June Board of Director Meeting Minutes

Mariner House Board of Directors Meeting: June 17, 2025 – Minutes
(Finished on 26 June 2025)
A Zoom-based Mariner House Board of Directors (BOD) meeting was held on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, using the Mariner House Zoom account and recorded by MHA Zoom host Tracy Canty. That recording constitutes the official and approved recording of this meeting.
Attending the meeting were Board members: Ranelle Brew, Pat Catchpole, Kerric Harvey, Tammy Rausch, Bob Vanasse, and Property Manager Tracy Canty.
Absent was Mark Thurston.
A quorum of the voting members having been reached, Bob Vanasse called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. (EDT).
PROPERTY MANAGER’S REPORT
Island News, reported by Tracy Canty
* Summer has arrived in full force and the island is once again heaving with people.
* This spring the 54th Annual FIGAWI charity race was held from May 23 – 26 and was, as usual, a rollicking event. “Figawi” is a reference to that highly technical and oft-repeated sailing phrase: “Where the F—- are we,” and sees a wide range of boat types and sailing skill levels compete in a Memorial Day tradition. The race begins in Hyannis and ends in Nantucket. For details, winners, and photos, go to: https://www.capecodtimes.com/picture-gallery/news/2025/05/24/54th-sailing-figawi-race-hyannis-to-nantucket-5-24-2025-nantucket-sound/83841070007/
* The Nantucket Book Festival was held this year from June 12-15. It drew many prominent authors as well as booklovers to the island: Details and video at: https://www.nantucketbookfestival.org/
* The upcoming “Nantucket by Design” event (July 14-17, 2025) also has some celebrities participating in this year’s festival. Hosted by the Nantucket Historical Association (NHA), festival 2025 headliners include Martha Stewart as well as local, national, and international leaders in art and design. There’s also an array of events focused on Island history. Details, schedule, and tickets at: https://www.nantucketbydesign.com/
* A new freight line to the island, built around the recently renamed cargo ferries “MV Tom Nevers” and “MV Tuckernuck,” might be in the works. The Town of Nantucket is very
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enthusiastic about this possibility. Currently the Steamship Authority has a lock on providing cargo transport to the island.
* Also in the news is that Nantucket has been declared a “sanctuary city,” although it has never declared itself as such and was surprised to hear that someone else did.
* An ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) action took place on the island on May 27, part of a larger operation involving Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, and Hyannis. According to the Nantucket Current, at least 12 people were detained by ICE and subsequently removed from Nantucket by the Coast Guard. More information can be found at: https://nantucketcurrent.com/news/federal-agents-making-arrests-on-nantucket-tuesday-morning-2
* The Nantucket Health Department will soon begin testing the island’s sewage for traces of illegal substances, especially cocaine, fentanyl, and other illegal drugs. Sewage is already tested for a variety of disease elements, especially Covid-19 traces. The idea to add drug testing, as described to town residents, is provide a baseline for use in public education and outreach. More at: https://nantucketcurrent.com/news/how-much-cocaine-is-in-nantuckets-sewage-the-town-is-about-to-find-out
* A new lawsuit is being levied in reaction to more proposed wind farms. A group of 16 organizations have filed for an injunction against Empire Wind. A Nantucket group (“Nantucket for Whales” ) is among the leaders of the lawsuit.
PROPERTY REPORT
Mariner House Updates
* The summer flower boxes and the unit air conditioning devices were installed in May.
* An in-house sale saw Defiance-7 ownership transferred from Linda Row to Jessica Torch.
* Next year’s main capital budget project will be repairing, repainting and replacing the carpet in the from foyer and up the adjacent spiral staircase, as well as working to bring the ceiling dome for that area back into shape. This is anticipated to be a somewhat lengthy and very likely expensive process. Tracy is getting bids on it for the Board’s consideration.
Old Business
* Tracy reported pricing for, and provided an image of, the replacement plaque for the Centre Street side of the property. Measuring approximately 16” x 14” and costing around $480.00, the metal-coated, weather-resistant plaque is bronze colored and is inscribed using an
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historically amenable serif typeface, and was approved by acclaim by the Board members present.
* Bob re-introduced the idea of also creating a reproduction of a historical print featuring two Nantucket women of presumably 19th century provenance as a centerpiece decoration for the front lobby. This concept was met with enthusiasm by the rest of the Board.
New Business
* Ranelle asked about the possibility of replacing the current beds in all six units, primarily on the basis of insufficient size, although basic comfort was also mentioned. A lively and detailed discussion ensued.
* Tammy noted that some of the bedrooms themselves might put limitations on the size of the beds that could be used within them. Bob observed that bed sizes already vary naturally from unit to unit. Kerric suggested waiting to see how much the front lobby re-vamp would cost before taking on a bed replacement project that that would draw from the same pool of money in the annual budget, since we want to keep the 2026 members fees as flat as possible.
Ranelle addressed the fees issue with the idea of funding bed replacement using the $1,000 per unit “decorating budget,” instead of funds from the capital projects budget. Tammy suggested that we consider having each bedroom measured to see which ones could accommodate larger beds as a prelude to further consideration of this topic, which the rest of the Board felt was a useful idea.
Selected mattress replacement in some of the units was generally agreed to be a different discussion, more do-able, and in some cases quite desirable, and which will be explored in subsequent BOD meetings. Tracy has been “on” this issue for some time now, too.
There being no more new business, and a motion to adjourn having been seconded, Bob Vanasse adjourned the meeting at 7:36 p.m. (EDT).
The next Mariner House Board of Directors meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. (EDT) on Tuesday, July 15, 2025.
Minutes submitted by:
Kerric Harvey,
ACK MHA BOD Secretary,
June 26, 2025
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