VOLUNTEER!
3rd of July Committee
Anyone living in Laurel Park will tell you that one of their favorite traditions is watching the epic fireworks on the 3rd of July. You don’t even have to be on the beach to see ’em, though that’s half the fun. Kudos; Muchas Gracias to the Francis Family for our fond memories.
With growth in the membership, there are some new ideas percolating up to cogitate on. For instance, need the pre-show celebration be limited to the park? Could the cheer be spread around the neighborhood for a celebration experienced deck-by-deck, porch-by-porch, or even in a cul-de-sac or pocket park ? 20-30 minutes of food, drink and music here, 20-30 minutes there, and around the neighborhood we go, meeting new neighbors along the way—making new friends, widening the circle. After all, we have the whole long weekend to play with.
Whether we stick to tradition with a BBQ in Luther Park or “step out” in another direction, it’s up to you, the members, to tell us and help organize the 3rd of July celebration in LPIA’s 100th year - make it special. Along with the Executive Committee, Lynn DePasquale and Ray Steinmetz are on board. If you want to lend a hand, whether it’s decorating the park, flipping burgers or setting up the bonfire, please send an email to: lpiavolunteer@gmail.com.
100th Anniversary Committee
Calling all “legacy families” ! Time to dredge up your oldest memories, dig into those dusty boxes in the attic and lend your expertise to a “one and done” ad hoc committee to commemorate LPIA’s 100th Anniversary. LPIA was incorporated on Thursday, June 5th. The actual event is set for Sunday, June 8th.
Who are the legacy families? The Macdougalls, The Morrills, The Francis’, The Robinsons (Luthers), The Keefes. The Executive Committee will head up this effort, but sure would be fitting to be flanked by the pros-in-the-know for this singular celebration. New members, Peggy O’ Neil and Maureen Khung, have already taken the initiative to interview Ken Morrill, extract his memories and document them into a short story (coming soon, upon final formatting). Phil Keefe, with his lifelong connections and history, plans to assist, along with Lauren Barros and Lynn DePasquale.
Where to start? What to do? The one thing we know for sure is that this opportunity only comes around once. Period! Maybe it’s a digital photo album, maybe it’s a story book, maybe it’s a multimedia affair with audio and video, maybe it’s a plaque on a rock or bling. There doesn’t have to be an in-person event, but the number 100 makes for a great party theme, just sayin’.
Whatever the membership decides, this effort will require some cash, but we won’t know how much until you weigh in. Please send an email to: lpiavolunteer@gmail.com about being involved in this historic effort.
Membership & Social Committee
Property Committee *includes Beach Infrastructure and Lincoln Ave.
Rules Committee
Communications Committee
Climate Action Team
So far, the Executive Committee has managed to pull off 3 Meet Ups in our first month, followed by a delightfully well attended Halloween Hoot and December Holiday event that were envisioned by one Very Important Volunteer (VIV), Cassie Patriarca. Cassie even drafted her family members to help out, with husband, Mike, crafting “The Star”. Rounding out our first 45 days, we staged a double-header, marsh & park clean up led by VIV, Nick Mulvihill. Bravo to all community members who “showed up” like Stephanie Mulvihill, Jenn Harris, Kyle Jackson, Adrian Barros, David Ferris and Bill McCabe, among others. Our fingers were crossed hoping some would and they delivered.
We learned from the survey that people crave more events, so now we are appealing to the membership to help keep the Meet Ups alive this spring. Our Secretary, Andrea Difilippo (a.k.a., FUNSEC) is the contact. VIVs Cassie P. and Beth Mitchell are volunteering to support events and whoever else wants to see their ideas come to life. Whether it’s cards, an Easter egg hunt, or booze on the beach for Cinco De Mayo, this group will be busy in a fun way while nurturing membership engagement. Get your name tag on and join in!
If you would like to help, please send an email to: lpiavolunteer@gmail.com. We’ll take you up on it.
Nearly 100% of member survey respondents answered the question: Please list 3 things you'd like to see the LPIA improve or address. 100% of respondents also answered all 4 questions related to property use. Right after the new year, we sent you an email with a link to the survey which, in turn, sent you to this page where we invite you to Help Us Improve! Read on.
Luther Park: Not much happens if the lights aren’t on, so to speak. Thanks to Nick Mulvihill, VIV, who literally volunteered right out of the gate to help keep LPIA properties looking fab and members safe. Volunteers like Beth Mitchell, Anthony Quintiliani and Mo Diaz will help organize and attack maintenance tasks now neatly itemized and prioritized on a master list for implementation over the course of the year. And there’s no holding Mr. Fixit, a.k.a., Phil Keefe, back from sharing his reservoir of construction know-how, tool box, a.k.a, trunk, and trailer when in need.
Whether it’s replacing a swing, fixing the grill, spiffing up the bocce court, planting flowers, putting up new signs, or what-have-you, Beautification is Us! You can help as much, or as little as you want, but we may need the whole team for biting off bigger projects from time to time. Like what? Maybe we decide it’s high time we fill those annoying low spots in the park lawn that make mowing and playing yard games a challenge. Maybe it’s time to build shelves in the shed or lose that ugly trailer and replace it with a pleasing, homey-looking structure to store our stuff in (with doors in the front).
