HAVILAND CLUB EXECUTIVE MEETING

Monday January 16, 2023

PRESENT:

Jamie Trainor, President

Irene MacArthur, Vice President

Stephen Yarrow, Secretary

Jane MacIsaac, Fundraising Chair

Scott Stevens, Pond Chair

Laurent Beaulieu, Membership Chair

Sue Stanger, Entertainment Chair

REGRETS:

Nelson Hagerman, Treasurer

Helen Bernstein, Director at Large

Doug Thompson, Chair of the Trustees

1.   The meeting was called to order at 5:05 pm by President Jamie Trainor who welcomed the executive to its first meeting in 2023.

2.   Adoption of the agenda was moved by Scott, seconded by Irene. Motion carried.

3.   Approval of the last meeting (December 12, 2022) minutes was moved by Stephen, seconded by Laurent and the motion carried, following a verbal readout of the minutes.

4.   Manager’s report – Susan MacDonald. In Susan’s absence, report given by Jamie.

·                 Bookings were steady up till Christmas, e.g., Celebration of Life, weddings, and several engagement and birthdays.

·                 January and February are fully booked, with the earliest openings now in March, April, and May.

·                 Jamie, Susan, and Irene are finalizing the revised rental rates and contract, that will be presented to the Executive shortly.  New rates are already being applied.

·                 Susan and Susan Stanger are meeting regularly, including this week, to review events from now through to the spring.

·                 Overall, bookings are very strong for what is normally a quiet time of the year.  Aiming for monthly events and quarterly major events for the members.

·                 There have been regular drop-ins of people seeking information on membership to the club.

·                 There are sensitivities around convening Friday evening non-member rental events coinciding and potentially overlapping with the regular member’s Friday nights in the lounge, happy hour, etc. Consequently, the Club will be limiting rental type events on Friday evenings, with just a few small gatherings taking place.

·                 It was noted that there could be a need for two bartenders when specific events take place.

·                 For Friday happy hour evenings, the availability of snacks has been expanded slightly, with minimal extra costs.

·                 The former $5 Friday dinners maybe re-considered.

·                 Someone (Sandra) has been hired to do the snow shoveling.

·                 Susan and Irene have done substantial cleaning up of the basement – more to be done.

·                 There is a minor leak again in the basement with sheet metal deflection being considered, plus the installation of a newly acquired sump pump.

·                 To sum up, it was observed that the volume of rentals is looking very good.

5.   President’s Report – Jamie Trainer

·                 Our treasurer Nelson will provide a financial report at the next Executive meeting.

·                 Concerning the damage to the two carrying beams in the attic, caused by September’s hurricane Fiona, Greg Munn and Tom Morrison will be installing lag bolts (imported from the UK) and metal plates this week to create a permanent repair. Winmar Property Restoration is managing the project for the insurance company. All to be covered by the Club’s insurance, minus $1000 deductible.

·                 Fiona damaged tree is now removed, relieving concerns for the neighbouring property – the city paid the bill.

·                 Jamie is very happy with the strategic plan process – more information in Jane’s report.

·                 The new mentoring program is ongoing – new members are mentoring new members!

6.   Chair reports:

Membership Chair – Laurent Beaulieu

·                 As of January 9, 2023, we have 170 regular paid members, up from 148 at the time of the November AGM.  Breakdown: 170 = 91 women + 79 men; 92 single + 39 couple memberships.

·                 As promised at the last meeting, Laurent tabled a detailed draft proposal to revise the fees for memberships. The review covers (i) equitable fee structure regardless of a member’s marital status, (ii) prorated fee options, and (iii) specific benefits for not-for-profit members.   The latter elicited healthy discussion and the much-appreciated proposal generally will be examined more thoroughly in conjunction with the upcoming strategic plan that will include membership strategies. In this context, Jane informed the meeting that a draft report for the strategic plan will be tabled for the executive’s review mid-February, after which the membership fee review can proceed considering various options for the Club’s future suggested by Volume 18.

Pond Chair – Scott Stevens

·                 The camp has been winterized but is still accessible for visits.

·                 The last storm resulted in a tree blocking the access road, but the tree has now been removed and all is well.

