Status on Our Current Building
This update seems to be one of the most-read portions of the weekly eNews, and for that, I thank you. If there is information about the move you’d want to see more of, please let me know via email, at randy@unityofmelbourne.com.
Much continues behind the scenes’ regarding the sale of our building. We remain in the “Due Diligence” phase of the sale, whereby the contracted buyer can visit the building and grounds and have inspections performed throughout the building and property. This Due Diligence period expires on Friday, May 19, and which point the buyer is committed to the purchase.
Closing on the sale of the building remains scheduled for Tuesday, May 30h.
Those wondering about the halls of Unity of Melbourne might have noticed much of the paintings and photographs adorning the hallways have been moved or picked up by the artists. At this point, we are unsure what will be placed along the hallways of our new space, and we will not have any space to store these pieces.
There are several paintings in Hospitality that we cannot identify the artist or know where the art originated. The next time you are in Hospitality, take and look and see if you know who created these paintings.
Thank you to Barbara Harris for her tedious and necessary work in cleaning and consolidating office supplies in our workroom, and Bernard and Micky for their continued effort with digital scanning and helping identify furnishings to take to the new space.
Our New Location
This past week, I’ve coordinated with our broker and attorney on the language on the lease of our new space. Changes have been submitted to the landlord through our broker. The intent is to have a mutually agreeable lease ready for signature the day after the sale/closing of our building.
Members of our Board, congregant and certified financial advisor, Farah Sivolella, and myself met to discuss a strategy for the funds received from the sale of our building. This was a “spit-balling” meeting aimed at learning the aspects of the sale and tossing some ideas around as to the methodology in devising the strategy. In the coming weeks, stakeholders (comprised of members and congregants from our spiritual community) will be invited to participate in developing the strategy for presentation by the Board to the membership. Stay tuned for more information.
Long gone are the days when moving involved a stop at the local phone store to transfer your phone number to a new address. I’ve met with 3 different companies about migrating our current 20-year-old analog phone system (1-step up from rotary dial) to modern technology, with a plethora of features common for business today. It is wonderful to have choices yet time consuming in the evaluation of each of the offerings to ensure we are paying for the features we need and not being charged for services and features we won’t use or need.
Vashti Saint Germain continues her work as the interior designer of our new space, and her ideas are inspiring.
How You Can Help
Thank you to those who have already helped; Bernard, Mickey, Barbara, Cathy, and Debra (sorry, if I forgot anyone).
In the coming weeks, the remaining art pieces that have not been identified will be available for sale.
We will also have pictures discovered featuring events and activities from our past. We’ll be displaying these pictures and seeking information about the people and activities (as there is no documentation as to the people or events), as we’d like to be able to “remember and document our history”. If you’d like to take some time during church office hours to look through these pictures and help with that history, please contact me at randy@unityofmelbourne.com.
As previously mentioned, Valerie Holloway and our Board leadership will continue to update the congregation from the platform on Sundays, and we’ll use this forum to aid in keeping our spiritual community informed and engaged as we embark on this new journey into the future of Unity of Melbourne.