HomeMy Public PortalAboutCrosby Property Advisory Committee -- 2024-02-22 MinutesMINUTES OF THE CROSBY PROPERTY COMMITTEE
DATE: Thursday, February 22, 2024
TIME: 1:00 PM
PLACE: Brewster Town Office Room A
PARTICIPANTS: Diana Lamb (Chair), Cate O'Neill, Peter Lombardi,
Richard Archer, Andrew Evans, Cindy Bingham, Mark Flaherty
Agenda Items
1
2.
3.
CI
Call to Order - Chair Diana Lamb called the meeting to order at 1:00
PM.
Declaration of a Quorum - Diana declared that a quorum is pre-
sent.
Meeting Participation Statement - Diana read the participation
statement.
Recording Statement - Diana read the recording statement.
5. Approve Old Minutes - A motion to approve the December 2023
minutes was made by Cate O'Neil and seconded. Approved
unanimously. There were no public comments.
6. Property Manager's Report
a. The summer bookings are going well. There are about 40 event
days in total and most contracts are already signed.
b. The summer season is all booked for major events.
c. The busy season has extended into October. Fall bookings have
become more popular.
d. Revenue is in good shape. Both revenue and expenses are up.
e. There has been some tree damage due to storms both at the
mansion and near the cottages. A tree service will be needed.
Public Works will assist or else the town will hire a contractor.
f. Richard has maintained a moderate social media presence for the
mansion which has attracted considerable attention.
g. There are some openings in the fall for cottage rentals. There is
still one bungalow opening in the summer and that's unusual.
h. Richard intends to complete several low budget upgrades to
cottages this spring. Some of this results from feedback from
renters.
i. The cottages have Comcast cable, internet, and a landline. These
services have seasonal contracts.
9. Update on mini -splits and chimney repair
j. The bids for the mini splits were received today! The good news is
that the bids are all fairly close and within our budget.
k. There are few remaining obstacles and things should now move
quickly. Richard has a tentative plan for installation in May.
I. We have an initial unofficial bid on the chimney work for $61,000.
This is lower than expected. But this job will require further
specifications and an historical review which might take a while.
We hope to solicit formal bids in the fall and have the work done
in November or December of 2024. There is an internal deadline
to spend the money by January 1, 2025.
10. Discussion of upcoming projects
m.We will grade and add gravel to driveways including at the
cottages. The town will perform this work.
n. There are some "soft" boards on the front porch which need
attention before it becomes a safety issue.
o. We hope to replace the seating in the amphitheater and clean up
the area.
p. The handicapped parking spots and access improvements project
is set for next off season in 2024/25.
q. Richard will provide the committee with a list/calendar of events.
r. The Open House times will be slightly changed to "last entry at 2
PM" to limit the need for the Friends to stay late into the day.
There are only two Saturday night weddings right before Open
House dates and so the problem of extremely taxing weekends
will be limited.
11. Friends of Crosby Report
s. The first meeting is scheduled for April.
t. The "new docent" handbook is being updated.
u. The Friends will try to recruit new members in concert with the
Brewster in Bloom and the Save Our Past events.
10. New Business
a. none
11. Next Meeting - The next meeting will be held March 28, 2024 at 1
PM.
12. Adjournment - A motion to adjourn was made by Peter Lombardi
and seconded. It passed at about 1:54.
Respectfully submitted, Mark Flaherty