·                 Pond members hosted a Scotch tasting event Friday, Jan 13th at the Haviland Club.  It was well attended despite the poor weather that evening, and a number of rare scotches were presented for tasting, paired with our famous smoked salmon on a bagel.

·                 We are now on a membership drive to increase our numbers.

·                 It was clarified that Pond membership is separate to Haviland Club membership.

Vice-President – Irene MacArthur

·                 The Chase-the-Ace pot now sits at $4750.  One member has won the draw six times in recent weeks.

·                 Bridge Club numbers remain static – some members of the Bridge Club are members of the Haviland Club.

·                 Saturday February 25th there will be a gathering specifically for new members (approx. 30) to the Haviland Club, in addition to mentors.  Bake beans and biscuits will be served, and Sue Stanger will arrange entertainment.

·                 The re-organization of storage at the club is ongoing, with including the installation of shelving and bins, and perhaps an outdoor storage shed for chairs, etc.

·                 Room rental prices are now posted.

·                 There have been some issues with laundry associated with wedding events, consequently additional linens will be purchased, and closets rearranged to fully accommodate event materials.

·                 Wedding event prices will be re-established shortly.

·                 A question was raised as to why there is a charge for bridge, and not for snooker.  The former relates to the Bridge Club being a separate entity to the Haviland Club (HC), paying a rental to host the games at 2 Haviland Street.  Snooker players are HC members.  Despite this distinction it was agreed going forward that clarification is required concerning memberships and the various activities that take place at 2 Haviland Street, re. HC members vs. non-members and who pays for what. To be addressed when reviewing the governance structure around the operation of the HC going forward.

Entertainment Chair – Sue Stanger

·                 The Club has some new initiatives, including the Haviland Writers group and the Haviland Gourmet Dinner Club.

·                 The February 25th “new members” gathering will include various games (snooker, euchre, etc.), a show, including the dancing camel, etc.

·                 A poster for the event is being prepared.

·                 The once-a-month Friday evening music events will continue, including this Friday’s jazz night.

·                 For both March 31st and April 1st evenings, a dinner show event is being planned to include a violinist.

Fundraising chair – Jane MacIsaac

·                 Greg Munn, with Tom Morrison, has completed an initial assessment of the building structure at 2 Haviland Street and a report is anticipated mid-February to prioritize addressing structural issues. Recommendations for renovations will be included that will facilitate making applications for funding – the key justification for the report.

·                 Greg had identified a major structural problem related to Fiona, that Jamie discussed earlier.

·                 Heather MacAulay of Volume 18 has completed the member survey and key outside informant interviews and early findings have been reported to Jamie, Jane, and Jake.  A draft report should be available by mid-February for board review, that will incorporate all the pillars established by the strategic steering group.

·                 Applications have been completed and submitted to Canada Summers Jobs through the Federal Government’s Service Canada requesting three positions – an accounting technician, a researcher, and events/marketing coordinator. Funding aim is approx. $28K. Applications entailed job descriptions, an outline of duties, mentoring plans, reporting structures for each position, plus information on whether the incumbents will be retained or not. Seeking “youth” not necessarily students. Deadline was January 12th, and do not anticipate the results until April 1st.

·                 Work in progress includes: (i) contact made with Skills PEI for summer student applications – aiming for three students to conduct walking tours of the building, (ii) review the new national Post-Covid Recovery Fund program administered through three streams such as the Red Cross.  Will be approaching Kent Hudson, Exec Director of the PEI Community Foundation to submit a proposal comprised of (a) communications and awareness about the future of the Haviland Club, (b) facilitating a governance review through hiring a lawyer to review the Club’s constitution, by-laws, operational rules, etc., (c) develop an action plan or structure around a fund-raising campaign for the Club.  These applications must be submitted by February 21st.

Laurent motioned approval of the chair’s reports, seconded by Jane.  Motion carried.

Addendum: The New Year’s Levee at the Haviland Club was very successful with over 400 visitors.  Anticipate new members to the Club from this community-based event.  It was noted that timing of the Club’s Levee vs. Levees held elsewhere can influence the number of visitors, therefore, scheduling will be closely followed for next year’s event.

7.   Next meeting: Monday February 27, 2023, at 5:00 pm.

8.   Meeting adjourned at 6:30 pm.