The Ferrum Forward Committee held its monthly meeting at the Blue Ridge Institute and Museum on Tues. Sept. 9 with an agenda full of business.

Chair Burton White noted the meeting to be a significant one, as it would set the quorum for the following year, as well as the leadership team until next August.

“We’ll call the meeting to order,” Burton announced promptly at 6 p.m. “We have a lot to accomplish.”

Flo Brown started the meeting with a guest presentation promoting the aging services and resources in Franklin County. Brown is an aging specialist at the Essig Center and a board member of the Phoebe Needles Center.

“What is aging?” Brown rhetorically asked. “A lot of people ask. The office of aging services serves people ages 50 and over.”

The Essig Center hosts a variety of events for seniors through Franklin County Parks and Recreation, such as pickleball, adaptive fitness, and art, as well as providing transportation for members of the community those 60 and older.

“One big thing we have coming up is our Senior Expo,” Brown offered. “It’s a huge event. We had over 600 people attend last year, and there was a food truck, music, and vendors. We had a lot of people say that it felt like trick-or-treating for seniors.”

The approval of the treasurer’s report and minutes quickly followed, with a series of “ayes” ringing across the room, and the committee decided to allocate two-thirds of the funds raised by Ferrum Forward to the Friends of Ferrum Park. 

Previously, the funds were split evenly between the two groups, due to the overlapping membership of the two groups. However, many members expressed concerns about the more pressing needs of Ferrum Park.

Vice Chair Bob Pohlad noted that the move would provide structure to the divide of monetary profit between the organizations while also allowing Ferrum Forward to independently donate to Friends of Ferrum Park as necessary.

“It doesn’t mean that we can’t donate money to the park independently,” Pohlad suggested. “If it is a joint fundraiser, then we will split ⅓-⅔. If it’s not, we can announce our donation.”

Satisfied by the solution, College and Community relations Chair Tina Hanlon and Business and Beautification Chair Katrina Harrison made a series of announcements before the meeting continued into new business: elections and the setting of the quorum.

With 16 members in attendance, the quorum was smoothly set at nine. The elections started similarly, with White keeping his position as chair, Harrison taking the role of vice chair, Melissa Anderson returning as the treasurer, and Renata Wleklinski Preston stepping in as the new secretary.

Quickly after, however, a voice of concern spoke out across the room:

“Why were elections not advertised to the public before this weekend? Why wasn’t it months in advance that the community was aware that they could potentially gotten involved with this group?”

Questions and concerns began to arise about the timeliness and spread of information, as well as the effectiveness of the group’s recent efforts to increase membership and involvement.

Secretary Susan Selvage sought suggestions from the attendees. 

“How else could we get it all out there?” she asked.  “We have emails, and we have Facebook. Is there something else that we could be doing?”

White proposed that a member could fulfill the role as membership chair, a voided position for some time. However, contention still reigned throughout the meeting.

Inclusion, communication, resources, and participation became an extended part of the conversation, which will be continued in a future, small-group meeting.

“All of you guys have had great things to add to the conversation tonight,” White addressed, “and I personally would like to have a smaller meeting to help us all move in a forward direction.”

The committee concluded the meeting at 8:20 p.m.,  with the decision to postpone the final four elections and steering committee assignments, hoping to advertise, attract attendance, and increase involvement as Ferrum Forward moves forward.

Ferrum Forward is a local community action group in the Village with the goal of enhancing the community by bridging the gap between residents, businesses, and the college. The next meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Oct. 13 at the Blue Ridge Institute.