07/07/2026
Corky Row Club Update July 1, 2026
Dear Fellow Club Members and Friends,
Your board has been working to put the Club back on a sound financial footing, replace our roof, and offer local families the kind of programs we were once known for. I’d like to take a few minutes to update you on what we’ve been doing, what’s next and how you can help.
Last summer, we received a $50K Community Preservation grant to replace our leaking roof. Once work began, we learned we had to replace some of the substructure which increased costs. As a result, part of the roof was temporarily repaired while we applied for more funds. We received an additional $18K supplemental grant and will complete the work in a week or so. If you haven’t seen the roof work done last year, drive by to check it out. It looks great.
Last year we also paid down $20K of an old $50K city loan thanks to donations from BayCoast Bank, Bank Five, St. Anne’s Credit Union, Donald J. Medeiros Insurance and others. When the city’s final balloon payment came due last December, a fellow board member took out a personal loan to pay the city the remaining $34,000. It was a one year loan with a high interest rate and monthly loan payments of $3,250. We made those payments until this month with money from St. Patrick’s Day and other fundraisers.
Having already paid down over a third of that $34,000 personal loan, we’re applying to BayCoast Bank for a 3-year loan to pay back the remaining $22,000 to our board member and lower our monthly payments from $3,250 to $500. We’ll pay off that BayCoast loan over the next year or so from our regular fundraisers (St. Patrick’s Day, Golf Tournament, etc.) and one-time capital requests to local individuals, corporations and foundations.
You can help by paying your annual Club dues now to give us the funds needed to make our final $3,250 payment before the new loan kicks in. Several board members did so recently raising over $500. Please go to the PayPal link at https://www.paypal.com/us/home, search for “[email protected]” and pay your dues. You can also go on the GoFundMe home page and type in ‘Corky Row Club’ to make a donation.
Finally, you may have read recently of a national reversal in the long, steady decline of institutions like the Rotary Club, Odd Fellows and local churches. Given the negativity in our politics/social media, it makes sense people would seek ways to connect in person with friends and family to celebrate a shared love of their community and work on projects that make their neighborhoods cleaner, safer and more resilient. I find this encouraging and know that, with your help, the Club can play a growing role in bringing our members and supporters together to improve Corky Row and the city.
Many thanks for your ongoing involvement and support,
Brad Paul
President, Corky Row Club
