I think we can all agree that a nice and clean Masonic building is going to make a much better impression on potential petitioners than one that is a bit dirty.
Beyond that, I think that our Lodge members will have a better experience if our building is squeaky clean.
Yet many of our buildings are quite large, and it is very tough to keep things up with volunteer help. As a result, many of our buildings are not as clean as they could be.
So let’s chat about it…
Does your Lodge hire a cleaning service to keep your building spruced up?
If not, has your Lodge considered it, and rejected the idea for some reason?
As with every Thursday, we will have a live open thread for those with a paid subscription to Emeth.
The email opening the thread will go out at 8:00 AM Pacific, and I’ll remain on it until 6:00 PM.
Let’s talk about whatever Masonic topic is on your mind.
We've been paying a cleaning person to clean our lodge for a couple of years. Once a month. That said, it accounts for about 35% per capita of our dues structure. Why? Thy have to bring liability insurance as our policy does not cover contractors.
Two days ago we brought a Stanley Steemer unit into Myrtle to do all the floors at Myrtle. They spent over 4 hours in the building, and the result is nothing less than amazing.
It was also shocking to see how much dirt came out of our carpeted area. Fact is, I don't know when, or even IF those carpets had ever been professionally cleaned. Even though the tech worked for over four hours, these floors had been neglected for so many years I suspect there is more to be done before he can get down to a clean surface.
When I owned a business in Pioneer Square, I hired a carpet service once every three months. I would suggest that this be done three to four times a year. It was $500 well spent.
Getting a bid this morning to replace the gutters, will get another bid or two after.
Then there’s the three-year-old hole in the ceiling of the Tyler’s room - great first impression. Maybe that’s part of this weekend, maybe next weekend.
Brothers did do a great job cleaning before we went live again, though.
And yet another topic of the "cheapening". If you're going to have a building, dues should be enough to professionally maintain it. Professional cleaners at least once a month. Professional roofers for maintenance every 5 years and a new roof every 30.. Professional painters every 5 years. Professional flooring every 10 years to either replace the carpets or refinish the hardwood. Professional plumbers to keep the plumbing working properly. If the dues aren't high enough, raise them.
This is another problem in our lodge. We've divided the "chores" among all of the groups that meet there (Masons, OES, Rainbow, Jobs, Demolay) and the chores are supposed to be done monthly. Chances are, the Masons are always the ones that drop the ball and don't do their assigned job of vacuuming the rugs and cleaning the floors downstairs. When it is done, it is always the same 1-2 people that do it. Out of a lodge with 100+ members.
The issue, as always when you have a lodge with a large membership is lack of accountability. Everyone thinks someone else will do it. At the end of a stated or degree, the cleanup is always left to the same one or two people. Many a night I've left the building long after everyone else has gone home because I was stuck cleaning up after everyone.
What especially irritates me is some of the old timers will say "I've paid my dues, time for some of the younger members to step up". Sorry guys, but I don't see an expiration date on my dues card. If you're physically not able to do it that is one thing. But you should lead by example.
I think that "clean up teams" should be assigned. All too often, after a meeting, Brothers will gobble down refreshment, mumble something, and make their exodus. Two or three will wash the dishes, sweep and mop the floors, put the chairs on the tables, and turn out the lights several hours after the Lodge has closed for the evening. The problem with assigning teams is that many would not show up for the meeting, thus obligating those who remain to again do the work. How do we get ALL Brethren to take pride in the Lodge and *volunteer* to do the maintenance?
This is, has been, and without a doubt will be my biggest pet peeve with our fraternity. Dues should be set based on a budget and that budget must be set based on annual maintenance cost of the building and operating expense of the lodge. Yet we hear year after year that Dues are to expensive from lodges that have dues that are less than a hundred dollars a year. If you have a lodge of 100 brothers and they each pay 100.00 that’s only $10000.00 per year. Now some buildings may be able to be maintained for that but I don’t know of many. I would guess that to keep a building in good repair and presentable to the public from the outside and enjoyable to the brothers from the inside is going to exceed 15-20k per year based on current cost of goods and services. Brothers raise your dues to a level to support your buildings!!! You would NEVER allow your home to fall into the type of disrepair that some of our buildings are in. Building first dinners and social activities after!!!
One more related item that might be useful to think about.
Nearly 5 years ago I brought a guest into the lodge. The young man was polite and respectful of our building and our space. I asked him what he thought. His response shocked me into action. The response? He said "This is old, tired and dingy. I don't mind "old". Harvard is old. Cambridge is "old". This is just old and dingy...and it smells!
He was absolutely right in every assessment.
I had no idea when the place had last been subject to a deep cleaning. The stains on the rugs had clearly been there for at least months, and more likely longer.
There were scraps of notes, and other things either thumb tacked or scotch taped to the walls.
