EM Minutes – 2023-06-19

HAVILAND CLUB EXECUTIVE MEETING – FINAL

Monday June 19, 2023

PRESENT:
Jamie Trainor, President
Stephen Yarrow, Secretary
Jane MacIsaac, Fundraising Chair
Laurent Beaulieu, Membership Chair
Nelson Hagerman, Treasurer
Michael Cairns, House Chair
Scott Stevens, Pond Chair
Sue Stanger, Entertainment Chair
ABSENT:
Irene MacArthur, Vice President
Helen Bernstein, Director at Large
Bruce Matheson, Chair of the Trustees
1. The meeting was called to order at 5:10 pm by President Jamie Trainor, who explained that this board meeting will focus more on the Strategic Plan and the four committees that will be struck to develop a draft operational plan.
2. Adoption of the agenda was moved by Scott, seconded by Nelson. Motion carried.
3. Approval of the last meeting’s (May 15, 2023) minutes was moved by Mike, seconded by Jane. Unanimous approval.
4. Manager’s report – Susan MacDonald. In Susan’s absence, report given by Jamie.
  • May’s events and bookings went well. So far June has been a little quiet, but things will start picking up this week, with a steady assortment of bookings now till August 19th.
  • This weekend the Witches Fair takes place, the booking co-hosted with Discover Charlottetown, as part of their Island Tides Yoga and Wellness Festival.
  • Discover Charlottetown has booked three dates in October as part of their Scarecrow Festival.
  • July 1st, Canada Day, Club event planned with Sue Stanger.
  • Looking ahead September and October getting filled up for bookings as well.
5. Committee Reports:
  • President’s Report – Jamie Trainer
    • Following the May 31st special all-members meeting to present the Strategic Plan, Farringford House engineer’s study and proposed plans, plus the state of the Haviland’s finances, four committees are in the process of being struck to develop the Operational Plan, namely:
      • Financial Viability chaired by Nelson
        • Inclusiveness chaired by Laurent
    • Awareness chaired by Jamie
      • Historical Integrity chaired by Mike.
      • A message to all club members will be sent out shortly, explicitly inviting members to participate in one of the four committees.
    • The chairs of each committee will report their progress to the President and at each Executive board meeting.
    • As the Operational Plan unfolds, adjustments will be made to the existing committee structure.
    • The goal is to draft an Operational Plan for presentation in time for or at the next AGM, in November.
    • Jamie and Nelson continue with discussions with the Credit Union to arrange a consolidation bank loan for the Haviland. Success is assured and should become a reality in the near future.
  • Membership Report – Laurent Beaulieu
    • Laurent tabled a proposal on revising membership fees to solicit discussion. After a robust dialogue between the members, the following was agreed to:
      • General memberships. All memberships will now be single only. One price = one membership price.
        All the various categories are abolished. This measure was necessary since in the last 8 years the membership demographic has changed drastically. We now have a majority of single members and a minority of couples. Keeping the old system was unfair to single members who are the majority and who are keenly aware of this discrepancy. The New single (only) membership fee for all will be adjusted to take into account inflation, a modest increase will be announced shortly.
      • Pro-rated fees.
        The pro-rated fees were devised many years ago and created a difficult and unfair situation for all Club Members. It was also an important financial loss for the Club. We are no longer in a position after years of disruption due to the pandemic and soaring inflation to continue this pro-rated practice. Going forward, we will offer a prorated rate to any new members as of 1 April.
      • The Not-for-Profit Members rate increase.
        We currently have a number of NFP organizations at the Club who rent on a regular, weekly or monthly basis our premises. Their membership fee has not increased in many years.
        The Executive has decided to increase their membership fee by a modest amount to cover increase costs due to inflation. This will be announced shortly.
      • Benefits to Not-For-Profit Member groups.
        The Executive decided to extend the privilege of member price drinks to Executive Members only, of NFP groups.
      • Out of Province residents’ memberships
