Thursday, May 11, 2017

Tower Hill Botanic Gardens, Boylston

8:30-9:00 AM   Annual Meeting Registration and Continental Breakfast

9:00-9:45   Best Practices in IT – Does your technology provide all of the latest bells and whistles.  Hear from your colleagues about; the latest Munis upgrades, what schools are doing with AESOP and utilizing ACH/EFT to reduce the number of paper checks that are mailed. Speakers;  Sandy Pooler-Arlington, Marilyn Gordon-Easton,  Debra Blanchette-Barnstable.

9:45-10:45   Best Practices in IT (PART 2) – Using Google for business drive/docs/sheets/forms/surveys/photos.  Speakers Jeffrey Liberman-Danvers, Elizabeth Homan & Pedro DeLeon-Waltham, John Covey-Shrewsbury.                                 

10:45-11:00   Break

11:00-11:50      Making sense of what is going on with the national economy.  Speaker John Sherman, Senior Portfolio Manager/CFA/VP MMDT/Federated Investors.

11:50-12:30   State Update - Mass Municipal Association’s John Robertson, Legislative Director will present his annual State of the State Budget report for us and discuss any other relevant legislative issues.

12:30  Lunch, Annual Meeting

Lunch Discussion:    Expanding the field of candidates for municipal finance in Massachusetts.  What role can MGFOA play?  What are the other associations doing to help or harm?  What about grad school programs?

Nominations for the Fiscal Year 2018 MGFOA Executive Board

President-Sheryl Strother, Finance Director, Wellesely

1st VP-Joy Ricciuto, Town Accountant, Medfield

2nd VP-Arti Mehta, Finance Director, Kingston

Treasurer-Marc Waldman, Treasurer/Collector, Wellesley

Exec Bd, Appointment 1-Ed Spellman, Finance Director, Braintree

Exec Bd, Appointment 2-Victor Garofalo, Finance Director, Bedford

Exec Bd, Appointment 3-Gerald Lane, Treasurer, Dover

Exec Bd, Appointment 4-Sandy Pooler, Deputy Town Manager, Arlington

Exec Bd, Appointment 5-President’s Appointment

If you would like to be considered in the future please let a board member know

Directions

Tower Hill is located in Central Massachusetts, about 10 miles northeast of Worcester. There is plenty of free parking. Get directions to Tower Hill on Google Maps.

From Boston

Take the Massachusetts Turnpike to Exit 11A, I-495. Take I-495 North to Exit 25B, I-290 West toward Worcester. Take Exit 24, Church Street, Northborough/Boylston. Follow Church Street toward Boylston for 3 miles. The entrance to Tower Hill is on the right; a dark red sign designates the entrance.

From Providence, Rhode Island

From I-95 North, take Route 146 north exit. Follow for approximately 35 miles toward Worcester. In Worcester, take the exit for I-290 east. Follow through the city to Exit 24, Church Street, Northborough/
Boylston. Follow Church Street toward Boylston for 3 miles. The entrance to Tower Hill is on the right; a dark red sign designates the entrance.

From Hartford, CT and Springfield, MA

Take the Massachusetts Turnpike east toward Boston. Follow for approximately 40 miles to Exit 10, I-290 Worcester. Take I-290 east. Follow through the city to Exit 24, Church Street, Northborough/Boylston. Follow Church Street toward Boylston for 3 miles. The entrance to Tower Hill is on the right; a dark red sign designates the entrance.

From the North or Northwest

Take Route 2 toward Leominster. Take I-190 South to Exit 5, Route 140. Turn left on Route 140 South.
Continue on Route 140 through West Boylston to traffic light at intersection of Route 140 and Route 70. Turn left onto Route 70. Travel 1 mile through the center of Boylston. Continue on Route 70 another 1/2 mile to a blinking yellow light at French Drive (marked by a blue highway sign "turn right for Tower Hill Botanic Garden"). Turn right and proceed a short distance to the entrance to Tower Hill Botanic Garden on left; a dark red sign designates the entrance.
OR
Take Route 2 to Exit 35, Route 70 Lancaster Lunenburg. Follow Route 70 through Lancaster and Clinton, passing Tahanto Regional High School on the right. Approximately 1-1/4 miles further along Route 70, turn left at the blinking yellow light at French Drive (marked by a blue highway sign "turn left for Tower Hill). Tower Hill Botanic Garden is on the left; a dark red sign designates the entrance.

Public Transportation from Boston

Take Commuter Rail from South Station or Back Bay Station to Westborough, North Grafton or Worcester (Union Station). Unfortunately, the only transportation to the garden from these stations is by cab.