Board minutes – 26 February 2018
1/. Agenda
2/. Present
3/. Apologies
4/. Matters Arising
4.1 Toilets.
4.2 Moorings.
4.3 MHAL.
4.4 New tables and chairs.
4.5 Long term plan for CCDC/GHCL/MHAL etc.
4.6 Garrison House repairs
5/. Financial report.
6/. CEO report
7/. AOCB
8/. DONM
1/. Agenda
The Chair confirmed the agenda and that the meeting was quorate.
2/. Present
Douglas Laidlaw, Stewart Kennedy, Bryony McLachlan, Rena McIntyre, Davie Stevenson, Douglas Kerr, Deborah Ferris, Donald Campbell and CEO, Michael Bertram.
Stephen Dobbin was invited to meeting to discuss CCDC finances.
3/. Apologies
James Taberner, Davy Williamson and Robert Pringle sent apologises.
4/. Financials
CEO asked if it was in order to bring the financials forward in the agenda.
The Chair confirmed that this was in order.
Stephen Dobbin [SD] presented the January 2018 financials.
Questions were asked on the matter of retained profits and how the process was carried out to move up profits to the main Board [CCDC] from the subsidiary companies.
4.1 Accountancy and Audits
Doug Kerr, as Company Treasurer advised the Board that the CEO and he were tasked at the last meeting to source three quotes for new accountancy and audit services.
DK added that he had established that CCDC, under the current legislation would still need to be audited, as the asset value for the company was higher than the threshold [£3.26 million]. DK continued to state that that left us with only one company who could do both the accountancy and audit.
General discussion took place around the valuation of Garrison House and if it should even be on the asset register, as we simply lease the building from Bute Estates.
DK stated that we will speak again to Gillespie and Anderson and see if they can throw some light on the matter.
Discussion took place over the range of services which we should contract.
SD added that he was willing to carry on doing the staff payroll and VAT returns until the new accountants were on fully on board.
Further discussion took place on the fees quoted from Gillespie and Anderson and DK confirmed that there were around the overall cost of Ken Tait and would be held for the next two years [no increases].
DK added that he had confirmation from Alastair Stewart [Gillespie and Anderson CA] that they were prepared to take on the work for the last quarter and they would arrange to have all the existing files transferred over from Ken Tait Accountants.
Resolution 1: it was agreed that the CCDC would employ Gillespie and Anderson CA as their accountants.
Stephen Dobbin [SD] left the meeting at 6.40 pm.
5. Matters arising
January 2018 minutes proposed by Bryony McLachlan and seconded by David Stevenson.
5.1 Toilets.
CEO handed out ‘up to date’ financial spend and a situation report on the current state of operations, including asset transfers from North Ayrshire Council.
CEO advised the Board, that if we subtract the initial £4,000 spent on urgent repairs then the figure for the year so far was a spend of £21,085.
CEO added that we had just received a tranche payment of £20,000 which was not yet reflected into the CCDC accounts.
General discussion took place around the income received from council so far.
CEO advised the Board that we now had received £ 35,000 from council.
The Chair asked how much remained for the original transfer.
CEO replied that the original figure was £65,000, so we had another £30,000.00 still to come to CCDC on final transfer.
Discussion took place around the running costs, and how we would manage if and when council funding was finally used up.
CEO explained that we would have to source grant funding, and added that he had approached Resource Efficient Scotland for advice of means to reduce the costs of the water usage and the installation of a septic tank facility at the Slipway Toilets.
Discussion then took place over the existing contractor.
CEO advised the Board that in his opinion the contractor was performing well adding that he would recommend that CCDC extend the existing contract for another year.
Further discussion took place around the contract and the need to call the contractor in to firm up and finalise the 2018 operation.
Resolution 2: it was agreed that the CCDC would re-employ Suki McGregor to manage the toilet cleaning operation for 2018.
5.2 Moorings.
CEO advised the Board that he believed that North Ayrshire Council would fund this operation for a further year.
Discussion took place around the tender process.
CEO advised that he had been informed that five companies had tendered for the work [laying, maintenance and lifting] of the moorings.
The Chair asked the CEO to ensure that the Moorings Constitution is finally signed off.
5.3 MHAL.
RM led a delegation of CCDC Directors to review the MHAL properties [21/2/18] and made recommendations on how to improve the operation and where we should invest in these assets.
Discussion took place around the properties and the best flat to invest in first.
RM asked that she could led a team to bring one flat up to a decent standard and then the CCDC Board could determine how we move forward with the rest of the properties.
RM asked SD if he would stay on-board as a MHAL Director, and suggested that BM and DF, join her in upgrading the flats.
Further discussion took place around the working on a flat which had already had the water tanks removed and new under counter water heaters installed.
Resolution 3: it was agreed that the CCDC would allow £4,000 to be spent on immediate improvements to one of the MHAL flats.
It was further agreed that Bryony McLachlan, Rena McIntyre and Deborah Ferris form task team to address MHAL issues.
5.4 New tables and chairs.
The Chair asked the CEO to outline the background behind the proposed purchase of new tables and chairs.
CEO advised that we had wedding inquiries of up to 100 guests and currently we could only accommodate 82 guests [this being the limit of our wedding chairs held].
CEO added that we also were looking to get a number of newer plastic chairs and the size of the enlarged marquee was nearly 40% greater than in prior years.
DS stated that this was GHCL Board matter and would be finalised at Garrison House.
5.5 Long term plan for CCDC/GHCL/MHAL etc.
Chair asked that we move quickly on to Garrison House repairs, as time was pressing and we would pick up the above matters at the next meeting.
5.6 Garrison House repairs
CEO advised that the building investigation has now been completed by conservation architect Mr. Peter Drummond and he will submit his final report to Historic Environmental Scotland (HES).
CEO added that the quantity and costs of works now far exceed our first estimates.
DS added that when we were inspecting the roof with Mr. Drummond he was concerned with the safety of the decorate columns [Finials - decorative, ornamental cast stone] and had recommended urgent repairs to be carried out to secure these columns.
CEO stated that he had spoken to Mr. Fraser Gibson of Historic Environmental Scotland who advised that we could not qualify for any financial cover for urgent repairs.
DS added that we had called in John Glover and he had inspected the works with Peter Drummond, and they have come up with a simple fixing solution, which would take a day’s works to complete.
Chair asked what were the fees involved.
DS replied in the region of £2,000.00.
Chair added that this work needed to be carried out and we should action this work as soon as possible.
6/. AOCB
SK asked if he could bring up a query on the hiring of the marquee.
The Chair confirmed that this was in order.
SK added that he wanted to know how all the dates had been taken up for the use of the marquee and what was the method used to determine who got the first choice of dates.
CEO replied that we tried to give future brides their first choice[of dates] if they wanted a wedding in the Garrison and then work around the traditional community events in the diary.
DS added that proposed events were brought to the Garrison House board by the CEO and they would be discussed and either approved or in some cases the board would ask the CEO for more information if the events was new.
CEO added that the copy of the events calendar which he sent out to both GHCL and CCDC Board, was sent to Cumbrae Tourism which showed which events were confirmed and those under consideration [TBC].
SK added that Cumbrae Tourism wanted to do a fundraiser for the ‘Save the Pier’.
CEO added that all charitable events must pay £100.00 for the use of the marquee and he was sure that the Garrison House board would support such an initiative.
Chair then brought meeting to a close.
7/. DONM.
19th March 2018.
Meeting finished 7.40 pm.
