Warwick Cultural Council Meeting Minutes November 17, 2025
Posted meeting held in the Warwick Town Hall. In attendance: members Sue O’Reilly-McRae-Chair, Linda Paquet-Treasurer, Nancy Harnden, Louise Doud, Nancy Putnam, Shell Hines. Absent was Cheri Robartes.
Meeting was called to order at 7:05 PM. Proposed agenda:
- Review and approve minutes of Sept. 23 meeting.
- Review status of this year’s grantees with programs not yet completed
- Review and approve new grant proposals for 2026
- Review ideas submitted to us by the public, collected at Old Home Days in August.
1) Minutes: Linda suggested a few small corrections to the Sept. 23 minutes, including making it clear that John Paganetti was a guest, and correcting the URL address for accessing the grants management system on the Mass Cultural Council website. Shell moved and Nancy Harnden seconded, to approve the Sept. 23 minutes as corrected. Unanimous. Louise will make corrections and send the minutes to all members plus John Paganetti. Louise reported that her reappointment to the Council for a second three year term was approved by the Selectboard, and she was sworn in by the Town Clerk. She joined the other members present at this meeting in deliberating on the new grant proposals.
2) Current grant cycle status: Linda updated members on the 3 current programs awarded but not yet carried out:
- Emma and Belley book signing event ($150) at Warwick Community School has now been scheduled.
- John Porcino ($450) This event has now been scheduled at the Warwick Community School.
- John Paganetti – In September the Council discussed the problem of getting the donated telescope back to Warwick, and fixed. There has been no movement, however John has researched used telescopes online, and Sue reported that he is asking for permission to use his grant to purchase one rather than waiting for the donated one to be returned. Then he will be able to proceed with his programs. Sue will ask John to send the Council a one page proposal that members can discuss and vote on.
3) New grant proposals 2026 cycle: The Warwick Cultural Council has a total of $6,039 in grant funds to allocate, between the new funds sent from the state ($5,700) and funds left over from the current grant cycle ($339). 21 proposals were received with asks totaling $23,140. After much review and discussion of the proposals by the 6 members present, consensus was reached on awarding funds, either full or partial, to 14 programs. Linda and Sue will work together on getting letters out to the 7 programs not funded. Those applicants have a right to ask why they were not funded. Linda will enter the information about funds awarded into the Mass Cultural Council portal, and letters to the 14 programs awarded funds will be sent from the Mass Cultural Council around the new year. Funding granted is as follows:
| Barrett Anderson, for Blues Stories Part III | $325 |
| Davis R. Bates, for Celebrating the Season: A Halloween Harvest | $300 |
| Elana Dower, for No. Quabbin Nature and the Arts | $435 |
| Franklin County Pride, Inc. for Franklin County Pride Parade & Festival | $250 |
| Shell Hines, for Images of Aging: A Two Part Workshop | $700 |
| Launch Space, Inc., for Teen Open Studio | $500 |
| Orange Revitalization Partnership, for Starry Starry Night | $400 |
| Sarah W. Pirtle, for Earth Song: Singing and Songwriting About Ecology | $450 |
| Ingrid F. Schatz, for Inside/Out Dance Company Concert | $225 |
| Athol Historical Society, Inc. for Uniquely Quabbin magazine | $250 |
| The Nolumbeka Project, Inc. for A Celebration of Native American Art, Music and Cultures | $175 |
| Warwick Arts Council, Inc., for Craft Workshops for teens and adults | $550 |
| Warwick Fire Department, for Old Home Day French Fryer | $479 |
| Warwick Public School District, for Artist in Residence Program | $1,000 |
| Total funds awarded | $6,039 |
4) Ideas from public: Sue and Louise set up a table display for Saturday of Warwick Old Home Days in August, at which they solicited cultural event ideas from the public:
- Theater events
- The history of the glass factory (nearby), and how to make glass.
- A disk golf course.
- A tour of Warwick older homes with information on their history, accompanied by an architectural historian.
- Talks on the U.S. founding fathers and the Revolutionary War.
- Mending and fixing workshops and groups.
- Building a clay oven.
5) Adjournment: Linda moved and Nancy Harnden seconded to adjourn at 9:02 PM. Unanimous (6 voting members)
Respectfully Submitted,
Louise Doud