IRS. He said that, with the receipt of the bank’s $1,000, FOLA balance sheet would be in the positive zone. Due to delays on the part of Ralph in producing needed documentation for 501c3, he had not yet filed the application for that status. David said he had received correspondence from the IRS indicating we should be filing for that exempt status. He said he would send a letter to the IRS indicating we were in the process of preparing the application and would submit the application in January. Ralph agreed to prepare the documentation necessary to support this.
Under new business, Ralph suggested trying to show films that would attract a younger audience. Several members suggested contacting the schools and the Ludlow Youth Center to see what films they would like to see.
David recommended that FOLA present the Harts with an award following their skit during the Christmas program. Ralph agreed to send same awards around to the members so we could have an award ready by December 16 to honor the work the Harts have done in supporting FOLA’s objectives and bringing comedy entertainment to the Ludlow area.
The meeting adjourned at 11:45 am.
Minutes of FOLA Meeting, September 19, 2011 at Town Hall
The meeting was called to order by Ralph Pace at 10:31 am. Present were David Almond, Kevin Kuntz, Janet Pace, Christine Fuller (guest), and Ralph Pace.
Christine Fuller explained the intent of the Oct. 20 healthcare forum and displayed the draft program for the event. She noted that she would be contacting Stewart Ledbetter, event moderator, to get his input on the structure of the panel questioning and the PowerPoint graphic that will begin the event.
Ralph reviewed the schedule for October through December. In addition to the 1st Thursday movies, FOLA will be involved in 5 special events:
Ralph also noted that a firm date had been set for Springfield Chorus concert on March 31, 2012. All the remaining special events for 2011 would be based on donations only with the exception of the Gypsy Reel concert which is $10 a ticket. FOLA is committed to $600 for Gypsy Reel. The Oct 9 concert commitment is $600 plus travel expenses, split three ways; FOLA’s commitment is estimated to be $230 less donations, also split three ways. It was agreed that the upright grand piano in the auditorium should be returned before the Oct 9 concert.
The schedule for the 2012 1st Thursday movie program was reviewed. Ralph raised the question of whether FOLA should seek Okemo Mountain Resort’s participation in an additional four films during the high ski season. It was agreed that Ralph should contact Okemo to see if they were interested in such a project and would use their vast email and communications network to advertise these movies. Suggested timing of these films would be late December, two in January, and one in early February.
David reported that the fund raising for 2011 had raised about $1,800. The basis for the fund raising was membership renewals and contacts who had donated to FOLA in 2010.
The question of petitioning for a Town Meeting Article in 2012 was discussed. It was decided that the membership would be polled via email to determine if we should continue seeking funding from voter approved sources.
The audio upgrade to be performed by Paul Terrasi was considered. David indicated that the monies to support this project were available. Ralph indicated that Terrasi would try to get the project done in mid-October. Hre said he did not know if it would be in time for the Oct. 20 healthcare forum.
The date for the annual meeting was set for Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 7 PM in the auditorium.
David reviewed the financial status of FOLA based on income-expense documents following IRS protocols. He indicated that we had received communications from the IRS urging us to file for 501.c.3 status. He requested that Ralph complete the necessary documentation so that the 501.c.3 documentation and application may be filed to comply with the IRS request.
The meeting adjourned at 11:25 am.
Minutes of FOLA Meeting, May 23, 2011 at Town Hall
The meeting was called to order by Ralph Pace at 10:31 am. Present were David Almond, Bruce Farr, Janet Pace, Christine Fuller, and Ralph Pace.
The 1st Thursday Movies were discussed. It was agreed that the attendance, averaging 44 per film, was good. The quality of the projection of the last film, Secretariat, was found to be wanting in two respects: 1, the volume was too low and 2, the film was somewhat blurred in terms of focus. To correct these problems, it was agreed that the film to be shown at 7 PM in the future would be readied for projection at 6 PM to ensure a correct focus. As for the sound, someone in the audience will immediately alert the projectionist if the sound is too low (or too high). At Christine’s suggestion, we will continue to have a cookie sale in the lobby to increase revenue. It was also agreed that the short feature will be discontinued.
Ralph raised the question of adding additional films during the peak foliage and ski season. It was agreed that an additional film would be scheduled for the Christmas Week and Presidents’ Week to see if the demand for such more films existed.
The matter of operating the film projector and related equipment was discussed. Currently there are three men familiar with the operation of the equipment. Given the likelihood of vacations, unavailability, and need for backup, FOLA should seek to train more people in operating the equipment. Ralph noted that they should be adults to satisfy the interests of the town regarding building security.
Ralph noted that the Friends of the Fletcher Memorial Library had requested that they co-sponsor the July 7 showing of “To Kill a Mockingbird”. Everyone agreed that this was a desirable step to foster relationships with other town non-profit groups.
