Annual Meeting 9:00am Gilford Town Hall Conference Room and via Zoom October 25, 2025
Trustees Present: John McGowan, Kathleen Butler, Jim Guzman, and John O’Brien.
Absent: Kimberly Staaf
Harbormaster: Jack Kelley
Office Administrator: Lily Rausa
Owners Present: 26 properties represented and 7 on ZOOM
9:03am Meeting is opened by John McGowan; John introduces himself followed by the remainder of the trustees. Kimberly Staaf is absent because she had a family emergency. John explains the meeting procedures and the use of Roberts Rules. Please silence your phones and mute your microphones.
Please hand in ballots to Lily if you have not already done so
John explains the Guiding Principles of the meeting:
- Everyone has the right to participate in the discussion before anyone may speak a second time.
- Treat one another with dignity and respect.
- One Speaker at a time: Don’t interrupt.
- Be open-minded.
- All discussions will be held to the end of each agenda item.
- Motions and discussion will be at the end of the meeting.
Facilities:
Gate/Security
No major issues with FOBS or gate other than a men’s room card deadbolt had been vandalized and needed repair and the problem was resolved.
Grounds:
Jim Guzman:
Properties by Pete has been doing a good job keeping the brush cut back, cleaning the courts and grass cut and we have renewed the contract with them for another 3 years. We are happy with them
Tennis Courts:
John McGowan:
There was not a lot of activity until Pickleball lines were added and they are getting a lot more use. We had complaints about the surface, so we had it power washed. People have been enjoying the court amenity.
Beach:
Kathleen Butler:
The cleaning service Jen and Mike have been doing a great job and we have updated the contract for 2 more years. Bath house is kept in good clean condition. It was operable even during high volume/use weekends. It ran smoothly most of the summer.
Kayak, SUP and Canoe racks:
John McGowan:
Number of kayak racks are sufficient for use, and all were taken within a couple days. We ask all to be removed so we can repair and be sure none have been abandoned or forgotten by people moving out of GA.
JO comments on the areas for use by the mooring holders vs the other vessels
JM East of the boat dock are for Mooring field dinghies. West of the boat dock are for kayaks, canoes and SUP’s.
Mooring Field and Use of Boat Dock:
Jack Kelly:
- 2025 we had temporary situations for 4 waitlist folks to use mooring where the holder had vessel or health issues that kept them off the field for greater than a couple weeks. This resulted in better utilization of the mooring field because of holders’ proactive cooperation.
- Historically we turnover about 1 to 2 moorings per year, but this coming year we will have 4 turnovers at least.
- Waitlist is 108
- John O’Brien states: original mooring field had 62 mooring balls, and we could not fill them up
- We have looked into getting balls back, but there are space limits, particular to the west where we already are at the border of our property and LSP. And going further out into the Broads is also unlikely. But we may be able to get a handful in front of the swim safety line area. We are looking into the process with Marine Patrol, but it is long, so its unlikely anything will happen next year.
- This year the unprecedented drought caused some safety issues as a few rocks under the mooring field became alarmingly close to the surface; thus the hulls and out-drives of a few boats were at risk. We are trying to figure out the process with the Department of Environmental Services to get permitted to remove them. But, as with increasing the number of mooring ball permits, this is also a long process. We will ask John Baxter, who commissions the field, to help us with firms that do this type of work.
- Every year we get complaints about the exclusivity of the mooring field dock being only for mooring field holders, and not the general community that is a beach member. The fact is we can’t safely accommodate incremental traffic as its difficult enough on weekends to safely maneuver in the field given how tight the boats are to one another, and any wind on top of the weekend waves coming in from the broads just increases the risk of collision.
- We have had a number of instances where non-mooring holders tied up for much greater than the 15-minute loading/unloading limit and this created problems and safety issues for mooring holders trying to load/unload.
Non-Mooring Holders on the Dock:
- Trying to minimize damage to the dock. Windy days pose a problem and that is why we have load and unload times to reduce damage. Other boats that are not part of the mooring field coming in are not allowed due to safety concerns. That is why we restrict boats who are not vested in the mooring field.
- Discussion of allocating mooring field costs. The mooring field cannot make a profit from the mooring field based on RSA 270:67
- It has gone up only to cover the costs
- Allocation of costs for mooring field is just for mooring field. The mooring field owners have to pay the beach dues in addition to mooring dues, so the costs of the beach even without mooring field would be the same.
Swim Pier/Dock:
John McGowan:
- Swim Dock is unsafe and needs repair. The boards and infrastructure need to be replaced. Jim Guzman speaks from his professional view that the dock is overdue for repair and needs to be replaced or removed (we thought that was not an option)
- 3 proposals were received, and we selected Douglas Marine who also did the mooring dock. All were close in the 30K to 35K. Removal of the dock and replacement will take place before spring and done by May opening.
- Costs associated with the swim dock will come out of the Money Market account, which is about 65,000 will be separated from the dues and recouped over the next 3 years
- Beneficiary Question: Did the trust consider extending the dock? The trust responded: that requires a permit so we were trying to avoid that.
Amenities-Short Term Renters:
John O’Brien talks on the reasons for limiting the beach to owners only because of all the issues we have had with renters abusing our beach. Parking has gotten better and the beach is better for the owners
Beneficiary: Glad the board is addressing this and reinforcing this. There are been parking issues.
Jim Guzman: Passing of FOBS back has been an issue. John Mc Gowan states that Lily has access to track down those who are abusing this. There is overflow parking by the tennis courts.
Beneficiary: We need to have owners not advertise our beach with Air BNB etc.
Lily: States she tracks them done and sends a nice note to please not to use the beach.
