Facilities Vision
The current physical Facilities of The Augustan Society, Inc., are the Metcalfs' 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 Metcalfs' 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 Headquarters Staff. The advantages of a public Headquarters are many, including:
- Security from the termination of the Metcalfs
- The ability to collect all Society property to one location
- The ability to bring volunteers in to assist with the work
- The ability to hire paid staff
- The ability to welcome guests, patrons, and members
- The ability to impress such guests, patrons, and members with the size and stability of the Society
- Improved ability to obtain grants
- Avoidance of the need to relocate (as often)
- Avoidance of the need to change our mailing address (as often) with consequent loss of contacts
Proposal: The Society must set a goal of obtaining (and retaining) a public Headquarters. To ensure that such a facility may be retained, the Society 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 Headquarters Staff, who would naturally be unwilling to commute extended distances. Should a move be coincident with replacing the present staff (something they would not object to), the location could be moved to any suitable place.
However, given the substantial expenditure of time and labor (if not expense) of frequent relocations, and that the Society can ill afford the loss of productivity that accompanies a move, even if it might afford the expense, short-term rentals are unlikely to be in the best long-term interest of the Society.
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 Headquarters Staff have had conversations with potential patrons who might be convinced to offer space appropriate to our need at lower than market prices. These talks did not come to fruition for reasons unrelated to the Society, but the topic may come up again.
Proposal: Should a patron offer space in a reasonable location (with respect to Headquarters Staff or their replacements) under suitable conditions of security and compatible use for a below-market price for at least a five-year term, the Society should move quickly to accept, even if long-term goals suggest a different (but currently unaffordable) location.
Further advantages may be had from owning rather than renting, including:
- The ability to modify the facility to better meet operational needs;
- The ability to decorate the facility to better express our Society's personality;
- The ability to do the above without concern for losing the value when obliged to relocate; and
- Avoidance of the need to relocate (except as the Society may feel the need).
Proposal: The Society should set a goal of obtaining (and retaining) a public Headquarters that is owned by the Society. To ensure that such a facility may be retained, we must create an Investment Fund sufficient that its revenue, after the initial capital cost of acquisition and modification to our purposes, will cover the ongoing costs of utilities, repairs, maintenance, and taxes (if any).
The location of such a permanent Headquarters should not be constrained to the vicinity of the present Headquarters Staff. One would expect the use of the facility to long outlast their service, and the Orlando area may not prove to be the best location in the long term. At some point, it will be appropriate to determine what considerations should be given to a permanent location, and a search for a nation, city, neighborhood, and parcel then be based on those considerations.
Items to receive consideration should include:
- 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;
- Within a Staples delivery area; and
- Within three hours of a book bindery and rebindery.
The last of these will likely be the most restrictive, and thus may be worth searching first.
The goals above for rental and owned Headquarters are not in conflict. The former is likely to be easier to obtain, and a portion of the investments dedicated to generating rent under the former may be diverted to purchase the facility under the latter. This is particularly true as $285,000 of the Investment Fund is the Balling bequest, which is restricted to capital purchases (by original intent, if not contract).
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 second. 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 at 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 Headquarters, in order to reduce the cost of rented storage.
