March Meeting3/23/2025 The Maplewood Grange #662 general March Meeting was called to order on March 23, 2025 downstairs at 2:10pm by Master/President, Dan Keeley with the “Opening of the Grange” reading.
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. ROLL CALL (Secretary): Members present: 8 (Mandatory – Quorum “7”) Dan Keeley, JoAnn Keeley, Don Sether, Roberta Elders, Betty Chipps, Sandy Shew, Troy Bayless, and newest member, Sharon Boucher. Visitation: none Guest(s): none : Members acting Pro-Temp: Gatekeeper, Don Sether PROPOSALS for MEMBERSHIP (Dan Keeley) – Introduced Bernard Wehage, a SAT. rental. WELCOME CEREMONY (Dan Keeley) – none MINUTES (Secretary, Betty Chipps): February 16, 2025 Grange Meeting Minutes were emailed to members on Sunday, March 23. . Troy Bayless moved to accept the February 16th Minutes as presented, JoAnn Keeley seconded. Master Dan Keeley asked if there was discussion, hearing none, motion carried VSO (Voting Sign of the Order). SECRETARY’S REPORT (Betty Chipps): none COMMUNICATIONS (Betty Chipps, Secretary) – see last page COMMITTEE REPORTS HALL REPORT (Dan Keeley) – 7 party rentals scheduled with a couple others expressing interest. Chaps and Zumba still have long term contracts. HALL PROJECTS - in priority order (Dan Keeley) Yard light Lighting in storage area behind stage Couple of dining room benches getting wobbly Remove old meter base and patch roof Insulate crawl space under bathrooms (1/2 done) Northeast side roof needs additional screws Kitchen counters need refinished Kitchen needs exhaust hood and fan Repainting under eaves of hall Kitchen and dining hall floors need refinished – grant application submitted AGRICULTURE (Dan Keeley) – Federal Department of Agriculture has lost many employees to the current federal budget chaos. Several local research projects benefiting various crops (blueberries, hazelnuts, wheat, etc.) have been shuttered and will be difficult and expensive to restart, if the current administration even wants to continue them. Crop insurance and food stamps may also be on the chopping block. Ag groups are also concerned about retaliatory tariffs in our foreign markets and loss of long time employees to deportation. On the other hand, labor and environmental regulations are being deleted, or eased, making farm administration easier, assuming court rulings don’t reverse the process. COMMUNITY SERVICE (JoAnn Keeley) National Grange established Project Sustenance to help the community address food security. Backpack Buddies: North Marion School and Christ Lutheran Church (CLC) put together 73 backpacks equipped with foods that youth can fix at home on weekends. They fundraise in the summer for purchase of food products. The North Marion County office is in Woodburn. Love Inc. (in the name of Christ) is the center of distribution (for North Marion, Newberg and Canby areas) and responds to needs They also give financial support if one's power gets shut off. An easy way to donate is just grab items while shopping, like: new socks, underwear, personal hygiene items too. One can also donate their time. Want to get your hands dirty … some farm work needs exist.. Additional info:
LEGISLATIVE (Dan Keeley) – A selected bill out of the 3400 or so being proposed. SB 678 with amendments aims to eliminate building code provisions requiring fire resistive construction in areas of high wildfire risk ( think Santiam canyon). It aims to do this in part by banning wildfire risk maps developed by the state. The maps have been controversial, in part due to false claims that insurance companies use them to raise rates. Insurance companies have their own maps and of course have been taking huge losses due to the wildfires in the recent past, which has in fact caused massive rate increases. In some states (California for one) it has also caused insurance companies to withdraw from the market all together. See bill on OLIS at: https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2025R1/Measures/Overview/SB678 MEMBERSHIP (Dan Keeley) – some of us have not contributed dues for 2025. Checks can be mailed to Vicki Pounds, PO Box 61, Canby, OR 97013 POMONA GRANGE (Dan Keeley) – District #4, which Maplewood is a part of, has asked for help in preparing and serving meals at the OSG Convention in June. Maplewood has volunteered to serve on Tuesday, June 24, 2025 at Corbett Elementary School. SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE (JoAnn Keeley) – JoAnn will collect Grange Scholarships at Canby and North Marion schools after April 15th. Also she will talk with FFA counselors. Judi Aus is currently the only other volunteer on this committee. Would others be interested in volunteering? Roberta and Betty will join. Grange scholarships in Clackamas County are listed on Pomona website : https://www.grange.org/clackamasor1/home/scholarships-in-clackamas-county/ TREASURER’S REPORT (Vicki Pounds - absent) The Treasurer’s Report for the February 16, 2025 Maplewood Grange meeting was emailed 2/13/2025. The opening balance, as of 12/20/2024 was $15,819.48 and the ending balance on February 13, 2025 was $17,000.10 Report will be ‘filed for Audit.’ UNFINISHED BUSINESS (Dan Keeley) 1. Review project estimates for dining hall floor and counters - Buffet Counter (formica with edges) $ 1,500 Option: sand and paint is maybe $100. - Basement floor, grind and paint $10,000 GRANT application was timely submitted. 2. Cookie Exchange April 12 from 1-3. Need flyers hung and posted. Have already advertised on Next Door (693 hits), Oregon State Grange calendar, Maplewood website and Facebook page and my personal facebook page. 3. Grange apparel – T shirts will be available at state convention. Designs will be presented when available. 6 Maplewood members have requested button-up shirts or jackets per our last meeting. Anyone else wanting one please check with Dan after the meeting. 4. Taco themed dinner? Betty asked, would “April is Grange Month” work? Not really enough lead time to advertise. Possibly late August or early September. Troy and Dan will pursue as a committee. NEW BUSINESS (Dan Keeley)
Timer for rear fan (Stage area) 27.98 Parts for rear fan (Stage area) 3.99 Parts for rear fan (Stage area) 9.69 Toilet paper 62.87 2 Rolls Painters Tape (for signs) 16.98 TOTAL: $121.51 Treasurer was absent JoAnn Keeley moved to pay-the-bills, Troy Bayless seconded, none opposed, motion carries VSO. However, the Treasurer was absent.
Dan reinforced Maplewood has not had a claim under this policy - ever. Dan is shopping. Troy suggested contact Warner Grange and inquire regarding their carrier / premium.
Betty Chipps motioned to support Molalla with Resolution to legalize personal wells for Ag use on the same basis as other uses, JoAnn seconded. Members are in favor of Resolution, motion carried VSO. MEMBERS SICK OR IN DISTRESS: none reported GOOD OF THE ORDER: No matter what ideology you turn to, no matter how utopian it is, it does not solve the problem of hypocrites, frauds and charlatans. (Tony Tulathimutte, American writer) DEAF AWARENESS is Grange supported and is served by the program:: Guide Dogs for the Blind (Roberta Elders). Tours of the Boring campus are given every Wednesday at 10am and includes the client residence, the kennel complex and the vet clinic. Their Adoption Program introduces background on the puppies and the person receiving them. A client lives/sleeps at the facility for two weeks and trains with their dog before graduation. This organization presents trained Guide Dogs to their owners from 1:30- 2:30 every other Saturday at Graduation. For anyone interested, Roberta will make an appointment on a Saturday to observe the Graduation process. INFO…An appointment was made for Saturday, May 31st. HEIRLOOM PROGRAM (picture: A businessman with hand over heart) AN HONEST MAN IS THE NOBLEST WORK OF GOD. (Lecturer, Third Degree) Dan comments: An honest person maybe? The Grange ritual was ahead of its time but not quite to current standards! LECTURER PROGRAM (JoAnn Keeley) – JoAnn has worked with Mason Bees for about 8-years. The Mason Bee has a black look a lot like a house fly, and are beneficial pollinators in Oregon because they are active 4-6 weeks in the spring (busy till end of May) when temps are warm . Mason Bees are not aggressive, the male lacks a stinger, the female can sting but generally does not unless squeezed. Their bee house consists of 11 trays stacked that contain 88 tubes to a house. 5 females and 1 male lay eggs in cocoons – the female layers pollen, egg and mud, then repeats with 10 cocoons/per tube. Cocoons can be stored in the refrigerator until the warm season arrives. After 5-days of 50-55 degree temps, trays can be taken outside. Cleaning these houses in the fall (before the breeding season) prevents disease, parasites and mites. The cleaning solution can be a low 5% bleach solution to 1-gallon of water. NEXT MEETING: 4th Sunday, April 27, 2025 at 3:30 pm at Maplewood Grange. MEETING ADJOURNED at 4:46 pm with the ‘Closing of the Grange’ reading Respectfully submitted, Betty Chipps, Secretary Comments are closed.
AuthorBetty Chipps, Secretary. Edited by Dan Keeley Categories |
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