By Harold Rodenberger
Change is in the air. Spring began last month. The days are longer and warmer. Pollen counts are up and the birds are busy building nests.
Spring is bringing changes here at your post also.
Our commander is having to devote more time to family with their newborn first child. With that, a demanding work schedule and commute times, he has asked our Senior Vice Commander Joe Tiffany, and Junior Vice Commander, Joe Fitzgerald, to assume to leadership roles at post meetings. Pete is continuing to participate via electronic means.
I’m pleased to report that our membership is changing too. First, we have thirteen more members now than what we ended with last year. That brings us to 108.3% of our goal. To me it’s even more important than we have more younger members. Last time I checked our roster the median age of our members has gone down to 68 years old. That means half our members are less than 68. We have 36 members under the age of forty. When we take into consideration the fact that our youngest member is 25, with the next youngest 28, it shows we are attracting a good number of younger veterans.
We are also making good progress on our remodel investigations. The architectural firm has completed their concept sketches for the three levels of remodel. They have also consulted with the City to determine what can be done at each level to get the best return on our investment without triggering massive code upgrades. We are still waiting for the final presentation which will lay out cost estimates for each of the options, including the fourth option of sale or demo/rebuild.
Meanwhile, we have had an assessment for hazardous materials to show us what needs to be done in that area. Over the years we have had problems with the sewer so we had a company run a camera through the lines to determine what needs to be done to improve that drainage.
Once we get the final options and cost estimates from the architectural firm, we will bring the package to our members for their input, full discussion and decision. That part also will take time so hopefully we can begin the process in the next few weeks.
Meanwhile, get out there and enjoy the spring weather. And keep an eye out for potential new members for our post. As we grow and expand into new activities to benefit the veterans in our post and community, we will need more volunteers and members to help accomplish our mission.