Town of Aquinnah

Gay Head Lighthouse Advisory Board
Notes of Meeting 1-31-18
Aquinnah Town Hall Selectmen’s Meeting Room

Members present: Chairman Len Butler, Richard Skidmore, Elise LeBovit, Jim Pickman*, Kathy Rainey *
*on conference phone

Others Present: Selectman Gary Haley, Town Administrator Jeffrey Madison, Kathy Olsen and Liz Witham

- The meeting began at 4:06pm

- First on the agenda under Old Business was a review of the 12/7/17 and 1/3/18 minutes. Kathy noted that the minutes Sophia had sent out the previous day had not fully and accurately reflected her revisions/changes that she had sent to Sophia. Sophia informed the Committee of her process when amendments/revisions are made which includes re-listening to the recordings. Kathy felt that the only way to move forward in approving the minutes is to meet with Sophia and listen to the recordings. Len asked if Kathy disagreed with Sophia’s rendering of the minutes, to which Kathy answered yes, she did disagree with both the 12/7 and 1/3 minutes as presented. Jim asked if it was too much of a burden on the Committee to listen to what Kathy specifically objected too. Kathy stated that she had already sent out her revisions. Jim stated that he couldn’t read her revisions in time and asked for her to explain verbally in essence what her revisions were. Jim stated that the minutes should return to the Committee for review and approval after Sophia and Kathy review the recordings. Kathy stated that she is just trying to have the minutes accurately reflect the essence of what she has consistently said in terms of the Condo Owner’s feelings regarding the operating hours of the Lighthouse and it has nothing to do with lawsuits or anything of that nature. Elise offered for Sophia to use her recording stick to transfer the recordings onto and send to Kathy. She also asked for Kathy to give the Committee her points/notes at the next meeting to make sure the Committee discusses what her concerns are. Jim agreed with Elise. Len stated that minutes are to reflect what was said in a meeting and not people’s intention. He further stated that minutes are a record of fact. Len tabled both the 12/7/17 and 1/3/18 minutes to the next meeting based on a complete review by Kathy.

- Next on the agenda was a review of accounts. Jim informed the Committee that there was little change. He reported that there is still approximately $14,800.00 in the bank plus the pledges at the Permanent Endowment which are just under $3,000.00. Sibel had received $333.00 from Liz Witham for the 2017 Season T-Shirt sales and payment has been issued to Kathy Olsen in the amount of $360.00. Jeffrey informed the Committee that he has spoken to Emily Bramhall, Permanent Endowment Executive Director, regarding the pledges. He confirmed the amount that Jim reported but noted that not all the money has been collected. Jim stated that there are two outstanding pledges he is trying to collect but that the Permanent Endowment has approximately $3,000.00 in the account for the Committee to draw from. Jeffrey will write a letter to the Permanent Endowment requesting the funds available for the upcoming restoration project. Elise asked if “Thank You” letters have been sent to the donors specifying what their donation went towards. Jim has written to the donors.

- Next under Old Business was a Park and Lighthouse report. Richard noted that everything is good and there was nothing to report.

- Next under Old Business was a restoration update. Len informed the Committee that he had reached out to International Chimney Corp. regarding a schedule for the restoration project. He has not heard back yet but still predicts that work will begin in late March early April, weather dependent.

- Under Fund Raising / Grant Research, Liz Witham reported on 2017 T-Shirt sales. She reported that this past season, the old Lighthouse T-Shirts brought in a total of $665.00. Liz informed the Committee that there had been an agreement with Adam where half the revenue from the T-Shirts would go to the Town and the other half to the exhibit and film. Liz felt that the public is still interested in purchasing the shirts and that it would behoove the Town to make them available to the public for purchase during events. There was brief discussion on the housing of the shirts. Len stated that the shirts belong to the Town. Jeffrey will contact Beverly, who currently is storing the shirts, once she is back to get a report on the remaining shirts and he will make sure they are available to the Town to sell. Liz mentioned to the Committee that, as the webmaster for the Town, she is available to post any information for the Lighthouse such as job opportunities since the Town is taking over management of the Lighthouse. In the past, the Museum had asked Liz to post job openings for the Lighthouse Guides. The Committee asked Liz to send what she had posted in the past to Jeffrey for him to review. The Committee thanked Liz for coming to the meeting and for saving the T-Shirts.

