It’s my privilege to talk to you for the first time as the FSC Board president, when we’re all coming together again after the challenging uncertainty of a world wide pandemic.
I am grateful for the steadying leadership of our outgoing president Hilary K. During that time. Hilary always kept her eye on our community’s unity and safety, and as a result FSC’s doors remained open for the alcoholics and addicts who needed its shelter, with policies in place to proactively comply with legal standards. Hilary is an excellent communicator and admirably kept the board and membership informed throughout her term. On a personal level, I have been blessed with Hilary’s friendship, and I am happy to know her.
FSC members elected me as their president just over three months ago, and the season of my presidency is different. We are now a community coming out of the pandemic, renewing old relationships and rolling up our shirt-sleeves to responsibly refresh our community home.
I am so pleased to be working with an experienced board that is committed to making sound decisions on your behalf. This way we can learn from and build on our past.
I am excited too to see new energy added to your team. Susan W. and Brie B. have stepped up to serve as Volunteer Coordinators, and as a result things around the Club are looking clean and shiny again after our first Volunteer Clean the Club Day.
I am excited by the individual members who have seen things that need repair and offered their services. You will notice the bathrooms are brightened up with a new paint job thanks to a volunteer. One member saw a bike rack that needed some attention, and he’s given his time and skills in giving it new life. Another member fixed an unsightly hole in the clubhouse wall. This kind of community ownership is just one way to improve our surroundings without unnecessary expenses. You guys, we have an entire village of talent. If you see a way in which you can join the effort, I’d love to hear from you.
The transition from our pandemic world means that some of our community participated in recovery activities through Zoom technology. Matt H. is reaching out to those members to see how FSC can best serve them, and how much of our involvement they want.
Upkeep and resources are always an issue to a club as busy as ours. Parking lot maintenance is just one potential expense we will have. The whole board is excited to have Sandy N., an experienced grant writer leading the effort in hopes that FSC can tap into grant opportunities to help ease the financial reliance on members.
The pandemic did impact our active membership numbers, which have fallen considerably, and I would like to see those numbers climb again. Let’s get back to proudly using our membership mugs, and encouraging our fellows to join us in supporting the FSC mission.
And have you heard about our Sponsor a Tree project? The club is in the process of establishing a new arborvitae tree line that will serve as a privacy wall. There will be 30 trees, each available for sponsorship of just $150. Please take a look at the information below. I think it’s a nice way to be part of FSC’s enduring landscape, at a reasonable cost.
I am humbled and grateful for your faith me, I will do my best, and I am excited for what lays ahead.
I am very pleased to announce FSC’s newly-elected FSC Board Members.
President, Vern A.
Secretary, Tony A.
Director-At-Large Brian C.
Director-At-Large Rob M
Your other FSC Board members continue in their two-year terms:
Vice President, Mike L.
Treasurer, Kayla C.
Director-At-Large Jim R.
As my term as FSC Board President ends, I thank you for the opportunity to serve you with lots of help from this committed and talented team of board members.
It’s been a wild ride. FSC revenue is made up of 7th-tradition meeting rents (dollars in baskets), donations and membership dues. With COVID, 2020 and 2021 annual revenues were about 70% of the previous three-years’ average. The board suspended discretionary expenses where possible. However, 2020 and 2021 brought big capital expenses in the form of HVAC, security system and other necessary repairs. Thanks to prudent stewardship by our predecessors and diligent work by the board and community, we kept our doors open throughout the pandemic, and we begin 2022 with more than $100K in reserves and no debt. We hope 2022 restores us to upholding the 7th Tradition of being self-supporting through our own contributions, so that ongoing operating expenses are fully covered by ongoing member contributions and meeting rents.
I could not be more proud of the amazing work the FSC Board has done over the past two years. FSC would really have struggled to weather the past two years without their commitment, as well as that of meeting leaders and volunteers. I’m thrilled that the FSC Board includes several experienced board members. This continuity will be helpful as FSC continues to navigate whatever the new normal will look like.
