January 17, 2023
The Historic Salem Courthouse Thanks Bob Akland for Years of Service”
Bob Akland began planting trees on his farm in East Greenwich in 1993. Since then he has planted about 10,000 trees, including Norway spruce, black walnut, locust and larch. The trees, he says, are an investment in the future, but somebody else’s future! Bob has always found ways to devote his time to investing in the future of others. He spent his 33 year career teaching and as a guidance counselor endowing kids with the knowledge and skills they would need in their lives.
When Bob and his wife, Carolyn, also a former teacher, retired to their Washington County farm in 2001, they began looking for ways to become involved in the community. They attended an informational meeting at the Salem School in 2002 given by the then, “Save the Courthouse” group, who had assembled to discuss what would happen when the jail and County courthouse moved from Salem to their new location in Ft Edward. Bob and Carolyn’s over 20 year stint as dedicated members of the Historic Salem Courthouse volunteer community had begun! Bob was intrigued by the beautiful structure and thought helping to preserve it would be a fun challenge (and he’s a big history fan) and the potential for using the Courthouse as a community center spoke to his philosophy for providing for the future. He became a Board Member in 2003, moved onto Treasurer and eventually to President.
After 20 years on the Board, and 10 as President, Bob has decided to retire from the Board and pursue some other callings. He says he knows the current Board is strong and, along with the staff, will be able to meet the many challenges of running the Historic Salem Courthouse. Herb Perkins, who has been Vice President for 10 years, is prepped to be the new President. Of Bob’s tenure, Herb stated, “In addition to all the many individual accomplishments he made for the Courthouse over his many years of service, he has also provided dedicated and dignified stewardship of the Historic Salem Courthouse, its grounds, its buildings, its reputation for service and its place in the Salem community, which he loves.”
Carolyn, who has been an invaluable and dedicated Membership Committee Chair, and all around Courthouse fixture, will continue to participate in many of her Courthouse commitments. Carolyn’s warmth and joie de vivre have been key to building enthusiasm for Courthouse activities and membership. Bob says she’s “the glue that holds everything together”.
When looking back at all that has been accomplished by the dedicated Courthouse volunteers during his time on the Board, including raising over $1 million through grants and private gifts, Bob says the most rewarding thing is seeing people enjoying all the events and activities. So much work goes into fundraising, maintaining and upgrading the building and planning the many events, that it is a huge pay off when the results provide such happy experiences.
The Historic Salem Courthouse has truly become the community center envisioned by its early supporters. It offers history lectures, concerts, art shows, after school activities like knitting and music lessons, a thrift shop, a commercial kitchen, the Lunch, Learn and Play summer program for kids, a community garden, a place for the Hudson Headwaters mobile health van, and more. Bob says it is amazing what a group of ordinary people can do when they are committed and determined.
According to Bob, the hardest thing is running the programs and fundraising for the restoration of the 1869 building, all at the same time. He cited last year’s heating cost of $17,000 as an example of how difficult a balancing act it can be. The pandemic added to the challenges but the Historic Courthouse keeps moving forward. Bob is proud that so much has been accomplished “on a shoestring” and progress is still being made- new programs and new restoration projects all the time.
Now that the Historic Salem Courthouse is established as a vital part of the community, and not just a dream, Bob can focus his attention on his church, some reading, maybe some travel, his grandchildren’s sporting events, and of course, tending to those 10,000 trees for the future.
