華人前進會慶45週年 州市政要紛到賀 (圖片)

 

紐英崙中華公所第四次董事大會報喜訊 大同村停車場蓋樓計畫獲補助

紐英崙中華公所召開本年度第四次董事大會。左起，行政主任朱蘇珊，中文書記翁宇才，主席雷國輝，英文書既阮鴻燦，核數張青梅。
財政陳余寶愛這天請假。 (周菊子攝)

               (Boston Orange 周菊子波士頓報導) 紐英崙中華公所的本年度第3次董事大會，基本無大事，重點有主席雷國輝報告大同村停車場建屋計畫獲州政府允諾支持，董事Patricia Barnwell請大會討論還款華埠信託基金，增投資小組的修改章程議案，下次會期再議。

              中華公所董事大會當晚為董事，美國洪門致公總堂監堂阮振強於上週四 (21日)驟然辭世，默哀一分鐘，並說明追悼式訂8月2日下午4至8點，在昆士市的Waterman殯儀館舉行，葬禮訂8月3日早上9至11點舉行。

              紐英崙中華公所從今年1月雷國輝接任後，陸續出現驚覺中華公所坐擁現金將近2000萬元，行政主任朱蘇珊5月底辭職，轉為半職兼差等變化，但綜而言之，似一切平靜，往年常見的激烈爭辯，不見蹤影。

              7月26日晚，先由華人前進會行政主任陳玉珍，員工鄺寶蓮出席解說所謂「富人稅」。這是預定11月麻州大選時會出現在選票問題上的「公平繳稅修正案」，她們籲請中華公所董事支持該案。

              議程第二項，原本安排由中華公所稽核公司Danial Dennis & Co的專員講解非牟利團體如何做投資，但該公司代表未出席。

              當晚出席中華公所會議的42名董事及職員，接著在糾正錯字，要求修訂字句後，通過了5月份的會議記錄。 

中華公所主席雷國輝報告

紐英崙中華公所主席雷國輝做主席報告。 (周菊子攝)

              中華公所主席雷國輝在主席報告中，分3類，做了11點報告。

關於中華公所事務部分，他先說明中華公所增設的「綜合社會諮詢服務」，從5月中推出後，已為100多人服務，多半是代長者申請免費電話，網路，燃油補助，租金津貼等，接著感謝中華公所工作人員協助籌辦訂8月14日舉辦的中秋節聯歡會，點出中華公所和華商會、安良工商會合作，將於8月下旬舉辦中國象棋大賽。

中華公所董事鄭慧民(立者)詢問，中華公所提供社會福利的廣告支出 900元是一次性，
還是長期的。 (周菊子攝)

關於物業部分，雷國輝指出，為因應市政府修改水災條例，大同村停車場改建項目的施工藍圖，將交由鄭繼良修改；中華公所正在和燈塔 (Beacon)和榮氏商議管理合約；已聘請Peter Munkenbeck就翻修或重建大同村做評估報告；關於中國超市( C-Mart)合約，代表中華公所的律師Brian Haney正和中國超市的律師洽談中；華福樓的消防警報系統及外牆工程仍在進行中；中華公所泰勒街90號大樓屋頂的冷暖氣空調系統搬遷位置，由於需要使用額外電源，得重新設計，將推遲到秋季再開工。

關於財務及章程部分，雷國輝在書面報告中的中英文版本說明並不一致。

在英文版本中，他表示為找出方法來最有效率的使用中華公所存在銀行中的錢，中華公所邀請Merrill Lynch和Noble這兩家公司的投資專家，為中華公所職員、財政委員會提供專業意見，中華公所將持續尋找中華公所資產的最佳使用方法。

在中文版本中，他表示”由於積極解決中華公所及大同村榮氏管理公司龐大的現金問題，職員小組及選舉/章程小組開會期間，我們分別邀請過Merrill Lynch 及Noble財務投資顧問提供意見”。 

行政主任朱蘇珊報告

中華公所行政主任朱蘇珊已辭職，六月份起以兼職狀態，繼續協助中華公所做物業管理
及土地發展方面工作。 (周菊子攝)