In discussing planned events for the remainder of the year, the following items were discussed:
Other event discussion focused on:
David reviewed the financial status of FOLA. He discussed the draft proposals for the 501(c) (3) application in detail. He indicated that the Articles of Incorporation needed to be amended to satisfy specific requirements of the IRS. Among these were policies or narratives describing how officers and directors are selected, policies for conflict of interest and record retention, plus a detailed narrative describing the activities and plans of FOLA from its inception through to the future. Separate documents need to be created to 1, outline the nature of personal/familial relationships of board members and 2, describe and explain the various entertainment functions that FOLA fulfills as well as its use of equipment and services.
He also noted that we had indicated that a FOLA web site would be created in our 990 filing. It was agreed by the board that a web site would be initiated in the late summer or early fall of the current year. All filing documentation for the 501(c) (3) application and any other policies approved subsequently will be accessible via this web site for public view.
It was also agreed to revise the approved budget to reflect more current funding activities and revenues.
Under Other Business, Christine Fuller submitted her resignation as a Director. The board and all the members of FOLA express their regret in accepting her resignation and thanked Christine for the work and effort she had put into helping FOLA become a reality.
The meeting adjourned at 11:52 am.
Minutes of FOLA Meeting, April 11, 2011 at Town Hall
The meeting was called to order by Ralph Pace at 10:31 am. Present were David Almond, Bruce Farr, Anita Alic, Janet Pace, Christine Fuller, Jean Eggleston and Ralph Pace.
Ralph reported that the first FOLA movie, The March of the Penguins, attracted an audience of 42 people with donations totaling $133. It was agreed that the movie went over well. The schedule for the next series of movies was discussed. Christine recommended that Secretariat be made the May movie in keeping with its closeness to the Kentucky Derby. The 1st Thursday movies for the remainder of the year will be:
May 5 – Secretariat June 2 – Mamma Mia July 7 – Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Aug. 4 – To Kill a Mockingbird Sept. 1 – Chariots of Fire or True Grit (depending on availability) Oct. 6 – Close Encounters Nov. 3 – Harvey Dec. 1 – North by Northwest
Plans for the April 16 gig with Skip Gorman and Connie Dover were discussed. Ralph suggested that FOLA be at the auditorium at 6:30 PM. He noted that Gorman had told him he would probably be setting up for the concert around 3 PM to deal with any audio problems. We will have $250 in cash ready to handle tickets at the gate.
The request from the Okemo Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce was considered. It was agreed to defer the membership until next year to ensure FOLA is included in the chamber’s printed publications.
The question of developing a web site was discussed. Ralph said it would cost $195 a year for a web site using the address, www.fola.us. The group decided to postpone consideration of a web site until the next meeting.
Ralph described the formal turnover of the motion picture and graphics equipment, along with the shades, to the Ludlow Select Board on April 4. He noted that the board thanked FOLA for its efforts on behalf of the town.
David reviewed the financial status of FOLA noting that the current balance was $1,752. He reviewed the form 990 and associated forms submitted to the IRS. David indicated that he expected to have the draft of the 501(c)(3) application completed by late May.
It was decided to forego any food at the May movie in keeping with Frank Heald’s notification regarding food and beverage in the auditorium.
Ralph explained that membership and donation revenue would probably be static until July when membership and donation requests would start anew.
The group decided that a request from Black River Academy Museum to co-sponsor a Civil War piano presentation at the auditorium required more information from the performer, namely, was the upright grand piano all right for the concert and how much did she charge as her fee. Ralph said that he had discussed the possibility of a three-way sponsorship with the town to reduce financial commitments.
Christine agreed to become the FOLA “Librarian” to hold all the blu-ray and dvds used for the films.
The meeting adjourned at 11:45 am.
Minutes of FOLA Meeting, March 14, 2011 at Town Hall
The meeting was called to order by Ralph Pace at 10:35 am. Present were David Almond, Bruce Farr, Anita Alic, Janet Pace, and Ralph Pace.
Activities for the March 26 presentation by the Rutland Curbstone Chorus were discussed. Donations will be collected inside the auditorium at the door. A basket will also be placed there after the concert for any additional donations. Ralph said he would be there an hour before the 7 PM concert start to review lighting and audio needs for the concert. Bruce, Anita, and Janet said they would help collect donations. Christine Fuller had indicated previously she would also help.
The April 7 movie, “The March of the Penguins”, was considered. It was agreed that, for the first movie, FOLA would not precede the main feature with a short documentary; David noted that he had ordered a DVD of award-winning short documentaries per prior agreement. The question of food and beverages for the movie was discussed. All agreed that it would be desirable to serve them. We will first discuss the matter with Frank Heald to obtain the Town’s permission to do so.
It was agreed that a FOLA meeting would be held on Monday, April 11 at 10:30 AM at Town Hall to assess the results of the first movie and develop plans for subsequent movie showings.
Regarding the planning for the April 16 gig featuring Skip Gorman and Connie Dover, Ralph indicated he would meet with Gorman on Wednesday, March 16 to discuss audio and lighting requirements. He also raised the question as to whether FOLA should plan to have printed tickets (via computer) available for sale before future performances. It was agreed that, in the future, major concerts or performances would have pre-performance ticket sales. We will contact Peoples United Bank, the Wine and Cheese Depot, and the book store to see if they are willing to handle such sales for FOLA.
