Vivekananda Vedanta Society-Chicago

Introduction : This report represents a summary of the opinions and concerns expressed by many devotees who are familiar with the campus at Ganges, Michigan.

Concern:
There is a rising tide of concern amongst devotees that the resources available to Ganges Retreat Center (GRC) have become very restricted and are likely to remain so for the near future...However, it is clear that there are items requiring larger capital investment. These cannot be managed by volunteer efforts or expertise alone.

Revenues generated by the GRC itself are probably sufficient to meet the needs of day-to-day cleaning, cooking and general maintenance. However, with a lack of additional revenues becoming available, there is a possibility that urgently needed structural, regulatory and safety related tasks would be deferred until restoration becomes prohibitively expensive.

Needs: A blueprint exists from several years ago for work needed to upgrade the campus. The project was shelved at that time, as priority had to be allocated elsewhere. The projects have changed only in that the underlying needs have become more urgent and definitely more expensive to fix.

Finding new sources of revenue remains the single biggest hurdle to salvaging the campus.

Ideals and Reality: It is unrealistic to anticipate sufficient funds to be available to complete all of the proposed improvements in a single restorative maneuver. However, reclassifying the identified problems will allow prioritizing of the individual tasks so that they can be undertaken piecemeal as money becomes available.

Reclassification of Tasks :
Non-capital Projects -
1. Cleaning & day-to-day maintenance
2. Yard-up-keep & winter snow removal.
3. Laundry
4. Kitchen
5. Pest control

Recurring Repairs:
1. Minor repairs
2. Appliance & Equipment maintenance

Capital Projects:
1. Safety related
2. Basic amenities
3. Comfort & Convenience of devotees
4. Campus appearance enhancement
5. Periodical major grounds & building maintenance
6. Future vision implementation.

The classification anticipates the relationship between available volunteer and purchased components of any task. A graphical representation would be as follows:

Feasibility & Responsibility:
At the time of this report, there should be no misconception that undertaking of this kind is liekly to meet with numerous and formidable obstacles. The lack of revenues is noted above.
The responsibility of sucess rests squarely with the devotees that avail of the Ganges Retreat Center.


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Ganges restoration - appeal Introduction : This report represents a summary of the opinions and concerns expressed by many devotees who are familiar with the campus at Ganges, Michigan. Concern: There is a rising tide of concern amongst devotees that the resources available to Ganges Retreat Center (GRC) have become very restricted and are likely to remain so for the near future...However, it is clear that there are items requiring larger capital investment. These cannot be managed by volunteer efforts or expertise alone. Revenues generated by the GRC itself are probably sufficient to meet the needs of day-to-day cleaning, cooking and general maintenance. However, with a lack of additional revenues becoming available, there is a possibility that urgently needed structural, regulatory and safety related tasks would be deferred until restoration becomes prohibitively expensive. Needs: A blueprint exists from several years ago for work needed to upgrade the campus. The project was shelved at that time, as priority had to be allocated elsewhere. The projects have changed only in that the underlying needs have become more urgent and definitely more expensive to fix. Finding new sources of revenue remains the single biggest hurdle to salvaging the campus. Ideals and Reality: It is unrealistic to anticipate sufficient funds to be available to complete all of the proposed improvements in a single restorative maneuver. However, reclassifying the identified problems will allow prioritizing of the individual tasks so that they can be undertaken piecemeal as money becomes available. Reclassification of Tasks : Non-capital Projects - 1. Cleaning & day-to-day maintenance 2. Yard-up-keep & winter snow removal. 3. Laundry 4. Kitchen 5. Pest control Recurring Repairs: 1. Minor repairs 2. Appliance & Equipment maintenance Capital Projects: 1. Safety related 2. Basic amenities 3. Comfort & Convenience of devotees 4. Campus appearance enhancement 5. Periodical major grounds & building maintenance 6. Future vision implementation. The classification anticipates the relationship between available volunteer and purchased components of any task. A graphical representation would be as follows: Feasibility & Responsibility: At the time of this report, there should be no misconception that undertaking of this kind is liekly to meet with numerous and formidable obstacles. The lack of revenues is noted above. The responsibility of sucess rests squarely with the devotees that avail of the Ganges Retreat Center.