行政主任朱蘇珊的報告，一頁紙，簡述華福樓，喜露街50號，大同村等地8項物業動態進展，全部英文。

華福樓已經由中華公所董事大會於5月份會議通過，斥資2萬餘元，由Jhonata工程公司施工，預定8月竣工。

中華公所通過由Brite Lite以27萬8千元更新華福樓的消防系統，榮氏 (Winn)管理公司還在和Brite Lite協商中，爭論點之一是10%的保留要求，Brite Lite希望只有5%。

關於喜露 (Herald) 街50號，中華公所在5月20日和波士頓市長的房屋辦公室晤面，探問市政府支持該發展計畫建成100%可負擔項目的可能性。市政府持開放態度，但需要更多資訊，並進一步討論收入分級及成本。中華公所的土地發展顧問Peter Munkenbeck已整理出一份粗略預算，中華公所將等Peter Munkenbeck休假回來後再進一步討論。

關於中國超市 (C-Mart) ，中華公所已於2021年11月把租客問題通知了Casner & Edwards公司。

關於大同村部分，中華公所董事會已在3月份董事大會投票通過，請Peter Munkenbeck就重建或翻修大同村，指導中華公所。Peter Munkenbeck已初步檢視大同村文件，查看是否有任何需要注意的地方，並交給了中華公所一份他的初步意見。他的下一步將是找一名建築師或工頭 (general contractor) ，巡視一趟大同村，查看翻修的話，有任何該注意的地方。大同村D座大樓在5月及7月時，各發生1宗水管爆裂事故。

大同村部分，中華公所已收到燈塔住宅管理公司 (BRM) 提交的管理合約競標書。中華公所財政委員會在7月19日開會時，看了這份競標書，也拿來和榮氏 (Winn)管理公司的現有合約做比較。朱蘇珊在中華公所開會前的這星期，已藉由電子郵件回覆了委員會委員們對管理費百分比，以及保險要求等的問題，次日將以電子郵件把比較表寄給董事們。

在會議上做口頭報告時，朱蘇珊指出BRM 提出的收費比率為5%，榮氏現在的收費為3.25%。2家公司關於保險的承保項目等也有差異，需要進一步商議。

朱蘇珊指出，中華公所和榮氏管理公司的合約已到期，中華公所必須在90天之內決定是否和榮氏管理公司續約。由於中華公所刻正和燈塔 (Beacon)公司合作發展位於夏利臣街288號的大同村停車場，將來會是BRM來管理大同村停車場大樓，若相鄰的大同村現有大樓仍由榮氏管理，可能會出現管理問題。中華公所物業小組將繼續研議。

燈塔 (Beacon) 公司代表中華公所以夏利臣街288號的大同村停車場發展計畫，向州政府申請補助，已獲批准，26日早上，他們出席了在Falmouth舉行的宣佈儀式。州政府的撥款額會是多少，並無書面說明。朱蘇珊說，中華公所向州政府要求3700餘萬元的聯邦及州政府抵稅優惠 (tax credit)，另外申請約500萬元的軟性貸款。

朱蘇珊的最後一項報告是中華公所的2021會計年度稅表，以及麻州稅表，Daniel Dennis公司已製作完成，訂7月26日的次日寄交給董事們，一週後，若無需要訂正之處，將遞交給聯邦及州政府稅務局。

物業小組阮鴻燦報告

中華公所英文書記阮鴻燦。（周菊子攝）

中華公所英文書記阮鴻燦要做物業小組報告時，朱蘇珊發聲阻止，指事關華埠餐廳的租約問題，身為中華公所董事的華埠餐廳東主伍偉業，以及在場的媒體都應離席，再討論。這一部分的討論於是壓到會議最後，伍偉業及媒體都離開後才進行。 

財政小組張青梅代報告

財政報告部分，中華公所財政陳余寶愛當晚請假，由核數張青梅代理。應代表青年會 (YMCA) 的董事Patricia Barnwell要求，董事們在會中討論中華公所欠華埠慈善信託基金 (Chinatown Charity Trust Fund) 的錢，是不是應該還，該還給誰。中華公所的財政報告，基本上沒有討論，就通過了。

