The current physical facilities of The Augustan Society, Inc., are the [[Consuls]]' home and four storage units a mile away, all located in southern Orange County, Florida. This arrangement is far from ideal, and incurs delays and expenses we would prefer to avoid. Our vision is to obtain a unified [[Headquarters]] facility outside the Consuls' home, but it may be prudent to accept a smaller facility with some of the storage units maintained.
The Society has had a public Headquarters for about half of its existence, the other half being worked out of the private home of the [[Founder]] or [[Consuls]]. The advantages of a public Headquarters are many, including:
'''Proposal: The Society must set a goal of obtaining (and retaining) a public [[Headquarters]]. To ensure that such a facility may be retained, we must create an [[Investment Fund]] sufficient that its revenue will cover the costs of rent, utilities, and taxes (if any).'''
The location of a rented Headquarters is presently constrained by the location of the Consuls, who would naturally be unwilling to commute extended distances. Should a move be coincident with replacing the present Consuls (something they would not object to), the location could be moved to any suitable place.
'''Proposal: The Society should adopt a policy that any lease or rental be for a term of not less than five years with maximum rent defined, and that funds sufficient to secure the facility for said term be identified before a lease or rent is authorized.'''
Note that Consuls have had conversations with potential patrons who might be convinced to offer space appropriate to our need at lower than market prices. The actual price and space available are yet to be determined, but it may be possible to obtain as much as 5000 sq.ft.
# Location in the United States, for reasons of postal and tax savings;
# Location within an hour of an international airport;
# Location within an hour of daily Amtrak service;
# Public transit available from the two above, though this might be taxis;
# Located where a 50-foot rise in sea levels will not threaten the location or road connections to the mainland;
All that said, a facility, or funds to purchase one, may appear as a gift or grant. In that case, it may be possible to leapfrog the first goal for the last. While this will of course be tempting, the Society should seriously consider if the location offered is in the long-term best interests of the Society. Worst case, we might accept the gift or grant in a sub-optimal location, then sell it and move at a later date (perhaps after the death of the patron or expiration of the grant).
Consideration should also be given to the purchase of a location for the purpose of storage, replacing the rented storage units. This appears to be on the edge of possibility, but will likely entail substantial work to put the facility into suitable condition to move inat this time.
'''Proposal: The Society should remain open to the opportunity to purchase a location for the primary purpose of storage, even if unsuitable for a headquartersHeadquarters, in order to reduce the burden of rented storage.'''
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