MARKWICK GARDENS COMMITTEE
Meeting held on Monday 21
April 2008
At 33 Brittany Road, St
Leonards on Sea
Present:
Ken,
Lesley, Kay, Denise, Theresa, Christine, Helen, Dulcie, Digger, Monique
Apologies:
Apologies
were received from Steve.
Minutes
of the Last Meeting:
The
minutes of the last meeting were circulated and approved.
Matters
Arising:
Maintenance: The Committee had enquired about the
possibility of putting up Dog Warning Notices in the gardens, like the ones in
Alexandra Park. However, these notices refer to penalties imposed by failure to
follow byelaws and these were not felt to be appropriate for the Gardens.
However, the Committee agreed that a notice should be drafted on the Garden’s
rules for dog control. Two more lockable notice boards are being made to be
placed in the Gardens.
Correspondence:
One
family had written to resign from the Gardens following the rise in membership
fees.
Finance:
There
is currently £2737.00 in the main account and £1353.30 in the savings account. The Jumble Sale made £50, the Barn Dance
£115 and the Coffee Morning £53.80. There are some small bills due to be paid
but nothing major. There will be some advertising costs for the Dog Show.
Membership:
Membership
currently stands at 154 members and a Newsletter has gone out to let people
know that the 2008 membership fee is due and the new amount. Members who had already paid the lower rate for this year have been asked
to pay the additional amount.
Maintenance:
Ø The Committee agreed that a priority
must be to devise a plan for the Gardens and it was agreed that the Chairman
would arrange a special meeting of those most closely involved.
Ø The Committee heard that
both the Sheds need to be tidied and have shelves and brackets fitted to take
the tools and other garden equipment currently available. The Committee agreed to buy brackets and
clips as appropriate for a sum not to exceed £60.00. It was decided that a property book should be started in order to
list all donated and purchased equipment and this would be audited on a six
monthly basis.
Ø On Tuesday 24 April the
Gardening group would be putting new top soil onto the rose beds.
Ø The felling of the holm oak
near the cottage was discussed and it was agreed to contact the tree surgeon
who gave the last quote to find out what the cost would be if the tree was
professionally felled but volunteers cleared the wood.
Ø It was reported that Members
had commented on a big hole filled with water near the wall. The Committee heard that the plan was to put
two willow trees there once the other tree had been felled. It was agreed that the hole should be
temporarily filled with rubble whilst the felling was sorted.
Ø The Committee heard that
there was a lot of garden debris to be burned.
It was agreed that this should be burned when the conditions were
favourable.
Ø It was agreed to purchase 2
small fire extinguishers – one for each shed – for a sum not to exceed £50.00.
Railings/Fences/Gates:
Ø
At
the AGM Ruth Downer had passed on the Fencing Fund monies of £800 to Ken. The Committee agreed that this should be
spent on fencing as soon as possible in order to show the Membership that this
money was being used appropriately. The
Committee agreed that a priority would be to fence the length of garden along Dane
Road.
Ø
The
Committee heard that the gates would be serviced towards the end of May and the
keypad number would be changed at that time.
A newsletter would go out before this to notify the membership of the
pending change of number. This would
serve as a reminder to those who had not yet paid their membership fees.
Fundraising
Events:
Dog
Show, Markwick Gardens - 18 May 2008
Posters advertising the Show have been distributed and the Show will be advertised in the Friday Ad for two weeks beforehand. Other ways of advertising the Show were discussed.
Summer
Fair, Markwick Gardens – 29 June 2008 (**note change of date!!)
The Committee heard that St Leonards Gardens are to be officially opened on Saturday 21 June and it was felt that this would have a negative impact on the Summer Fair if it remained on the 22 June. Therefore, it was agreed that the event would be moved to the 29 June.
Summer Musical Event – Sunday 3 August 2008(provisional)
It is intended to put on another event with the same format as last year during August and the 3 August was suggested as a possible date. This would be confirmed as soon as possible and advertised to members.
Other fund raising ideas were discussed such as a Quiz, a wine tasting evening, a beetle drive, and an evaluation of antiques event. All of these were considered to be good ideas and it was felt they were more Autumnal events which would be discussed in more detail at subsequent meetings.
Any
Other Business:
The Committee considered having a white line painted across the road in front of the main gates, so that vehicle access to the Gardens would be easier when events took place.
The
Meeting ended at 9.50pm. The next meeting
will take place on Monday 12 May 2008, at 8.00pm and will be held at 33
Brittany Road.