The Spring Fling and Pizza Party Was Fun!

About 75 adults, children and teenagers laughed, limbo-ed and lounged at the Beaver Brook Country Club on March 24 while trying to Beat the Winter Blues. Stephy Cho and her helpers’ splashy decoration of the Club and organization of the many donated raffle items added to the afternoon’s excitement. Shaun G. as DJ and Master of Ceremonies kept the crowd moving with a great mix of music and patter. At the end of the afternoon almost everyone went home with a prize and a tummy full of pizza and homemade desserts. Special thanks to Hiroshi and Kim Akimoto who opened their business (and putting greens) to the LCA for this annual Spring Fling.

Photo by Pamela Cobb.  You can view more photos from the Pizza Party here.

Mill River Folk Art Photos

Photos by Heidi Stevens

Click on thumbnail to enlarge.

Leeds Hotel Bridge Bike Ride Is Back!!!

Click to Enlarge

The Leeds Civic Association is starting to plan for its Third Annual Leeds Hotel Bridge Bike Ride to benefit the preservation of our beloved Hotel Bridge. As in past years there will be multiple route options, as well as, maps and food for the riders. The date for the ride is May 20, 2012, and since we learned our lesson sitting in the downpour last year, we have scheduled the rain date to be May 27, 2012. Keep an eye out for more information about this fun event!

Village-Wide Tag Sale

Saturday June 2nd, 8:00-Noon

Drag out all that good stuff from the basement, attic, and garage that you no longer need and sell it to someone who does. To help publicize this annual event the LCA will erect a large “Village-Wide Tag Sale Today” sign posted at the beginning of Florence Street (Rt 9 entrance). The LCA will also run a “Village Wide Tag Sale” notice in the Gazette and Hampshire Life. If your street is setting up a “Tag Sale” you are encouraged to add your own creative signs at each entrance to your street.

Mill River Folk Art

Down on the Mill River, just upstream from the Orange or Top Dam, on the gravelly sandbar island, there’s an exhibit of local art that shouldn’t be missed. Some Leeds resident has used natural river artifacts (pottery, glass, old iron pieces and driftwood) to create a wonderful testament to the many people, places and things that have co-existed by the river. Get down there soon as the next big storm may just move this folk art back to the river whence it came.

You can view the photo gallery of the Mill River Folk Art here.

Kudos to the President

No, not President Obama, but to our own Sue Carbin who has served unselfishly as President of LCA since November 1999.

Sue’s leadership over the past 12 years has strengthened the Association’s membership, our outreach to otrher civic associations and the lively mix of our sponsored family activities. Looking back at her time as the LCA President, Sue can be rightfully proud of coordinating efforts to create the Flood memorial Park, the campaign to restore the Hotel Bridge, the development of the LCA newsletter and website and other crucial pieces of the Associatons role in Leeds.

Sue isn’t going away, fortunately. As the newly elected Treasurer of the LACA she will continue to voulunteer to the Leeds community that even President Obama couldn’t match.

Leeds Beautification Champs

One of the largest volunteer groups in years turned out for the Earth Day activities in Leeds on Saturday April 21. Without fanfare or rewards they not only picked up close to 35 bags of litter but also raked, mulched, trimmed and rejuvenated our small pocket parks on Main and Mulberry Streets. The LCA is extremely grateful for these folks who helped put a shine on Leeds.
 

Litter Pick Up

Sue Carbin
Jim Montgomery
Bob St. Pierre
Bruce Walker
Fran Thibault
Wayne Thibault
Tricia Reidy
Margaret Riddle
Jeep Eater Crew (20)
Annie Moorehouse
Rob
 

Mulberry St Park

Lora Sandhusen
Deb Jacobs
David Rondina
George Merriam
Linda Butler
Joshua Crane

 

 Flood Memorial Park

Joshua Johnson
David Abraham
Michael macDonald
Vanessa Oquendo
George Kohout

 

LCA Treasurer’s Report: April, 2012

Balance  3/ 13 /12 $3,033.37
INCOME EXPENSE
Household Membership 8  @ $10 $80.00 Collective  Copies  $28.00
Household Membership 1  @ $5 $5.00 Beaver Brook (1) $180.00
Business Membership  1  @ $25 $25.00 Joel Emrick $142.80
Donations $18.00 National Grid $10.00
Postage 1  @ $3 $3.00 Stephy Cho (2) $284.34
Pizza Party $469.34
MONTHLY INCOME $600.34 MONTHLY EXPENSES $645.14
Balance   4/ 10/ 12 $2,988.57
1. Rental + Soda
2. Pizza party exspenses

LCA Minutes: April 10, 2012

In attendance: Deb Jacobs, Alice Badecker, Stephy Cho, George Kohout, Sue Carbin, Justin O’Connor, Earl Meunier, David Rondina (notes)

 

1)    Minutes from 3/14/12: Accepted

2)    Treasurer’s Report (Sue C) spreadsheet handout

  • Current Balance                         $2988.57
  • 109 “members”
  • National Grid may have one more bill for us re: holiday lights at Mulberry St park.
  • Included hand out from Pizza Party finances: $469.34 in revenue, $50 in dues, $284.34 for pizzas, $180 for the Club house rental and sodas.   $5.00 profit.

