Minutes of the SPHLS Annual General Meeting
Held Thursday, August 14, 2025
at the 
Morell Public Library


Attendees:
Linda Anderson, Mel Anderson, John Flinn, Donna Glass, Richard Ganong, Chris Hutt (Treasurer), Karen Jay, Cindy MacEwen, Reubin MacDonald, Debbie MacEwen, Lori MacEwen, Miller MacEwen, Scott MacEwen(President), Mary Martin, Jesse Moore, Marlowe Moore, Bill Morton(Past President), JoAnne Morton, Joanne Paquet, Mary Phillips, Gail Rice (Past President), Mary Richardson, Katie Sheahan, KC Spengler, Trevor Spinney, Jill Stevenson, Vera Teschow.

Regrets: Judith Bree, Dana Dineen, Sidney MacEwen

Words of Welcome & Introduction

SPHLS President, Scott MacEwen, introduced himself as the incoming President and welcomed attendees to the AGM.  The first order of business was a special presentation.  

The Special Presentation was the unveiling of a major work of art - a scale replica of the St. Peters Harbour Lighthouse.  This ‘work’ was designed and brought to life by Miller MacEwen and he was ably assisted by Leigh Smith and Reubin MacDonald. Literally hundreds of hours were contributed by Miller and his team in the process and a new award  - entitled the The Beacon Shingle - was conceived by the Board of the SPHLS to honour the outstanding volunteer commitment and contribution of Miller, Leigh & Reubin. Special mention and thanks were shouted out to the team at Collings Timber Mart in Tracadie who were extremely supportive of this endeavour.

The replica will serve many purposes.  Foremost among them will be the opportunity to share the rich history of the role that the SPH Lighthouse played in the local fishing industry for over a hundred years beginning in 1858.  It will also serve as an educational tool to equip community members and visitors alike with the tools to visit and enjoy the natural habitats that surround the Lighthouse. Further, the Morell Public Library appreciates the opportunity to enrich the experience of members and visitors to the Library by having important installations of this kind available.  
At the close of this special presentation, Gail Rice rose to offer a special note of appreciation in memory of Tom Moore who, as President of the SPHLS, heralded in the incorporation of the Society in 2016 and the restoration of the Lighthouse in 2017.

Report from the President:
Lighthouse Repair: With the rapidly changing dune landscape, the lighthouse has become much more exposed to the elements. The changes are dramatic – and unfortunately, it is generally accepted that the changes will continue and the pace of change will accelerate. This means that this year, there was more than normal wear and tear. Some wood needed to be replaced (notably in the gable above the entrance door) as well as fixing some areas where critters had found their way in. Many thanks to Bill  Morton and Brian Eastman for their excellent carpentry skills in addressing these areas.  
Exterior Painting: Once these repairs had begun, we were in a position to repaint the exterior. Certainly, it was needed. Again, with increased exposure to the elements, the need for repainting was much more pronounced. The entire painting process was concluded by the end of July despite the heat wave.
The Lighthouse Road:
Due to the late and very wet spring season, access to the Lighthouse for the annual inspection was delayed until June due to the areas of the road that had been washed out by runoff.  Despite this, as soon as was possible, crews were out to the road adding fill and carrying out some crowning of the surface.  The  Province is actively examining replacing some culverts and doing more crowning of the road to ensure better drainage. It is anticipated this work will begin after the busy season has ended.
Our website:
We continue to update our website – and we will be actively adding to the Heritage section of the site particularly now that the new Lighthouse replica is installed at the Library.  Thanks go out to SPHLS member, Barbara Rousseau, for her assistance with this over the past year.
SPHLS merchandise:
We are actively looking at refreshing our merchandise and there is an opportunity to update with our very collaborative suppliers right here on PEI.  Moreover, we have noted that 2016 was the year the SPHLS was incorporated and restoration of the lighthouse began...so we’re coming up on the 10 year anniversary.  More updates to follow! 
Also, of note, available to borrow from the Morell Library (and to purchase at local stores) is a book by author Barbara Palmer Rousseau entitled, ‘Finding Home at the Harbour’.  It is a collection of illustrated essays about St. Peters Harbour and prominently features the SPH Lighthouse.  
Closing Remarks
Scott closed his Annual Report by expressing his sincere thanks to the members of the Board and the SPHLS volunteers and members and invites everyone to offer feedback throughout the year ahead as he continues in his new role as President.
On a motion by Scott MacEwen and seconded by Trevor Spinney, the President’s Report was approved as presented.