David said that curtains had been ordered for the auditorium to provide room darkeners. The color of the curtain will be a red that closely matches the interior wall color of the auditorium. Cassandra’s will be responsible for acquiring and installing the curtains. FOLA will absorb the full cost of the endeavor which will amount to about $1,450. It was felt it would be wiser for FOLA to do this and maintain an “arms-length” distance from the Town for tax and 501 (c) (3) purposes. Ralph will ask Frank Heald to have the existing fixtures in the balcony windows removed so that the new curtains may be installed there.
David reported on the financial condition of FOLA. Ralph added that he needed to send out membership renewal requests covering January-March memberships.
Ralph advised that the agreed-upon transfer of FOLA’s movie equipment would be made at the April 4 Select Board meeting. He had asked that FOLA be placed on the agenda for that purpose.
The meeting adjourned at 11:40 am.
Minutes of FOLA Meeting, February 22, 2011 at Town Hall
The meeting was called to order by Ralph Pace at 10:35 am. Present were David Almond, Anita Alic, Janet Pace, and Ralph Pace.
The report from the Program Committee that met February 21, 2011 was reviewed. It was agreed that the Rutland Curbstone Chorus event, scheduled for March 26, would have a ticket price of $8. It was agreed that the April 16 concert featuring Skip Gorman and Connie Dover would have a ticket price of $12. There was uncertainty about the guaranteed gross for the March 26 event. Ralph agreed to ask Bruce Farr to clarify this. The guarantee gross for Gorman/Dover is $1,000.
Ralph advised that he had contacted two representatives of Okemo Young Artist Program about June-July concerts but had not heard from either. It was decided that if no response was received from them by April 15, FOLA would open the Saturdays from mid-June through Mid-July to other possible engagement activities.
It was agreed that the tentative October 1 date for a Gypsy Reel concert would be confirmed. Ralph also advised the group that he had asked for Town Hall on December 16 for a Community Christmas Celebration.
The date for the Springfield Chorus may have to be in April of 2012 but Bruce will be in contact with that group to confirm a date.
In discussing the manner of darkening the windows in the auditorium for movies, it was agreed that the proposal submitted by Cassandra’s would be the basis for placing shades on the windows. The number of windows to be shaded was reduced to 17 in the auditorium plus 1 backstage. Ralph will discuss the town’s involvement in funding this effort along with a FOLA contribution. David agreed to discuss the actual total cost with Cassandra. Ralph will see if the town can handle the installation.
It was agreed that the first movie should be shown on April 7 starting at 7:30 PM. A preliminary showing for FOLA to “get all the wrinkles out” should precede that date. The first movie will be “March of the Penguins”. Efforts will be made to get a second copy of that film to run simultaneously with the projected film so that we have a fall-back mechanism in the event the primary film source fails.
No fixed “suggested” donation price will be posted for the movies; an announcement will be made, however, to let people understand that it is there donations that underwrite FOLA’s ability to show movies.
David noted that he will discuss the cost of director’s insurance with Sharon Bixby. He also reviewed the current financial status of FOLA, noting that we had about $2,100 available for operating expenses.
It was agreed that the film and graphic equipment FOLA acquired would be formally turned over to the town at the April meeting of the Select Board. Christine Fuller had agreed to inventory the equipment and Ralph will value it for insurance purposes.
The meeting adjourned at 11:35 am.
FRIENDS OF THE LUDLOW AUDITORIUM ANNUAL MEETING January 19, 2011
Present: Board of Directors: Ralph Pace, Christine Fuller, David Almond, Janet Pace Members: Susan McNeely, Guests: Lois Brown, Jim Wallis The meeting was called to order at 6:30 by Chair Ralph Pace.
1. Chair Ralph Pace presented his summary of FOLA activities for 2010, including programs, acquisition of equipment for movies and financial activities (see attached summary).
2. Treasurer David Almond presented the financial report for 2009 – 2010. Total revenue for the period was $11,800; with expenses of $9,583. David then presented the budget for 2011 and 2012; with the major expense being related to an audio upgrade to the Auditorium. On a motion by Christine and second by Lois, the budgets for 2011 and 2012 were approved unanimously. (See attached budget)
3. David reported on the plans to file for a 501 (c) (3). Many of the details are in place, and forms ready to be finalized. They will need to be reviewed by a lawyer; hopefully pro-bono.
4. Program plans for 2011 are still tentative; although they will include a country-western performance by Skip Gorman and Connie Dover in April. Periodic movies will be played once the equipment is in place, using the new screen purchased by the Town. Suggestions included the Kinkaid music school, the Weston Opera, Chris Kleeman, Karioke, a Cabaret night, and continuing the Christmas program.
