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.