May 18, 2008, 8:30 AM
Westtown Meeting House

Silent Worship.

Reading and approving of April Monthly Meeting Minutes.

Concerns about Meeting people.

Correspondence:

• Westtown School Religious Life Committee sent a letter explaining that the Thursday Upper School Meeting for Worship will mirror Sunday Meeting for Worship in the way it ends.
• Catholic Social Service wants us to know that CSS is looking for foster parents contact Melissa Graf-Evans.
• Princeton and Burlington Monthly Meetings have sent letters with concerns about the way PYM leadership led PYM this past March. They are concerned that more and more decisions are happening within the Interim Meeting. rather than in the meeting for worship for business at PYM. At this time we do not feel fully informed about this matter to take it up. Draft of PYM Budget.

Announcements:

• Sun 5/18: Welcome to Devin Turner following the rise of Meeting
• Sun 5/25: Meeting invited to brunch
• Sun 6/1: Committee Meetings. Middletown Day, 11 am MFW and then lunch
• Sat, 6/7: Westtown Commencement. Also: Hickman Yard Sale, 8 AM to noon
• Sun 6/8: First Day School closing exercise during Meeting for Worship in glen
• Sun 6/5 Meeting for Business
• Wed 6/18: First evening Lake Supper
• July 30-Aug 3 PYM Residential Meetings

New Business:

• Renovation plan presented by Tom Haviland for Oak Lane Day Care.
  • He walked us through the changes space by space beginning on the east side of the basement and moving to the west. He emphasized though that this is not an expansion, not a subtraction, but an upgrading to use better the space we have. In the process, the township is requiring us to bring several things up to code.
  • Current plan is limited by the Day Care's budget. This work will be done over the summer with the Day Care moving into the Middle School.
    
    
• Discussion was as follows:
• The men's room will become a unisex bathroom and the urinal will come out. Heating will change in the Day care, in the Meeting Room it will remain the school's steam heat. The lighting will be replaced with new lighting, though it will also be fluorescent. There will be more outlets and more light switches. Current electrical feed is sufficient for lights and small use, though not for the two window air conditioners.
• There will be an awning over the entrance door. A concern was raised that the trash truck might back into/through the awning and take it off.
• The table storage in closet needs to be rethought.
• Kitchen seems small for when the kitchen is used by the FDS kids to prepare meals. But now the area on the other side of the pass through will be vinyl tile so food preparation could move out into the larger room.
• If we take out a stove we could move china storage and place where extra stove is. More work needs to be done with kitchen thinking along lines of we only need one cook top. A double oven and stove with microwave above.
• Concern about the height of the cabinets and bumping into them with heads when leaning through the pass through. The pass through is very solid and will not be changed.
• Can we extend the counter through the pass through and then put shallow shelves underneath for mugs, silverware, etc.
• Bulletin board, could we move it so people don't stop to read it in a traffic congestion spot.
  
• The Meeting approved going forward with a listing of our concerns. Thanks were given to Tom for preparing such a thorough presentation.

Report of the Treasurer:

Book keeping at end of May looks similar to end of June. We are short on income BUT since we have not been spending too much, we are actually under budgeted expenses and have a surplus.

Discussion of funding for Iraqi student, Ammar:

Ammar has been accepted at Westtown School, efforts are being made to raise 10,000.00 to cover some of his tuition and living expenses for the upcoming year. We will wait until June when we know for sure what the school's support will be. Kevin will be in touch with the admission office to find out what the need is.

Discussion of funding for Deb Wood:

Deb Wood is requesting support for her six week trip to Rwanda where she will be a part of the Great Lakes initiative for reconciliation. As a part of her trip, she has taken on raising $3000.00 for the reconciliation effort (the minimum contribution of participants). The Great Lakes initiative works closely with Central African Friends Meetings. Deb's work will include making bricks, laying the foundation, and laying pipes for a reconciliation center. The Meeting approved a contribution of $1000.00 and a Minute of Travel to take with her.

We can fund both of these items off budget, in other words, not from any particular fund.

Fund Raising:

Laurie, Nancy, and Bruce volunteered to serve on a committee to plan a fund raiser for next year.

Recorder's report for 2007

Laurie Worth gave the recorder's report for 2007:

• During 2007 our total membership was increased by 7. We had one release and one transfer in from another Meeting. We have 128 members aged 21 and older and we have 40 members under the age of 21.
• Our total membership is 168 as of 12/31/07
• Additions: Cheryl and Elson Oshman-Blunt, Sara, Michael and James Duffy, Rose Alkin, Paul Spiegel
• Deaths 0
• Releases 1 (Carrie Foreman)
• Transfers: 0

We ended with a brief moment of worship.

Respectfully,

Margaret Haviland
Recording Clerk