        Persons not living in PEI (non-residents) can apply for a Seasonal (April to September) membership at the pro-rated price between April and September.
  • Suffolk Pond Report – Scott Stevens
    • Only a few people have used the Pond due poor weather conditions in the last month.
    • The Pond committee is looking into improvements to the boat slip and other maintenance issues.
    • We have had a number of requests for a Scotch Tasting, we will look into club availability.
  • Treasurer’s Report – Nelson Hagerman
    • Nelson tabled the income statement and balance sheet for May 2023.
    • No significant issues were raised.
  • Entertainment report – Sue Stanger
    • Sue provided a summary of “what’s been happening” on the entertainment front recently:
    • It has begun! Club members are entertaining club members!
    • Gatherings include:
      • Book Club with Barbara leading
      • Play reading with Terry leading
      • Writers with Mark leading
      • Coffee and Conversation
      • Just Chatting with Mark leading
      • Walking with Jude leading
      • Fine Diners with Helen leading
      • Gourmet Dinners with Laurent leading
    • Here’s hoping more groups will form as time goes by – and there is more!
    • Sue expressed how happy she is to report that members have taken the initiative to make things happen for other members of the club.
    • Mark and Bruce like a good glass of wine and decided to put on a wine tasting eventing. They organized all of it and it was a great success.
    • Terry Platt has written music to some lovely poems and will be presenting his creations sometime soon.
    • Laurent pulled together a team and offered a fabulous Coronation event.
    • Jude and Lise are leading a singing circle and members are invited to take part.
    • Let’s make it known that we welcome these wonderful happenings for the future.
  • House Report – Michael Cairns
    • TASKS COMPLETED
      • The “green” room is now finished and ready to be used; and
      • A work order was submitted by Public Works Charlottetown to fix the front railing on the post that was struck by the sidewalk plow.
    • UPCOMING TASKS
      • Replace the glass above the main entrance (asked for estimates but have not received a response yet);
      • Refinish the front stairs and landing; repaint handrails, sand and paint stairs and landing. Five hundred dollars was approved for this activity at the April 23 Executive meeting;
      • Replace the molding on the Panel in the front room (South Side);
      • Assess the Haviland Club computer network;
      • Put shelves in basement closet under the main door entrance to allow for storage of materials for the bridge club;
      • Reframe basement closet under the main door entrance and hang doors to cover the exposed closet;
      • Frame and cover the exposed plumbing by the snooker table;
      • Aerate and fertilize yard; Purchase new drain spout for rain trough on NE corner;
  • Fundraising Report – Jane MacIsaac
    • Thank you for participating in the Special Members meeting. Both Heather MacAulay of Volume 18 and Greg Munn of Munn Architecture presented their findings and report to the membership. This means we have honoured our commitment to the members. Now the real work needs to begin. That is the Development of an operational plan for each of the priority areas.
    • Since our last meeting we have met with Marilyn Murphy ( ACOA) . The purpose was to seek advice and find funding sources for the future have ACOA in our camp. She suggested we develop a product that addresses community gaps and falls within priorities of governments. She further suggested we work on branding ourselves, i.e. no longer promote ourselves as a “premier social club “ but rather we are operating as a “premier social enterprise “ …whose mission is to protect and preserve the heritage building, to offer a quality/ intimate rental venue for the community, offer a safe and inclusive environment for citizens…
    • We also met with Sean Casey, MP for the area. We sought his guidance and support as we move forward with our new enterprise. Sean agreed to send contact information to us for programs and services, as well as contacts for Glenaladale, another historic property in PEI with similar building challenges.  Jane will follow up with Sean’s office on that.
    • Contact was made with Kent Hudson of Community Foundation for an update on Charitable Status Capacity. Kent is away and will get back to us shortly.
  • Jamie moved to approve all the reports – no objections.

