The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
The Open Space Committee on February 20 voted to recommend that some of its money be used to help the cash-strapped Meadows Foundation pay some of its bills.
The recommendation will be sent to the Township Committee through Township Manager Robert Vornlocker, who told Committee members about the Foundation’s issues.
The Meadows Foundation “is a 501c3 non-profit organization whose mission is to give the past a future by preserving and restoring historic sites with an emphasis on early Dutch and American heritage,” according to its web site.
The Foundation maintains four Township-owned historic properties: the Van Duyn-Van Wickle House, the Hageman farm, the Wyckoff-Garretson Farm, and the Van Liew-Suydam House.
The Foundation is responsible for paying all costs associated with the properties, including utilities and any repairs that have to be made.
The Foundation relies on memberships and special events to pay those bills and others. Caretakers of properties also pay rent to live in the homes.
It’s a slowdown in memberships that has led to a cash squeeze, Vornlocker told the Committee.
“Due to the lack of membership, it has been impossible for them to do some of the fundraisers they have done in the past, so they’re just short on cash,” he said.
According to figures supplied by the Foundation, its anticipated expenses through April total $24,921.65, while its anticipated revenue for that time period total $10,700, leaving a more than $14,000 shortfall. About $6,000 is needed immediately, according to the figures.
Some of the anticipated expenses through April are more than $8,000 for Suburban Propane, $5,400 for PSE&G, and $2,750 for oil.
Included in that list of anticipated expenses are some bills for which Open Space Trust Funds cannot be used, Vornlocker said.
“We cannot pay their insurance, workers compensation and director and officer insurance,” he said. “We cannot certainly pay their payroll for caretakers, nor their accountant, nor their construction loan payments.”
“We certainly can pay for a push mower to maintain the lawn at Hageman, and then we get into the Suburban Propane, due and anticipated Public Service bill, and Skylands Oil,” Vornlocker said.
“In the immediate, if there is an outstanding bill, the Open Space Trust certainly can be used for those purposes,” he said. “We pay for the buildings that they don’t maintain now. These are our houses, we own them. Since we are the owner, we certainly can use Open Space Trust Funds to pay those bills to maintain those houses.”
Vornlocker said the Foundation is restructuring its agreements with the caretakers “to perhaps put them in a better financial position as far as that’s concerned.”
“I want to see the Meadows Foundation alive and well because they do a great deal of things for us with those houses,” Vornlocker said. “I want to pay the bills we can pay.”
The Committee voted unanimously to recommend to the Township Council that the open Space Trust Fund be used to pay those of the Foundation bills permitted.