- Next, Kathy Olsen presented a grant calendar. She noted that it did not have every grant possible but what she could generate in the time she had. Richard asked if Kathy had reached out to Bret Stearns, Natural Resources Director for the Wampanoag Tribe. Kathy stated that she had but never received a response. Kathy asked for her cover letter to be put into the minutes. Kathy stated that all the grants listed have real potential for the Committee and that they all will accept applications from a municipal entity. She further noted that the grants listed have an interest in at least one aspect of the Lighthouse and that some of them are more focused on the Cliff side and the property around it and some are specific to the Lighthouse itself. There was a brief discussion regarding the National Park Service’s grant history and the current funding. There was discussion regarding the possibility of a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization applying for grants for the Lighthouse such as a “Friends of the Lighthouse” entity. Kathy stated that if the entity has a 501(c)(3) exemption and functions separately from the GHLAB and Town then they would be able to apply to a wider pool of grants. Elise asked if Kathy would have time to help with the applications. Kathy said yes. For the smaller grants she would be happy to follow up with as a volunteer after March 1st, 2018. There was further discussion regarding the grants listed on Kathy’s calendar. Kathy stated that she felt that the most secure source of funds will come from the people who helped save the Lighthouse already. There was discussion on keeping prior donors updated on the continuous restoration work for the Lighthouse. Kathy agreed and noted that it is important to keep building on that momentum. The Committee thanked Kathy for her work and noted that they will be in touch.

- Next on the agenda, the Committee briefly discussed the LUCIP report. Jeffrey reported that he hadn’t sent the report yet due to technology difficulties but that he expects to send it out within the next day. Len reminded him that it was already late and fortunately they have been patient but would like to have it sent as soon as possible.

- Elise asked if she could discuss the idea of a sub-committee to help with the management of the Lighthouse. She felt that this volunteer sub-committee could help Jeffrey and whoever is hired in setting up a management system for the Lighthouse. Elise noted that Barbara Bassett has offered her services and knowledge as an accountant to help set up a system to follow and Stefanie Hecht is interested in volunteering to help oversee the donation jars. Elise stated that this is an area of expertise that she has to offer to the Committee and she volunteered to help in collecting the money once/day and turning it into the Police or whomever once the process is developed. She expressed concern with how the Lighthouse had been run in prior years and didn’t feel that it was done in a business-like manner and that a local sub-committee could help with that. Elise stated that she didn’t see how this sub-committee would be any different than the fundraising sub-committee and was looking for a recommendation from the GHLAB. Len stated that Elise should put together a proposal to present to the Selectmen but that the GHLAB would not make a recommendation to the Selectmen for this sub-committee. Elise further explained that the sub-committee would be Town’s people who have an interest in the Lighthouse and that the committee could help in setting up the day to day management and help with organization. In addition, Elise felt that the committee would give back-up to the guides and could generate other fundraising and event ideas. Richard felt that the Town was going to hire a “manager” person and he noted that he is the person who oversees the Lighthouse for the Town as Lighthouse Keeper. Jeffrey briefly discussed his thoughts on the Lighthouse management which included the idea of a substantial lockbox for the cash here at Town Hall. He noted that he has briefly looked at cash registers for the Lighthouse but there were concerns regarding work flow and space in the Lighthouse. He stated that he has spoken with the Town’s Treasurer and is going to have a procedure in place for the coming season. There was further discussion on the role of this sub-committee. Len stated that Jefferey, as the Town’s Procurement Officer, will be the one who helps guide the Lighthouse management and he will make sure that it is done in a business-like fashion. With no more discussion, the Committee moved onto the next agenda item.

- The Committee discussed the upcoming March Special Town Meeting and the need to develop a budget for the access/pedestrian path and guard rail at the Circle. Len noted that there will be a site meeting for the project in February and the plans are to construct a guard rail while the ground is disturbed during the burying of telephone lines. The Committee discussed the cost for the project. Jeffrey noted that the budgets for the Special Town Meeting need to be set within the next 10 days. Len stated that he knows how much the guard rail will cost and will forward the estimates to Jeffrey. The Committee discussed the past estimates they had received for the stay-lock path. Len will look at those estimates and will forward them onto to Jeffrey. There was discussion on Free Cash and the DPW budget. There was brief discussion regarding the certification procedure for Free Cash.

- With no other business to discuss the Board agreed to meet again Tuesday, April 3rd, 2018 at 4:00 pm. A motion was made and seconded to adjourn.
The Board voted unanimously in favor. The motion passed.

- The meeting ended at 5:21pm.

Respectfully submitted,
Sophia Welch
Board Administrative Assistant