Attendance: Gerry Mullaney, Doris Roberts, Dawn Brown, Phil Foust, Jennifer Haggerty, Don Clark (C&S Engineers), Mollie Shook, Andrew Higgs
Officers: Denise Roberts Wright, President; Liz Rooney Ryan, Treasurer
Administration: Joseph Kardash, Superintendent, Meghan Lakkas, financial director
Meeting was called to order at 6:34 pm.
The meeting was opened by Denise Wright who introduced Meghan Lakkas, the financial director of the school district. She began a presentation about the school’s Capital Project. A $28.8 million project subject to voter approval on December 10 noon-9pm. The presentation began with a video which showed the damage to the exterior walls and roof due to water infiltration. The engineers and construction specialists answered questions about the construction process which will begin in Spring 2026 and run through Fall 2027.
After the presentation the Alumni Association meeting continued with their regular agenda.
Items discussed:
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Minutes from the November meeting were reviewed. Mollie Shook made a motion to accept the minutes. Dawn Brown seconded the motion. Motion was approved.
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Treasurer’s Report:
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The beginning balance for November was $27,257.81. The monthly expenditures were:
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VP-Senior Breakfast Reimbursement $41.44
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Drama Advertisement $50.00
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PTA Holiday Food Drive $91.37
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USPS for Annual Fund Membership Drive $147.65
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Ending balance for November was $26, 927.35
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TD Bank Account: as of 10/31/24 we had $68,317.42. The school’s accountant left and a new accountant was hired last week so we have no new statement to report. Meghan Lakkas will have the new accountant mail us a new statement.
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On-line store has had no movement.
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No new members were reported
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Quickbooks: Liz reported that her wife has received a new position in Washington DC and will be moving. Her last day as treasurer will be Feb. 28. Our transition plan will be to have Tracey Stock become treasurer. Liz and Tracey will be working together to implement Quickbooks with the financial records. Official letters of resignation will be handled in January. Because of this move, a new Vice President will be needed to finish the term. Interested individuals can contact Denise.
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Enrichment grant: Denise talked with Meghan Lakkas and Liz emailed her to have money taken from the account for the grant.
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Correspondences:
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Tracy Foust gave Denise two of the graduation gown packets.
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Tracey Stock emailed Denise her Vice President’s report:
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The revised Constitution and Bylaws documents were submitted to the NYS Charities Bureau on November 24th. I updated the list of officers as well, which now includes all current officers - President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Ex-officio Advisors, Webmaster/Database Administrator, and Historian. There was no fee for the amendments that were made and they will contact me if their review of the submission needs further information. The officer information will need to be modified each time an officer changes.
Veterans Monuments - I haven't heard from Taylor's Monuments on a completion date for the plaque or stone. I'll contact them next week to get an update and to get an estimate for the concrete base possibly being done by them. It's too late now for pouring concrete so it will not be able to be done until Spring.
Solar lights - I'll be doing research in January to see if there's any type of light that can be attached to the pole that won't interfere with the raising/lowering of the flag without it being placed too low or needing to be removed.
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President’s Report: Denise has been communicating with the crafters and advisor Andrew Higgs over the craft fair. She has also assembled the information received about various high school alumni association websites in preparation for updating the alumni website in the future.
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Superintendent’s report: Mr. Kardash thanked the association for hosting the presentation tonight and said he appreciates all of the work the alumni association does for the school.
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Auditorium Enhancement Initiative: Andrew Higgs, thanked the alumni association for all of the support provided for the Fall production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. It was the most successful play in eight years with almost 400 attendees. He answered questions about the proposal. One question was about installation-Andrew will be working with Mark Halsey who works for the East Greenbush School District in setting up the sound and lighting equipment. The target date will be to have the enhancements completed for the Spring Musical. Mr. Halsey will be donating his time to help install the equipment.
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December fund member drive: Letters have been mailed out and a letter was emailed to Hall of Fame members. An email will go out to all active members as a reminder in January. A membership form has also been placed on Facebook. At this point 28 have been returned with donations. No envelopes were returned with incorrect addresses at this point.
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Craft Fair: We already have 16 crafters from last year signed up. The application will be publicized in mid-December for more crafters.
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Hall of Fame: Applications will be publicized mid-December. There are three applications in the works presently. We hope to hold a basket raffle at the dinner. Members are asked to create a basket for the dinner.
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Board of Education update in January: Denise, Dawn, and Mollie will attend the Jan. 15, 6 pm meeting to provide an update to the Board.
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Apparel Sale: Denise contacted Wicked Smart Apparel about getting baseball caps. There were several hats to choose from but there is a $25 charge to set up the embroidered logo. Doris Roberts made the motion to pay the $25 fee, Mollie Shook seconded the motion. Motion was approved. Denise will contact Wicked Smart to start the process of starting a hat order.
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Other Business:
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David Mink contacted the PTA about creating a memory brick walkway. He gave samples to Mr. Kardash. This could be a potential addition to the veterans project but will need further investigation.
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Andrew Higgs wanted to mention that the Juniors and seniors are selling Ram fleece blankets for $30 and headbands for $5. If any alumni are interested they can contact Shannon Lang or Andrew Higgs at school.
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Motion to adjourn by Dawn Brown, seconded by Phil Foust. Motion was approved. Meeting adjourned at 7:58pm
Respectfully submitted
Denise Roberts Wright
President/Acting Secretary