Vinalhaven Housing Committee History
The Vinalhaven Housing Committee was originally formed in December of 2018 by the Town of Vinalhaven Select Board, to address the critical need for affordable year round housing on Vinalhaven. Unfortunately that committee did not reach any conclusions or recommendations for the Vinalhaven Planning Commission.
The Vinalhaven Planning Commission attempted to address the housing shortage through consideration of ordinance revisions but quickly realized the task required extensive research and expert assistance. Toward that end the Select Board was asked to reappoint a Housing Committee which they did late in 2020. The Select Board appointed a seven-member committee whose members were Elin Elisofon, Kathi Young, Ethan Warren, Darline Beckman and Hooper Brooks, Barbara Philbrook, and Marjorie Stratton.
The Committee was authorized to: Review the Land Use Ordinance for zoning revisions that would promote year-round housing; research energy audit and other home improvement options and grants; review town owned parcels and private land for possible building sites for year-round housing.
The Committee realized a study of the housing needs was essential. The Select Board authorized funds to hire consultant Merry Terry, a respected housing expert familiar with island housing challenges, to create an anonymous Housing Assessment for our community. The Needs Assessment final report in November of 2021 indicated out of the 104 respondents, 51 reported experiencing challenges in finding housing, with almost 70% indicating affordability being the greatest barrier.
-
Zoning Revisions: The Planning Commission, with the assistance of professional Land Use Planner, Mat Eddy, and input from the Housing Committee, proposed revisions to the zoning ordinance to promote and expand housing options, especially where Town water and septic is available. Those revisions were approved at a Special Town Meeting in November of 2023, and are now part of the current Ordinance.
-
Finding Help for People to Stay in Their Homes: Committee work included: Researching programs to assist with energy efficiency improvements, home repairs and identifying funding and grants that would finance the work. A grant from the John T. Gorman Foundation helped pay for energy audits and air sealing in 16 year round residents homes.
-
Expanding Year-Round Housing: The Committee researched State and Federal funding sources to create affordable year round housing, and spoke with other island housing organizations.
-
Land Options: The Committee looked at Town owned land that might be appropriate for building year-round housing. We reviewed the cost of land purchases, building and/or moving modular units to the island and found that it is enormously expensive. In an effort to find an affordable solution, the committee reached out to several potential developers to learn if they had an interest in building on Vinalhaven to help solve our critical housing shortage.
​
The Vinalhaven Housing Committee fulfilled its obligation and became the recently formed Vinalhaven Housing Initiative, a state and federally recognized nonprofit organization.
The VHI Board
Elin Elisofon President
​​Having been here every summer of her life as a child, and then as a year-round resident, Elin
cherishes the relationships formed over these many decades with members of the Vinalhaven community.
​
Elin has been involved with many of the island organizations at their formative stages, including working to establish Vinalhaven Eldercare Services and the Vinalhaven Land Trust. She is a member of the Town of Vinalhaven Planning Commission which created revised zoning ordinances to promote and facilitate the creation of year-round housing on Vinalhaven.
​
Elin lives in a home built in 1843 by Joel and Mary Jane Philbrook and was fortunate to know their descendants. She is an artist, conservationist, preservationist, real estate broker and an active member of the Pleasant River Grange.
Hooper Brooks Secretary
​​​A seasonal resident and homeowner on Vinalhaven for forty years, Hooper has recently become a full-time resident of Maine. His professional career included government, philanthropic foundations and non-profit positions working on land conservation, regional planning, sustainable development and smart growth. He has also served on several non-profit boards.
Darline Beckman
​
Darline was a member of the Town appointed Vinalhaven Housing Committee and is a founding member of the nonprofit Vinalhaven Housing Initiative. Darline currently serves on the Town appointed Net Factory Re-Use Committee. She is a lifelong resident of Vinalhaven and graduated from Vinalhaven High School. Darline’shusband, Sigward Beckman and their three sons all work in the lobster industry.
Darline has worked as a sternman on her husband’s lobster boat and at many local businesses. She a member of the Bean Team, at Bean Maine Lobster, an employee-owned wholesale lobster company purchasing directly from local fishermen and women on the waterfront.
Beth Newbold-Winkler
Eric Davis
​
Eric works as a lobsterman. He has deep familiarity with the land and landscape of Vinalhaven. Eric was a member of the Town appointed Vinalhaven Housing Committee at its inception. He has served the Vinalhaven community for several years in many ways. Previously he was a Selectman, President of the Vinalhaven Land Trust, and Vinalhaven Road Commissioner. Currently, he serves on the Town of Vinalhaven Budget Committee, as Chairman of the Town of Vinalhaven Cemetery Committee, and on the Net Factory Re-Use Committee.
Kathi Young Vice President
​
Kathi is a life-long resident of Vinalhaven. As a dedicated member of the community, Kathi has served on several boards, including: the Town of Vinalhaven Selectboard, the Vinalhaven School Board, and on the Island Community Medical Services Board of Directors. Kathi was a member of the Town appointed Vinalhaven Housing Committee and is a founding member of the nonprofit Vinalhaven Housing Initiative.
​
In 2005 Kathi purchased her home through USDA first time home buyers program. In that home she raised two children who both still reside on the island. Kathy manages a family-owned business, Island Lobster Supply, on Vinalhaven.