代表青年會(YMCA)出席中華公所的董事 Patricia Barnwell （中）提出中華公所是否應該
還錢給華埠信託基金的問題。她還交給中華公所一份該基金會的年報，上有現任董事名單。
（周菊子攝）

中華公所1994年購買大同村時，曾向華埠慈善信託基金借款55萬元，當年訂立的貸款期為30年。時隔多年後，在中華公所的財政報告上寫明，還欠華埠慈善信託基金353,864元。座中所有董事沒人記得為什麼還欠這個數目，連那些人還是該會董事都不清楚。Patricia Barnwell表示，她在會前已把該基金資訊發給了公所主席雷國輝，並指坊間已在談論中華公所欠錢未還，這對中華公所名譽或有影響。

根據本刊2011年報導，林肯街1號土地發展計畫的捐款，當年存進了波士頓重建局所開設保管帳戶，由州長、市長指派的五名委員，加上轄區包括華埠的兩名麻州參眾議員，共七人審理，決定用途。

代表黃氏公所出席中華公所的董事黃國威贊成中華公所還錢給華埠信託基金會。
（周菊子攝）

當年的七名現任委員為華埠社區議會共同主席陳灼鋆、王氏華埠青年會社區發展主任陳魯誠、華人醫務中心人事主任Linda Chu、Hyams基金會資深項目專員梅大衛、昆士中學校長黃伯勳、麻州參議員陳翟蘇妮(Sonia Chang-Diaz)，麻州眾議員麥家威(Aaron Michlewitz)等人。

在這7人中，陳灼鋆，Linda Chu均已過世，轄區包括華埠的麻州參議員，也從陳翟蘇妮變成了Lydia Edwards。陳魯誠、黃伯勳雖已退休，但社區人士仍然找得到他們。

中華公所董事中，有人認為中華公所現在是個有錢的機構，應該還錢，好讓更多機構為華埠盡力，有人認為當年借款期限為30年，還未到期，中華公所正在進行多項土地發展計畫，自己也需要錢，應先研議清楚狀況，也有人認為華埠信託基金如今已不活躍，或應先和負責營運基金的董事們商量，再說。

中華公所主席雷國輝最後下結論，他將把 Patricia Barnwell發給他的資訊轉發給所有董事，然後約晤梅大衛，梅雪嫻，黃伯勳，陳魯誠等人，商量如何解決這問題。

選舉/章程小組翁宇才報告

中華公所中文書記翁宇才感謝各界提供投資政策的參考資料。　（周菊子攝）

              選舉/章程小組是由中華公所中文書記翁宇才做召集人。他的報告主要有2項。一為波士頓洪門致公堂要求增派一名出席中華公所代表，一為中華公所第22項財政修正草案。這部分的討論，花了將近半小時。

洪門增派代表一事，翁宇才說明，洪門致公堂4月10日已發信給公所主席，要求增派一名出席代表，選舉/章程小組討論後，認為與章程並無牴觸，曾有前例，只是需要董事大會以三分之二的總人數投票同意，就可通過。

由於出席董事中有人質疑，章程中已註明各個團體出席中華公所董事代表人數，如果更改人數，就應修改章程，另外本次會議的議程未列出須就此案投票，但也有董事指稱，章程中並未規定不可增加代表人數，他認為只要大會通過，再更改章程上的代表人數就事了。

公所董事陳家驊強調，章程字句需要更為明確，以確保符合規範投資小組不得
自行決定如何動用中華公所資金，從事各種投資的本意。　（周菊子攝）

翁宇才最後宣佈，此案下次會議再投票決定。

關於投資的財政修正案，翁宇才說明，亞美社區發展協會 (ACDC) 和波士頓華埠社區中心 (BCNC) 都有類似的投資政策聲明，但他認為這些機構的董事會人數較少，做法不見得適用於有董事40多人的中華公所。