 

3)    Earth Day Celebration    (April 21    9:00 – 12:00)

  • LCA will supply bags and a DPW dumpster in the grammar school lot
  • George will flyer the village and send a press release to the Gazette
  • Crews will target our two small parks (Flood Memorial on Main St and the Mulberry St park)

And also the messier streets of the Village. Willard’s crew will tackle Sylvester Rd.

 

4)    3rd Annual Bike for the Bridge bike ride (Sun May 20)

  • Poster is in production and Heidi has it for the Newsletter.  Stephy is asking BJ’s in Chicopee for donations.  We have already received inquiries about the event.
  • It is advertised on the Mass Bike poster for the 23rd
  • Priority for next meeting will be marketing the event.   Need to contact past volunteers.
  • Sue to call Chartpak for use of lot and also contact Gene T to call Rec. Dept. for baths

5)    Revised Website-   (Justin O’C)

  • There is a revised membership registration form, new officers have been corrected, more content has been added, updated events have been entered, Justin has the green light to initiate the “comment blogger” aspect.  Justin will filter for content.
  • George will research pay pal options for memberships
  • Thank you to Justin for all his work. His business, “On Design” will be put on the website.

 

6)    Spring Fling/Pizza Party-  (Sat Mar 24)

  • Approx 75 attended. Location (beaver Brook C.C. was a positive change.  Decorations were perfect.  Perhaps we try earlier in late winter/ early March next year?
  • Ordered 35 pizzas, 10 too many. Is pizza the only option? Other ideas? More appetizers?
  • Put Pizza Factory in Newsletter as a thank you.
  • Shawn Gunderson was great as a DJ – Thank him in the newsletter as well

7)    May Newsletter Content

  • Thank yous to Pizza Factory, Shawn, Golf Course
  • Garden Club activities, Memorial Day celebration, Bike Ride, High Tea June 10, Tag sale June 2nd, Block Party Sept 9th

 

8)    Old Business

  • CPA mtg on Keystone Arch:  Many spoke in favor of the project (in support of funding).  Also, it was linked to Broadbrook and Greenway.
  • Gateway Project:  Meeting at Salmon Studios on 4/11/12 Arts and Ind. Building 7:00pm  to view metal signs.
  • Spur to Hotel Bridge project from Rail Trail:  There was a meeting on 4/2 with Wayne Feiden and Sara Levally.   Need to do more in-depth analysis of cost, soil tests, etc.   Smith College to make “Large” presentation about this project at the school on 4/21/12 from 8:30-12:30pm.
  • Reminder: Still need to revisit the By-Laws.
  • Leeds Village Appts.: Peg informed us that she was finished with her time commitment with the management, tenants, etc.  Management seems to be “stepping up”.  Renters are not fully involved or invested in the cause.  Seems to be hitting a wall.  LCA is no longer producing the Village Appts Newsletters.  The “Open Gym” idea at Leeds School fell through due to not enough supporting numbers.

 

9)    Other

  • Laura Sandhusen inquired the LCA if there are specific funds to support Mullberry Park.  NO, we have no such allocated funds, but ask her to simply give us a proposal and a price and in reason it would be supported as are other similar scale requests.
  • Red Greene confirmed that it is .15 cents per copy to stuff PO boxes.  Does this also mean 01053 mail boxes??

 

 

 

Meeting adjourned at 8:45pm

 

Next Meeting                   Tuesday May 8th         7:00 p.m.         Leeds Grammar School

LCA Treasurer’s Report: March, 2012

Balance  2/ 14 /12 $3,224.41
INCOME EXPENSE
Household Membership 3  @ $10 $30.00 Collective  Copies 1 $39.49
Business Membership  0  @ $25 City of N’ton 2 $150.00
Donations $5.00 Joel Emrick $26.55
Postage 1  @ $3 National Grid $10.00
MONTHLY INCOME $35.00 MONTHLY EXPENSES $226.04
Balance   3/ 13/ 12 $3,033.37
1. Jan news & Traffic flyer
2. Donation Conservation land off Chesterfield Rd