St. James Cathedral Chapter Meeting of March 10, 2015 Present: Graham Bell, Bill Cosper, Beverly Cox, George Culver (Assistant Treasurer), Donald Frye, Timm Holt, Laura Jenkins, Michael Kitt, Jim Lenz, Allana Pierce, Katie Reardon, Jim Steen, Judith Tribbett, Amy Young Not Present: Alan Taylor, Charles Peterson Guests: Robert Black, Alexis Reese A quorum being present, Graham called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Opening Prayer Jim Steen opened the meeting with prayers from Daily Prayers for All Seasons. Report from the Junior Warden Timm reported that: Work on the Deanery is proceeding. A minor leak was found in the first floor bathroom; additional costs will be minimal and the work is on schedule. The sound/video system will not be installed by Easter, but the equipment is on order. We re still waiting for final cost figure. New assistive listening devices are expected in the coming week. There was some discussion about the inability to modulate microphone volume in the Cathedral, which is just one reason the upgraded system is needed. Robert Black has a report on the condition of the organ, which he was invited to present. Organ Robert noted that there are many years of documentation on the condition of the organ from structural engineers and the organ builder, and that it is time for an update and a decision on how to proceed. Organ consultant Jeff Weiler met with Robert and organist Sean Knudson and confirmed that the organ is reaching the end of its useful life. Much of the previous restorations and additions were incomplete or poorly executed, as confirmed by a 2006 inspection by a different organ consultant. There are two major concerns now. The primary and
immediate concern is the structural integrity of the organ. The south pipes are stacked too high on inadequate supports. Buckling is visible in the interior, and the exterior is showing cracks. In short, it is structurally unsound. The second concern is the playability of the organ. In addition to subpar wiring, there are pipes that no longer play and pipes that are misplaced behind other pipes that dampen the sound. Because of this and the improper stacking of the pipes it is not possible to keep the organ in tune, and the need for maintenance and tuning will continue to increase. The organ and many of its components have major historical significance and need to be preserved. Many historical parts of the organ are worth keeping and incorporating into a new organ. (As configured now, the organ is actually about 40% too big.) A broad estimate for rebuilding the organ is $1.5 2 million. Cost for a completely new organ would be around $3-4 million. Some short term actions can make the organ more structurally sound, but must be part of a larger plan. Bill asked about potential liability for substandard work done previously. It is unlikely that damages could be recovered since the whereabouts of the original contract are not known, the scope of the work changed during the course of the project, and some of the work was done by Cathedral staff rather than contractors. Robert recommended and requested that a task force be formed to begin to address the situation. Jim, Graham and Timm will meet to decide how to proceed. It was noted that T.J. Farrentella is a resource since he is knowledgeable about the previous report. For now, questions can be directed to Robert. Robert will brief Courtney Reid, Director of Operations for the Diocese. Robert was thanked for his report. 2
Wisdom Group Timm noted that the Wisdom Group was formed to address the needs and concerns of aging parishioners and/or their families. He and Sam Colley- Toothaker are planning to develop liturgies similar to the healing service that will be based on inviting parishioners to tell their stories. These liturgies should begin in the coming months. Thrive Update Laura reported that the Learning Team (Sam, Timm, Pamela Lightcap- Dominguez and Laura) have attended two sessions, and have appointed and met with the parish Accountability Team. The Accountability Team will meet monthly, following the Learning Team meetings. At its first joint meeting, the combined Team reviewed a model of the lives of organizations (creation, growth, decline or revitalization) and conducted the word cloud exercise on parish strengths, challenges and vision. The Teams have viewed a TED talk by Simon Sinek (Starting with Why ) and read a chapter from Good to Great. Laura will send links to both to Chapter members. Communications Task Force Allana reported that the group has met twice and has a third meeting coming up. They are in a discovery process to see what forms of communication are currently being used, and working with Canticle Communications (which is now producing the weekly newsletter, to great acclaim.) They are currently reviewing the website. As part of the effort to help Chapter be more transparent, minutes and other information will be put on the website. Allana will let the Task Force know that minutes and agendas, meeting times and dates, etc. should be up as soon as possible. Jim noted that a recent Episcopal Church study on growing, stable and declining communities showed a positive correlation between the growing congregations and increased use of forms of social media. Chapter Retreat The retreat begins at 8:30 a.m. at Church of the Atonement on Saturday, 3/14, led by Jim Steen. The topic is Chapter/Dean/Committee relationships, with a focus on moving from a management to a leadership model. The new dean, who happens to be in the country on other business, will be with us for the 3
beginning of the retreat. He arrives in Chicago Thursday evening and will spend time at the Cathedral on Friday, meeting with staff. Katie suggested recording the retreat, which was considered a good idea. Bill suggested inviting Robert Black to attend, if he s available, which was also considered a good idea. Stewardship In Alan s absence, Laura read the report he had prepared. There was discussion of the unclear categories in the office-generated report in the binder and apparent discrepancies between the two reports. Laura and Alan will meet with Georgia and will send updated information before the next Chapter meeting. There was also discussion of whether all people who have pledged have received confirmation letters from the Dean. Laura, Alan and Jim will confer to be sure confirmations have been sent to all. Treasurer s Report George Culver was present on Paul s behalf. He thanked the Chapter for the appointments to the Investment Committee, and extended an invitation to attend their meetings. The overview of the Treasurer s report is that the financial situation is okay. George reviewed several sections of the Treasurer s report, as well as the Investment Committee report, and he noted the inclusion of the audit of the DeKoven/Dean s Discretionary Fund by Alan Gunn. Graham noted that the recommendations in the audit were implemented via a Chapter resolution passed at the end of 2014. Graham and Jim Steen will review the resolution to ensure it s in compliance with accepted Episcopal policies on clergy discretionary funds. The resolution will be published in the next binder for the information of new Chapter members. The motion to accept the Consent Agenda was made by Timm Holt and seconded by Jim Lenz, and passed unanimously. 4
Executive Session The remaining guest was excused as members entered executive session at 7:11 p.m. The regular session resumed at 7:20 p.m. The motion to approve a severance package of one month s salary for Kathryn Zukaitis was made by Timm Holt and seconded by Katie Reardon. Judith amended the motion to stipulate that the severance pay will be issued as of the effective date of Kathryn s resignation of 4/15. The motion passed unanimously. Other Business In response to a question, Timm noted that there is no news regarding the exterior scaffolding, and inspection has been on hold due to weather. Now that the temperature has eased, inspection should resume soon. What needs to be done, and an estimate for the cost, should be known by late spring or early summer. At this point, the scaffolding is precautionary since the inspection hasn t been completed. How long the scaffolding will remain depends upon what conditions are found and how quickly the work needs to be done. The Diocese handles any repairs since it is responsible for the exterior of the building, while St. James is responsible for the interior. Bill noted that the Chapter needs to have an overview of all upcoming major expenses. The motion to adjourn was made by Michael Kitt and seconded by Katie Reardon, and passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 7:35 p.m. Submitted by Laura Jenkins 5