Nauset Fellowship Chapel in the Pines
Minutes of February 5, 2017 business meeting
The monthly business meeting of the Nauset Fellowship was held on Sunday, February 5, 2017 with President Bob Seay presiding. There were eight members present.
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and accepted with a few minor corrections.
According to the treasurer’s report there is $10,410.21 in the checking account and $28,934.98 in the 5 CD’s for a total of $39, 345.19. The restoration Fund stands at $13,222.20. There is a total of $23,121.54 credited to the fund of which $6,595 has come from grant monies. So far we have raised $16,526.64 toward our $18,000 commitment. The treasurer’s report was accepted.
Bob reported on the cost estimates submitted by both Cape Associates and Cape Builders via architect Peter McDonald. There is some confusion about the very big estimate for the handicapped accessible bathroom, which may include the office, in the Cape Associates estimate – a great deal of clarification is needed. The estimate from Cape Builders is slightly lower, but it doesn’t include the sprinkler system. The roof cresting and steeple costs are still unknown. We must decide on the cresting design; the fabrication and installation costs are still unknown. There is a question as to whether we can eliminate the cresting; we may have to go back to the Community Preservation Committee for more money in order to fund it. Both the steeple cap and the cresting must be approved by Eric Dray of Provincetown, the official historical architect.
There are still questions about the kitchen: the plumbing inspector must tell us what is needed for a commercial grade kitchen. The costs of the kitchen are still not factored in. We also need to know if extra space is needed in the basement for a pump for the sprinkler system. Eventually we must also decide on interior furnishings such as cabinets, floor coverings, etc. The grant will cover bringing the kitchen up to code. We must decide in March what aspects of the project to pursue.
Bob reported that 3 members of the library building committee have offered to help us with fund raising as they have met and exceeded their own goal. Bob also reported that Mimi Ace of the library building fund suggested that we form a separate non-profit group to enlarge the scope of our fundraising. This might draw in more people but it is still not known if we need to do this. We could just invite others, such as the library people to join us in this endeavor; we need to raise about $150,000. Nancy Munger suggested that we ask Karie Miller of the First Encounter Coffee House to help by making announcements of the project at their concerts. Bob offered to talk with the library director to get further advice, and we also agreed that someone from the early morning AA group should be included in the discussion.
The next step will be putting the plans out for bids; it may be possible to start construction in the late summer of this year. The timing is complicated, but there is a great deal of community interest and good will. We will not make a final decision until April; there will be an update in March. Jari Rapaport suggested we invite Elizabeth Gawron, the Chair of the Eastham Board of Selectmen, to talk with us. She, also, has non-profit and fund raising experience.
Regarding Strategic Planning, Nancy Munger reported that she has not done anything more about it since last report.
Laura Roskos reported on her work on the website. She wants to develop a page on the restoration project; she also wants to make a more prominent link to the Coffee House, and to change the banner at the top to make it smaller.
Shirl Weber asked that someone be in charge of checking to see that refreshments are scheduled for every Sunday. There was some discussion as to how much food is needed, depending on the program and estimate of crowd size. Gail Hoffman volunteered to do this.
Bob announced that here is a Nauset Interfaith Association; the Brewster and Provincetown UU churches are members. The dues are $100 per year; they meet on the second Thursday of each month and hold a big Martin Luther King holiday breakfast. The organization provides network support for local human services, education about social justice, programs for children, and other such services. We agreed that it would be a good group to join, but no one was able to commit to attending the meetings as our liaison.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:45 am.
Respectfully submitted,
Nancy Chenoweth, Secretary /gh