5. Fund Raising for 2011 will encompass memberships, donations, and pursuing grants.
6. The Nominating Committee presented the slate of officers for 2011: Chair - Ralph Pace Vice-chair - Anita Alic Treasurer - David Almond Secretary - Janet Pace Program Director - Bruce Farr On a motion by Christine and second by David, the slate of officers was approved as presented.
7. New Business: There was a discussion about FOLA having a web page. It was decided to leave this until the full Board could meet. Susan McNeely expressed an interest in joining the Board. The meeting adjourned at 7:15 pm.
FRIENDS OF THE LUDLOW AUDITORIUM BOARD MEETING JANUARY 5, 2011
Present: David Almond, Jean Eggleston, Bruce Farr, Anita Alix, Janet Pace The meeting was called to order at 2:00 pm.
The budget for 2011 and 2012 was reviewed (see attached). It was agreed that the Grants figure for 2011 would be kept at $3500, in an attempt to keep the average income below $10,000. All other numbers seemed reasonable. On a motion by Jean, and second by Anita, the Budget for 2011 and 2012 was approved.
David reported on the status of the 501c3. He has sent for the most current information on the process. He is also getting the forms for 2010 income tax filing. By-laws are being written.
There was a discussion on adding new Directors to the Board. People who will be approached include Susan Kneebone (as artistic consultant), Betsy McGee Andrade, George Thomson, Fred Marin, Graham Parker, and possibly Connie Wilcox.
Ralph is investigating Board Liability Insurance. He will also schedule training on the movie equipment.
The Officer slate for 2011 will be: Chair: Ralph Pace Vice-chair: Anita Alix Treasurer: David Almond Secretary: Janet Pace Program Director: Bruce Farr
Anita announced that the program for Sat., April 16 will be Skip Gorman.
The meeting adjourned at 2:45 pm.
Minutes of FOLA Meeting, November 8, 2010 at Town Hall
The meeting was called to order by Ralph Pace at 10:30 am. Present were Bruce Farr, David Almond, Christine Fuller, Anita Alic, Janet Pace, Jean Eggleston, Susan Kneebone, and Ralph Pace.
Ralph reviewed the financial status of FOLA, indicating that the group had a current bank balance of $1,779.19 and an available balance of $1,279.19.
The Gypsy Reel concert held Saturday, November 6 was discussed. The total revenue from the event for FOLA was $330 which consisted of: Food sales - $ 52 Raffle tickets - 147 Donation - 20 Gypsy Reel CD profit on sales - 40 Gypsy Reel donation from gate - 71 It was agreed that the concert was a success. It was suggested that, due to the age of the auditorium seats, we approach the Town to see if newer, more comfortable seats may be purchased as a number of attendees complained about the discomfort of the seats.
Ralph advised that the screen being purchased by the Town was still on backorder and that no plans were being considered by the Town as to alternative sourcing. He said he would contact David Giancola regarding his wishes for training FOLA and high school students in the use of the equipment.
The group reaffirmed that Friday, December 17 at 7 pm would be the time for the Christmas program. Ralph passed out an email from Connie Wilcox as to her suggestions for the program which included a number of student segments. It was agreed that a Christmas Program committee consisting of Ralph, Anita, and Bruce would develop a detailed program working with Connie. Ralph was asked to convey a message to Sam and Barbara Lloyd advising them that the proposed program segment concerning them had been eliminated due to time concerns.
The meeting set January 19 at 6 pm as the date and time for the annual meeting in the Auditorium.
With respect to the 501 (c) (3) status of FOLA, Ralph suggested that $400 be reserved so that David could pursue filing for this exemption status with the IRS. David commented on the complexities of the filing and the various documents needed to support it. It was agreed that a special FOLA meeting would be held on Tuesday, November 30 at 2 pm to review and prepare a filing document.
Ralph raised the question of investigating whether FOLA could underwrite the enhancement of the auditorium audio system so that third party users, such as LPC-TV, could tie into the auditorium’s audio system. Currently, such an interface is not possible resulting in lost and/or poor transcriptions of third party audio when video taping events sponsored in the auditorium. Ralph said he would contact Frank Heald, Town Manager, to obtain contact information on the group that installed the audio system in the auditorium.
Ralph raised the question as to whether FOLA would seek funds at the annual Town Meeting. The board agreed that we should do this. The amount to be raised should be determined by an estimate based on improving the audio system.
Bruce, Anita, Jean, and Susan agreed to form a committee responsible for establishing FOLA-sponsored programs in the auditorium in 2011.
Janet and Christine agreed to form a Nominating Committee for officers to be presented to the annual meeting.
Ralph noted that letters to contributors need to be prepared before year end to advise them of their contributions to FOLA, FOLA’s achievements and plans, and the annual meeting.
The question was raised as to insurance covering the FOLA directors. Ralph agreed to contact Sharon Bixby to obtain information on premiums and coverage for non-profit board members.
The meeting adjourned at 11:35 am.