6. Next meeting: set for Monday July 17, 2023.

7. Meeting adjourned at 6:55 pm.

Haviland Club Special All Members Meeting – 2023-05-31

Haviland Club Special All Members Meeting – Draft

May 31, 2023

At 7:00 pm Jamie Trainer, the Clubs president welcomed all the club member attendees (36) and introduced the three presenters, Heather MacAulay, Greg Munn and Nelson Hagerman to address the newly developed strategic plan, building assessment and a financial update, respectively.

Heather MacAulay, Volume 18

  • Volume 18, a strategic communications company based in Stratford, was engaged by the Haviland Club last year to assist in developing a strategic plan to move the club forward.
  • Engagement included a white board planning session last fall, interviews with external stakeholders, a survey of club members, and discussions with the 7-member strategic planning steering committee.
  • Heather described Volume 18’s findings with respect to the club’s sense of community, pride of place, emotional connections, and being a gathering place.
  • A strategic plan has been drafted to encapsulate the above, but Heather emphasized that this should be a living document, not one for a set period, e.g., a four-year plan.
  • The plan was described in some detail (paper copies were handed out) and will be distributed to all members electronically in the near future.
  • A future path was outlined that includes:
    • Vision: to be PEI’s premier gathering place.
    • Mission: Protect and preserve historic Farringford House to foster an environment that is inviting for members and community users, in an inspired and sustainable manner.
    • Four value themes: inclusive; sustainable; social; historical integrity
  • Going forward, the club will embrace four priorities:
    • Financial viability – long term targeted revenue streams and monetizing the House involving both club members and community user groups.
    • Inclusiveness – a welcoming place regardless of gender, race, age, etc.
    • Awareness – tell our story of what the Haviland Club is, and Farringford House, and what it is not.
    • Historical integrity – ensure that we do not lose touch with our roots – we have a powerful story to tell. Maintain and restore the House itself.
  • Action: members will be actively encouraged to join working groups for each of the four priorities, that over the next 6-12 months will champion the necessary planning work to move the club forward. Each working group will be led by a member of the Executive.

Gregg Munn, Munn Architecture Inc.

  • The Haviland Club engaged Gregg last year to review the architectural aspects of Farringford House, the home of the Club.
  • The review’s aims were to rediscover, restore and revitalize.
  • Two plans were developed after detailed and extensive analysis of the state of the House:
    • A conservation plan focusing on what needs to be repaired, short, medium and long term.
    • A master plan focusing on what the house could be.
  • Greg believes the house to be in good to fair condition – a little tired, worn, and inefficient, with moisture issues and roof structural problems. Importantly the house is basically solid.
  • Regarding what could be, Greg outlined opportunities to revitalize the kitchen, reinvent the attic space and outdoor areas, repurpose the existing apartment and better development of the basement.
  • In terms of building codes, Greg recommends the creation of additional exits, the installation of a sprinkler system.
  • Greg provided exciting blueprints of how Farringford House could be restructured and redecorated while preserving its historical elements.
  • Estimates were provided to cover recommendations at high, medium, low and future work tranches. If all were addressed hypothetically, the total could reach approx. $1.8M – the work to span several years.
  • There is a 150-page report from Munn Architecture Inc, available on request. Meanwhile, a summary will be shared with all club members electronically in the near future.

Nelson Hagerman, Executive director, and treasurer

  • Nelson reviewed the financial statement from the last fiscal year, given that it was ready to be completed at the November 2022 AGM. The statement was approved.
  • In terms of the current financial situation, Nelson outlined the need to consolidate existing deficits and debts (e.g., $60K mortgage and pay back of a portion of the club’s government Covid loan).
  • The executive is seeking a line of credit of $150K ($100K to address deficit and debt, and $50K as a cushion to address immediate repairs to the House, etc.), to be initially carried by interest payments only. As part of this exercise, the value of the Farringford House property (last assessment was $900K) will be reevaluated to reflect today’s market value – estimated at $2M.
  • There are many ideas and proposals to both (i) increase membership numbers, adjust membership fees and generate additional revenue, and (ii) cut down on expenses.
  • The executive is confident that the loan will be forthcoming and that it can be adequately serviced going forward.
  • The Haviland Club is currently in a loss position, so new sustained cash flow is a priority.
  • With a more secure footing, the Club will be in a good position to apply for government grants, and comfortably able to cover the typical 15% of the total of such grants.
  • During Nelson’s presentation, following a question from a club member, it was clarified that the Suffolk Pond is a separate entity from the Haviland Club.