At the meeting of the Vestry on September 19th, these were the principal discussions and decisions:
- The contract for work to strengthen the foundations in the basement of the sanctuary has been awarded to Piermont Design Co. of Peekskill. This work will commence in late September and is to allow for the increased load of the organ when it is installed on the sanctuary floor, and for the weight of the font in its new location at the back of the church.
- Work on our organ will commence shortly at the organ builder's base in New Jersey, with the target date of the organ being back in our sanctuary by Christmas.
- Essential tree work has been completed in the cemetery, to be followed soon by essential grading and reseeding work in a number of places where older graves have subsided.
- We have received notice from the Town of North Castle that we are required to install an enclosure around our dumpster. This work is now taking place and will be completed by the end of September.
- We are seeking estimates for the weeding and mulching of all the flower beds around the church.
- To date this year, St. Stephen's has made donations and grants to the Mt Kisco Food Pantry of $3,433.
- Treasures has recently installed a cash register, and all NY Sales Tax is now being automatically calculated and collected on top of the ticket price.
- The response to the collection of school supplies for the Chiro Mission was so outstanding that the shipping costs are considerably higher than last year. We need to explore ways to maximize the value of donations, and explore the most cost-effective shipping options.
- We have a new website, which had a 'soft launch' a month ago and now has the functionality for online ticketing for events, donations, and Google Apps for non-profits.
- This year's pledge drive will be billed (as last year) 'Step Up Sunday' and will be on Sunday, November 20th. Mailing will go out in the preceding weeks.