When Dalton stopped by at 3:45 to talk with her about the upcoming building committee meeting, Julie wasn’t sure she could keep her eyes open. It had been such a long day, and she was still agitated about the Dan Swanson letter. She had tried to concentrate on her work, and the tour she had given at noon was, she felt, back to her old standard. But she was definitely drooping.
“The excavation’s done, and the foundation should be poured next week. We’re off and running, and if the committee agrees, we can recommend full steam ahead,” Dalton said to her across her desk.
Dalton’s enthusiasm gave Julie an immediate burst of energy. “It is exciting, isn’t it?” she said. “Such a shame Mary Ellen isn’t here to enjoy it.”
“Really sad, but you have to admit, Julie, the committee will probably be able to actually accomplish something today. I know that’s terrible to say, but just think—we can finally get the Swanson Center under way, and Mary Ellen would have been happy about that, even if she had a few questions.”
Julie laughed. “I know what you mean, Dalton. Do you plan to take up the issue of renaming the center for both of them?”
“I thought we should, but obviously that’s up to the full board. We meet Friday, right? So if the building committee agrees, we could make that one of our recommendations.”
“What else do we need to do today?”
“Just confirm the plan and recommend to the board that the project go ahead. Is the money issue settled?”
“Henry LaBelle said it looks good. The probate judge seemed sympathetic, and Steven Swanson’s letter asking him to release the $500,000 was really important. Henry thinks we’ll hear within a week.”
“That’ll keep Clif at bay. I was afraid he’d resist moving ahead because without Mary Ellen’s final gift we’d have to borrow so much. This ought to persuade him.”
“I hope so. Um, Dalton? Before the meeting, do we have time to talk about something else?”
Dalton looked at his watch. “If it’s short, or we can talk on the way to Holder.”
Realizing it was five minutes before four, Julie said there wasn’t really time and asked if Dalton would be free afterwards for a few minutes. “Assuming we have a nice short one. I’ve got a busy night ahead at the inn,” Dalton said. “We better go.”
When the new Swanson Center was finished, the society would have a comfortable conference room for board and committee meetings, but for now it was forced to set up the classroom in Holder House for such purposes. When Dalton and Julie arrived there, Clif and Mabel, the volunteer whose knowledge of plants Julie had relied on for the recent tour, and a member of the building committee, were waiting.
“Thought maybe I’d got the time wrong,” Clif said. “Mabel and I were about to leave.”
“It’s exactly four,” Dalton said with exasperation. “And Loretta’s not here yet.”
“Never knew her to be on time,” Clif said. “Might as well begin.”
Julie explained that Loretta had left a message with Mrs. Detweiller that she was running late on school business.
“Like I said,” Clif repeated, “might as well begin.”
“It’s so sad not to have Mary Ellen here,” Mabel said as they took their seats at the table.
“Dalton and I were just talking about that,” Julie said.
“Should speed things up, though,” Clif said. “Mary Ellen did like to ask questions.”
“Very good ones,” Mabel said.
“Well, it was her money, so I guess she had a right. We going to replace her on this committee?”
“That’s up to the board,” Julie answered. “But I can see that another member would be a good idea.”
“Steven would be wonderful,” Mabel said. “Carry on the tradition.”
“Don’t think he’d be interested,” Clif said. “Never was. You heard what he said at the funeral—didn’t spend much time here because Mary Ellen didn’t like that wife of his. I guess they’re married—she doesn’t use his name, I understand.”
“Of course a lot of the issues are settled,” Dalton said, ignoring Clif’s remarks. “When you think about it, we may not need to add a member since the design questions have all been answered and our role as a committee now is just to supervise the construction and deal with any change orders. Maybe we should bring this up on Friday and let the board decide? That okay with everyone?”
Clif nodded, as did Julie, but Mabel was about to speak when Loretta entered the room. “Sorry to be late, folks,” she said in her pleasant but rushed way. “With school over you’d think I’d be on time for things, but the superintendent called a special meeting. I’m glad you started.”
“We were just talking about the committee,” Dalton said, and reviewed what they had discussed.
“I’m okay either way,” Loretta said. “If it would help to put Steven Swanson on, to sort of keep the family tied in, that’s fine with me. But like Dalton says, we probably won’t have a lot to do now—not the way we have in the past.”
