Culture and Arts Committee

Brewer Arts and Culture Committee 10/21/2024 - Meeting Minutes Call to Order: 6:00 PM List of persons present: Eric Glidden, Susan Xirinachs, Edner Pelkey-Fago, Ann Colson, Tammy Lund, Steven Wong, Ashlie Beals, Vincent Migliore, Kathleen Kramer, Soubanh Phanthay, and Joy Sinclair. Nominations of Chair – Tammy Lund The motion to nominate came from Susan Xirinachs. It was seconded by Steve Wong. All were in favor, with none opposed and no abstentions. Nominations of Vice Chair – Ashlie Beals The motion to nominate came from Ednar Pelkey-Fago. It was seconded by Susan Xirinachs. All were in favor, with none opposed and no abstentions. Nominations of Secretary – Joy Sinclair The motion to nominate came from Susan Xirinachs. It was seconded by Ashlie Beals. All were in favor, with none opposed and no abstentions. Joy Sinclair made a motion to accept the meeting minutes of the September 12th meeting. It was seconded by Ashlie Beals. All were in favor, with none opposed and no abstentions. The meeting agenda was set for the rest of 2024. Meetings will be as follows: Monday, October 21 at 6 p.m. Monday, November 18 at 6 p.m. Monday December 16 at 6 p.m. The motion to accept all was made by Edner Pelkey-Fago. It was seconded by Ashlie Beals. All were in favor, with none opposed and no abstentions. The meeting agenda was set for 2025, with the following change: Monday, January 20 was proposed to be moved to the 27th, due to holiday. The motion to move the date was made by Ashlie Beals. It was seconded by Tammy Lunn. All were in favor, with none opposed and no abstentions. The other dates had already been changed to avoid holidays. Dates for 2025 meetings are as follows: Monday, January 27 at 6 p.m. Monday, February 24 at 6 p.m. Monday, March 17 at 6 p.m. Monday, April 28 at 6 p.m. Monday, May 19 at 6 p.m. Monday, June 16 at 6 p.m. Monday, July 21 at 6 p.m. Monday, August 18 at 6 p.m. Monday, September 15 at 6 p.m. Monday, October 20 at 6 p.m. Monday, November 17 at 6 p.m. Monday, December 15 at 6 p.m. The motion to accept all was made by Joy Sinclair. It was seconded by Steven Wong. All were in favor, with none opposed and no abstentions. Discussion was raised about proposing changes to the Bylaws of the Committee. A subcommittee of Edner Pelkey-Fago1, Tammy Lunn, and Joy Sinclair was created to review the bylaws. Joy will upload the proposed edits to Google Drive for presentation to the Committee for approval at the next meeting. There was discussion of adding businesses outside of Brewer to the Wreaths Across America fundraiser. Specifically, Tammy Lunn suggested approaching businesses that she has connections with to ask, and the group agreed that as long as the businesses are aware that the wreaths will be laid in Brewer, we are amenable. Susan Xirinachs informed us that the Director of Parks and Rec will meet folks on Friday, November 8 at the Brewer Auditorium to put stakes in the graves that will have wreaths laid on them. The committee discussed the amount of volunteers that will be there, and agreed that we would send a reminder out before the date. Susan stated that the committee is contacting all Scouts groups to help lay wreaths on service members’ graves on Saturday, December 14 after the ceremony. Students at the Brewer Community School will be creating essays, poetry, and possibly skits for the event. There will be prizes for the top three entries. The Brewer Garden Club is donating $90 for one winning group, and we are attempting to take donations for the remaining $180 for the other two winners ($90 each). The JROTC and Color Guard have been contacted to present at the ceremony, along with a Chaplain and the Maine Troop Greeters. There was discussion of media and press releases. The three large, local stations have been contacted and are interested in doing stories. Wreaths Across America sent their standard press release to the City Manager’s office, and Joy Sinclair asked to view that. She also suggested putting out two releases; one announcing that Brewer is a ceremony location, and another reminding folks of the event on December 14 with a more detailed schedule of events, to include a media request. She mentioned the importance of following up on press releases. Edner Pelkey-Fago also relayed that she has experience in handling media and would be willing to be involved. Discussion about the holiday tree lighting was brought up. A suggestion was made to have the oldest Brewer resident light the tree. Acting City Manager Eric Glidden suggested that this could be tricky due to privacy and that the Comittee should create a working group for the event. The committee chose to table the event discussion to promote a name that ensured inclusivity. A subcommittee was formed for this event that consists of Ann Colson, Kathleen Kramer, Steven 1 Edner withdrew from the subcommittee due to time restraints Wong, Tammy Lunn, and Soubanh Phanthay - four total Committee members and one City Council Liaison. A motion was made by Joy Sinclair to adjourn the meeting. Ashlie Page seconded the motion, and all agreed, with no abstentions and none opposed.