The board will send written notice and/or take away the privileges from the offenders. The cleaners will also let us know,
Bad Behavior by Members and Guests:
Kathleen Butler: A relative of a family member over the fourth of July and day to day was in the vehicle and making owners uncomfortable and unsafe. This went on for many days, and the police were called. He had a FOB from his family. This was not typical but after the arrest we revoked the families FOBS.
Jim Guzman: Non-Mooring holders were tying up to the dock and spent the day on the beach with a beneficiary, They and their guests were aggressive after I told them they cannot dock at the mooring field. It was very bad behavior. The FOB was deactivated for the rest of the summer. Just a reminder to all that you cannot have people join you at the beach if they come by boat. Kim also had confrontations just to let people know they were doing something that was not allowed. John McGowan states we are trying to keep the integrity of the beach intact for you as the owners.
Kathleen Butler: I want to make a motion at the end of this meeting to have police present over the busier weekends in the future.
The police can go down and check anytime they want.
Verbal Confrontations have happened with dogs and smoking on the beach.
Greenspace in Gunstock Acres:
Policy and Committee is on the website. Greenspace is not just trees but has a lot to do with drainage and water issues of tree cutting.
Theresa Martens: There are applications that need to be filled out. Leah Stamp points out that there has been confusion about how to fill it out. Requirements for notification of abutters and certified approved tree company. Reach out to us if you have questions.
Budget and Financials:
John McGowan goes over the reasons for a shortfall due to lack of properties joining/rejoining the trust. This was something that has not happened over the last few years. We have lost several Beneficiaries due to lot consolidation. Every 5000 loss is a 10 dollar hit to your dues.
Beneficiary comment: Hiring someone to thin out trees not in Greenspace where the state has a right of way. Could we sell the lumber? JM I have not thought of that. You are suggesting we sell the lumber. There are state rights of way where we could sell the lumber. KB states we did this once before and we could possibly do this. JK states would the Greenspace Committee be willing to take on this?
Beneficiary asks if these companies have insurance? Board states yes they do and it is required.
JM continues to talk on the budget. People have consolidated their lots into one so we have a reduction in lots so less people are sharing the cost. There have been no lots reinstating their beneficiary in several years. It is 500 per year to a maximum of 5000. There cannot be a special discount due to the trust documents. There is miscommunication between real estate agents conveying rights to the beach.
Question from Beneficiary: Are we losing properties because they can’t use the beach? Lily must have that.
Answer: Lily stated after the meeting for informational purposes on this question is NO. The STR still use their property on their weeks and use the beach. Also there are at least 76 owners who pay the dues and have never used the beach in 20 years just because they want to keep the property value as is.
John McGowan:
Explains the calculation of the dues at 196 and 24 for the swim dock for the next 3 years. The same is explained for the mooring dues.
Kathleen Butler: 3 years is a long way away but there will be discussion for funds needed in 20 years for a new boat dock.
Kathleen commends John for his time as treasurer and all the hours he puts into doing these budgets.
Other Items:
All vessels have been removed, FOBS are deactivated as of November 1, 2025 and reactivated May 1, 2026
Questions and Comments:
Can we still park by tennis and walk down? Yes you can.
Theresa Martens:
Trails along greenspace that have trees across the trails. Do I need to make a motion to clear these? I see Samoset using our property and I would like to set up a tent so people can enjoy this more. It does not have to be permanent, just a place for people to relax and enjoy.
John McGowan: As an avid hiker we have had problems with people going in there by Silver Street setting up tents, campfires and lean too.
John O’Brien:
Theresa Martens: I am just talking about the existing trails keeping them cleaner.
Kathleen Butler: Take some pictures and send to the board so we can take a look at them. The more people that access them will want to take care of them and take pride in them.
Theresa Martens: Someone suggested making a trail map just to let people know where they are and it is beautiful resource
Kathleen Butler: You can get to Lockes Hill trail from the acres from somewhere close to Yasmin. The more that access these amenities will take pride in it and take care of it.
Question from Beneficiary: Asks John O’Brien, Historian, a question. Does every property have a buffer zone that we are all supposed to leave for trails. JO replies yes if there is Greenspace. It has not changed since 2009
Kathleen Butler: Website is in limbo a bit. I have been updating it but with me leaving the board I could not keep up with all the updates. Lily has a google website that we may transition to but I am not sure moving forward. We will figure this out in the coming year.
Question: If you google GACPT the 3rd thing that came up, Sally Trottier’s name comes up. Jack Kelly responds: Google has to purge their history to get rid of it. Thank you for letting us know. Sally is the former administrative assistant. Sally needs to take this down. Jack Kelly says Sally needs to take this down.
John McGowan: Lily is at UNH with her son. Please let Lily know if you have any changes to address, phone or email.
Beneficiary Question: Does the mooring ball correspond to the mooring field number? Looks like we can add a few spaces in front of the beach if it gets approved. Can we design a mooring field to take up less space for jet skis?
Questions and discussion over cradles and space. Jack states he would like some help with this with marine patrol and the redesign as he does not have the time to do it. Beneficiary says we should pursue despite the states reluctantly to do so. Jack also adds that most people in GACPT want a boat mooring not a jet ski. Jack explains the process for waitlist individuals. He is constantly moving boats around to accommodate the needs of the mooring holders.
Beneficiary: Asks to the left of swim dock there are a lot of rocks can we have the rocks removed when they do the dock?
Kathleen: This may need to approved because of the scope of changing the landscape. This may require volunteers to do this and they may come back in with a storm. We need to look into this.
Motions for next annual meeting to be voted on:
Kathleen Butler: Makes a motion to add to the budget security for the Fourth of July and another weekend in July. Motion is seconded by the group. This will be on next years ballot and make effective if passes in 2027.
John O’Brien reads the results: Please see attached
Respectively submitted,
Lily Rausa
Office Administrator
11/14/2025