Category Archives: Minutes

EM Minutes – 2024-01-22

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THE HAVILAND EXECUTIVE MEETING MINUTES – FINAL      Monday, January 22, 2024

PRESENT:
Jamie Trainor, President
Jane MacIsaac, Vice President
Stephen Yarrow, Secretary
Nelson Hagerman, Treasurer
Michael Cairns, House Chair
Mary-Beth Maclean, Entertainment Chair Rosalind Drewery, Director at Large
Jake Baird, Director at Large
Bruce Matheson, Chair of the Trustees

ABSENT:
Allan Trainor, Membership Chair.

  1. The meeting was called to order at 5:05 pm by President Jamie Trainor.
  2. The agenda was adopted.
  3. Minutes from November 15, 2023, executive meeting were approved.
  4. Minutes – in draft form – of the November 22, 2023, AGM were approved to be shared with all members, but subject to approval by the members at the next AGM later in the year.
  5. Manager’s report by Jamie:
    1. Susan MacDonald’s return to her management duties will be determined by her doctor’s report. If given the green light, re-entry to working hours may be staggered depending on her health status. Regardless, there have been lots of changes at the Haviland since Susan MacDonald went on sick leave, and so integration of duties with Craig and Brandy will need to be handled carefully.
  6. President, Jamie:
    1. Question was raised about Director’s liability insurance. Coverage is $1M, $1K deductible, and third-party liability.
    2. Brandy will only be available part time, so we will need to continue juggling management of the Haviland for the foreseeable future.
    3. Discussion was had regarding the percentage discount that members enjoy renting rooms, etc., at the Haviland. It was agreed that this should not be too generous, and the meeting concluded that 30% was appropriate. Context mostly related to the not-for-profit members.
    4. The PEI Community Foundation is close to an agreement where donations to the Haviland will have charitable status re. CRA. A draft has been approved, however some minor tweaks are necessary.
    5. The discussions between the Haviland and the PEI Symphony Orchestra continue towards establishing an annual contract to rent space for PEISO activities.
    6. It would be desirable to have the capacity to rent out the basement space, however two separate inspections have conflicting views re. safety requirements. Further discussions are necessary.
  7. Chair reports:
    1. Treasurer, Nelson:
      1. Nelson tabled YTD and balance sheets.
      2. The $60K CEBA/covid loan has been processed as required before December 31, 2023,  i.e., from the Haviland’s consolidation loan: $40K back to CRA and the $20K forgiven portion applied to the Club’s loan.
    2. Entertainment, Mary-Beth:
      1. The new entertainment committee includes Mark Belfry, Terry Woodhouse, Anne Cairns, Mary Gerrard, and Brenda Norman.
      2. The committee has met twice since the new year. Going forward, the plan is to have leads or co-leads on specific events who will meet with me to go over plans.
      3. We plan to have one special event per month.
        1. January Joke Slam, February Chocolate Obsession (Terry and Anne).
        2. March Agatha Christie Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre (Mark and May).
        3. April tentatively planned an Italian Dinner Theatre (Mark and ?).
        4. May Victorian Fundraiser Festival (Brenda and Mary) – this would not be a “one-off” but a series of events around Victoria Day, with the Haviland as an anchor.
      4. We are also bringing back “$5 Fridays” as $10 Fridays where we hope to have a member host once a month (organized by Terry). Possible pizza on other Fridays. Wehave our first one planned for Feb 2. hosted by Diane Porter.
      5. For events that require the great room, dates have been booked through Brandy. Will also be coordinating with Craig on the operation of each event.
      6. Proposing to create a corporate sponsorship program for events. Brenda has drafted a plan and reviewed it with Jamie.
      7. Guiding principles include highlighting members talent, supporting local talent and producers, catering to member interests, and making a reasonable profit from each event.
    3. House, Mike:
      1. Improvements have been made to the asc as follows:
        1. There is now a power socket in the asc independent of the light switch going up the stairs.
        2. The asc hatch has been repaired and now provides a seal to keep the warm air from escaping through the roof.
        3. There is now a programmable, smart, energy efficient light installed in the cupola/widow’s walk. This light can be programmed to display over 1000 colours and moods, e.g. pink for Valentines.  It currently comes on at 4:30 pm and goes off at 11:59 pm. It is connected to the internet and can be controlled remotely.
      2. The Canadian flag was destroyed by the current windstorms we are having. A new one was purchased as a replacement. The PEI flag also needs to be replaced as it is fraying on the end. A discussion needs to take place as to when the flags should be up and who is responsible for raising and lowering them?
      3. The garbage is becoming a big issue. It has not been picked up for two weeks and there are varying stories on what type of contract or arrangements we have with Island Waste Management. Someone needs to phone and coordinate pickup and find out the details. The blue bin also has a rejection sticker on it because individual items were put into it without being in blue bags. David and I will sort through it once the temperature rises to a reasonable level, but we need to ensure this doesn’t happen in the future.
      4. Someone keeps leaving the coffee pot on with half-filled pots on the burners and they boil down to an oily mess and create a fire hazard. We need to address this issue.
      5. The temperature in the house keeps being changed by anyone and everyone. Sometimes I check in the morning, and it is set at 25 degrees and is very hot and the next time it is 15 degrees and very cold. We need to address this issue.
    4. Fundraising, formerly Jane (now VP), but regarding previous business:
      1. We are expecting a response mid-February to our outreach to the New Horizons Program.
      2. Also waiting to hear news concerning the summer jobs youth program.
      3. Directors discussed who will be the new Fundraising chair, and Jake Baird kindly agreed to take that on, going forward. Unanimous support from all directors.
    5. Vice President Jane :
      1. Role of VP is not yet fully defined.
      2. Noted that Jamie has been working very hard over the last few months, so Jane, as VP, wishes to assist by taking on responsibility for much of the operational stuff at the Haviland going forward.
    6. All reports approved.
  8. New business:
    1. Jane reported that concerning the governance review exercise, a special meeting to the review will take place in the near future, followed by an all-members meeting soon afterwards.