Foulding chairs were stacked ten deep against the wall.
What few wall decorations there were looked like an emergency after thought from what was left over from a failed garage sale.
There was clearly a sale on one tone of blue paint. Nearly every surface was one tone of the same blue.
So, what to do?
My business background is in rescue and turn around. The first thing is to clean up and straighten up. No more taped messages on the walls. No more thumb tacks. If it was old and dingy there were two possibilities; One, to clean it up. If it wouldn't clean up then it had to go away.
WIth everything cleaned and in it's place the next thing was to take inventory to see what could be done to dress up the enviornment. Here is where "Telling a story" comes into play. It doesn't matter what kind of business you enter, each and every one must have a story to tell and that story has to be clear, concise and entertaining. Think "Five Guys Hamburgers". Yep, the moment you enter the store you know why you are there and what is going to happen. Now think about the Ballet. It's opening night and it's Swan Lake. Same thing. You can almost hear the orchastra play the overature before you get into the building.
Our Lodge must be no different. I found wonderful things hidden away in storage. What wonderfuli things? The poster of an American Flag with the name of every Mason as of that year. I had it framed and it became a center piece for a wall. There was a wonderful painting of a Rainbow Girl holding hands and crossing a bridge. We don't have Rainbow in our Lodge, but we might in the future. It got properly hung in the hall. There was the DeMolay Charter that was framed in the cheepest possible manner. It deserved better and better it got. It's now above the Secretary's place in the lodge. Brother Brian Thomas donated over 200 aprons, which are now a rotating exhibit in the Lodge.
And the point? From the moment somone walks through the doors we have a walking exhibit that we can, and do talk about. I can hold someone's interest for 40 minutes and never get a yawn or someone looking at a watch.
And how does that translate? Answer; 9 EAs that became 9 new FCs and who will shortly become 9 new MMs.
If anyone is interested in how to replicate what we've done, they have only to ask. I've got nearly 50 years worth of experience in how to properly display items to create excitement and interest. Be a shame to die and not pass that one.
My view is that unless our Lodge proves itself capable of keeping the building clean and good looking, then we need to contract that work out.
Our own Masons will have a better experience in a nice clean space, and it will be vastly more appealing to potential candidates. The fact is, that the best men in our communities are not going to petition our Lodges if they are not clean and well kept.
If the dues must be raised to cover this cost, then so be it. No one ever has said that Freemasonry is free. When raising dues, a Lodge should consider the cost of Life Memberships as well, in virtually all of our Lodges, those fees are way too low to adequately support the Lodge.
Once our space is clean, then I think we would do well to emulate the decorating Laurence mentions. Many of our buildings are filled with wonderful historical treasures, hidden away. Some good looking frames and shadow boxes and all can be made quite superb.
We've been paying a cleaning person to clean our lodge for a couple of years. Once a month. That said, it accounts for about 35% per capita of our dues structure. Why? Thy have to bring liability insurance as our policy does not cover contractors.
Two days ago we brought a Stanley Steemer unit into Myrtle to do all the floors at Myrtle. They spent over 4 hours in the building, and the result is nothing less than amazing.
It was also shocking to see how much dirt came out of our carpeted area. Fact is, I don't know when, or even IF those carpets had ever been professionally cleaned. Even though the tech worked for over four hours, these floors had been neglected for so many years I suspect there is more to be done before he can get down to a clean surface.
When I owned a business in Pioneer Square, I hired a carpet service once every three months. I would suggest that this be done three to four times a year. It was $500 well spent.
Getting a bid this morning to replace the gutters, will get another bid or two after.
Then there’s the three-year-old hole in the ceiling of the Tyler’s room - great first impression. Maybe that’s part of this weekend, maybe next weekend.
Brothers did do a great job cleaning before we went live again, though.
And yet another topic of the "cheapening". If you're going to have a building, dues should be enough to professionally maintain it. Professional cleaners at least once a month. Professional roofers for maintenance every 5 years and a new roof every 30.. Professional painters every 5 years. Professional flooring every 10 years to either replace the carpets or refinish the hardwood. Professional plumbers to keep the plumbing working properly. If the dues aren't high enough, raise them.
This is another problem in our lodge. We've divided the "chores" among all of the groups that meet there (Masons, OES, Rainbow, Jobs, Demolay) and the chores are supposed to be done monthly. Chances are, the Masons are always the ones that drop the ball and don't do their assigned job of vacuuming the rugs and cleaning the floors downstairs. When it is done, it is always the same 1-2 people that do it. Out of a lodge with 100+ members.
The issue, as always when you have a lodge with a large membership is lack of accountability. Everyone thinks someone else will do it. At the end of a stated or degree, the cleanup is always left to the same one or two people. Many a night I've left the building long after everyone else has gone home because I was stuck cleaning up after everyone.
