001All right. So, um the first order of business is the Pledge of Allegiance. So, um I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God. Indivisible. >> And And to the >> [laughter] >> with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. I forgot that. I usually have the script. >> [laughter] >> I, um don't think we have a very full agenda tonight. Do we have anyone in the waiting room that wanted to uh talk to us today? Uh there are no members of the public in attendance. Okay. So, with that we'll move on. Um do we have a motion to um accept the minutes? Has everyone had a chance to read the minutes from our last meeting and can I get
002a motion to accept? I've read them. Motion. I make the first motion. And we need a second. I'll second. Since there's only three of us. >> [laughter] >> Perfect. Thank you. Um anyone opposed to accepting them? All right. The motion to pass the minutes is accepted. Um I don't have the agenda in front of me because my computer decided to reboot right as I logged on as well. So, um the next item I assume is looking at Cheryl's report. Um Cheryl, do you want to give us a quick summary of that report? Sure. >> [clears throat] >> Um let's see here. Well, the things that the town said they were going to look at still need to be looked at. So, there's that. Um the um patrons have um completed the um replacement of lighting
003in the front room and in the classroom as indicated in my report. Um we used grant funds for that. Um looks much better in our opinion. Should come by look. Um we did the first uh phase of painting. Well, the two ceilings on those same rooms are painted and then the um prep for the educational display um to be ins- uh to be installed in the front room, that was uh completed. So, um >> [clears throat] >> moving forward, um we just met with them yesterday. That's um phase one should be we're going to be using more money, more grant money to complete um stage one of that project, which will be a good portion of it. So, the interactive displays with touchable things and lifting things with questions and answers and things like that.
004So, excited about that. Um I get Teaneck is in the five-year capital plan for FY27. Um you know, George said it could be moved along as necessary. It's really just a placeholder um because it needs to be in the plan in order to um receive grants and there's some cer- certain grants. Um Remind me the the 2027 starts in does it start in July of July 1st? Yeah, the state's uh not state but the the state and the town, July 1. July 1. Yeah. Um yeah, so fundraising. Yeah, Teaneck is expected to receive we're allocated another $50,000 in that biennial grant, you know, fingers crossed that that's uh not you know, that's still in place. Um I I listed the things that we would be spending them on. We received $10,000 grant from the Horizon
005Foundation, which we have developed two programs, one for uh mommy and me um program called Nature Together. Um the first one starts it's just limited to eight children and their um and their adult and um we have six enrolled so far. First one starts April 1. There'll be another session we anticipate another more sessions to come as this first one be April 1st. More series. Um the other one is that Nature and Nostalgia which is for more of a memory impaired um audience and um the one um organization that I met with so far, they just loved it. They immediately wanted it right away. So, I'll be meeting with more. We've developed that program. It's um So, anyway, we're happy to go beyond the schools and get all members of our community. Um you can
006[clears throat] see the remaining upper funds that's going to be spent by the end of the year. Um Town Fair Tire, they awarded us $7,500 grant because they are sunsetting their foundation. So, they're not going to be giving funds after this. So, they gave um three years' worth is what happened there. So, cuz they gave $2,500 last year. So, they just gave the same and multiplied it times three. So, it's good and bad news there. Mhm. Um Yes, um so both Henkel and Cash A Lawn asked us to um we applied for a grant. So, that's good. Um yeah, as reported in my I I included my annual report, I think. Mhm. Yeah, well, uh well, I don't know if I did or not, but Well, we saw it at the um Yeah, at the
007at the annual meeting. Oh, I think you must have seen that, but I don't know. I feel if anybody hasn't seen it, I can send it along, but I I know I would put the program flyer in um in my report here. Um so, we uh we reached a record number over 6,300 people last year. Um Nice. But when we have three three new board members, um three trouble residents that we're excited about. Um they um Uh there's a I there's a thread within the patrons that are looking to expand the arts. Um I guess more really visual arts. That's more of what we do. I can't see us doing theater and uh dance and maybe music, but no, you know, uh maybe music in the woods or something, but um anyway, so it would
008be more visual arts. And so, our Earth Day program is coming up on April 18th and you know, I hope everybody could come to that. That's going to be a pretty big um program. Um UI is coming to that with their their new mobile unit on um energy and um that like anyway, like everybody I listed that we have furry scaly friends and Long Island Garden Club also UI table, cookies, crafts. I have Oh, an opening of the little free art gallery or free little art gallery, however you want to say it, um will be happening then and that's the make and take art. Um and I have about 11 students, high school students, helping that day as well. So, giving them an opportunity to uh we're sending a lot of community service forms that
