The Dons Trust Board (DTB) held its regular monthly meeting on Thursday, May 11, 2017. Ahead of publication of the redacted minutes, this article summarises the main points that were raised.
The majority of the meeting was taken up with stadium-related matters, with club chief executive Erik Samuelson and our stadium project manager Andrew Williams joining to give the Trust board an update and take questions.
Erik and Andrew started by running through a report that had been submitted to the Trust board in advance of the meeting, summarising the outcomes of the recent tendering process. Three construction companies had been invited to submit their estimates and outline their proposed project teams as the first stage of a two-stage tendering process. Midway through the process there had been meetings between the club and each company to allow the sides to discuss any issues, and representatives of the club had also visited stadium projects that the companies have recently worked on. Two of the companies have been asked to move on to the second stage.
Following that was an update on financing for the new stadium, in the light of the cost estimates that had been revealed by the tendering process.
Much of this information still needs to remain confidential, with contracts still some way off being exchanged, but Trust members will be able to hear a summary of the tendering process and the financing situation at the next Dons Trust SGM (scheduled for Monday 5 June – confirmation will soon be sent direct to members).
In light of the stadium financing, Erik asked the board whether there had been any progress with the discussion about ethical sponsorship. A link to a survey is due to be sent to with the SGM invites to help gather the views of more members, to add to the discussion at the August 2016 SGM. (Trust members can revisit the presentation slides from that SGM on the Trust Webjam.)
Moving on from stadium-related issues, Erik updated the Trust board on the outcome of a vote by League One and League Two EFL clubs on the future of the Checkatrade Trophy and passed on the disappointing news to the Trust board, ahead of its public confirmation the following day.
Amongst any other business, the Trust board congratulated the club on winning an EFL Family Excellence Award.
Present from the Dons Trust Board were: Matthew Breach, Mark Davis, Colin Dipple, Roger Evans, David Growns, Tim Hillyer, Jane Lonsdale, Sean McLaughlin and Matt Spriegel. Apologies were received from Nigel Higgs.