What especially irritates me is some of the old timers will say "I've paid my dues, time for some of the younger members to step up". Sorry guys, but I don't see an expiration date on my dues card. If you're physically not able to do it that is one thing. But you should lead by example.
I think that "clean up teams" should be assigned. All too often, after a meeting, Brothers will gobble down refreshment, mumble something, and make their exodus. Two or three will wash the dishes, sweep and mop the floors, put the chairs on the tables, and turn out the lights several hours after the Lodge has closed for the evening. The problem with assigning teams is that many would not show up for the meeting, thus obligating those who remain to again do the work. How do we get ALL Brethren to take pride in the Lodge and *volunteer* to do the maintenance?
This is, has been, and without a doubt will be my biggest pet peeve with our fraternity. Dues should be set based on a budget and that budget must be set based on annual maintenance cost of the building and operating expense of the lodge. Yet we hear year after year that Dues are to expensive from lodges that have dues that are less than a hundred dollars a year. If you have a lodge of 100 brothers and they each pay 100.00 that’s only $10000.00 per year. Now some buildings may be able to be maintained for that but I don’t know of many. I would guess that to keep a building in good repair and presentable to the public from the outside and enjoyable to the brothers from the inside is going to exceed 15-20k per year based on current cost of goods and services. Brothers raise your dues to a level to support your buildings!!! You would NEVER allow your home to fall into the type of disrepair that some of our buildings are in. Building first dinners and social activities after!!!
One more related item that might be useful to think about.
Nearly 5 years ago I brought a guest into the lodge. The young man was polite and respectful of our building and our space. I asked him what he thought. His response shocked me into action. The response? He said "This is old, tired and dingy. I don't mind "old". Harvard is old. Cambridge is "old". This is just old and dingy...and it smells!
He was absolutely right in every assessment.
I had no idea when the place had last been subject to a deep cleaning. The stains on the rugs had clearly been there for at least months, and more likely longer.
There were scraps of notes, and other things either thumb tacked or scotch taped to the walls.
Foulding chairs were stacked ten deep against the wall.
What few wall decorations there were looked like an emergency after thought from what was left over from a failed garage sale.
There was clearly a sale on one tone of blue paint. Nearly every surface was one tone of the same blue.
So, what to do?
My business background is in rescue and turn around. The first thing is to clean up and straighten up. No more taped messages on the walls. No more thumb tacks. If it was old and dingy there were two possibilities; One, to clean it up. If it wouldn't clean up then it had to go away.
WIth everything cleaned and in it's place the next thing was to take inventory to see what could be done to dress up the enviornment. Here is where "Telling a story" comes into play. It doesn't matter what kind of business you enter, each and every one must have a story to tell and that story has to be clear, concise and entertaining. Think "Five Guys Hamburgers". Yep, the moment you enter the store you know why you are there and what is going to happen. Now think about the Ballet. It's opening night and it's Swan Lake. Same thing. You can almost hear the orchastra play the overature before you get into the building.
Our Lodge must be no different. I found wonderful things hidden away in storage. What wonderfuli things? The poster of an American Flag with the name of every Mason as of that year. I had it framed and it became a center piece for a wall. There was a wonderful painting of a Rainbow Girl holding hands and crossing a bridge. We don't have Rainbow in our Lodge, but we might in the future. It got properly hung in the hall. There was the DeMolay Charter that was framed in the cheepest possible manner. It deserved better and better it got. It's now above the Secretary's place in the lodge. Brother Brian Thomas donated over 200 aprons, which are now a rotating exhibit in the Lodge.
And the point? From the moment somone walks through the doors we have a walking exhibit that we can, and do talk about. I can hold someone's interest for 40 minutes and never get a yawn or someone looking at a watch.
And how does that translate? Answer; 9 EAs that became 9 new FCs and who will shortly become 9 new MMs.
If anyone is interested in how to replicate what we've done, they have only to ask. I've got nearly 50 years worth of experience in how to properly display items to create excitement and interest. Be a shame to die and not pass that one.
My view is that unless our Lodge proves itself capable of keeping the building clean and good looking, then we need to contract that work out.
Our own Masons will have a better experience in a nice clean space, and it will be vastly more appealing to potential candidates. The fact is, that the best men in our communities are not going to petition our Lodges if they are not clean and well kept.
If the dues must be raised to cover this cost, then so be it. No one ever has said that Freemasonry is free. When raising dues, a Lodge should consider the cost of Life Memberships as well, in virtually all of our Lodges, those fees are way too low to adequately support the Lodge.
Once our space is clean, then I think we would do well to emulate the decorating Laurence mentions. Many of our buildings are filled with wonderful historical treasures, hidden away. Some good looking frames and shadow boxes and all can be made quite superb.