The board is in great hands with Vern as its new president. Vern is well-known and well-regarded among FSC members. He is a willing, capable and committed servant who will serve with a big heart – not a big ego. Over the past two years, Vern has served on the board as Director-at-Large. In this role, he has managed FSC security issues, meeting group support, as well as myriad painting, cleanup and repair projects around the property. I appreciate Vern’s easy manner and his willingness to tackle issues directly and confidently, but gently and with love. These qualities will serve him well in his new role. The FSC board and community is in strong, capable hands indeed.
The newly added meeting is a daily AA meeting called “Fresh Start: Vets for Vets”, which meets via Zoom at 8:00pm daily. Information about how to join this meeting is on the updated Zoom schedule. Please feel free to share this meeting info with those you know who could benefit.
During the October board meeting, the FSC Board approved an extensive HVAC project to replace the third rooftop unit that is inoperable after numerous tactical fixes since the spring. This project will also address temperature control and comfort issues that have plagued FSC for years. This was an investment we considered very carefully and researched thoroughly, since the price tag for this project is high ($44k), and 2020’s been a challenging year.
After careful consideration, we decided to move forward because temperature issues have been the single-biggest challenge FSC has dealt with over the years, and short-term fixes (which are also not inexpensive) would not resolve our larger challenges of temperature control, airflow and comfort. We have funds in the FSC reserve account to cover this investment, and our HVAC partner for this project, Harker, has graciously extended payment terms to us which will spread out the cost over the next six months.
The new rooftop unit will be operational within the next couple of weeks, addressing heat issues in Room E, lobby and restrooms.
Remaining work to address airflow/comfort issues involves duct work and may impact Rooms A/B beyond that timeframe.
Groups typically meeting in A/B are being asked to meet in the Ballroom/Room E while work’s being done, with the Ballroom being preferable on cold days. There is a sign in the lobby to this effect.
Thank you for your patience, and we hope to bring you a more comfortable meeting experience in the very near future.
FSC NEWS and UPDATES
Posted: April 25, 2022 by Vern Alt Leave a Comment
It’s my privilege to talk to you for the first time as the FSC Board president, when we’re all coming together again after the challenging uncertainty of a world wide pandemic.
I am grateful for the steadying leadership of our outgoing president Hilary K. During that time. Hilary always kept her eye on our community’s unity and safety, and as a result FSC’s doors remained open for the alcoholics and addicts who needed its shelter, with policies in place to proactively comply with legal standards. Hilary is an excellent communicator and admirably kept the board and membership informed throughout her term. On a personal level, I have been blessed with Hilary’s friendship, and I am happy to know her.
FSC members elected me as their president just over three months ago, and the season of my presidency is different. We are now a community coming out of the pandemic, renewing old relationships and rolling up our shirt-sleeves to responsibly refresh our community home.
I am so pleased to be working with an experienced board that is committed to making sound decisions on your behalf. This way we can learn from and build on our past.
I am excited too to see new energy added to your team. Susan W. and Brie B. have stepped up to serve as Volunteer Coordinators, and as a result things around the Club are looking clean and shiny again after our first Volunteer Clean the Club Day.
I am excited by the individual members who have seen things that need repair and offered their services. You will notice the bathrooms are brightened up with a new paint job thanks to a volunteer. One member saw a bike rack that needed some attention, and he’s given his time and skills in giving it new life. Another member fixed an unsightly hole in the clubhouse wall. This kind of community ownership is just one way to improve our surroundings without unnecessary expenses. You guys, we have an entire village of talent. If you see a way in which you can join the effort, I’d love to hear from you.
The transition from our pandemic world means that some of our community participated in recovery activities through Zoom technology. Matt H. is reaching out to those members to see how FSC can best serve them, and how much of our involvement they want.
Upkeep and resources are always an issue to a club as busy as ours. Parking lot maintenance is just one potential expense we will have. The whole board is excited to have Sandy N., an experienced grant writer leading the effort in hopes that FSC can tap into grant opportunities to help ease the financial reliance on members.
The pandemic did impact our active membership numbers, which have fallen considerably, and I would like to see those numbers climb again. Let’s get back to proudly using our membership mugs, and encouraging our fellows to join us in supporting the FSC mission.
And have you heard about our Sponsor a Tree project? The club is in the process of establishing a new arborvitae tree line that will serve as a privacy wall. There will be 30 trees, each available for sponsorship of just $150. Please take a look at the information below. I think it’s a nice way to be part of FSC’s enduring landscape, at a reasonable cost.