Minutes of FOLA Meeting, August 3, 2010 at Town Hall
The meeting was called to order at 10 AM by Chairman Ralph Pace. In attendance at the meeting were Christine Fuller, Bruce Farr, David Almond, Jean Eggleston, and Ralph Pace.
Ralph reviewed the results of the fund-raising to date. He noted that the net results indicate that FOLA has reached the basic $7,500 needed for the motion picture equipment being arranged by David Giancola of Edgewood Studios in Rutland – if you add in the $3,000 from the town and $1,000 grant awarded by Ben & Jerry’s. This will still keep a bank balance of just over $500, the minimum needed to avoid service charges on the account.
The board voted to authorize Ralph to give David a check for $3,500, the initial payment for the motion picture equipment he is arranging through a New York City advertising firm. Ralph indicated that he still expected some additional funds to come in as the fund raising effort draws to a close. He reported that the cost of the fund-raising effort was $850.
The board also discussed the probable need for funding for permitting to show movies. However, board members asked Ralph to find out how Woodstock, Cavendish, and Bellows Falls handle this situation. The need to gain 501.c.3 status was also discussed. David said that we needed a full year of experience to apply for this status plus $750 in IRS fees. David indicated that FOLA needed to adopt several new documents to satisfy the requirements for 501.c.3 approval by the IRS. He also suggested that some legal assistance may be required.
The board reviewed the Okemo Young Artists Program concerts and the July 29 Democratic Party gubernatorial debate. The consensus was that both sets of events went well, excepting for the uncontrolled impact of heat and humidity for the final OYAP concert. In discussing the proposed October 14 general election gubernatorial debate, Ralph advised that he was having difficulty getting the Dubie campaign to acknowledge any of the four communications he had with them inviting the Lt Governor to participate. The board agreed that if the Dubie campaign fails to communicate with Ralph by Friday, August 6, it will be assumed that Dubie has no interest in participating in the debate; additional debate possibilities will be considered under those circumstances.
The board discussed the November 6 concert agreed to by Gypsy Reel, starting at 7:30 pm. Gypsy Reel will accept the gate donations as remuneration. They will also donate the profit portion of its CD sales to FOLA. FOLA will conduct a 50-50 raffle, raffle tickets to be priced at $3 or 4 for $10. In addition to the 50% winnings, the raffle tickets will be used to draw for a free CD.
The details of a Christmas program, scheduled for December 17 at 7 pm were discussed. Ralph noted that Sam and Barbara Lloyd had been invited to participate by letter but no response had yet been received. He was urged to follow this up with a phone call. He also noted that Connie Wilcox would try to arrange to have bell ringers play several songs. Bruce Farr agreed to read “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” by Dylan Thomas. He said he would seek the help of a classical guitarist to supply background music. Everyone agreed that we should conclude the event with a sing-along of popular seasonal and Christmas melodies and Noels. Ralph would ask Frank Heald if the town could make copies of the lyrics.
It was agreed by the board that the proposed dinner, “Around the World in Seven Courses”, be deferred until next year.
There were mixed reactions by board members as to the effectiveness of FOLA at the Friday Farmers Market. It was agreed that FOLA would end its participation with the last market date in August.
With regards to the revised logo, drawn by Susan Kneebone, the board enthusiastically approved the revised logo with the addition of a rose. Ralph was asked to contact Susan to see if she would color the rose red.
The board set Thursday, January 21, 2011 as the date for the annual meeting.
The meeting adjourned at 11:10 am.
Minutes of FOLA Meeting, May 4, 2010 at Town Hall
The meeting was called to order at 2 PM by Chairman Ralph Pace. In attendance at the meeting were Anita Alic, Janet Pace, David Almond, Jean Eggleston, and Ralph Pace.
Ralph explained that, thanks to Anita’s help, an upright grand piano was being donated to the Town by Glenn Brown and Joan Collar of Ellison Lake Road, Ludlow. Photos of the piano had previously bee sent to the board. Frank Heald called a moving company in Rutland, Todd Moving, and got a $400 quote to move the piano to the auditorium. In negotiations with Frank, Ralph agreed that FOLA would cover half the cost of this move. Anita agreed to contact Brown’s caretaker to start moving arrangements. Based on a motion by Janet, seconded by David, it was also agreed that a formal letter of thanks would be sent to Brown and that a metal plaque would be prepared to note the gift to the town.
The board then reviewed the projector package that David Giancola had prepared (refer to letter previously distributed to all members on May 4). It was agreed that FOLA had the $3500 deposit to be paid for the $7,549.80 package once the new town fiscal year began. Ralph saoid he had filed a $3,000 request with the Enterprise Fund for the projector; he also had sent requests for grants to Ben & Jerry and National Life Insurance for $1,000 and $900 respectively. Ralph noted that he estimated the package to represent a $25,000 value that included equipment that could satisfy future needs of the town and FOLA for slide shows, switching between movies and computer-generated graphics, plus providing new audio speakers and cabling. In a motion by Janet, seconded by David, the board approved the package. Payment of the initial deposit will be due within 90 days; the balance is due by 12/31/2010.
