We have the same issues about Scottish Rite in Little Rock. The space across the street used to be a very swanky hotel (Albert Pike Hotel no less) but the original owners sold it 30 or so years ago and it is now section 8 housing and we get
The headaches that come with that…without any of the income.
People try to get in the temple, people urinate and defecate in front of the building or on the steps…it’s a strange thing.
We went to mag-locks years ago and it had been a great decision. Adding to that we have Tylers downstairs at the entrance to add to the security, but incidents inevitably happen.
We have, in fits and starts, (it takes awhile to get used to doing new things I suppose) been implementing the Tyler downstairs idea, and I think that is effective for the Lodge. But I don't know that it could work nearly as well for some other groups that meet in our building, groups that don't have healthy young men.
I imagine that we will be quite happy with the new modern entry system. But it is rough to be faced with that expense at a time that our capital is particularly and temporally low.
I can explain: The Temple Board tried, for years and years to do that on our own, never with any success, mainly because the Temple Board didn't want to bring anyone specific in to do it, but by the same token, no one on the board had the time to do it, so it just never really got done.
Finally, about a year ago, the Board decided to bring my wife on to handle that for us. She's to be in charge of it all, start to finish, and to do it all. In exchange the Board decided that it would give her a percentage of the rental fee for doing it.
So... She spent most of that year forcing the Lodge and all the other groups that meet in the building to clean up all the little messes that have accumulated over the last hundred years, to get the place to where she felt it was attractive to renters. There wasn't any pushback about this, but a lot of old habits (not cleaning the kitchen properly after a meeting type stuff) that took a long time to break.
So... It finally got to a place where she believed she could rent it out.
And... She posted the first advertisements offering it for rent.
Then the very next day we had the pipe burst which did heavy damage to the spaces that we are offering for rent. Now we are negotiating with the insurance company to get the place repaired.
So, all in all, it's never worked for us, but we are on a path to where it will work for us.
There's an old Masonic lodge made out of limestone sitting abandoned downtown in my hometown of Winnipeg. When the Masons moved out, it played host to a very popular restaurant for a few years, but it's basically been cordoned off with fences and such now.
It is really sad to see old, abandoned Masonic Temples. I think that we will be able to keep ours going well into the future, because we have significant commercial tenants, but it certainly isn't easy. Off and on I've served on the Temple Board for years and years, it just seems like a never ending struggle.
Part of that is, I think, the age of the building, and part of it is that for a long time, very little upkeep was done.
I hope quickly get your door secured! I would be frightened if I was one of the accountants.
Homelessness is rampant everywhere. Compare our experiences today with 30 years ago. During that I don’t recall seeing many homeless here in my hometown where I grew up. If you down by the river and we just called them hobos. Now the river is full of homeless people. You can see them camping from the bridges. Occasionally they’ll have a fire in the fire department is called. I live in a small city in the country. And you see homeless people just wandering in the country now. Yesterday driving down the freeway I saw two different homeless people walking a sheriff was driving behind me and he never stopped. It was my understanding we’re not supposed to walk on the freeways.
I agree, we have got to figure out all the policy changes that have been made over the decades that have contributed to the problem, and start working to change those policy mistakes. It can't simply be that it is getting worse because people are less able to function, policy at every level has to be a significant contributor.
But as a society, we owe it to everyone to get it figured out. The current situation is untenable, and seems to be growing worse with each passing year.
One of the largest and glaring statistics with “homeless” people is the use of drugs. Something to be considered by the city and its population.
Here in Kelso we had a short lived organization called “Love Overwhelming”. It was short lived as the “help” it provided simply was a meal. So now any cash the vagrants had could be spent on drugs. The pressure from
the population to close it down or move it elsewhere grew exponentially with each passing event that took place.
It was a horrid affair. Vagrants walking up and down cowlitz way. Walking into any house or helping themselves to anyone absent minded enough is to leave their cars unlocked. There were times that the window wasn’t even a barrier. Leaving blood all over the vehicles along with shards of glass.
There are 3 periods of my life where I have had to point a weapon at another person. 2 were my deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan: the other was when love overwhelming i.e. the city decided to operate near my home.
I had people walk in my house near midnight. High out of their minds and thinking we were someone else. Who got belligerent when we told them we don’t distribute drugs and to leave. I had someone that tried to break in my truck right in front of me. Those are just my stories.
With the accommodations to the homeless the town ultimately became less accommodating for anyone. Public restrooms and areas became a thing of the past. Taking the seats off benches, the city abandoned any public area that vagrants seemed to gather.
Kindness is not going to solve this problem. Actually it may only fuel it. So I don’t blame the city for being unwilling to react all you have to see is the statistics to know better. Especially noting that it will become
impoverished with it.
With my tirade over, I wish the best with the new systems and will have to visit and see it for myself. Taking those insights back to my own homebase.
I think that 'kindness' is what does motivate a lot of the programs that have been created to help the homeless. But, those programs are not kind or compassionate.
Letting someone slowly die on the street because we want to be kind instead of forcing them into treatment is the very opposite of compassion in my view.
A good bit of tough love, really tough love is needed. Those who can not function because of drug abuse or untreated mental health disorders need to be forced into the treatment that they need so that they can function. And none of that violates anyone's rights.