Report from the Treasurer:
Treasurer, Chris Hutt, provided the report of this year’s finances for the fiscal year ending May 31, 2025.  The Society’s revenues come from membership dues, donations, sale of merchandise, and grants.  The major annual expenses regularly include liability insurance - for both the public as well as Directors & Officers, outsourcing financial reporting, repairs and repainting as needed, purchase of merchandise, community support, and investing in tools to share the history and heritage of the Lighthouse.  
As the Society’s operations continue to be modest in scope, the Board approved a decision bring to the AGM a request to invest in a software package to assist with the financial reporting of the Society rather than continuing to seek outside professional resources to review and prepare our annual financial reports.  This approach will save the Society approximately $1400 annually going forward and thereby reduce our fixed overhead costs considerably.  Liability insurance remains the most significant cost to the Society and, again this year, we will search out competitive pricing for this major expense.
As it relates to the more frequent need in recent years to have the Lighthouse fully repainted, it was reported that, this year, the repainting was accomplished with Marine paint.  We will assess the advantages of this strategy in the years ahead and we anticipate that - with annual touch ups - this will get us back to our original expectation of fully repainting every 3-5 years.
As it relates to the support we receive through available grants - should we determine the need to apply - these grants exist to support community efforts such as the SPH Lighthouse Society as these historic and popular sites are the backbone of the Island’s Tourism promotional and economic strategy.  A full printout of the Financial Report is attached below.
Lastly, a payment of $5 will be issued to the Old St. Peters Homeowners Association for the period of years 2020-2025.  This payment in the amount of $1/year will be back in the accounting schedule going forward as per the By-Laws of the Society.
On a motion by Gail Rice and seconded by KC Spengler, the Treasurer’s Report was approved as presented.

Membership & Nominations Report
The Society continues to report healthy membership numbers and this support is fundamental to the Society’s mission of maintaining the Lighthouse and preserving its heritage.  
The Society’s membership list has two main components.  Those who supported us in the Founding Membership Campaign leading up to January 2017 - the year that the Lighthouse was restored.  These members contributed a one-time gift and have been recognized on the large plaque that has been installed on the Lighthouse itself.  These members continue to receive updates, bulletins, and invitations to Lighthouse activities.  This is a group of 45 households and/or dedications.
The second group of members are our active members who have paid dues occasionally or annually over the last number of years or have become Silver Shingle or Lifetime Members.  This membership breaks down as follows:
13 individual memberships,
81 household/family memberships
2 corporate memberships: the Morell COOP, and the MCU.
The Society now has 39 Silver Shingle members 

Our by-laws provide for up to 12 positions on the Board of Directors.  As per the records of previous AGMs, we can report that 7 of those positions are filled as follows:

Judith Bree - representing the OSPHRA
Dana Dineen - Secretary
Chris Hutt - Treasurer
Scott MacEwen - President
Sidney MacEwen 
Bill Morton - Immediate Past President
Gail Rice - Past President

Most Board meetings are conducted via Zoom throughout the fall, winter, spring with up to three in-person meetings taking place during the summer months.  We regularly invite members to express their interest in volunteering with the Society through our various communications during the year and the AGM was an excellent occasion to extend this invitation once again.  Should anyone be considering serving on the Board, or volunteering in any other capacity, or, if you would like more information before taking that step, you are invited to contact our President, Scott MacEwen or Katie Sheahan.  The email address for the SPHLS is stpetersharbourlighthouse@gmail.com.

On a motion by Katie Sheahan and seconded by Mary Richardson the report on the Society’s Membership & Board of Directors was approved as presented.

Thank you to Bill Morton:
Bill Morton stepped seamlessly into the role of leading the Society in 2021 and fully into the role of President in 2022.  He fulfilled the duties associated with this work faithfully and established relationships - not just with members and donors - but with members of the wider community and businesses alike and - in so doing - strengthened the profile and mission of the Society.  We are grateful he will remain on the Board and continue to contribute his wisdom and leadership to the team.

Answers to questions from the Members:

With additional questions raised about how we can tackle the recurring issues of poor road conditions - particularly in the spring - it was clarified that we cannot ‘close’ the road as it is a provincial road providing public access to the shore.  We are hopeful that the work that will be undertaken this fall will go a long way to helping the road survive the spring runoff next year and thereafter.

With respect to the regrowth of the bushes along the roadside, there will not be another major cutback of the brush such as was done following Hurricane Fiona.  Only trimming that addresses visibility issues for drivers will be undertaken.

A motion to adjourn was put forward by Scott MacEwen and seconded by all in attendance.