Irene Stewart, Mark Sisson, Beth Peterson, Laurie Ullman, Donya VanBuren, Suzette Reiss, Peter Young

Excused: Sherry Smith, Bill Funke, Xavier Amador

 

Meeting called to order at 7:04

Minutes tabled until our guest, Bill Kelly, had a chance to speak.

Mr. Kelly is the North Fork representative of Morton Buildings, Inc. He attended the Building Team meeting to answer questions, address concerns and provide general information about the building process. Points raised, in no order, follow:

-Mr. Kelly presented a “ball park” estimate ($1.9M-$2.2M) for our project based on plans given to him by the Team. (Note: a copy will be kept on file for perusal.) He also commented that there were many more ideas presented by the congregation (listed on the wall of the trailer) not included in his proposal.

-His proposal was for a complete basement under the sanctuary and fellowship hall (unfinished except where the mechanicals -AC, heat, etc- are located) and a two story fellowship hall, with appropriate egress, utilities, sanitary concerns, among others.

-Mr. Kelly suggested that a full depth basement was not necessarily needed, going on to state that the foundation hole would need to be 10’ deep (8’ ceiling space + 2’ for utilities, wiring below a drop ceiling), plus a floor system, if it were to be completely finished.

-Mr. Kelly also referred to the permitting process; Southold Town Building Department, Southold Town Planning Department, NYS Department of Transportation, Southold Town Zoning Board of Appeals, et.al. He stated as project manager, he would deal with the permitting process.

-He referred to a formula kept by the Planning Department about “percentage of lot coverage allowed.” His feeling was that our original footprint was well within guidelines.

-Morton Buildings, Inc. provides engineering but not architectural services. Mr. Kelly would be able to interpret our ideas, or could work with an architect of our choice. His company has used Jeff Butler of Butler Architecture and Engineering of Riverhead in the past.

-Mr. Kelly included the cost of a steeple in his estimate, but this could be modified, or held in abeyance until a later date.

-Mr. Kelly noted that Gothic arch windows are very expensive. He included 4’ X 18’ rectangular windows in his proposal. He also noted these are up to code as far as hurricane resistance.

-Furnishings were not included in his proposal.

-His company is currently working on the Cutchogue Fire Department.

-While he tried to include every eventuality, Mr. Kelly stated there may always be something forgotten in his, or any other, proposal.

-Fire code sprinklers were included in the proposal.

-Mr. Kelly suggested the Team visit with Brian Cummings of the Southold Planning Board with a preliminary plan to forestall complications.

-Paving of the parking lot was not included in his proposal. However, Mr. Kelly observed that with all site plans, rain falling on buildings, parking, landscaping, etc., must be contained on that lot, i.e., it cannot travel to neighboring sites or onto roadways.

-His best guess estimate for a time line: 8 months for permitting, 6-8 months from groundbreaking to completion.

The Building Team thanked Mr. Kelly for his time and enthusiasm.

Donya read from John Cage, and from In the Face of Fear; Buddhist Wisdom for Challenging Times as our opening words.

Minutes from the June 16 meeting were read and accepted.

Irene asked that members of the Team to “…work on being polite, to speak one at a time and be civil” towards one another. It was noted that although Irene has distributed agendas for meetings she has chaired, there are times when the agenda is not followed, and items scheduled near the end of our meetings sometimes get short shrift. Mark noted that sometimes change flows from discussion and recommended that everyone take notes of what’s being said so we can return to a subject if we change direction. Irene asked that everyone email agenda items to her as soon as possible. Suzette suggested that on issues that are emotional that the Chair, and Team, allow each person an uninterrupted period to state their preferences. The Team, when fully seated, will address this issue again.

Peter and Suzette presented information and proposals from other builders; (Note; copies, where present, will be kept on file for perusal) It should be noted that traditional builders cannot give bona fide estimates unless they have an actual plan to work with. For our needs, they were given the footprint plan drawn by Peter.

-Bill Gorman, of New England Barns & Fine Homes, Inc., a traditional builder.  ($1.478M) He would work with an architect.

-Paul Calabro, a modular builder from Southampton, had a verbal proposal ($1.375M) and is working on a written version. He would work with an architect.

-Jerry Simone, of Gendot Homes- $1.8M. He would work with an architect.

-Scott Edgett, of North Fork Woodworks- $2.7M. He would work with an architect.

-Stacey Bishop, of Northeast Custom Modular, submitted a complete proposal ($1.4M) including parking, permitting, kitchen appliances, etc. She would not require an architect.

It was raised if the Team had contacted sufficient numbers of local builders and architects. A quorum was present and the Team decided it had. We did reserve the right to contact others as the need arises.

A discussion followed about how to compare these proposals, and how to vet same. It was decided that at the next Team meeting, we would compare all information at our disposal and narrow our choices as a group, determine a vetting process, and make a formal presentation to the Board of Trustees. The Team would like to know the time required to notify the Congregation according to the by-laws, prior to a vote.

Laurie made a motion to adjourn, Peter seconded.

Meeting adjourned at 9:13.