Minutes - June 9, 2009
A second meeting for the purpose of organizing an association of retired Hamden firefighters was called to order by Asst. Chairman Bob Viglione at 7:10 p.m. at the Liberty Community Church, 540 Washington Avenue, North Haven on Tuesday, June 9, 2009. 19 retirees attended.
Secretary pro-tem Dave Johnson reported on the following:
Minutes of the first meeting were sent to all retirees in our address database as of May 11th (updated since). The retirees present noted no omissions or corrections to the minutes.
Out of 101 letters sent, three were returned because the retirees had moved. And no mailing addresses were available for Mike DeStefano and Henry Puciato. Confidentiality issues prevent the Town from providing the needed addresses. We will try to get the addresses through Local 2687.
E-mails since the last meeting were received and read from Bob Slater, Paul Reutenauer, and Warren Blake. They all praised the idea of a retirees’ association (copies of these emails to be kept with these minutes). Warren recently observed the 30th anniversary of his retirement. Dave also reported that Joe McDermott called him on May 23rd to express his support for the association.
John O’Hare reported that he visited Sal “Cookie” Ferraro recently. Cookie is 94 and no longer drives, but he frequently visits the senior center at Mt. Sacred Heart with the help of friends. (6-10-09 - NOTE: John O’Hare called me the day following the meeting and reported that the Personnel Office confirmed that Burt Hillocks is living in Vero Beach, Florida. Also, Sid Trower is living in Branford. - DGJ)
(NOTE: Corrected as of 12/10/09 – As of the June 9, 2009 meeting, the last surviving WWII veterans were Warren Blake, Sal Ferraro, Burt Hillocks, Jack Laffin, Richard Lostritto, Joe McDermott, Hugh McLean, Sid Trower, and Gerry Wolf - DGJ)
Dave received approval from the retirees present to establish an association website. The website will keep the retirees informed on events. It will eventually allow retirees to contribute photos, videos, and stories relating to their experiences on the Hamden Fire Department. It is hoped that retirees will contribute scans of their own personal fire department photos and recollections. There are a lot of good stories out there. For those who do not use the Internet, a periodic newsletter with photos and stories from the website may be an option.
Chick Manware reported that a few years ago he and Ralph Dievert established an emergency fund account at the credit union to aid retired firefighters in need. He said the account is still active and suggested that it be incorporated into the association’s treasury once we become an established organization with the proper tax exemptions. He will talk to Ralph. If those funds are transferred to the association, they will be kept separate and will be used exclusively for the purposes for which they were originally intended.
The response to the proposed retirees’ association has been extremely positive. However, a couple of retirees present reported that a few other retirees had privately expressed tentative opposition. (NOTE: No objections or negative feedback have been received thus far, either from retirees present at meetings or in e-mails or phone calls.) A discussion followed, and several retirees suggested that there might be some misunderstanding about exactly what the organizers of the proposed retirees’ association are hoping to accomplish.
The organizers – the signers of the April 7th letter – want to establish an association for those Hamden Fire Department retirees who are interested in staying connected socially and fraternally. The organizers do not want the association to become a political instrument or involve itself in any political matters – and a tax-exempt status would probably prohibit that anyway. But if questions arise about the health of the Retirement Plan or other retirement benefits, as happened recently, the retirees’ association would be a positive mechanism for keeping all retirees informed.
Dave reiterated that an additional goal of the association would be to establish a secure permanent repository for photos, videos, articles and memorabilia relating to the history of the Hamden Fire Department that would be available to all members.
Ralph Purificato suggested that we should adopt a mission statement to avoid any further misunderstanding about the intended purpose of the association. He reported that the West Haven firefighters from the three separate West Haven departments have established a single retirees’ organization. They have a website. Perhaps we could investigate what they and other fire department retirees have done to remain connected.
Chairman Mark Barletta appointed Ralph to chair a committee to propose a mission statement for the association and report at the next meeting. Carl Backus, Mark Barletta, Dave Johnson and Gil Spencer volunteered to be on the committee. Suggestions or comments are welcome from all retirees:
Ralph Purificato – 269-4147 ralph@libertycommunity.com
Carl Backus – 265-3876 cmbackus@snet.net
Mark Barletta – 203-248-8476 rocketboy1953@yahoo.com
Dave Johnson – 203-288-2214 HFDBadge102@aol.com
Gil Spencer – 203-248-1728 Spencer.Gilbert97@sbcglobal.net
Postage, printing, labels and envelopes for every mailing cost about $50. To save money, Dave suggested that after this mailing we should use e-mail to communicate with the retirees who have e-mail capabilities, and use the US mail for those who do not. There were no objections.
Retirees who attended either meeting, or who sent comments by e-mail or phone, will continue to receive minutes and other correspondence. Any retirees we have not heard from as yet will receive a pre-printed return postcard with these minutes. Those who return the postcard indicating that they want to be kept informed will receive future correspondence. Those who do not receive e-mail will receive hard copies by mail.
Rich Maybury suggested that those present “pass the hat” to provide some seed money for postage and other necessities to get the association started. $103 was collected for the purpose of reimbursing for postage and related expenses.
Chick Manware was appointed Treasurer pro-tem. He will keep an accounting of all monies received and expenses paid.
In accordance with the vote at the May 11th meeting, we will not meet again until after Labor Day. After a brief discussion, those present voted to hold the next meeting on Tuesday, September 22nd at 7 p.m. at the Liberty Community Church, 540 Washington Avenue, in North Haven.
A unanimous vote of thanks was given to Ralph Purificato for hosting the meeting once again. As we discussed at the May meeting, we will take advantage of Brian Forsyth’s offer of the Elk’s Hall as an additional meeting location once we have established the association.
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 8:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
David G. Johnson
Secretary Pro-tem
Present: Carl Backus, Ed Badamo, Dennis Baker, Mark Barletta, Frank Critchett, Tom Doherty, Ed Doiron, Dave Johnson, Jim Leddy, Harold Mangler, Fred Manware, Richard Maybury, John O’Hare, Ralph Purificato, Joe Rahl, John Reynolds, Gilbert Spencer, Bob Viglione and Austin Williams.
|