President, Dave
Pasqualicchio Report:
Pumpkins, pumpkins,
pumpkins! Personally, I love pumpkins and Halloween.
It is a great time of the year to get out and volunteer
in your community. I’m very pleased the FVA pumpkin
squad is on the march. This year’s Bristol Pumpkin
Festival committee, could have very easily folded up and
sit back with lack of funding; a great excuse to be
complacent. That is why we are FVA. This is why we are
respected throughout the town and a great influence for
all groups to be the best. Good work brings much
respect.
This Pumpkin Festival
could become a huge event; a great way to promote our
little town of Forestville. FVA is trying to raise the
necessary funds to put on the festival, with the price
tag at $3000.00. FVA will accept all donations.
It is rewarding to see
most neighbors, keeping their property nice. Forestville
truly looks great. Get out and do little things to your
home or business. People watch, people notice. It is all
part of revitalization and beautification. FVA is
separate from the rest.
I am very pleased with
the quick response, from Mayor Art Ward and city
officials, Guy Morin and TJ Decrisantis, for the quick
response to the closing of Stephanie’s Bar, due to the
bad activity and lack of a Certificate of Occupancy.
This is not what we want in Forestville, but rumor has
it, they will reopen soon.
City Village Report:
·
Kate
Matthews,
quietly with emotion, thanked membership for the flowers
and the support she received, during her mourning of her
Mother, Mary Ann Lupa.
·
Kate
stated that the Renaissance development offices
officially opened on September 21. They are located at
the first floor of City Hall. All members of the public
are welcome to see what Renaissance has to offer.
Renaissance will be holding a number of workshops
locally to hear from Bristol
residents about what they want to see downtown. The
staff at the Renaissance office can give you any
information that you are interested in. Questions were
asked about the goals of the Renaissance development
project. Kate said that she believes that the
development project will improve the quality of life of
Bristol residents, and give our City a
competitive advantage
over our neighbors, which will help Bristol attract
tax-paying homeowners to the City.
·
Tom
Dickau Updates:
There will be no pumpkin chucking at the upcoming
Pumpkin festival, but the committee has met and plans
are underway for a wonderful community event.
Volunteers needed for the Mum Festival craft fair, have
been found for Saturday and Sunday Septemeber25th and
26th. FVA will be selling t-shirts, Christmas
ornaments, FVA membership, bricks for Quinlan and
Central Square and the slices of a turkey shoot target.
We will also be handing out Pumpkin Festival information
at this Memorial Boulevard event. Also, FVA will
advertise the Pumpkin Festival, with a float in the Mum
Festival Parade. FVA Vice President, Rick Leach
volunteered his truck and time for the event.
More information will
follow about a dance being planned this fall as part of
the 225 Bristol Celebrations.
Ø
The
Bristol Historical Society quilt raffle will be held
September 16th. The tickets sold for $2.00
each.
2010 Christmas Ornament
depicts the old Forestville fire house/town hall on one
side and the present firehouse on the other. Preliminary
print looks phenomenal.
·
Tom Kenyon,
a long time member of the Forestville Village
Association, purchased and donated a 10x10
canopy with sides. It is well made, sturdy and will
protect us from the elements; exactly what FVA needs
for all our events. Thank you, Tom!!
·
There is
a rumor of concern to residents; the Forestville Post
Office will eventually be closed by
Postmaster. Should FVA
talk or write to postal officials or what approach, if
any, should FVA take as a concerned community? We love
our post office and need to find out the validity of
this rumor, before it is too late. Any thoughts; please
come forward and voice your opinions and ideas.
·
Leo
Bonola had nothing to say at this meeting, so Dave will
credit him 2 extra minutes, next monthJ.
With that said, Leo’s
monthly membership drawing was unbelievable!! Again,
the third month in a row, Ed Dubois had his
number drawn. FVA monthly drawing was for a raffle
ticket, for a 2010 Harley Davidson Fat Boy raffle,
sponsored by the Carousel Museum. Will Ed win the
Harley? Probably, he wins everything else.
Treasurers Report:
no report, but the balance in the Park account is
$35,489.46
Membership:
27 residential and 11
business members have not renewed their membership for
2010.
We are still receiving
2010 dues……..never too late to pay dues!
FVA has a total of 186
members; 142 residents and 44 businesses.
We welcome 33 new members
this year, which includes 27 residents and 6 businesses.
Thank you to those
members who have made monetary donations, above and
beyond the membership dues. Your generosity helps to
keep our village beautiful and our organization
vibrant.
Beautification:
***Is there anyone
interested in cleaning up the “Welcome to
Forestville” gateway sign area? The beds need
refreshing; shrubs need pruning and mums to be planted.
This FVA inaugural project is in need of attention
seasonally. Who will volunteer for this upkeep
project, only 4 times a year?
***Art Ward has great
news for FVA and the Community. Periodically, five or
six man crews will be contracted by the city to pick up
litter, cleaning up Bristol’s inner city.
***If you know of problem
areas, children looking for community service hours, or
you are interested in an area to pick up, while
strolling along, let Dave know! Take a good look
around your property. Maintenance goes a long way in
promoting our image. Keep up the good work!!
