Minutes November 13 2005

Minutes from 13 November 2005 Meeting

Another lively exchange of ideas took place, and participants are extremely enthusiastic about working toward an appropriate solution to the problems associated with the proposed development.

1. Report on finances. The “war chest” of Friends of Tully Lake is steadily expanding, thanks to a very lucrative can and bottle drive at Hannaford Market, various fundraising (and awareness-raising) events, and generous donations from interested people. We are in the black!

2. Review update letter final draft. Friends of Tully Lake will very shortly send an update letter to the dozens of people who have expressed interest in the Tully Lake development issue. We will update people on our accomplishments, progress with the development and with educating town boards, and will appeal for funding. The final draft of the letter was circulated among members for their comments, and six of the representative members added their signatures to the letter.

3. Update from attorney and engineers. The attorney and engineers have completed a full review of the preliminary plan of development and have offered many very useful and specific comments on the regulatory issues that should be addressed in a full definitive plan. They are prepared to testify at any applicable public hearings. They are also on call to review the definitive plan for the development as soon as it is submitted.

4. Report on can and bottle drive. The can and bottle drive at Hannaford Market raises about $30/day for Friends of Tully Lake, which is a major windfall. We thank the organizers who came up with this idea, and the staff of Hannaford Market who have been very helpful.

5. Report on turnout for the Tully Lake benefit walk. A benefit and educational hike around Tully Lake was kindly hosted by Dan Bolton on Sunday, November 13. Seven people attended, and two came to our meeting. A big thank-you to Dan for leading this walk!

6. Organizing a phone list and calling tree. It is essential that many people attend all town board meetings regarding this development. We have developed an efficient phone tree to notify hundreds of concerned people as soon as a town-level meeting is publicized in the Athol Daily News and elsewhere. We added several names to the expanding list at the meeting, and assigned callers.

7. Reminder of January 14, 2006 benefit tracking workshop (PR will begin soon). A new benefit for Friends of Tully Lake is being offered. Participants will be taught the art and science of wildlife tracking during a 2-hour walk. Several sessions may be held, depending on interest.

8. Attend Stephen Brewer’s public hours. A number of representatives of Friends of Tully Lake will be on hand to discuss the proposed development with Senator Brewer’s Aide in November. We are also drafting a comprehensive letter to Congressman Olver regarding this issue.

9. Our next meeting December 11, 2005.

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