It sounds like just the solution we need. I don't think you'll find a better deal anywhere. Carolyn Kranz -----Original Message----- From: fl-wfgs-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:fl-wfgs-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Bruce and Connie Rova Sent: Tuesday, October 04, 2011 5:42 PM To: fl-wfgs@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [FL-WFGS] WFGS meeting last Saturday......A hopefully successful resolution to the problem. Bayview Senior Center is no longer open on Saturdays, but they said they would be willing to open for us if we paid them $75 an hour for a total of $225 for three hours 9-12. I did not even try to negotiate that one. BUT... I had a nice discussion/negotiation meeting this AM with Mr. Wiley Murray, the very pleasant and professional Facilities Manager at Cokesbury Methodist Church, just directly across Ninth Avenue from the WFGL. The Asbury Place Meeting Hall on the SW side of the church is normally rented at a rate of $150 for the first two hours and $25 for each hour thereafter. We discussed the WFGS mission/membership/non-profit status/neighbor status/etc. and came to an agreement that we can use that as our meeting place for the months of Dec 2011, Jan 2012, Feb 2012, Apr 2012, May 2012, Jun 2012, Aug 2012. For March 2012, the Asbury Place meeting hall is already reserved by the Pilot Club for some big fundraising function, so Wiley offered us the use of their other bigger meeting hall, McLain Hall, at their Summit Blvd facilities. [...and there is no meeting in July, as usual] For our part, I agreed that we would make a monthly donation to the church of a check for $35 to help them cove! r the costs of turning on the AC for us, allowing us the use of the kitchen, etc., and committed that we would not smoke in the meeting hall or anywhere on their premises, and that we would leave the room after the meetings in the same fine condition we found it (or better...). I am counting on the WFGS Board ratifying [at the next board meeting on 20 Oct] the monthly fee as reasonable under the circumstances and already being allowed for December 2011 under the approved 2011 budget for meeting expenses. I felt strongly that it was worth it to have that nice meeting area - it has all the good chairs and tables we will need, the place to make and serve the coffee, etc., a projector we can tie a laptop into (I told him we had our own really good audio-visual man in Billy Ward), and a lectern and front platform area where we can lead the meetings and programs, AND PLENTY OF PARKING to guarantee we don't have a fiasco like last Saturday...and as a major goal in my search for the new site, I wanted to still have a site that was in close proximity to the WFGL so members can go there after the meetings and research if they wish to do so. I ask that WFGS members welcome/accept this as our interim meeting site at least until January, when a new set of WFGS Officers and Board members can reevaluate the results of our December meeting and determine if they wish to change the meeting site. There is not a requirement that locks us into this as the site for 2012 meetings, but I believe and hope that it will be an excellent choice, and wanted to get one that we could stay with until we can return to the WFGL. I agree the WFGL room would be better if it was a little bigger and had a kitchen, etc., but it is OURS! And it now has new AC that got rid of the two bulky and noisy units that we have had to deal with all of this past year. Who knows, if this thing with Cokesbury Methodist works out well, WFGS may want to discuss with them about extending our time there... Regards to you all. I hope you agree this will be a good resolution to our predicament. Sincerely, Bruce P.S. - Don't forget to send in your registration for the 5 Nov WFGS 2011 Educational Seminar at the Hagler Auditorium at Pensacola State College (about 1/2 block north of the WFGL building). The flyer/registration form is already available online at the WFGS website thanks to quick and able action by Bonnie. -----Original Message----- From: fl-wfgs-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:fl-wfgs-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of EKROSTON@aol.com Sent: Tuesday, October 04, 2011 1:14 PM To: fl-wfgs@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [FL-WFGS] WFGS meeting last Saturday What about going back to the place we used to meet at Bayview Community Center? Is that no longer available? It was a better place to meet because it was bigger also. I'm afraid the room at the Genealogical Library is really too small for our group. Ellen In a message dated 10/4/2011 12:38:48 P.M. Central Daylight Time, flrova@mchsi.com writes: NO!!!! We will NOT have parking problems like that again!!! When I signed up for the Vickrey Center, it was not even going to be open that day at all� I spoke with Brad, the asst Director, and he said, �As long as I have to be in for soccer, I can open it up for you and close it up after your meeting.� Originally the quoted price was $45 per hour�when I declined that, and pointed out the City of Pensacola renovations to the downtown library caused us to search for the temporary place, he offered to provide the room for a flat $50 for 3+ hours. I accepted in order to get a meeting site announced in time for everyone to hear about it in the newsletter. We were to be the only people in the bldg�which WOULD HAVE BEEN great �but his boss, who works in another bldg, approved the charity event � a � Zumba-thon� with close to 200 persons moving and grooving to the Zumba beat in the gym - to benefit cancer research. Brad told me he found out only the afternoon before our meeting. He apologized profusely and gave us the room use at no charge instead of the agreed upon $50, and offered another date in the future for free when he would guarantee that we would not have such a conflict. I told him that I anticipated more than 12-15 of our members would be so frustrated by not finding parking that they would not be able to attend. I know so far that you and Priscilla Nobles were two of them� and it was an interesting presentation by Lou Vickery. I am sorry you and the others who may have missed the program had that problem. It was frustrating for everybody, I know. I will continue to try to find a good site where we can meet each of the months that we are not able to use the WFGL meeting room due to the downtown library renovations � now estimated to be through August 2012!!! Tomorrow I intend to talk with the folks at Cokesbury Methodist across the street from the WFGL about the possible use of one of their meeting rooms. The November 5th Saturday meeting is going to be the WFGS 2011 Fall Educational Seminar with Ms. Elizabeth Wells of Samford University as our speaker for three approximately one-hour each presentations. I don�t think I can attach a copy of the flyer to this email since it is also going to the WFGS email group, so�Please check the web-site or stop by the WFGL to get a flyer/registration form. Cost is $20 if registration is done on or before 31 Oct. [$25 if done after 31 Oct.] This year we are trying a � straight-through� format, finishing about 1:15 or so, so plan on a late lunch that day� there will be snacks at the breaks and coffee and donuts during registration check-in before the program. From: Patricia Kerr [mailto:pkerr@cox.net] Sent: Monday, October 03, 2011 4:51 PM To: flrova@mchsi.com Subject: WFGS meeting last Saturday Hi ! I tried to attend the meeting Saturday, but found a parking problem that was insurmountable. Since I didn�t think there was any place nearby, I left. Is this going to persist for a solid year?? Pat Kerr ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to FL-WFGS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to FL-WFGS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to FL-WFGS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message