Another year, and another Talka in the books! As usual we were able to get a lot done in one weekend, but for the second year in a row our participation numbers were down. Although slightly better than last year, this year is particularly alarming since we had picture perfect weather.
We were able to spruce the place up which you will be able to see upon your next visit. We kept with our recent trend of taking care of, and improving, our existing facilities rather than adding anything new. Still, future upgrades are coming. Without them, our facility simply will not survive. The board is considering projects including replacing the laundry equipment, installing new dining hall heaters, replacing sidewalks by the dorms, re-landscaping by the basketball court, and finally, remodeling the dorm showers. All of these projects come with significant costs and your help to prioritize them is needed. Your opinions matter to us and we would like to hear what you have to say.
When Imants Holmquist recently contacted me about re-grading the soccer field, I was nervous. Was this another suggestion without any offer of support? I was thrilled when he came back to me with a plan for the work and ideas about fundraising. I know that there are many others in our community with ideas and the ability see them through. Let’s partner together! Whether you want to help execute the plan or donate funds to move it forward, I welcome your collaboration.
The field project was an ideal collaboration. Imants put a lot of time and thought into the project and it reminded me that we, the Board of Directors, are just a handful of volunteers. While we love our center and are happy to devote much of our time to its upkeep, we simply cannot do it all. We need your support, your ideas, and your help.
As we look to the future I see that we have choices. We can continue to maintain our facility with your participation or we hire out contractors to do the work for us. Hiring others costs more money which means we will have to ask you, our community, to donate more. If neither of these options works; then we have no choice but to start coming up with an exit strategy. To me, the last choice is not an option and I think many of you would agree.
If you see a future for our favorite spot in the woods, please contact me or any board member. Let’s talk about your vision and how you can help us realize it. My phone number is 206-930-9411 and my email is kgrendze@gmail.com.
Karlis Grendze
WCLEC Board President