I am humbled and grateful for your faith me, I will do my best, and I am excited for what lays ahead.
Yours in Service,
Vern Alt
FSC Board President
Announcing New FSC Board Members
Posted: March 4, 2022 by Hilary K Leave a Comment
I am very pleased to announce FSC’s newly-elected FSC Board Members.
Your other FSC Board members continue in their two-year terms:
As my term as FSC Board President ends, I thank you for the opportunity to serve you with lots of help from this committed and talented team of board members.
It’s been a wild ride. FSC revenue is made up of 7th-tradition meeting rents (dollars in baskets), donations and membership dues. With COVID, 2020 and 2021 annual revenues were about 70% of the previous three-years’ average. The board suspended discretionary expenses where possible. However, 2020 and 2021 brought big capital expenses in the form of HVAC, security system and other necessary repairs. Thanks to prudent stewardship by our predecessors and diligent work by the board and community, we kept our doors open throughout the pandemic, and we begin 2022 with more than $100K in reserves and no debt. We hope 2022 restores us to upholding the 7th Tradition of being self-supporting through our own contributions, so that ongoing operating expenses are fully covered by ongoing member contributions and meeting rents.
I could not be more proud of the amazing work the FSC Board has done over the past two years. FSC would really have struggled to weather the past two years without their commitment, as well as that of meeting leaders and volunteers. I’m thrilled that the FSC Board includes several experienced board members. This continuity will be helpful as FSC continues to navigate whatever the new normal will look like.
The board is in great hands with Vern as its new president. Vern is well-known and well-regarded among FSC members. He is a willing, capable and committed servant who will serve with a big heart – not a big ego. Over the past two years, Vern has served on the board as Director-at-Large. In this role, he has managed FSC security issues, meeting group support, as well as myriad painting, cleanup and repair projects around the property. I appreciate Vern’s easy manner and his willingness to tackle issues directly and confidently, but gently and with love. These qualities will serve him well in his new role. The FSC board and community is in strong, capable hands indeed.
If you have questions or comments, please email board@fitchburgserenityclub.com.
Thank you all for your support of the FSC Clubhouse.
Hilary K, FSC Board Past President
Updated FSC Meeting Schedule
Posted: May 2, 2021 by Hilary K Leave a Comment
We have a number of new and updated meetings at Fitchburg Serenity Club. See updated schedule here.
FSC Zoom Meeting Schedule Updated
Posted: December 29, 2020 by Hilary K Leave a Comment
The FSC Zoom meeting schedule has now been updated to include a new Zoom meeting each day. You can find the full Zoom meeting schedule here.
The newly added meeting is a daily AA meeting called “Fresh Start: Vets for Vets”, which meets via Zoom at 8:00pm daily. Information about how to join this meeting is on the updated Zoom schedule. Please feel free to share this meeting info with those you know who could benefit.
FSC HVAC Update
Posted: October 26, 2020 by Hilary K Leave a Comment
During the October board meeting, the FSC Board approved an extensive HVAC project to replace the third rooftop unit that is inoperable after numerous tactical fixes since the spring. This project will also address temperature control and comfort issues that have plagued FSC for years. This was an investment we considered very carefully and researched thoroughly, since the price tag for this project is high ($44k), and 2020’s been a challenging year.
After careful consideration, we decided to move forward because temperature issues have been the single-biggest challenge FSC has dealt with over the years, and short-term fixes (which are also not inexpensive) would not resolve our larger challenges of temperature control, airflow and comfort. We have funds in the FSC reserve account to cover this investment, and our HVAC partner for this project, Harker, has graciously extended payment terms to us which will spread out the cost over the next six months.
The new rooftop unit will be operational within the next couple of weeks, addressing heat issues in Room E, lobby and restrooms.
Remaining work to address airflow/comfort issues involves duct work and may impact Rooms A/B beyond that timeframe.
Groups typically meeting in A/B are being asked to meet in the Ballroom/Room E while work’s being done, with the Ballroom being preferable on cold days. There is a sign in the lobby to this effect.
Thank you for your patience, and we hope to bring you a more comfortable meeting experience in the very near future.
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