Regarding the placement of a FOLA table at the Farmers Market, Ralph agreed to contact Christine as to dates. David also noted that Leslie at the Wine Depot might offer some help. Ralph said he would prepare a draft handout for members review so that we could seek new members and donations at the the market.
Ralph updated the meeting on the status of the two debates planned in July and October. He noted that all five Democratic candidates had agreed to participate in the July 29 debate. He noted that he had heard nothing from the Lt. Gov. Dubie’s camp regarding the General election debate scheduled for Oct 14. He also noted that there might be a larger than expected number of independent and lesser party candidates participating in that debate unless FOLA developed a policy on who would be included. Ralph suggested using the rules adopted by the League of Women Voters. On a motion by Janet and seconded by Jean, the board established the policy for the General Election gubernatorial debate, only candidates who represented parties that had received at least 5% of the vote in the last election or candidates who had received 5% of the votes in recent statewide polls would be invited to participate in the debate.
In discussing fund raising, Ralph indicated that, based on the cost of the projector and available FOLA funds, the use of the postal permits researched by Christine Fuller, would not be practical. The board came to the consensus that it would review a mailing label list, to be prepared by Ralph, of all residents and second home owners. From this list they would select a smaller set of people to be solicited for contribution, based on the letter prepared by Bruce Farr and revised by Ralph to include a donation section. Following a lengthy discussion of how membership should be handled, it was agreed that, on a motion by Jean and seconded by Anita, membership would always be based on a 12 month cycle following the month the membership dues were paid and that membership would be $25 for an individual and $45 for a family.
An as yet to be scheduled meeting will review the mailing list prepared by Ralph from the Grand List and decide on the initial letters to be sent out for membership and general donation requests.
The meeting adjourned at 3:25 PM.
Minutes of FOLA Meeting, April 12, 2010 at Town Hall
The meeting was called to order at 10:30 AM by Chairman Ralph Pace. In attendance at the meeting were Anita Alic, Christine Fuller, Bruce Farr, Jean Eggleston, and Ralph Pace.
Ralph discussed the status of a movie project. He noted that he had been in disciussions with B&H of New York and Edgewood Studios in Rutland regarding equipment. The projector being considered was a Panasonic PT-4000U with a Panasonic lens (to produce a 20 ft horizontal image from 45 feet) ETL200. The projector was priced at $3,000 and the lens at $2,950. Ralph indicated he would like to review this configuration with David Giancola of Edgewood Studios in Rutland, especially in setting it up. The members agreed with the concept. The screen will be purchased by the Town. See notes below regarding funding for this equipment.
The committee agreed that we should go ahead with the purchase of a used piano from Craigslist, eBay, or local residents. Ralph said he would seek the help of Connie Wilcox. Bruce suggested that he contact Carol Devine of Belmont who is also familiar with musical instruments.
Ralph said that the Okemo Young Artist Program (OYAP) concert dates had been set as June 19 and 26 and July 3 and 10 (all Saturday’s at 7 PM). Frank Heald indicated that a grand piano, to be rented by OYAP, could be brought into the auditorium via the fire escape. Christine suggested that we reissue the press release concerning our need for both a grand piano and a regular piano.
The matter of fund raising was considered at length. It was agreed that a 7 course dinner will be held on September 18, each guest being charged $75. Christine suggested that we could all provide the china and silverware for the dinner. It was also decided that Bruce would prepare a letter to be used for a mail fund raiser. Christine agreed to look into the costs of mailing permits for the mailing. Anita provided input from her experiences in capital campaigns with the museum. It was also decided to request funding from the Enterprise Fund; the preliminary dollar amount would be $2,500. Christine also agreed to contact the Farmer’s Market to arrange a table for FOLA.
Two dates were set for political debates: Thursday, July 29 for the five Democratic candidates for Governor and Thursday, October 14 for the gubernatorial candidates for the General Election. Ralph said he would start making arrangements for these debates.
The meeting adjourned at 11:45 AM.
Minutes of FOLA Meeting, February 17, 2010 at Town Hall
The meeting was called to order at 2:04 PM by Chairman Ralph Pace. In attendance at the meeting were Anita Alic, Christine Fuller, David Almond, and Ralph Pace.
Ralph reviewed the financial status of FOLA, noting that the current bank account balance was $1,000. He distributed a detailed review of transactions and current membership. Anita noted that the membership list did not indicate that she had paid $50 for membership for herself and her husband but that an entry was listed for $50 from “unknown”. Ralph indicated he would correct the list.
Anita discussed her conversations with Lisha Klaiber, representative of the Feminine Tones musical group. She indicated that the group was hesitant to make future bookings in Ludlow for two reasons: 1, apparent lack of adequate audience in previous Ludlow concerts and 2, the need to be assured that the group would raise funds to cover musical support personnel. It was agreed that any future discussions would be premised on the success of the Summer concert series FOLA is arranging with the Okemo Young Artists Program (OYAP).
