Friends of Laurel Park
Board of Directors Meeting
June 9, 2026
The meeting was called to order by Ed Mattern at 7pm at the Fleetwood Clubhouse. Other board members in attendance were Susan Hileman, Mike Erwin, George Evans, Ann McFadden and Tom Felice. Mark Morse, Town Council liaison to FLP, also attended. Board member Myra Watkins was not present.
SECRETARY’S REPORT, TREASURER’S REPORT, 2025 OPERATING BUDGET
All reports were approved.
DONOR AND SPONSOR TALLY
As of this meeting, there are 45 donors and 3 sponsors.
CONCERT – JUNE 20TH
Ed reported that the band is ready, and George will arrange for a porta-john. The concert will be held at Laurel Green.
FOOD TRUCKS
Ed is still having trouble finding food trucks. Sweet Retreat has volunteered for the June concert, but Ed is still looking for an entrée. Several board members gave suggestions, and he agreed to call them.
50 AMP AT LG
Ed met with Bryan at Laurel Green and discovered they ran a 50-amp line there for the production of Godspell. It can be accessed near the parking lot on the side closest to the stream and used by the food truck.
OTHER SUMMER CONCERTS
Ed got an email from Cheryl about a Laurel Park resident who wanted help for her granddaughter who is a singer. She requested the granddaughter be allowed to perform Monday at noon at JOR, July 30th. The idea was tabled for now, as the board’s criteria for summer concerts has been a minimum of three performers. If the granddaughter is around in the winter, the board may consider her for a winter concert.
MEET YOUR NEIGHBOR
Ed met with Todd and wrote an article for the newsletter. He sent a draft to Todd for approval but has not heard back yet. He also requested a photo to add to the article.
ECUSTA TRAIL UPDATE
Ed discovered that the Ecusta Trail Committee is getting closer to determining what signage is needed along the trail. A discussion ensued about including a line item in the budget for the board’s expected expense, but there is still too much uncertainty about the amount and the timing.
Mark noted that the Town police have a bike so they can patrol the trail.
CANDIDATE Q&A
Adam Shealy, a lawyer in town, was consulted about the possibility of our 501c3 organization conducting a candidate forum. He determined there is not a problem if it is an educational event. Ed has been a moderator for these kinds of forums and expressed a willingness to moderate. However, for transparency reasons, the board may try to find someone else.
A discussion ensued about the best time to hold the forum. As early voting starts October 15th, the board agreed that a date in early October would be best. Ed will contact the three candidates and find a date that works for all.
LIAISON REPORT
Mark reported that the Town approved the budget earlier today with no tax increase.
Crews are working on road paving and culvert repairs.
OTHER BUSINESS
Ann reported that she is sending out thank you notes. She will ask Myra to help her figure out who are repeat donors, so that the notes can be customized.
Tom asked for our 501c3 number (tax ID) so that he can fill out the Mast General Store form for a donation. George was able to help with the request.
Mike mentioned that he handed out Welcome packets to two new neighbors. Also, Mike is moving, so he will pass along the Welcome Packet duties along with all the other VP functions. He and Virginia are moving mid-August, so July will be his last meeting. He has served almost 9 years and will be missed.
ADJOURNMENT AND NEXT MEETING
The meeting was adjourned at 8:15pm. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 14, 2026, at the Fleetwood Clubhouse.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan Hileman, Secretary
Friends of Laurel Park
Board of Directors Meeting
May 12, 2026
The meeting was called to order by Ed Mattern at 7pm at the Fleetwood Clubhouse. Other board members in attendance were Susan Hileman, Mike Erwin, George Evans, Ann McFadden, Tom Felice and Myra Watkins. Mark Morse, Town Council liaison to FLP also attended.
SECRETARY’S REPORT, TREASURER’S REPORT, 2025 OPERATING BUDGET
All reports were approved.
EVENT CARD
Ed thanked Ann for getting the event card together. Ann suggested taking a card to the potential sponsors and inviting them to attend any of the concerts. More cards are at Town Hall.
CONCERT AND BEAR DEDICATION WRAP
Ed thanked Mike for his introduction at the Bear dedication. Mike also mentioned there were about 130 in attendance, held on Sunday due to weather on Saturday. Music was well appreciated even though the lead singer was not completely healthy.
DONOR AND SPONSOR LETTERS
Ann said the donor letters were mailed today. Sponsor letters are being distributed and Ann, Tom, George and Mike have already started the process. Ed suggested the board members all try to get the letters out by the end of the month. Tom reported that he is stopping at all the realtors and would like more letters. Cheryl has been asked to print more.
The board decided to wait a few more months before deciding how to recognize the sponsors, whether through an annual report, a message before concerts, a banner or some combination of these.
SPONSOR ASSIGNMENTS
Ed asked that all board members please update him with the businesses that have been visited so that there is no overlap.
CONCERT JUNE 20TH
Asheville Junction will perform at Laurel Green. George will order porta johns although it was noted that he’ll just need 1 additional porta john and no wash station because those are permanently located in the parking lot. Ed will re-check with the church about parking.
50 AMP EXTENSION CORD
Ed did purchase a 50-amp extension cord from Amazon. He determined that 100 ft was probably more than we needed and was quite heavy. The extension cord will be used at JOR as Laurel Green does not have a 50 amp outlet. Fortunately, most food trucks do have a generator and at Laurel Green, they are far enough away that it shouldn’t impact the music as it does at JOR.