009day. Um Yeah, so Oh, and our business and marketing interns, we're going to be starting that interview process again because our two current ones are graduating. So, What what day are you you doing the art where you're getting That's going to be at Earth Day. On Earth Day. There's a arts celebration. Um make music Oh, it's Make Music Day. Never mind. Okay. >> [laughter] >> It's okay. It's okay. Um yeah, I mean, people can feel free to make tiny little instruments and put them in there, but >> [laughter] >> violin. But you know, I don't know. So, I was it'll we'll have little easels, little easels and little canvases and maybe little clay so they can make sculpture and um they can keep what they want or put in the gallery if they want. If
010they like something, take it. And that'll be ongoing. Yeah. Um >> [cough] >> Thank you for your updates. You guys have been busy. Um It's exciting to see the growth in this program. Thank you. Um are there any questions for Cheryl from anyone else? Okay. Um I was just thinking um when you mentioned new board members, um I have a quick question I don't know the answer to. Um we need to kind of expand the number of commissioners that I think we we have here. We only have three and I'd like to get more. So, I was wondering, do you know what the rules are governing you know, can someone be on your board Cheryl and on our board and on the commission? It was back and forth. There initially was and then during um
011a previous administration, we were told no, but we get different answers depending on who and when we ask. Okay. My I mean, we've had several people reach out to us wanting to volunteer. And they weren't interested in joining the T-Net board, but perhaps I mean, I could and I don't know if they all live in Trumbull, but the Trumbull ones, maybe they'd be interested in joining the commission. Yeah, it would be great to have some some names. So, if any Just keep that in the back of your head. We would like to try to get a couple more um commissioners and I think we're looking for a balance >> [snorts] >> of um living >> a requirement to be a balanced commission politically, right? Um I think that's a great great point, Jack. It's actually
012one that I was going to bring up, too. Um and I'm wondering, too, if if the three of us on this call could put our heads together and think of peers who might be interested in some of the things that we are and if we can give them a tour, give them a little bit of understanding of what we're doing. So, I'd like to see this commission move in a direction that would be more impactful and supportive of of T-Net. So, I will I can email you a couple of the people that live in Trumbull who expressed an interested in volunteering gardening mostly. We mostly get but >> But there's less commitment as it is now on the nature commission, so maybe that would be something that would be interesting. Interest you know, of interest
013to them. Yes. Okay. Yeah, our meetings are pretty short. To the point. >> [laughter] >> Yeah, now they are. I mean, if you want to expand and do more, then there's more commitment. I I think it's really depends on the you know, from my experience of what I've seen depends on the individual. So. Yeah. Yeah. Is um can we endeavor to communicate off you know, online, but like via email so as not to cause another trigger another meeting? Um I I think so. Um No. We can't We can't email? Oh. Sorry. Is somebody answering that question? Yeah. They'll They'll just shake his head, no. Yeah, the it's um it it would be classified as a secret meeting because it's not it's a discussion of business that's handled in private. Oh, okay. Well, I mean, I
014guess we we could have another meeting. Let's say in June. >> [laughter] >> No secret meetings. Thank you for filling us in on that. Crazy vigilantes. >> [laughter] >> Yeah, Cheryl, go ahead and uh Yeah, I I I guess we can't discuss it, but if you send the names and I'll propose maybe having a separate meeting just to talk about that or we can talk about it at our next meeting. You know, maybe I should reach out to them first because I don't want to just give their email, you know. >> Oh, yeah, perfect. Perfect. >> I'll email them first and say that there's an opportunity there. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. And um I would love to support you guys in trying trying to do the fundraising and whatnot. I'm just not quite sure how um
015that you know, overlaps with um being a commissioner, so um I'm definitely we'll we'll do what we can to support you guys, for sure. Okay. Thank you. Um okay, is there any other business in front of us tonight? Wow, super quick meeting. If no one else has anything else they want to bring up or talk about, um then um if there's nothing, can we get a motion then to adjourn? I will motion to adjourn, sir. And a second. Okay. Um we are officially adjourned. Apologies for being a few minutes late and um we'll um we'll meet again um at our regularly scheduled meeting. Thank you. Good to see everybody. Bye. Bye.