Present: Senior Warden Melissa Cox, Paula Cushman, Buddy Atkins, Roger Crockett, Susan Cross,Libby Cumming, Bob Glidden, Jerry Nay, Cindy Mullen, Jonathan Webster, Gretchen Walden, Kay Horner, Brian Shaw, John Burleson, Gerry Locher, Interim Rector Barry Miller, and Doug Cumming, filling in for Bob DeMaria as recording secretary.

Guests: Grigg Mullen, David Oakland, the Rev. Chris Thompson (Rector, Eastern Shore Episcopal Chapel, Virginia Beach).

The meeting was called to order at 5 p.m. John Burleson led the worship.

Minutes from the July 17 meeting were approved, with the addendum that Jonathan Webster had agreed to step in as Christian Education chair.

Trustees. Brian Shaw explained that there are three openings for trustees. He asked that vestry members vote for six of 20 nominees. Once these six are selected, vestry will vote for three. Barry Miller asked if any were self-nominated, and Kay Horner said not to her knowledge. To select these three, ballots with the seven top vote getters were distributed among vestry members and a later count yielded two winners, and a tie for the third position. The latter will have to be resolved with another vote, which Melissa will email for responses. Once three are elected and they have accepted, Brian will present these to the Circuit Court for approval.

Facilities Planning – Jerry Nay introduced David Oakland, who reported on the latest prospects for a new steeple. This is only part of Phase I of the facilities plan, but the most immediately pressing part.

Stonewood Inc., a local contractor proposing a traditional reproduction with copper cladding, came in with a proposal that was higher than expected -- $435,000 with contingencies.

Oakland found a competitive bid of $300,000 from Old Time Restoration, a Massachusetts firm (Steve Curtis, contact). This proposal would use modern steel joinings rather than traditional, and does not have the same connections under the bell, but would also have copper cladding and a traditional look. The two proposals are essentially the same, Oakland said.

Gerry Locher expressed concern about these bids being nearly twice as much as original estimates, and wondered if the previously rejected idea of fiberglass steeple, at about half the cost of these new bids, should be reconsidered. (He later received word that the cost of the fiberglass steeple would be $145,000 plus 7 percent increase.)

A discussion ensued. Some of the issues discussed were: Curtis’s qualification as a steeplejack, and that travel from Massachusetts has been figured into the bid; that copper is easier to seal and lasts longer than other materials; that the differences among traditional joinery, steel bolts, fiberglass imitations, etc., raise philosophical issues over the meaning of traditional artifacts vs. functional goals; that the expense was not in the copper so much as in the fleur-de-lis, scuppers and other detail work (Grigg Mullen helped shed light on the value and complexity of the traditional approach); the irreversibly rotten condition of the old steeple, which has been weathering badly out in the Mullens’ yard; and the duty of the vestry to be especially careful about spending such a large amount of money.

Gerry Locher moved to postpone action till the September vestry meeting to get firmer figures on the various proposals, and reconsider all of the issues in putting up a new steeple, and this was APPROVED unanimously.

Endowments – Bob Glidden passed around a 12-page report from the Endowments & Investments Committee (the new name of the combined groups). At a meeting of the committee July 31, the committee discussed investment policy. In recent years, the parish has invested its endowments in two indexed funds with Vanguard. It felt there was more advantage in having a local manager. So Buddy Atkins contacted Dan Vance of Edward Jones Investments. The cost is no greater than dealing directly with Vanguard. The committee voted to switch management to Edward Jones, a move it felt did not require vestry approval. Meanwhile, a plan for greater investment diversity will be presented this week to the committee, and this will come to the vestry in September for consideration.

Budget – Buddy Atkins went over the monthly budget. He said Anita Ramp, our financial officer, asked the vestry to approve the closing out of four small funds, which had been overdrawn.

Vestry unanimously APPROVED the proposed closing of these four accounts.

Finance Committee – Jonathan Webster reported on the Finance Committee meeting Aug. 15. He said the committee hopes to put forth its ’07 budget next month, for vestry action in September, so that the Every-Member Canvass will have the advantage of knowing what our goals will be. The committee would like verification on staffing in ’07. It recommends using unrestricted memorial funds. [??]

Buddy Atkins mentioned that the Altar Guild went over budget, but it was in essence for a long-term capital expense. Cindy Mullen asked about using small memorial funds for such costs.

Bob Glidden moved that the vestry approve use of small (under $200) memorial funds as needed for small long-term expenses, provided the families in whose name the funds exist are notified. APPROVED.

Jonathan mentioned that Anita received a letter from our phone company saying we needed to update our telephone equipment, that is, the telephones themselves. It was suggested that Mo look into it.

Personnel – Brian Shaw said there were no new candidates for Director of Christian Education or Youth Leader. Trey Shehan, a rising junior at W&L, has been filling in as Youth Leader, with help from adults. He and an adult recently took the youth group on an overnight camping trip.

Regarding the capital campaign, with a goal now reaching as much as $1.7 million, Brian said that Farris Hotchkiss recommends this should be taken to the Resources for Mission Committee and the Mission Shepherding Group, and then brought back to the vestry with a recommendation.

Gerry Locher said that Uncas McThenia and Matt Beebe offered to repair and re-grout the courtyard.  

REPORTS

Melissa Cox asked approval of the proposed Delegates and Alternates to Diocesan Council for December 2007.  These must be submitted by an Aug. 31 deadline.

The slate was APPROVED.
           Delegates: Punky Dod, Gloria Smitka, Doug Cumming, Lynda de Maria, Melissa Cox.
           Alternates: Bob de Maria, Don Ellis, Claudia Ellis.

Illnesses of parishioners were reported. A letter of thanks from Rhonda Wheeler was read.
           Barry Miller said it’s been a quiet summer and he had nothing extraordinary to report.
           The vestry voted to go into executive session.

The Vestry, came out of Executive session. Jerry Nay made a motion that RE Lee Memorial Episcopal Church terminate its relationship with the Rev. Barry Miller effective immediately. The motion was seconded by Buddy Atkins.  A written ballot was taken and the final vote to accept the motion was 11-2 with one abstention and one absence.