Next meeting of the board is scheduled for Monday, February 19, 2024, at 10:00 am – a morning meeting.

Meeting adjourned at 6:25 pm

FINAL REPORT MEMBERSHIP 2023-11-24

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FINAL REPORT MEMBERSHIP

24 November 2023

The last 12 months has seen a surge in our membership, we have several not for profit (NFP) groups who use the Club on a regular basis. At the end of our fiscal year 2022-2023, we had 203 members. Since October 1, 2023 the number of members has been readjusted to 142.

This decrease can be explained as follows; Annually we lose some members due to various personal reasons mostly due to re-locations out of PEI or due to other reasons having to do with change in lifestyle.

In the fiscal year 2022-2023, the Executive changed several areas of the Membership class, the corporate designation was abolished due to lack of interest and benefit for this membership class. The definition of non resident member was also refined to avoid any misunderstanding. The prorated fees were reviewed completely to close the loophole where the finances of the Club were negatively affected. At a long standing request by a majority of members and for the sake of equity the membership was redefined to one member one fee.

The membership fee was also raised to meet our expenses as a Club and reflect the high rate of inflation which affects our operations. To note the membership fees are still very low if compared to other clubs in all categories. Further membership fee should and must be considered for the health of the Club in general and reflect operational cost generally.

The Strategy of asking members to invite friends and family to the Club worked very well in recruiting new members. We should continue to encourage members to do so in an effort to boost our membership numbers. In the last year dozens of new members were recruited this way.

Also as Membership Committee Chair, I tried to develop a sense of belonging amongst members and foster the notion that Members are shareholders in a very real sense.

It is important to remember that individual Membership makes the Club, No Members = No Club.

As of the current review of our membership roll, our Club has

142 paid members, including NFP member class

4 Life Members

2 Patrons

Total 148 active members

Others:

23 Persons who never replied to the invoice or messages on renewal.

48 who have indicated they are NOT renewing.

Total 71

Laurent
Membership committee.

