Town of Aquinnah

Gay Head Lighthouse Advisory Board
Notes of Meeting 6-25-19
Aquinnah Town Hall Selectmen’s Meeting Room

Members present: Chairman Len Butler, Richard Skidmore, Jim Pickman
Members Not present: Bettina Washington, Kathy Rainey, Tom Murphy
Others Present: Selectmen Gary Haley

- The meeting began at 4:38pm

- First on the agenda was a review of the 5/23/19 minutes. Jim motioned to approve the minutes as revised. Motion was seconded by Richard. The Committee voted 3-0, the motion passed.

- Richard gave a Lighthouse and Park report. Interior painting of Lighthouse is completed and looks great (painting done by Lewis Colby). WIFI has been ordered for the Lighthouse and will be installed in the coming days. With the WIFI, Richard felt that the Committee and Town should look at installing a web cam as an added value for the public. Richard will look into the cost and options. Due to theft, Richard has ordered a replacement of the “no unauthorized vehicles” sign for the entrance to the Lighthouse path. The shed has been delivered and erected by Matt Tobin. Siding of the shed still needs to be addressed and Richard is looking into it (docents have requested clear siding for 3 sides of the shed). During the installation of the shed, machinery tore up the pathway leading to the Lighthouse. In addition, the recent heavy rains have caused flooding on the path leading to the Lighthouse and the pathway from the gate. Both pathways need to be restored. The gaps in the granite front steps are increasing and at some point, will need to be reset. Richard has been speaking with a film production location scout for filming on the Lighthouse pathway. He is still waiting for a copy of the location agreement and is not sure if the idea has been given up. Since April, Landscope has not responded to the request for remediation of the park grass. Richard would like to get estimates from other contractors. Gary suggested asking Steve Yaffee, town resident and landscaper, for an estimate. Richard noted that the issue needs to be addressed before the 5-year LUCIP report is due.

- Jim gave a review of accounts. There is $66,390.13 in the account and $15,000 remaining in FY’19 CPC funds and $20,000 for FY’20 CPC funds, totaling $101,390.13. There is still an open $87,000 invoice for International Chimney Corp (ICC). Len has spoken with Emily, Town Accountant, regarding payment. They agreed to hold off payment until after July 1st when the FY’20 funds are available. Len will inform ICC. After ICC payment there will be a balance of approx. $10,000. The Committee agreed to reserve money in the gift fund which has more flexibility in how it can be used.

- Next, the Committee discussed grants and fundraising. There is a Lighthouse Raffle in process: Cape Air has donated two tickets anywhere they fly; raffle tickets will cost $10 and the winner will be drawn Labor Day. The Committee discussed reaching out to companies that use photos of the Lighthouse on merchandise and/or advertising to see if they would be interested in giving a donation to the Lighthouse. MV Savings Bank and a Trillium Brewing Company were specifically mentioned. Richard will work on writing a letter to these companies requesting funds for use of the Lighthouse image. The Committee briefly discussed the site visit with State Rep. Angelo Puppolo and the State Bond Bill. The process of the State Bond Bill seems to be more unclear than what the Committee originally thought. The Committee briefly discussed the sign that is posted at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. that outlines recent restoration work and future needs. The Committee agreed that creating a similar sign or flyer would be helpful raising awareness to the financial needs of the Lighthouse. Len will compile a list of restoration needs from ICC’s recommended restoration report to send to Puppolo and Rep. Dylan Fernandes.
The Committee discussed the Vineyard Wind project and mitigation grant. There are multiple parties from Nantucket disputing the process. The Committee was unsure if the grant (or the entire project) will ever come to fruition.
The Committee will be meeting with Gisele Gauthier to see if she has time to help the Committee identify grant possibilities. Jim thought it was unlikely, as grant identification is not her strong suit. The Committee agreed to invite Kathy Olsen to the next meeting to discuss grants.

- Under new business, the Committee briefly discussed the siding for the shed again. The Committee discussed the pedestrian guardrail. Guardrail has not been installed and the Committee agreed that it was too late in the season for installation and would plan on installation in the fall. Richard will inform Jeffrey of the Committee’s opinion.

- The Committee scheduled their next meeting for Tuesday, July 23rd, 2019 at 4:30pm.

- With no other business to discuss, a motion was made and seconded to adjourn. The Board voted unanimously in favor, the motion passed.

- The meeting ended at 5:34pm.

Respectfully submitted,
Sophia Welch
Board Administrative Assistant