Duncan Urquhart Treasurer
​​​
​Duncan first came to Vinalhaven in January of 2021. He knew instantly that this is where he would spend his retirement and bought a house on the island less than a week later.
After graduating from college, Duncan spent the next 40 years in the Mid-Hudson Valley area of New York where he held positions in senior financial management with companies in both the public and private sector. Previous board experience includes 15 years as a director of a high-tech public company where he chaired both the Audit and Compensation committees.
​
Kristin Alley
​
Kristin was born and raised on Vinalhaven. After graduating from Vinalhaven High School, she attended the University of Maine at Machias and graduated with a business degree majoring in accounting. Shortly after graduating from college, she started working for Camden National Bank. She has also worked at Vinalhaven Eldercare Services and at J. Edward Knight as an insurance agent. Currently, Kristin is a bookkeeper at Islands Community Medical Services. She is married to Brad Alley, a native fisherman.
Jack Myer
Jack grew up in the Boston area and graduated from Georgetown University. Since 1986 he has worked in humanitarian aid overseas, advising on and managing humanitarian programs for the United Nations, non-governmental organizations, and since 1997 with the United States Agency for International Development, ending his career as Senior Humanitarian Advisor covering the Middle East and Europe. He continues to work on a contract basis with USAID and travels a great deal for work and pleasure. In 2009, Vinalhaven became his permanent home.
Dylan Jackson Project Director
​
“For a good part of my life planning and constructing was the natural method for creating the spaces we needed. My parents were late 80’s homesteaders, who decided that an undeveloped island would be a good place to scrape out an existence. It was a part of daily life to take a concept and make it real. The problems of living were solved by building.”
​
As a carpenter and builder of timber frame structures, Dylan is a founding partner of Fox Island Timber Frame, LLC. Dylan attended Cornell University and attained a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Maine, Augusta, graduating magna cum laude.
​
Dylan builds homes and other structures focusing on high quality craftmanship and sustainability. Dylan will oversee and function as the General Contractor at the 16 East Boston Road project on the behalf of VHI, where he will oversee all aspects of the project and the sub-contractors involved, as well providing carpentry labor for the project.
​
He is also a member of the Vinalhaven Volunteer Fire Department, and the Emergency Medical Service.
Brent Groce
​​Brent and his wife acquired an off the grid home on Vinalhaven in 2011. Brent started out on a conventional career path with mechanical engineering and graduate business degrees. After years as a telecom product manager, he became an inner-city math teacher, co-founder of an economic development non-profit in Uganda, a non-profit financial manager, and furniture maker. Most recently he worked in various capacities at a Philadelphia-based solar installer. He holds a NABCEP PV Installation Professional certification.
Non-Board Committee Members
Donna Cordner Finance Committee
​
Donna Cordner is a Co-founder and Managing Partner in OKM Capital, a venture capital firm focused on early and mid-stage integrated digital healthcare solutions. Also, she is Managing Partner of Robinhood Ventures, one of the premier angel-investing groups in the Philadelphia region where she serves on a number of committees and advisory boards within the start-up.
Donna’s career spans start-ups and digital transformation, finance, technology and operations. She has held senior management positions at a number of leading financial institutions including Global Head Telecom/Media Structured Finance at Citigroup/Salomon Smith Barney, Regional Head of Telecom and Media at Société Générale, and Global Head of Telecom at ABN AMRO.
Martin D. Stein, AIA, LEED
Housing Development Committee
​
Principal Architect, Urbahn Architects, New York City
Licensed in NY, NJ, ME, MA, MD and FL
Urbahn is a thoughtful yet versatile architectural firm whose work has touched the lives of
countless individuals since its inception in 1945.
Certifications: LEED Accredited Professional
Marty Stein first came to Vinalhaven in 1959 and has had a home there since 1971. He designed the addition to Vinalhaven’s Andrew Carnegie Library, designed the New Era Gallery and was responsible for the restoration of the Old Fire Hall. He has given generously of his time, advice and expertise to various Vinalhaven projects, including a design for the re-purposing of the Net Factory site and an assessment of three town owned parcels for relocation of the Town of Vinalhaven Public Works Department facility.
Victoria (Toria) Trafford Brett
Development/Communications Committee
​​
Toria Brett has been coming to Vinalhaven her whole life, thanks to great-grandparents who built a house on the island more than 100 years ago. When living in Portland, Maine, she was a journalist for The Associated Press, covering state and national news for many years. Currently, she lives in Western Massachusetts, where she has worked as a freelance reporter for People magazine, AP and other publications. For the last several years, Toria has been writing fiction. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Vinalhaven Land Trust (VLT).
Andy Creelman
Housing Development.
Andy has been a general contractor on Vinalhaven for 30 years. He’s worked extensively on both residential and light commercial projects. He served on the building committee for the Vinalhaven School project and the Ivan Calderwood Homestead. For the last few years Andy has been pursuing his passion as a farmer, supplying Vinalhaven with fresh produce.
Bruce Young
Housing Development
Bruce is a multi-generation islander, born and raised on Vinalhaven. He has lived on the island his entire life except for four years when he was in the Marines. He is the principle of Harlequin Construction, a business he founded over 30 years ago.
Stephanie Sanborn
Residential Housing/Selection Committee
Stephanie was born and raised on Vinalhaven. For over 23 years Stephanie has worked with Bruce Young at Harlequin Construction.