The Beach: One thing we know for sure is that the beach, boat rack and boat ramp are top member priorities according to the survey. Enter the Beach Infrastructure Subcommittee, which is well staffed by watercraft owners like Dan Richards, Jared Kelly, Ned McGreavy, Tina Smith and Adam LaPlante. We’ve nailed down demand for the boat rack and a new rack assignment procedure so we can program in maintenance (fresh stencils!) and/or upgrades. To begin addressing the boat ramp, we’ve done a design evaluation and regulatory review to understand our restrictions and opportunities under the current RI Coastal Resources Management Council permit. And what would we do without Joe Morris and his trusty tractor when moving beach sand? Have bad backs, that’s what!
Lincoln Avenue Parcel: We’ve put together an agile team to do some initial investigation regarding the Lincoln Avenue parcel. Specifically, should the LPIA sell or donate it, how much is it worth, how could that revenue be used to reduce the tax burden, reduce other costs and/or improve the association? The Warren Land Trust, which owns property flanking LPIA’s, is in the loop. This is an Executive Committee priority bolstered by member feedback. Pam Eliason has volunteered to lead this effort. She is joined by members, Mark Ringiewicz and Stu Latessa. Kudos to Pam (former LPIA treasurer) for also helping the beach team update the boat rack records because she just loves a good spreadsheet!
Down the Road: You know what else is neat? Down the road, there could even be engineered solutions to preserve LPIA’s natural infrastructure—the saltmarsh—thanks to a new partnership with the Warren Land Conservation Trust. LPIA member, Kathy Bailey, floated some interesting, long range planning ideas to picture what our community COULD look like! Surely, there are more visionaries in our midst. Why not look ahead to the next 100 years—well, the next 2-5 years at least?
We are in the enviable position of having a myriad of potential, intriguing solutions to explore, so all you stakeholders, step up and let’s give them their due. Don’t waste another minute because the engines have been started. Please send an email to: lpiavolunteer@gmail.com about how you would like to help. We’ve convened the teams but it’s early yet.
What kind of organizational framework do we need and why? Wading and sifting through legalese including the voluminous tome that is Robert’s Rules isn’t exactly fun but if we can improve LPIA’s bylaws, well then, that’s a laudable goal. Clear organizing documents help increase predictability and provide a framework to keep order in the association. That includes a review of the Beach Rules.
VIV Richard Godmintz, volunteered to lead this charge. Consequently, the Executive Committee is ready to share proposed bylaws and rules with the membership at the community meeting on March 12, 2025.
100% of survey respondents answered the 3 questions related to communications. In a nutshell, we learned that 40% of people choose email and the website as the most helpful vehicles to get information with only 14% choosing text and 12% social media. The website has been refreshed and expanded; now, we need to encourage more members to “make it a favorite”. We know the content on the Facebook page fell off a bit, and learned that, ironically, there are more nonmembers on Facebook than members. Together, we can fix that.
We’re going to do our best to change with the times and that means putting systems in place that the next generation of members will embrace. We’d love more young people to join Adam and Trina LaPlante to give us old fogeys a hand from time to time, or better - take it over! Committee volunteers are already up and running on the Google Workspace - we’re learning to chat, share our research and keep track of tasks together remotely. We have a short wish list for some cool innovations so there’s plenty to do that we can’t always keep us with because, frankly, we are busy frying the big fish in the pan right now. Speaking of, Adam and Trina are working with LPIA’s treasurer, Rick Amicucci (who made his career in info tech); they’ll be behind the curtain as we trial out hosting virtual meetings.
If you are versed in social media, dynamic webpage design/maintenance, or other online applications to help us execute our vision and modernize operations, please reach out. If you have talent in graphic arts, photography, videography, or writing, please send an email to: lpiavolunteer@gmail.com and join the team.
Several member survey responses reiterated that LPIA should strive to protect the marsh and maintain the shoreline along the Kickemuit River. Activities like coastal monitoring, “wrack attacks” and Earth Day cleanups provide opportunities for learning while fostering environmental stewardship. We’re looking forward to a working relationship with the Warren Land Trust. It may be time for a Shoreline Buffer Application to arrest the spread of invasive species in the wetlands.
So, here’s your invitation to join Jeff Burock, Storm Monitor, and daughter, Amity, develop environmental programming and information resources for LPIA families. Jeff plans on showing epic environmental movies outdoors this summer such as Don’t Look Up, The Day after Tomorrow, and An Inconvenient Truth. Amity would like to develop an educational brochure to help the community better understand the effects of climate change on our treasured natural assets including plant and animal species.
If you feel great just keeping the marsh neat and pretty, like Sarah Coulson, Stephan Vaast, and Molly Luttman, see you on Earth Day! There are all kinds of fun initiatives kids can do too, like collecting waste shells, for instance. Our holiday tree was laden with them. Waste shells can be painted, used in treasure hunts or geo-locating events, and crushed for gardens or even the parking lot.
Click here to view the Environmental webpage. If you’d like to join in, and make a collective positive impact, please send an email to lpiavolunteer@gmail.com. We’ve convened this team but it’s still early.