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BYM Camp Shiloh Pond Project Discernment

At the June Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business, Friends asked Trustees to review a proposal from Baltimore Yearly Meeting that our Meeting contribute $5,000 in capital support to install a swimming pond at Shiloh Quaker Camp and report back to the July Meeting for Business with a recommendation.
 
Mark Haskell, one of FMW's representatives to the BYM Camp Committee, spoke of the importance of this request, as a long-held dream for improving Shiloh.  Elise Storck spoke of the spiritual, educational, and family value of Shiloh and the other camps, and the ways that a pond would add to this value.  Bob Meehan noted, and Jim Bell confirmed, that the recent reduction of the FMW annual operational apportionment to BYM is greater than this capital request.  Loie Clark presented a balance sheet prepared by Laurie Wilner (see page 5 of the budget presentation) indicating that the Meeting has the capacity to make such a contribution if the Trustees determine that it is in the Meeting's interest.
 
Robinne Gray sent us a basic fact sheet about the proposal, along with replies to some questions about this request.  Also linked here is the engineering study that was done for this project.
 
Riley Robinson, General Secretary of BYM, reports that BYM expects the installation of the pond to lower the net carrying costs that BYM pays for this property, and to increase the value of Shiloh as a vital place for serving and strengthening our regional community of Friends.
 
The FMW Trustees are currently reviewing this request and considering a recommendation to bring back to the July Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business.                                  

 

Renovation Discernment

In 2002, the Faith, Facilities and Financial Realities task force examined issues surrounding maintenance and possible renovations at our campus. An enormous amount of work, research, discussion, and seeking followed. With broad unity proving to be elusive, in 2008, the Meeting for Business approved the Property Committee’s tightly focused proposal that it and the Planning Committee engage architects to develop plans for an elevator and new entrance, items on which there was unity.

Shortly thereafter, the Planning Committee was formally recognized and charged with pursuing technical renovation issues and drawing together the threads of a possibly emerging consensus about a comprehensive renovation.

An extensive review process, involving the Committee, many members of the Meeting, and the firm of Quinn Evans Architects resulted in a set of recommendations that were presented to the Meeting Community for review and comment in March of 2010.

The Planning Committee revised it's recommendations to take into account comments and input that it has received, and in October 2010 the committee acquired new members and a new name.  As the Capital Improvements Task Force, the committee will continue to work with other committees and the Meeting Community to resolve differences on several important issues and find consensus on the outlines off a plan for construction of an elevator and other high-priority capital improvements that will be the focus of a major fund-raising capital campaign.

The following documents are provided to assist Friends in reviewing and familiarizing themselves with the history and background of the Meetings discernment around renovation issues.  Friends who anticipate being present for the anticipated worship sharing around these issues are encouraged to review these documents as time perrmits.

In particular, note the nine-year compilation of minutes and related documents, drawn from Meeting newsletters and assembled and edited by Marcia Reecer, Sabrina McCarthy, David Etheridge, and Sara Satterthwaite.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clerk's Letter

Friends who attend our monthly Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business are encouraged to consider the Clerk's letter concerning the spirit and conduct of our business meetings.