Dear Brothers and
Co-workers:
I have served on the board of Officers for
almost five years. In this time period I
have missed very few meetings. Almost
all the meetings have had building maintenance, repair, or renovation on the
agenda. The outcome of these meetings
was usually, building maintenance was deferred. Building repairs were only done
when necessary or unavoidable. Remodeling or renovations were out of the question
because the finances didn’t allow us to do what we need. As a trustee I was really tired and frustrated
with all the discussion and no action.
Becoming Governor only increased my frustration.
This July brought about a period of about
ten days when the Lodge had a lull in our usually busy schedule. It was only
this period of ten days when the lodge was relatively free and I had about two
weeks of time before I would have almost no time for any projects. I started with the objective of cleaning the
ballroom floor and putting a couple of coats of wax on it making it more attractive. The floor under the tables had deep gouges in
it and the dance area had the finish worn off.
We ended up sanding the floor to the wood and putting a new finish on
the floor. This took two men sanding for
five days
During this same period, several members
of the Lodge came to me with the idea of cleaning and painting the lobby and
ceiling. The Board of officers had
already okayed this project in principal. I contacted
the available officers and solicited their opinion. It was favorable and work
commenced on the Lobby. The results
speak for themselves. The volunteers
took down all the pictures and signage on the walls, they primed and painted the
ceiling and walls of the lobby, they updated the lighting fixtures, and replaced
the rotted wainscoting all in ten days.
The lobby is not finished by any measure and the work will continue at a
slower but steady pace, and it will be finished. As with all construction projects,
these plans will take time to bring to fruition. I ask for your patience.
Perhaps when it is all finished and the lodge is shining like a freshly minted
penny, you will be proud to ask old and new friends to join you at your newly renovated
lodge.
I would like to thank publicly, at this
time, the volunteer workers: Don Fretwell, Chuck
McCauley, Michelle Villaralvo, Russell Owens, Ann
Cooke, Hiram Cooke and Maiko Schran. This group of brothers and co-workers put in
a bunch of ten and fifteen hour days to get the results you see. For information on joining this group see me. No experience is necessary. What is necessary
is a willingness to get dirty and enthusiasm for the job at hand.
To be informed, to get straight info, make
your voice heard, and to make a difference, YOU need to attend the Lodge
General meetings on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays.
If you don’t vote; you don’t get to complain
Fraternally,
Al Schran
Governor