Fundraising:
Thank you, Patti
Woolverton and Diana Mikulak for planning the Rock
Cat Baseball game. Supporting community and
organizational events is very important and it’s always
good to maintain good relationships with our
neighbors. Profit, $72.00
Casino Bus Trip:
Tom Massarelli is putting the final package
together with Stagecoach Tours, for a casino bus trip,
with approximate departure 1or 2pm, on January 8, 2011.
The cost will be $30.00, and in return you get $15.00
food voucher and $15.00 for gambling. Sign up at
Nuchie’s has begun, with a deadline of December 1, 2010.
You will not want to miss this FVA outing. It will be
great fun!
Central Square, Brick
Sales, phase #3:
Please, consider a memorial tribute or a commemorative
event for your brick in Forestville. The cost is
$75.00 to be forever etched in the village.
November Turkey Shoot
2010:
This year, the winner of each target will receive a
$15.00 gift card to Gnazzo’s in Plainville. The target
has 25 spaces, selling for $1.00 each space, an easy
sell! Please, take a target, sell the spaces for
$1.00 each, or buy the entire target yourself (as some
members do) and be an automatic winner. Think about it;
target included in newsletter for you convenience.
Marsha Lockhart
mmtldml@sbcglobal.net or 860-582-6245 is your
contact. The deadline for this fall season fundraiser
is the November 17th meeting, when darts are
shot at the target. Targets must be returned by the
November 17th meeting.
The 2010 Christmas
Ornament
with the past and present fire house on it is 7th
in our series; believe it? Wow, Forestville!
They should be available after Columbus Day and will
sell for $10.00 each. The previous 6 ornaments are
always available at Nuchie’s. Collectors welcome.
Get into the fall spirit
and be involved in Forestville Village Association. It
will provide a sense of community, accomplishment and
you will have some fun along the way. Be a productive
citizen.
All are welcome!
Quinlan Veterans Park:
Our
very aggressive plan for Quinlan Park is pretty much,
ready to roll. Being an expensive project, we need a
capital campaign. Dave suggested placing a thermometer
in the park, for all to see the fundraising progress.
It will serve as a starting point for park fundraising
and bring the public awareness, to get this project
going.
Betty Boukus suggested
FVA sending her the plan, with a letter, to see if there
is State Funds and/or grants available to help fund the
Quinlan project.
Correspondence report
with Maryellen Holden:
·
Received
a thank you from United Way Agency for participating in
“Adopt a Child”, a back to school supply program. Over
500 students were adopted, saying a lot for the Bristol
Community.
·
Received
a thank you from Kate Matthews for the flowers and
support she received for her Mom’s passing. Mary Ann
Lupa will be missed.
·
Congratulations to Mary Rydingsward, for recent election
to Democratic Registrar of Voters.
·
Tom
Dickau mentioned recognition of FVA member John Lasnier,
Historical Society WWII liaison, for his service to his
country and the community of Bristol.
New Business:
·
Terry
Parker brought up an interesting question. Will the name
of the new middle school remain Greene - Hills? Tom
thinks it should due to the fact it was named after
Forestville teachers, Miss Green and Miss Hill.
Maryellen will address the question to the Board of ED.
·
Questions were raised on the status of the Forestville
Little League. Maryellen stated, the
City and the Board of Education are helping the league
with their field situation.
·
Former
Mayer, Bill Stortz, suggested each member email five
friends to notify them of FVA events as they approach.
Great idea! Please keep this in mind.
·
Support
the Bristol Carousel Museum by purchasing a Fat Boy
Raffle ticket for $20.00.
·
The
Forestville Carol Sing has been scheduled for Monday,
December 13th
****************************************************************************************
****Join us in “The Village” to continue this local
fall tradition****
*The Bristol Pumpkin
Festival 2010 * Saturday, October 16th
*Central Square Forestville* 5-7:30PM
Games, activities,
costume parades, pet parade, scarecrow contest, pumpkin
lighting and more!
·
Illumination begins at dusk
·
Pumpkin
drop off 2:30 - 4:30 pm…….. Judging to be held after
lighting
·
Costume
Parade Assembly beginning at 5:00 pm at Forestville’s
Manross Library
·
Pet
Parade Assembly behind Sharon’s K9 Barkery
All Events
are FREE and open to the public through the
generosity of The Greater Bristol Chamber of Commerce,
The Kiwanis Club of Bristol, TD Bank, The Friends of the
Bristol Public Library and the Bristol Auto Club.
*Scarecrow contest*-
1st prize $50 - 2nd prize 25.00 - 3rd
prize $25.00 - Judging 5pm at Pumpkin Festival*
·
Scarecrows must be mounted on single stake no more than
8 ft. high and placed in designated area
·
Dropped
off by 3pm and removed from Central Square by Nov.3
·
Participant card with name and phone number folded, in
plastic bag hidden on scarecrow
·
For
more information or to register your scarecrow contact,
Joan Trafford 860-589-0624
PLEASE
BRING A NON-PERISHABLE FOOD ITEM
FOR
“Halloween
against Hunger”
Thank you Nuchie’s for
the appetizers and Marsha for the baked goods; meeting
attendees always enjoy a treat.
Next FVA Meeting will
be held Oct 13, 2010 at Nuchie’s