MEET YOUR NEIGHBOR
Ed interviewed Todd Gizzi two weeks ago and will write it up for the next newsletter. Susan will interview Tooley’s for the next one.
LIAISON
Mark reported that the budget will be finalized after the public meeting probably in June.
He also reported that combining the loan from the bank with FEMA reimbursements will mean that no tax money will be needed for Helene repairs.
The Town Council’s upcoming election includes 3 folks running for two spots and Mark asked if FLP could hold a forum. The ensuing discussion focused on whether a forum would be considered to
be non-partisan to not violate 501c3 rules. Ann volunteered to check with her lawyer.
OTHER BUSINESS
Mike brought up the Welcome packets. He has handed out only a few recently and asked the board members to stay aware of new neighbors moving in.
Ann mentioned that she walked around Rhododendron Park and was hoping to see it opened soon. Mark said that the lake is an engineered waterway and the park will not reopen until an engineering report is completed. It is however, on the list to be completed soon.
The topic of banners came up and will be brought up at the next meeting – the closet is getting rather cramped.
ADJOURNMENT AND NEXT MEETING
The meeting was adjourned at 7:59pm. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 9, 2026 at the Fleetwood Clubhouse.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan Hileman, Secretary
Friends of Laurel Park
Board of Directors Meeting
April 2026
The meeting was called to order by Ed Mattern at 7:02pm at the Fleetwood Clubhouse. Other board members in attendance were Susan Hileman, Mike Erwin, George Evans and Ann McFadden. Mark Morse, Town Council liaison to FLP, also attended. Board members Tom Felice and Myra Watkins were not present.
SECRETARY’S REPORT, TREASURER’S REPORT, 2025 OPERATING BUDGET
All reports were approved.
WINTER CONCERT WRAP
Ann, George and Ed attended. Ed reported that only a few folks showed up. Also, John Perkins started playing at 5:30 instead of 6pm but continued to play until 7:30 anyway. He handed out kazoos to audience members to help with the last song, which was well received.
DONOR AND SPONSOR LETTER
A discussion ensued about the two letters and Ed will make some minor adjustments. Hopefully, the donor letter will get mailed on May 1 and the sponsor letter will be ready by the end of April.
SPONSOR ASSIGNMENTS
Ed led a discussion about who had connections to any businesses in the area. Ed suggested we focus our energies on Laurel Park businesses and the board agreed. Members were asked to send to Ed a list of any business they were willing to approach and he will make sure there are no duplicates.
JOR BEAR
Pisgah the bear will be dedicated on May 2nd, just before the concert. Mike reported that Bryan has the base ready and that he will be picking up the bear tomorrow. He brought the plaque to show the board, and all agreed it was well done.
Ann wanted to know if someone can create a video so that aging neighbors who are unable to attend can see the dedication. George agreed, he has a camera and a tripod and will create a video. Ed will also check with the police department to see if a shuttle is possible for those unable to walk from a car parked a bit down the hill.
Ed will also check with the band and ask them to start playing at 5:15, right after the dedication ceremony.
MAY 2 CONCERT
Ed reported that Ilene has created a poster and she will post it to the website, FB and the 2 kiosks. In other steps of preparation, Ed will be meeting with a food truck this week and George will step in for Jim and contact the porta-potty company for 2 porta-potties and a wash station.
50 AMP EXTENSION CORD
Ed reported that food trucks really need a 50-amp outlet, as the alternative is running a generator which is loud. Last year, the board installed an outlet but did not purchase an extension cord. Ed researched purchase options and concluded that a hundred-foot extension cord will cost almost $400. The board approved the purchase if the Town does not have one we can borrow. or if a rental is not available.
EVENT CARD
Ann did a great job with the event card, mailed on the 13th. Ann gave all board members extras in case some neighbors didn’t get one.
ECUSTA TRAIL BRIDGE
Ed reported that he talked to Christopher Todd, who is now very involved with The Ecusta Trail. Christopher told him a bridge between the Trail and 1st Congregational Church is not imminent. He wanted to have time to talk to staffers and get back to Ed. The possible location for the bridge is at the west end of the church parking lot. This particular bridge would not need to be as extensive as the other bridges on The Trail which were prefab and cost approximately $100,000.
LAUREL GREEN PARKING
Some folks who like to walk dogs have had problems finding parking spots at Laurel Green, presumably because Ecusta Trail walkers are using it. Mark said he will talk to the Town Manager, maybe move some of the parked police cars or see what else could be done.
MEET YOUR NEIGHBOR
Mike communicated with Mayor O’Cain and got a few names of folks living in LP who might have interesting stories to tell. These include:
David and Maureen Adams
Bob Thrower
Bobby Wilkins
Ann suggested adding David Randall. Mike added Todd Gizzi, Judy Lyons and Knox Crowell.
Ed volunteered to interview Todd Gizzi as a start.
Susan has previously sent out a draft of potential questions to ask and she will resend.
ADJOURNMENT AND NEXT MEETING
The meeting was adjourned at 8:20pm. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at the Fleetwood Clubhouse.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan Hileman, Secretary