+++++++++NEW STORE NEWS 10/30/08+++++++++

Check our latest postings at honestweight.coop. The facilities news is under “What’s New at the Co-op”.

Design:
3T, our architects, along with John Bishop, our construction manager, the Collective Management Team (CMT), the facilities committee, the site engineers, staff, and P.J. Hoffman, a consultant from the national cooperative group have been juggling our store contents around within the original design, trying to maximize the efficiency of refrigeration, product movement, customer movement, staffing efficiency, equipment cost, non-retail use, etc.

We have been winnowing the design this month as our desires do not match our fiscal capability. Each department and non-retail area must be able to make a case for its need for space, estimate sales immediately and in the future, etc. As we move forward, all this is starting to fall into place. In the first pass, the design team was able to reduce the footprint enough to get it into the range we’ve been planning for, and maximize access to the building by truck, bike, and car.

The current design will be available for your review at the Membership Dinner, at St. Sophia’s on November 1. Members of the facilities committee will be available to answer questions. We hope to finalize the design and bring it to you for a vote the weekend before Thanksgiving. Look for a postcard in the mail.

Funding:
Three waves of our 5,000 piece mailing have gone out, and members have begun making follow up calls. So far our average loan is $3,000. We have quite a ways to go to $2 million, but we believe we have a strong commitment to our future success here at the co-op, and we will achieve our goal. Increased sales due to our reset enabling people to shop a bit more comfortably will also help our cash position. We are retaining all our earnings this year in order to prepare for the new store. We feel that an investment in our community that you can actually watch and effect might just be the answer to the economic challenges we are facing in our nation today.

If you would like to help with calling, please don’t hesitate to contact Lynne or Cindee below. If you don’t want to wait for your mailing and wish to make a loan, simply call or email and we’ll get right back to you.

Building Green:
We are still aiming for LEED certification. Our design process hasn’t gotten down to the specifics of our refrigeration systems yet, but we continue to strive for the highest energy efficiency and most sustainable practices we can afford, and we will not lose sight of our mission.

Timing and Tenants:
The Dance Studio is finishing up its lease at the end of November. If you know of anyone needing a very short-term lease (3 months) please contact Cindee. The State is scheduled to move out by the end of February, so at this writing, our timeline is still moving along as planned.

What’s on the schedule next for owners?

 Membership meeting in November. Stay tuned for more info.

Reaching us….
 Email Cindee Lolik at cindee@honestweight.coop or Lynne Lekakis at kandL@capital.net with suggestions or concerns. Drop thoughts in the project suggestion box in the front of the store under the project timeline and posted news. We are delighted to hear from you!


More soon. –The Facilities Committee