EM Minutes – 2023-07-17

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HAVILAND CLUB EXECUTIVE MEETING – FINAL

Monday July 17, 2023

PRESENT:
Jamie Trainor, President
Stephen Yarrow, Secretary
Jane MacIsaac, Fundraising Chair
Nelson Hagerman, Treasurer
Michael Cairns, House Chair
Scott Stevens, Pond Chair
Irene MacArthur, Vice President

ABSENT:
Laurent Beaulieu, Membership Chair
Sue Stanger, Entertainment Chair
Helen Bernstein, Director at Large
Bruce Matheson, Chair of the Trustees

1. The meeting was called to order at 5:04 pm by President Jamie Trainor.

2. The agenda was approved by all.

3. The minutes of the last meeting, June 19, 2023, were approved by all.

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

  • Lots happening in June and July so far, including birthday parties; a celebration of life; a PEERS Alliance meeting; Ebb and Flow events (there will be five consecutive events); Rotary Club strawberry social (btw, an excellent opportunity to promote The Haviland);
  • Still to come are: weddings, celebrations, a Chamber event – with additional bookings through to the fall.

5. Committee and Chair reports

a. President’s Report – Jamie Trainer

    • The consolidation loan from the Credit Union has just been approved – $130K, enabling the paying off of outstanding mortgages, Federal covid-19 loan, etc.
    • Various outstanding bills such as insurance, federal and provincial taxes had to be paid in the last weeks.
    • The Community Foundation’s Kent Hudson has been in communication with the Haviland with some ideas on donation mechanisms that could be applied to some of the heritage engineering requirements for Farringford House. Need to
      differentiate maintenance (repairs) vs. restoration activities. Exploring charitable donations from third parties.

b. Treasure – Nelson Hagerman

    • Comparative income statements (for June, and for the last six months) and balance sheets were tabled and discussed. The Haviland remains in the “red”.
    • The financial analysis triggered a lengthy discussion on revisions to the membership fees to The Haviland. It was noted that the executive had voted at the June meeting in favour of increasing the fees to consider inflation, plus eliminating the couples fee category. Directors debated the elimination of this category vs. phasing it out over the next two annual membership cycles. All agreed that a final decision will be made at the August executive meeting when all directors are available.

c. Membership – a read out of Laurent Beaulieu’s report was made:

    • Membership continues to grow – as of 16 July we now have 214 members.
    • New Members have been made aware that despite paying a prorated fee at this time of the year, in 9 weeks they will need to pay the new fees for membership. No one expressed a problem with that.
    • Also spoke to our six not-for-profit group members and all confirmed they are renewing their membership for 2023-2024.
    • Invoices for the new fiscal year will start being sent out around mid-August, i.e., in about 4 weeks.
    • The Greater Charlottetown Chamber of Commerce is interested in the Haviland for rentals on a regular basis for events or meetings.

d. Fundraising – Jane MacIsaac

Since last meeting:

    • Sean Casey’s office has sent the information as promised. There appears to be nothing at the moment that would be applicable for us. However, New Horizon’s for Seniors will be launched August 1…and proposed deadline for applications is Sept 14. We will be making an application….this program has changed…however we are still eligible.
    • Governance Advisory sub-Committee has been structured. Source documents are ready for distribution to sub-committee members. The objective is to have a new constitution and bylaws ready for the AGM in November. Initial meeting tentatively set for early August. Details to follow at the next executive meeting.

e. Pond – Scott Stevens

    • July is a quiet month for pond fishing
    • The Pond Committee has carried out improvements to the boat slip and is currently rebuilding a ramp to the main dock. Other maintenance issues are being prioritized.
    • We have a number of requests for a Scotch tasting – we will look at preferred dates for this event.

f. House – Michael Cairns

The following tasks were completed in the last month:

    • A quote was received for cleaning the windows. The cost would be $600 with a 15% overage/ underage either way to work with. Depending on how well some of the windows can be access. Price includes scraping of the windows as the outsides have a lot of build-up; 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.

g. Vice-president – Irene MacArthur

    • Number of Bridge tables slowly increasing.
    • Bridge luncheon fund raiser for Haviland in October.
    • A Sectional Bridge tournament will be held in October, players from the Haviland will attend, as well as players from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The tournament will be held at the Jack Blanchard. Irene and Carol will be involved in the organization of the event.
    • Irene would be willing to start the Ace with pot at $3000. The Ace account has $300. Nelson approved the $3000. We will start the beginning of Sept.

Jamie moved to approve all reports – no objections.

6. No new business

7. Next meeting scheduled for August 14, 2023

8. Meeting adjourned at 6:52pm.

EM Minutes – 2023-06-19

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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

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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.