The Feminine Tones discussion led into consideration of the importance of a good piano, preferably a grand piano, in the auditorium for any type of musical program. Ralph noted that Connie Wilcox had informed him that the current piano in the auditorium was formerly used in Ludlow schools and was probably only satisfactory for use in school drama productions. Ralph was requested to contact Marko Dreher, OYAP Director, to clarify if OYAP would rent a grand piano.
Ralph updated the meeting on the work to date on Movies in the auditorium. He noted that Frank Heald, Ludlow Town Manager, was assessing the purchase of a large motion picture screen and discussing the type of projector needed to support a large screen image. Frank and Ralph are in discussions with Jamie Ward of Mt Holly who is involved in theatrical productions. Ralph said that they were still waiting for some concrete information from Ward.
The election of new officers followed. New officers for 2010 are: Ralph Pace, chairman; Anita Alic, Vice-Chairperson; Bruce Farr, Treasurer; and Janet Pace, Secretary.
Ralph asked if the group felt that fund raising efforts should begin. It was agreed that, following the Twon Meeting vote on the requested $3,000 appropriation, we should begin fund raising efforts. FOLA has acquired a copy of Ludlow’s Grand List which can be used for mailings. Christine noted that bake sales and fund solicitation should also be used.
Ralph indicated he would contact Marj Graf of the Chamber to see what the plans were for ZucchiniFest this year.
The meeting adjourned at 3:01 PM.
Minutes of Meeting of November 11, 2009
The meeting was called to order by Ralph Pace at 3 pm. Those present were:
Christine Fuller Janet Pace Bruce Farr Jean Eggleston David Almond Ralph Pace (Anita Alic submitted email comments)
Christine Fuller moved that the minutes of Sept 22, 2009 be accepted without change. The motion was seconded and agreed to unanimously.
Ralph reviewed the financial status of FOLA. The bank balance is $700; of this total, $200 is available funds since the checking account requires a $500 minimum balance to avoid bank fees.
David Almond explained the detailed requirements for filing for a 501 (c) (3) status from the IRS. He outlined the specific documents and plans we would have to file along with the do’s and don’t’s associated with this status. On David’s recommendation, it was decided to defer filing for a year so that FOLA would have a year’s experience to support the filing.
The members discussed the need to begin fund raising efforts. Anita Alic, via email, and the other members agreed that Christine and Jean would prepare drafts of fund raising letters for review in January 2010. Ralph said he would send them copies of such letters that had been prepared for United Church. It was agreed that the letters would indicate that contributions were tax deductible without citing 501 (c) (3) status.
Ralph reviewed the status of the piano for the Okemo Young Artists Program (OYAP). He said that he had received two calls on the piano request in the media but neither met the needs of OYAP or the long term needs of the auditorium. The group agreed that continued media releases should be used to advertise the need for the grand piano; it was suggested that advertising in area weeklies might be appropriate.
Regarding possible new programs for the auditorium, the following was reported:
a) FeminineTones (Alic by email) – group not available until sometime in Spring of 2010; Anita will continue to stay in contact with them b) High School drama (Pace) – the teacher at BRHS who used to handle the drama productions is no longer doing so; future plans up in the air c) Arts and Photography (Bruce) – will contact some professional area photographers to see if an interest exists in exhibits d) VSO String Quartet (Pace) – VSO contact said they are interested in performing in Ludlow in 2010; cost is in the $1,600 – 2,000 range e) CounterPoints (Pace) – VSO related choral group; Ralph said agent initially put cost at $8,000 but reduced it to $4,000. Still too much for us to handle f) Christmas Program (2009) – group agreed it was too late to do anything g) Christmas Program (2010) – Ralph said he discussed a school program with Connie Wilcox and that a December performance was possible h) OYAP (Pace) – five Saturday evening concerts planned for mid-June thru mid-July – still need piano funds ($1,600) i) Debates (Almond/Pace) – with coming elections in 2010, we could sponsor a candidate forum (but must remain impartial) j) Band Concerts (Pace) – will contact Springfield band to see if they are available k) Movies (Christine/Bruce) – Bruce will contact Weston, Christine Cavendish to see how they run their programs; Ralph will contact Bellows Falls
Ralph indicated that a blog had been created for FOLA (www.friendsofludlowauditorium.blogspot.com ) .
There being no other business, Christine moved for adjournment at 4:05 pm.
Friends of Ludlow Auditorium
Minutes of Meeting of September 22,2009
The meeting was called to order by Ralph Pace, Acting Chair, at 3 pm. Those present were:
Christine Fuller Anita Alic Janet Pace Bruce Farr David Almond Ralph Pace Frank Heald
Christine Farr moved that Ralph Pace be elected Chair of FOLA, seconded by Bruce Farr. The motion was passed. Christine then moved that
Christine Fuller Anita Alic Janet Pace Bruce Farr David Almond Ralph Pace Jean Eggleston (not present)
Be named directors. David Almond seconded the motion. The motion was passed.
