Building Team August 18, 2016

Irene Stewart, Donya VanBuren, Mark Sisson, Suzette Reiss, Peter Young, Sherry Smith, Peter Young

Irene called the meeting to order at 7:06.

Minutes from 8/11 were accepted.

A sheet of expenses to date was distributed. There were questions raised about the remaining funds available for trailer and Holy Trinity meeting hall rentals. It was determined that there are sufficient funds for the foreseeable future.

Peter, Irene and Suzette reported on the Board of Trustees meeting. Suzette mentioned New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) grants for solar panels. Other sources for grants include the Robert H. Gardiner Foundation. It was noted that the Gorman/Marren proposal did not include appliances and that their final pricing will be in place once design parameters are set. There was a brief discussion about whether Gorman/Marren should present their proposal to the entire congregation or just to the Board. The Charge to the Building Team states that the Board is the ultimate authority in such decisions.

There was a discussion of the joint meeting of the Board of Trustees and the Building Team, its tone and results. (Note: see minutes from that meeting – August 11, 2016.)

Irene informed the Team the Board President had asked her to invite John Forestieri to a subsequent meeting to address some of his concerns. The Team decided that Mr. Forestieri should follow the guidelines established by the Team for visiting members of the congregation, but that he would be welcome to attend.

The Team reiterated the need to include the Congregation during the design phase of our project, perhaps convening monthly meetings for updates and suggestions. It was suggested that “sub-committees” be formed for landscaping, accessories, grant investigations, fundraising, etc. It was further suggested that a note be included in the Free Spirit asking for help with grant writing. There was a UU group called the “Chalice Lighters” who may be helpful.

The need for a complete file of all minutes, proposals, plans etc. was mentioned. Mark stated that Kimberley and the new office manager had been working on something like that, and that the minutes are being loaded into the First Universalist Church of Southold website (firstuniversalistsouthold.org). However, it was decided that hard copies of as much material as possible should be kept.

Our next meeting will be August 25 at 7:00. Mark will not be able to attend.

Meeting adjourned at 8:24.