MEMBERS
Auburn
A Letter From the Association President
If you are like me, you like to spend time in the woods this time of the year. On occasion when hunting in a new spot, walking out of the woods in the dark with a tree stand on my back, my bow in one hand and a flashlight in the other can be more challenging that you would think. Shining a flashlight in the dark woods can make trees all look the same, and I have to be careful not to get turned around. Otherwise, it will make my walk out a lot longer. But I know where I’m going, and I’ll be happy to ultimately get back to the house. Why am I talking about walking out of the woods at night? Although it’s not the perfect analogy, it relates to our experience as the Auburn FarmHouse Association Board as we have worked so hard for the past five years to guide our fraternity to the construction of a new chapter house. We know where we are going, and when we get there, we will be thankful. But the path has been and continues to be challenging, and it’s taking longer than we had hoped.
As we reported back in May, earlier this year with financing secured and the design in hand we were on the cusp of committing to begin construction in May of 2021. Unfortunately, logistical challenges of ensuring the availability of materials and ensuring the current brotherhood was appropriately supported led us to postpone construction. We believed with a little more time we could address those challenges, secure more cash and begin construction in May of 2022. Unfortunately, construction materials and labor have continued to increase making our construction costs even higher. In order to adequately prepare for a May 2022 construction start, we must make our decision now to determine whether or not we will be able to facilitate in-house living for brothers. With the increased construction costs, lead time of 10-12 months for various construction materials, and lack of time to review and scale-down the design if needed, we must again postpone our plans for a new house. The primary issue is due to the with increased construction costs we no longer have enough cash on hand to commit to construction confidently and securely. This is a huge disappointment, but it is the right decision as we will not be fiscally irresponsible with the future of the fraternity.
So where are we? First, we are still 100% committed to building a new house and that will not change. Many (even parents of active brothers) have given sacrificially to the fundraising campaign (over $700K to date) and we will not let them down. Let me say “Thank You!” to all who have given. With over $620K cash on hand (we have paid some design fees from the collected funds) we have not wasted your contributions. Second, we as the Board must reconsider the scope of this project. Initially estimated at $4.5M and now estimated at over $5.5M, we are being forced to reconsider house features in order to reduce costs. With the current national economic climate we cannot expect construction costs to come down anytime soon, if ever. Third, we are hopeful that as we conclude the final year of our fundraising campaign those who made pledges will fulfill those commitments and we will achieve the pledge goal of $1.1M. This would a huge success and would put us in a much better fiscal position. Finally, those of us on the Association Board will continue to work diligently to guide us to the successful completion of a new house.
Now, a word to those who have not participated in the fundraising campaign. We need you now! Each of us has an Auburn story and I suspect that yours, like mine, would not be remembered as fondly without FarmHouse. Not everyone can give a huge amount of money, but not everyone needs to. We recently asked for 500 of the nearly 1,000 alumni who have not participated in our fundraising to give $500 (we called it $500 from 500). Unfortunately, the response was less than encouraging. Currently, our alumni participation rate is less than 10%, which is preventing our success. If uncommitted alumni will join us, we will be successful. I ask you again, please consider a one-time gift of $500. If you can do more, we would greatly appreciate your generosity as many of the current contributors have done more. Instructions on how to give are included in this newsletter.
If anyone has questions, please feel free to reach out as my contact information is below. I will be glad to discuss what we have done and are doing to fulfill this need in the life of our fraternity. There are no secrets and I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss this with you at any time.
Thank you,
Tom Lewis (AU 83)
Auburn FarmHouse Association President
tomginger@bellsouth.net
(205) 937-5117
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Auburn
MEMBERS
Auburn
A Letter From the Association President
If you are like me, you like to spend time in the woods this time of the year. On occasion when hunting in a new spot, walking out of the woods in the dark with a tree stand on my back, my bow in one hand and a flashlight in the other can be more challenging that you would think. Shining a flashlight in the dark woods can make trees all look the same, and I have to be careful not to get turned around. Otherwise, it will make my walk out a lot longer. But I know where I’m going, and I’ll be happy to ultimately get back to the house. Why am I talking about walking out of the woods at night? Although it’s not the perfect analogy, it relates to our experience as the Auburn FarmHouse Association Board as we have worked so hard for the past five years to guide our fraternity to the construction of a new chapter house. We know where we are going, and when we get there, we will be thankful. But the path has been and continues to be challenging, and it’s taking longer than we had hoped.
As we reported back in May, earlier this year with financing secured and the design in hand we were on the cusp of committing to begin construction in May of 2021. Unfortunately, logistical challenges of ensuring the availability of materials and ensuring the current brotherhood was appropriately supported led us to postpone construction. We believed with a little more time we could address those challenges, secure more cash and begin construction in May of 2022. Unfortunately, construction materials and labor have continued to increase making our construction costs even higher. In order to adequately prepare for a May 2022 construction start, we must make our decision now to determine whether or not we will be able to facilitate in-house living for brothers. With the increased construction costs, lead time of 10-12 months for various construction materials, and lack of time to review and scale-down the design if needed, we must again postpone our plans for a new house. The primary issue is due to the with increased construction costs we no longer have enough cash on hand to commit to construction confidently and securely. This is a huge disappointment, but it is the right decision as we will not be fiscally irresponsible with the future of the fraternity.
So where are we? First, we are still 100% committed to building a new house and that will not change. Many (even parents of active brothers) have given sacrificially to the fundraising campaign (over $700K to date) and we will not let them down. Let me say “Thank You!” to all who have given. With over $620K cash on hand (we have paid some design fees from the collected funds) we have not wasted your contributions. Second, we as the Board must reconsider the scope of this project. Initially estimated at $4.5M and now estimated at over $5.5M, we are being forced to reconsider house features in order to reduce costs. With the current national economic climate we cannot expect construction costs to come down anytime soon, if ever. Third, we are hopeful that as we conclude the final year of our fundraising campaign those who made pledges will fulfill those commitments and we will achieve the pledge goal of $1.1M. This would a huge success and would put us in a much better fiscal position. Finally, those of us on the Association Board will continue to work diligently to guide us to the successful completion of a new house.
Now, a word to those who have not participated in the fundraising campaign. We need you now! Each of us has an Auburn story and I suspect that yours, like mine, would not be remembered as fondly without FarmHouse. Not everyone can give a huge amount of money, but not everyone needs to. We recently asked for 500 of the nearly 1,000 alumni who have not participated in our fundraising to give $500 (we called it $500 from 500). Unfortunately, the response was less than encouraging. Currently, our alumni participation rate is less than 10%, which is preventing our success. If uncommitted alumni will join us, we will be successful. I ask you again, please consider a one-time gift of $500. If you can do more, we would greatly appreciate your generosity as many of the current contributors have done more. Instructions on how to give are included in this newsletter.
If anyone has questions, please feel free to reach out as my contact information is below. I will be glad to discuss what we have done and are doing to fulfill this need in the life of our fraternity. There are no secrets and I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss this with you at any time.
Thank you,
Tom Lewis (AU 83)
Auburn FarmHouse Association President
tomginger@bellsouth.net
(205) 937-5117