Christine then moved that Bruce Fan be elected Treasurer and Janet Pace be elected Secretary. Anita Alic seconded the motion. The motion was passed.
Ralph Pace then reviewed a suggested mission statement for FOLA. Following a discussion, the following was consensually accepted as the mission of FOIA:
The purpose of Friends of Ludlow Library is to encourage the use of the auditorium for all appropriate forms of the performing arts and educational purposes, as determined by the Board of Directors in keeping with the Town of Ludlow’s interests, for the benefit, entertainment, and education of the residents and visitors of Ludlow and the surrounding area. FOLA may act as the agent to engage such activities when appropriate. The following organization and procedural guidelines were consensually accepted: Organization: · FOLA will invite all Ludlow and Black River area residents and property owners to participate in membership in FOLA · FOLA will be managed by a Board of Directors consisting of five to nine members duly elected by the membership · Election of new and expired term Directors will occur annually in January · Directors term will be three years · Operational management of FOIA will be handled by a chairperson elected by the Directors at the January meeting for a one year term · A director will be appointed to function as Treasurer, elected by the Directors at the January meeting for a one year term · A director will be appointed to function as Secretary, elected by the Directors at the January meeting for a one year term · All other organizational and procedural matters will be determined by the Board of Directors subject to approval by the members · An organizational meeting will be scheduled in January by the Board of Directors for all the membership · The fiscal year for FOLA will be the calendar year Procedures: All procedures of meetings will follow Roberts Rules of Order, Revised, with the following exceptions: · . Aside from the January meeting, correspondence via email and/or telephone may be used to conduct Board of Director meetings · The agenda for all such email and/or telephone meetings will be determined by the Chairperson, subject to the Board of Directors approval
Pace indicated that, through the donations of three people, the sum of $500 had been collected to serve as the minimum balance for a non-profit bank account at Chittenden Bank. He said that he would create the account after all steps had been taken to satisfy the banks requirements. Anita Alic noted that she would contact the FeminineTones group to see if they would be interested in performing at the auditorium. Ralph Pace advised that five dates had already be set for performances of the Okemo Young Artists Program at the auditorium. He added that the OYAP director, Marko Dreher, said that a grand piano was needed for these concerts. Ralph suggest that $1,600, the rental and moving cost for a piano for the month, should be the first objective of FOLA. The five dates set for OYAP at the auditorium are:
Saturday, June 19 Saturday, June 26 Saturday, July 3 Saturday, July 10 and Saturday, July 17
David Almond offered to investigate and prepare the'paperwork to obtain a 501(c)(3) status so that donations to FOLA would be tax exempt. He also noted that, even without that status, certain contributions to FOLA may still be treated as tax-exempt. ln discussing future projects, Bruce Farr recommended that "Country Western" be replaced by the term "Acoustics". lt was also suggested that showing classic movies be considered since the area lacked a movie theater. It was agreed that a membership fee would be set at $25 per year. Ralph was asked to investigate the cost of director's insurance. He indicated he would also contact Ann Gardner at Black River High School/Middle School to see if FOLA may be of any assistance with dramatic productions using the auditorium. Frank Heald noted that this Fall the school planned to produce Miller's, The Crucible. On a motion by Christine Fuller, the meeting adjourned at 4:10 pm.
Friends of Ludlow Auditorium (FOLA): Statement of Mission and Procedures Mission: The purpose of FOLA is to encourage the use of all appropriate forms of the performing arts in the auditorium of the Ludlow Town Hall for the benefit, entertainment, and education of the residents and visitors of Ludlow and the surrounding area. Where appropriate, FOLA will directly act as the agent toengage such activities.
Procedures and Organization :
Organization:
· FOLA will invite all Ludlow and Black River area residents and property owners to participate in membership in FOLA · FOLA will be managed by a Board of Directors consisting of five to nine members duly elected by the membership · Election of Directors will occur annually in January · Operational management of FOLA will be handled by a Coordinator appointed by the Board of Directors. The Coordinator's term will be at the discretion of the Board of Directors. · A director will be appointed to function as Treasurer, the term of the appointment being at the discretion of the Board of Directors · A director will be appointed to function as Secretary, the term of the appointment being at the discretion of the Board of Directors · All other organizational and procedural matters will be determined by the Board of Directors · An organizational meeting will be scheduled in January by the Board of Directors for all the membership · The fiscal year for FOLA will be the calendar year
Procedures:
All procedures of meetings will follow Roberts Rules of Order, Revised, with the following exceptions:
· Aside from the January meeting, correspondence via email and/or telephone may be used to conduct Board of Director meetings · The agenda for all such email and/or telephone meetings will be determined by the Coordinator, subject to the Board of Directors approval
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Friends of Ludlow Auditorium
March 6 2017 Friends of Ludlow Auditorium
Friends of Ludlow Auditorium
Friends of Ludlow Auditorium
Friends of Ludlow Auditorium
Friends of Ludlow Auditorium
Friends of Ludlow Auditorium
Friends of Ludlow Auditorium