Almost Ready to Open

I work for Capitol Area Council, Boy Scouts of America in Austin, Texas, but I don't really blog about my job much at all.  This blog is about knitting, almost entirely how-tos and patterns, but big stuff is happening at my work, so I'll touch on it.

The past few weeks, I've been working on getting our office on a new server and also on getting ready to move, then moving.  The server project has been complex, and I've worked evenings and weekends, plugging away to overcome each issue that popped up.

Our Council's board has raised money for the last few years to build a badly needed new training and service center.  Dozens and dozens of people, who firmly believe in Scouting as a character-building program for young people, gave money and volunteered services to make this happen.

The new Frank Fickett Training and Service Center is absolutely unique and beautiful; in fact, yesterday the construction supervisor told me about bringing his wife through the site because he had never worked on a project to compare to it in his long career - and she agreed!  Because of one very generous donor, the late Mr. Fickett, the building is sited in a fantastic location near the interstate, yet a pond behind the building and clever landscaping and hardscaping give it a wonderful, peaceful feel.  Our new building has enough room for a greatly expanded Scout Shop (where you buy uniforms, handbooks, literature, camping supplies, and advancement supplies) and a large training facility.

This week, we closed business at the old location on Tuesday evening and stayed closed through the rest of the week.  We are opening for business on Monday, August 1, and while small fixes go on and the decorators won't be entirely finished, we'll open on time.  Then in September, people can attend terrific grand opening community events at the Center.

I've been down there with the phones and network and pitching in with the move, like everyone else.   Our phone installer and I did manage to set off the new burglar alarm and have a nice chat with a police officer and bring my tired boss, who had driven partway home thinking he was the last one out, back to the office to re-arm the alarm one evening!

I plan to take some pictures and put them on the blog.  This really is a big event in my life, plus in the life of our community, as we have 25,000 young Scouts served by our Council (made possible by 8,000 adult volunteers and our small staff), and the new facility will be considered a local landmark, and I would assert, a treasure for the Scouting families who will use it.  Working at a non-profit is very exciting, with the terrific variety of work and the opportunity to work alongside amazing volunteers who do so much and give so much for others.

Today, a group of us is heading back to the Fickett Center to finish up an assortment of small things so we can open smoothly on Monday.   I really must run, grab my shower and some comfy jeans and a T-shirt and get on my way.  I simply wish this post could convey my excitement.  Well, wait until I post some pictures!