“Am I crazy?”   This was the title of the document SAFE’s president, Debi Shatos, shared with the Board of Directors last September. Our resounding answer was “NO!” The potential craziness in question outlined a plan to lease the house adjacent to Safe Harbor Stables and establish both an office and a residence. Today, four weeks after helping unload a 20-foot U‑Haul truck, I am thrilled to announce that SAFE now has both on-site office space and our Executive Director, Bonnie Hammond, is living in the residence.

Running a non-profit organization benefitting horses creates unique challenges: What if a horse colics or gets loose at night? How do we keep these blankets from becoming mold-infested nightmares? How do we keep this iPad alive in the barn?   What is the Porta-Potty experience like in the middle of December? And more seriously…what happens if we suddenly have to move? Renting the house will create the opportunity to hopefully answer these questions, and many more.

One of the big questions the current Board of Directors is working through is “Do we want this property to become SAFE’s permanent home?” In other words, “Do we want to buy this property?” Renting the house gives us the opportunity to take the property on a test drive to determine whether it will be suitable as a long-term home.

We’ve divided the house into two separate spaces: the SAFE offices and the residence. The office area contains offices for the Executive Director, the Operations Director, and a room that will function as a staging and storage area for Heart of the Horse. There will be a lounge area for volunteers to warm up as well as two bathrooms with…wait for it…hot water! There is also space for the monthly meetings of the Board of Directors and the Operations Team. There’s an extra bed in case someone needs to stay overnight to check on a sick horse. A two-car garage will offer climate-controlled storage as well as, eventually, an industrial washer for blankets and other horse laundry.

The remainder of the house is a residence with a master bedroom suite, living room, and kitchen. Our Executive Director, Bonnie Hammond, now resides in this portion of the house. She is paying rent through a comparable deduction in her salary. If Bonnie were to decide to move out, the residence would either be rented to another staff member or rented at a fair-market value to a member of the public.

Having a person living on site brings us great peace of mind. We are incredibly grateful for the volunteers who do night check every night, but, with horses, so much can happen between night check and feeding at breakfast. We have had anxiety about what would happen if something happened late at night or if there was a major windstorm or snowstorm and volunteers could not access the property the following day; knowing that a knowledgeable horseperson will be living on the property greatly reduces our worries.

The other key to running a sustainable organization is not over-taxing our incredibly hard-working staff. It is very easy for staff and volunteers in rescue operations to give everything they have and then burn out. Both Bonnie Hammond and Terry Phelps, our Operations Director, go above and beyond to be available to the SAFE community. We would like to establish boundaries for them that will help them and any future staff members enjoy working for SAFE for years to come. With an on-site office, they will each have established routine office hours, available to the public. Barring emergencies, they will be encouraged to work hard during the workday and then rest and relax during their private time. We hope that encouraging boundaries for SAFE’s employees will add to SAFE’s long-term sustainability.

So no, Debi, you weren’t crazy! This is a vital next step into SAFE’s future as a permanent organization serving our community. Now, excuse our dust, we are currently under construction!

Kyle Putnam
SAFE President