“Let the board decide,” Clif said. “What’s our business here today, Dalton?”
Dalton summarized what the building committee needed to do.
“Then let’s do that,” Clif said. “I’ve got my own business to run.”
Dalton reported on the excavation work and said the foundation would be poured within a week. “That’s the extent of what the board authorized,” he reminded them, “because we hadn’t given final approval to the construction documents. Our main goal today is to do that—if we agree, of course—and recommend that the board sign the construction contract.”
“What about the money?” Clif asked. “I’m not in favor of a lot of borrowing. Do we have enough in hand now to proceed with only the bridge loan at the end?”
Everyone in the room knew what Clif was asking: Could they count on the remainder of Mary Ellen Swanson’s gift? “You want to answer that, Julie?” Dalton asked.
“Well, you’re all aware that Mary Ellen had $500,000 left on her pledge. Some of you also know that Mary Ellen told me she expected to pay that off in full this summer. Naturally, with her … death, there was a question about that. Not about getting the money, but whether we would have to wait till her estate was probated. Steven Swanson very kindly asked the probate judge to release the half-million dollars to the society as soon as possible, before the whole estate is settled, and Henry LaBelle has talked to the probate judge and is pretty confident that will happen. So I think—”
“The cash is there?” Clif interrupted.
“Soon will be, yes.”
“Birch Brook closed, I heard. Guess that will take care of it.”
“I suppose that’s right,” Julie continued, “but anyway, my understanding is that we’ll be getting the rest of the gift pretty soon.”
“Donny Childerson?” Holdsworth asked.
“I’m sorry?”
“Donny Childerson. He the probate judge?”
“I think Henry said it was a Judge Childerson, yes.”
“That’s okay, then. Donny’s a Ryland boy. He’ll do what’s right. I’m satisfied, Dalton. Move we recommend the board sign the final construction contract.”
“Second!” Loretta sang out.
“Okay, it’s been moved and seconded,” Dalton said. “Any discussion? I guess that really means, are we satisfied, as a committee, with all the plans and the construction documents?”
“Now if Mary Ellen were here,” Clif said, “that question would be worth asking. Fact is, the rest of us are satisfied. Have been for some time. I call the question.”
“Okay, Clif,” Dalton said. “But let’s be sure we’re all in agreement here. Loretta?”
“Absolutely. It’s a great plan, great design. I say let’s do it.”
“Mabel?”
“All the landscaping seems fine to me. I don’t really know much about the rest, but you’re the architect, Dalton, and I assume you’re satisfied.”
“Delighted, really. But I’m only one person. Any other concerns?”
They voted unanimously to recommend proceeding. Julie felt relieved. Then Clif spoke: “Now I assume the board will have to have some assurance about the money. I think it’s fair for the building committee to make the recommendation, but I’m sure as a full board we’ll need some assurances. Henry going to be there on Friday?”
Julie said that Henry LaBelle would be present. “Maybe he’ll have spoken to Donny by then,” Clif continued. “We finished, Dalton?”
“Just one more item,” Dalton said. “Most of you heard Steven Swanson’s comment at the funeral about how the project honored both his father and mother. Would the building committee care to go on record as recommending to the board that we name the building the Daniel and Mary Ellen Swanson Center?”
“Hear, hear!” Loretta Cummings said. “I so move.”
“Second,” Mabel said. There was no discussion. After a unanimous vote, Dalton declared the meeting adjourned. Clif stood up and walked to where Julie was sitting.
“Don’t suppose you’ve heard any more about those shovels?” he asked in a quiet voice.
“As a matter of fact, I haven’t. The police chief still has them, I guess. Or maybe the State Police. I can check again, Clif.” Having decided, uninvited, to call him by his first name, Julie was intent on being consistent, even though it required extra effort not to say Mister Holdsworth as she had for the past year.
“I’d appreciate that. Don’t know why they’re so interested in my shovels, but that’s cops for you.”
Clif walked away, nodded to Dalton, and exited. Loretta and Mabel had already gone. “Pretty fast,” Dalton said as he glanced at his watch. “Only 4:35. So I’ve got time now if you want to talk.”
“Maybe we could go back to my office if that’s okay. I’d like to show you something. In deepest confidence, I might add, or Mike will have me thrown in jail just to shut me up.”