由於有董事強調，章程條文字句必須十分清晰，以免日後發生投資小組可任意決定投資數額與投資方案等情況，讓中華公所蒙受重大損失。

翁宇才所率選舉小組建議的修訂條文字句為，「本公所一切款項必須存儲於董事會指定政府立案並有存戶保險之銀行，除卻投資的款項例外，所有投資項目，必須由有投資專業的機構建議，而投資項目及數額需經投資小組成員全數同意後，交董事大會出席者三分之二通過，才可實施」。

中華公所也擬增設投資小組，章程修訂的建議字句為「投資小組由11至13位董事組成，本公所主席為小組召集人，財政為當然小組成員，其他成員則由大會提名並票選。投資小組成員可同時兼任其他小組成員。

公所董事們紛陳己見後，董事余麗媖建議公所董事回去後各別斟酌字句，把建議交給翁宇才後，下次會議再討論，投票。

City of Boston funding updates

The Funding Update Subscribe to The Funding Update FEDERAL GRANTS AmeriCorps, 9/13/2022 Volunteer Generation grants will develop and/or support community-based entities to recruit, manage, and support volunteers. Minimum award: $100,000. Department of Justice, 9/12/2022 Youth Violence Prevention grants support strategies targeted to middle and high school age youth. Max award: $250,000. Health Resources and Services Administration, 10/12/2022 Healthy Tomorrows Partnership for Children grants support access to health care for under-resourced and underserved children, youth, and their families nationwide. Max award: $50,000. New This Week Health Resources and Services Administration, 9/12/2022 Service Area Competition grants support primary health care services.HRSA estimates $360M to be available annually to fund 79 awards. National Science Foundation, 10/25/2022 Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (“NSF INCLUDES”). Project types supported: (1) Design and Development Launch Pilots, (2) Collaborative Change Consortia, (3) Alliances, (4) Network Connectors, and (5) Conferences. A total of $5.5M is available. Eligibility is unrestricted. Federal funding opportunities are continuously updated on grants.gov STATE GRANTS City of Lawrence, 8/19/2022 The Health and Human Services Department seeks sealed proposals from experienced qualified Resource Development professionals to successfully pursue and obtain grant funds for Lawrence Mayor’s Health Task Force. Center for Health Information & Analysis, 8/23/2022 Request for Responses from qualified and experienced contractors to provide analysis and expert guidance on diversity matters as they relate to the agency’s internal and external recruitment, hiring and promotion processes. Town of Wareham, 8/24/2022 The Town Administrator requests proposals and qualifications from a qualified firm or team for grant implementation and management services for its Department of Planning and Community Development. Primary responsibilities will be the implementation of the Town’s FY 2021 Massachusetts CDBG Program, with secondary responsibilities for managing the other activities and assets of the Department. City of Worcester, 8/24/2022 Scope of Work: professional consulting service for an executive search for City Manager. Department of Energy Resources, 8/26/2022 Seeking a contractor to perform engineering review services for its Green Communities Division in order to review grant applications from municipalities, regional school districts, water and /wastewater districts, municipal light plant territories, and/or other local government entities. A major component of the work will involve timely reviews of Green Communities Designation and Competitive Grants. Scroll down to "Important Links" on CommBUYS to see Newly Posted Bids. CITY GRANTS Boston Public Health Commission, 8/6/2022 Boston Youth Resiliency and Recovery Collaborative is seeking qualified youth-serving organizations to increase equitable access to high quality mentoring opportunities for BIPOC LGBTQ+ young people. Mayor’s Office of Housing, 8/17/2022 Requests proposals from non-profit organizations and units of local government to implement and facilitate Boston’s Youth Action Board. Guide to Contracting with the City We are always looking for partners to tackle both short- and long-term projects and purchases. Starting a business relationship with the City does not need to be a daunting process. Check this page for all the information needed to bid on City projects. Bids are updated continuously on the City of Boston Supplier Portal. FOUNDATION GRANTS Obama Foundation/My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, Weekly - beginning 7/15/2022 The goal of the Freedom Summer 2022 Fund is to provide communities with tools and resources to create safe spaces for our boys and young men of color, particularly during the summer months, in an effort to curb the uptick in violence we are seeing across the country. Awards will range from $15,000 to $25,000 until funds are exhausted. New This Week Tower Foundation, 8/3/2022 Grants support prevention, treatment, and/or recovery services to people aged 26 years or younger who are affected by intellectual and learning disabilities, mental illness/mental health challenges, and substance use disorders. Awards range from $15,000 to $50,000.  