DEVELOPMENT MANAGER'S AND PROJECT OFFICER'S MONTHLY REPORTS

Project Officer's Report January 2008

Project Officer’s Report January 08

Lodge Redevelopment

Funding:
GCA
The GCA application for £784,997 has been approved.
Match Funding:
HIE: The bid to HIE for around £250,000 will hopefully be confirmed soon, following on from the positive decision from the lottery.
HICEC: Pretty much all other supporting info is now with them, including SAP carbon use ratings comparing wood fuel with oil/electric heating. A meeting is suggested next week to go over things, in advance of their February meeting.
Scottish Arts Council: Following on from the meeting of the arts group today, this application will hopefully be sent very soon.
ERDF (European Regional Development Fund): Pre-application form has been received by the HIPP office in Inverness (I won’t bother expanding on all these acronyms, especially as I can’t remember myself what they all stand for). We await word from them regarding our project’s eligibility. It is likely that the next round of ERDF funding will be too late to form part of a funding package ready by April, say.
Other:
We should hear back from a charitable trust in the next week or two.
A first stage application made to another organisation has been unsuccessful, as the project was deemed not to fit their eligibility criteria. A second application to an energy company’s fund for energy saving measures, for £30K has also been unsuccessful.
We still have yet to hear when the Scottish Biomass Support Scheme may reopen for applications.
Loan facility:
Given the urgency of investigating funding for the possible purchase of Inveruplan, dealings with a bank regarding the Lodge Redevelopment Project have not progressed. It is unlikely that securing a loan facility will cause any delay in getting together a full funding package, as we should get a relatively quick decision from a bank once information is submitted to them.

Lodge Bookings / Marketing
Aga problems over Christmas and New Year caused added work for Dorothea, Mark and others. Thanks go to Robbie also, for helping with this.
Since November we have been re-advertising the period between January and June inclusive. Enquiries and bookings are coming in gradually but we could do with more at this stage. This time of year is a key period for securing the coming season’s bookings. I am aware that time spent at funding applications and other things is detracting from advertising efforts, but will try to address this.

Stalking
A group is coming for hind stalking in the last week of the season, which means having to leave sufficient deer for them. This is a slight risk, as if the weather is very bad that week, for example, we could be left short of our targets.

Website
Once positions of office and any co-options are decided, a new list of directors can go on the website.
The draft Estate Plan will go on the website very soon.

Communications
We (I?) have not yet enquired with local tradesmen regarding making noticeboard/s.

Other things
Salary: Between late January, up until whenever we have a full package of funding for the redevelopment project, there is no money going into the AF account for project officer salary. (Two years’ worth of salary are included in the GCA project costs.)
The payment for the remainder of January has proceeded. A decision will be needed as to what to do for February and thereafter, whether to keep me on fully, or more part-time for a while, or whether I jump on a ship to Barbados for a few months.