by Joe Cross, Facilities Manager
The upkeep of the WUU facilities in a normal state has been a challenge in the midst of the pandemic. Though we do not have regular use of our facilities, they still have to be maintained as though we could re-open at short notice. We all have a debt of gratitude to each other for the continuing support of WUU even when we are unable to be there in person. I am the least of those in awe of this support.
The pandemic has increased everyone’s awareness of conservation of scarce resources, not only in our personal lives but also within the WUU Community. “Doing more with less” is an old phrase of particular urgency today. The Campus Improvement Team (CIT) looks for ways to work smarter, and they embarked on a volunteer program that has paid large dividends. So today, I would like to honor not only you as members who continue to support WUU but those who volunteered their time and sweat to fulfill the mantra “Doing more with less.”
Grass, weeds, and shrubs continue to grow in the abundant rain of the recent past summer. Our usual landscape contractors are unusually busy. Several WUU members and families have volunteered to fill in and they should be recognized.
Lesa and Michael Craig and their family, Justice, Kanen, Kourage, Star, and Zen, have mowed and edged the property using only residential mowers! And we thank them. 
Les Solomon, Fred Bergmann, Kirk Starr, Larry Henry, Dave Neiman, and others have pruned, cleaned up the Ironbound Road frontage, planted, cut, and mowed the grounds with the zeal of a five-year-old playing with birthday riding toys. They saved us about $500 a month, in doing so, or more than $2,500 to the present day. Kirk said cleaning the pond area reminded him of his Peace Corps days chopping sugar cane!
The CIT compiled a list of inside improvements last fall with no timetable for completion, given the constant WUU activities within the building. The pandemic allowed that time. A regular crew of Jim Hall, Dave Wilcox, Les Solomon, and Kirk Starr worked on and off for four months on a “short” list of:
- Make a home for the golf cart
- Install kitchen shelving
- Power wash and paint the exterior columns
- Move the nursery
- Replace two Sanctuary glass panel doors and make more soundproof
- Replace/repair the Gathering Space door hardware and hydraulic closures
- Build an enclosure around the trash and recycle cans
- Renovate the Sanctuary to include:
- Install new “smart” flat-screen TVs to replace the projector screens and integrate them with the audio-visual controls for broadcast throughout the building (and internet)
- Install chair rails along the walls
- Touch-up drywall and paint
- Repair floor cracks to include removing voids, actual holes, and settlement under some cracks
- Seal the concrete floor and re-seal slab seams
- Install new “smart” flat-screen TVs to replace the projector screens and integrate them with the audio-visual controls for broadcast throughout the building (and internet)
The relocation of an immigrant family into the Parker House in July required substantial renovations in June. All were completed by WUU volunteer help involving Lola Warren, Jessica Sapalio, Helen Hansen, and Jim Hall along with others. This resulted in a renovation that a private contractor would have charged more than $4,000 to be completed for under $1,000.
The payback for all of this work is huge. Approved budgets that assumed outside labor and materials amounted to over $9,600. The actual cost was $3,142, a savings of some $6,500 in round numbers.
Overall savings from everyone’s volunteer efforts have amounted to over $10,000, so far. To paraphrase Churchill, “Rarely has so much been done by so few.” Others may have escaped recognition and for their omission, I apologize. Please recognize these and all volunteer accomplishments. They chose to make a difference and wildly succeeded. We look forward to others joining them in the future. Thank you all!