Commander’s Note – December 2019

Before I talk about the new Post, I want to thank Mike Pacilio, John Cronin, Mel Fehrenbacher,

Al Meyers, Jon Livers, and Santa Claus for providing one of the best Christmas dinners ever served at the Post.  Because of the logistics and energy involved in producing a Christmas Party and the uncertainty of whether the new Post would be available, a decision was made not to have a formal Christmas Party this year.  However, the only things missing at this year’s dinner were the decorations.  We even used real china and flatware.  The mood of the party was extremely festive.  We sang a few songs, Santa Claus visited for part of the evening, the food was exceptional, and we had a turnout just short of 90 people …about 20 more than we anticipated.  It was a great evening event by any standard and I hope we continue to grow at an even faster rate once we move into the new building.

Now about the building.  The exterior of the building is virtually finished.  This week our construction foreman (Al Meyers) started the concrete work around the front and rear of the building and the drywall is just about complete inside.  Al is prepping the site for the asphalt which we hope to get laid in the next few weeks.  We got temporary power this week which will make working inside the building infinitely easier for our construction personnel.  The wood for the interior ceilings is just about finished and the interior floors and painting will begin shortly.  Of course, we anticipated being in the new facility this December, however, as you recall we stumbled out of the starting block because of so much rain at the end of last December that carried on through February.  It was virtually impossible to get the big equipment in to start the groundwork until the soil was dry.    On a very positive note, we initially had a problem with our pond…it didn’t want to hold water.  After a lot of handwringing, we decided to line the pond with clay to see if that made a difference…as a result of the rain we’ve recently had, we have about 2-3 feet of water in the pond, so it looks like our “fix” worked.  If we continue to have rain and even snow, I am confident the pond will fill to capacity in a very short time.  As for exactly when we will start occupying the new Post on a full-time basis, I can say we will be in our new home for our Grand Opening on April 15, 2020 and may even have an event at the new Post prior to that in March.

Cornerstone Ceremony.  Frank Horner has been spearheading the placement of a cornerstone on our new building.  The cornerstone has arrived and Frank has scheduled to have it installed on the 28th of December at 12:00 PM, by the University Masonic Lodge #408 of Chapel Hill.  This should be a great event and every member of the Post is invited and encouraged to attend this momentous event.  If transportation is a problem, please call me (919) 201-0167 and we will get you to and from the event… A special thank you to Jim Mackorell for sponsoring the cornerstone.

Finally, it is with deep regret that I announce the passing of Cynthia Runberg, the wife of Bruce Runberg (our new Post construction project manager).  The thoughts and prayers of our members are with Bruce and his family as they mourn her passing.  We will keep you informed of any pending services you may want to attend (watch for notes from the Adjutant). (postscript.. Visit published obituary for details.)

In closing, I hope everyone appreciates the amount of work being done by your committee members.  We have some extremely talented and dedicated people working for all of us.  At the next meeting, I will have sign-up sheets for all of the committees (11 of them) so you can sign-up for one that is of interest to you.

My best to all of you,

Bill Munsee, Commander

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