Chisholm Foundation, 9/1/2022 Funding priorities: arts, education, and religion. The Foundation is particularly interested in new or demonstration projects which, if successful, can be continued and expanded with the help of additional financial supporters. Rachael and Ben Vaughan Foundation, 9/1/2022 Funding priorities: education, environmental preservation, health care, human rights, poverty reduction, religious support, and substance abuse. Awards may range between $2,000 and $20,000. Lois Lenski Covey Foundation, 9/1/2022 Grants support organizations that operate a lending bookmobile that travels into neighborhoods populated by underserved youth in grades PreK - 8. Grants range from $500 to $3000 - specifically for book purchases. Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom, 9/1/2022 Mini-grants fund agriculture-related projects from schools, after-school programs, farms working with schools, and youth gardening organizations. Max award: $1,500. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 9/7/2022 Funding goal: to build the evidence base investigating how national, state, local, or private-sector policies and practices can reduce growing levels of racial inequality in wealth and significantly improve the financial well-being and economic security of families and communities that have been systematically subject to disinvestment -and therefore are unable to enjoy a fair and just opportunity to be healthy. Grants are typically funded for 24 months and have ranged from $30,000 to $450,000.  Smith Family Foundation, 9/13/2022 Grants support one-time capital expenses between $10,000-$50,000 that directly enhance a nonprofit organization's ability to serve its clients and achieve its mission. Grants may be used for such purposes as facility improvements, vehicles, equipment purchases, and other non-expendable assets. The Foundation targets this assistance to nonprofit organizations with annual operating budgets under $5 million. Organizations from Greater Boston and select Gateway Cities in Eastern MA are encouraged to apply. Teiger Foundation, 9/15/2022 Grants (up to $150,000) provide support curator-led projects at nonprofit art organizations in the U.S. and U.S. territories. John Z. Duling Grant Program, 9/15/2022 Grants (up to $25,000 over up to three years) support research and technology transfer projects that have the potential of benefiting the everyday work of arborists.  Hesed Foundation, 9/30/2022 Funding priorities: youth and education, health, and community building. Grants have ranged from $250 to $10,000; the average grant is $4000.  Toshiba America Foundation, 10/1/2022 Grants support programs and activities that improve teaching and learning in science and mathematics, grades K-5. The Foundation focuses its grant making on inquiry-based projects designed by individual teachers, and small teams of teachers, for use in their own classrooms. Honor the Earth, 12/31/2022 Building Resilience in Indigenous Communities Initiative grants ($1,000 to $5,000) support nonprofit Native organizations in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico that are controlled by Indigenous peoples. Funding priorities: 1) renewable energy, energy efficiency and weatherization improvements, and 2) creating food security utilizing Indigenous varieties and organic production.   Check the Funding Update Archives for back issues with open deadlines. THE RESOURCE TABLE Art AMore, 8/5/2022 What does the nature or essence of love mean to you? And how is this expressed through your art? Show AMORE from your perspective. Over $1,200 in cash prizes. All accepted pieces will be displayed in Art-Fluent online gallery. New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund NCF is a funding and support resource for Black, Latino, and Indigenous entrepreneurs, innovators, and nonprofits. To learn more about their FY23 grant-making strategy and ask questions, you can register for one of six information sessions - August 9, August 11, September 7, September 20, October 13, or October 17. Boston Residents: Do you need help getting online? Request FREE High Speed Internet & a Chromebook Laptop through the Boston Public Library's Long Term Lending Program! Click here to learn if you qualify. More BPL events and services are listed here.   Daily Updates from the City of Boston News, Resources, Applications, Permits, Jobs, Events and more!