If a fellow wants to be homeless, and doesn't harm anyone or anything, then he can be left to live as he desires. But, as soon as he violates the law by harming someone or something, that is when society needs to step in and force treatment. There should be meaningful consequences for doing violence against others and violating the property of others. There isn't anymore.
And sometimes it is a game.
Last summer (or maybe it was the summer before last) I went down to a meeting of the Kelso Scottish Rite. I was really early, and it turned out that the Valley was dark at that time anyway, so there was no meeting for me to go to.
But, before I figured out that the Valley was dark, I kicked back in the little park next to the Masonic Temple (and across the street from City Hall/Police Station.) Waiting for someone to arrive.
There was a homeless dude sort of dancing around on the sidewalk in front of the little park. We made eye contact a few times, but didn't speak. He was in a really good mood, smiling the whole time.
Eventually he laid down on the sidewalk and played dead. He's got his face turned towards me, opposite of the street.
And here comes the 'do gooder lady.' She drives by on the street. Slows down, goes around, returns. I try to flag her off, to let her know that the fellow isn't dead or dying. To no avail. She stops, starts climbing out of her car.
He's smiling at me. Winks at me when he hears her getting out of the car.
She reaches him, while glaring at me. Is all 'Oh, my God, are you OK, you poor guy...."
He 'manages' to sit up, conning her for all he's worth. She decides the poor guy needs something to eat and such, so takes his order, then drives off to buy him some groceries.
While she's gone, he's back up dancing. His mission accomplished.
We have the same issues about Scottish Rite in Little Rock. The space across the street used to be a very swanky hotel (Albert Pike Hotel no less) but the original owners sold it 30 or so years ago and it is now section 8 housing and we get
The headaches that come with that…without any of the income.
People try to get in the temple, people urinate and defecate in front of the building or on the steps…it’s a strange thing.
We went to mag-locks years ago and it had been a great decision. Adding to that we have Tylers downstairs at the entrance to add to the security, but incidents inevitably happen.
We have, in fits and starts, (it takes awhile to get used to doing new things I suppose) been implementing the Tyler downstairs idea, and I think that is effective for the Lodge. But I don't know that it could work nearly as well for some other groups that meet in our building, groups that don't have healthy young men.
I imagine that we will be quite happy with the new modern entry system. But it is rough to be faced with that expense at a time that our capital is particularly and temporally low.
I can certainly see the issues.
Slight tangent, how are your 1 off building rentals? By that I mean weddings, retirement or graduation parties, etc?
At Centralia, they are virtually non existent.
I can explain: The Temple Board tried, for years and years to do that on our own, never with any success, mainly because the Temple Board didn't want to bring anyone specific in to do it, but by the same token, no one on the board had the time to do it, so it just never really got done.
Finally, about a year ago, the Board decided to bring my wife on to handle that for us. She's to be in charge of it all, start to finish, and to do it all. In exchange the Board decided that it would give her a percentage of the rental fee for doing it.
So... She spent most of that year forcing the Lodge and all the other groups that meet in the building to clean up all the little messes that have accumulated over the last hundred years, to get the place to where she felt it was attractive to renters. There wasn't any pushback about this, but a lot of old habits (not cleaning the kitchen properly after a meeting type stuff) that took a long time to break.
So... It finally got to a place where she believed she could rent it out.
And... She posted the first advertisements offering it for rent.
Then the very next day we had the pipe burst which did heavy damage to the spaces that we are offering for rent. Now we are negotiating with the insurance company to get the place repaired.
So, all in all, it's never worked for us, but we are on a path to where it will work for us.
There's an old Masonic lodge made out of limestone sitting abandoned downtown in my hometown of Winnipeg. When the Masons moved out, it played host to a very popular restaurant for a few years, but it's basically been cordoned off with fences and such now.
It is really sad to see old, abandoned Masonic Temples. I think that we will be able to keep ours going well into the future, because we have significant commercial tenants, but it certainly isn't easy. Off and on I've served on the Temple Board for years and years, it just seems like a never ending struggle.
Part of that is, I think, the age of the building, and part of it is that for a long time, very little upkeep was done.
I hope quickly get your door secured! I would be frightened if I was one of the accountants.
Homelessness is rampant everywhere. Compare our experiences today with 30 years ago. During that I don’t recall seeing many homeless here in my hometown where I grew up. If you down by the river and we just called them hobos. Now the river is full of homeless people. You can see them camping from the bridges. Occasionally they’ll have a fire in the fire department is called. I live in a small city in the country. And you see homeless people just wandering in the country now. Yesterday driving down the freeway I saw two different homeless people walking a sheriff was driving behind me and he never stopped. It was my understanding we’re not supposed to walk on the freeways.
I agree, we have got to figure out all the policy changes that have been made over the decades that have contributed to the problem, and start working to change those policy mistakes. It can't simply be that it is getting worse because people are less able to function, policy at every level has to be a significant contributor.
But as a society, we owe it to everyone to get it figured out. The current situation is untenable, and seems to be growing worse with each passing year.
One of the largest and glaring statistics with “homeless” people is the use of drugs. Something to be considered by the city and its population.
Here in Kelso we had a short lived organization called “Love Overwhelming”. It was short lived as the “help” it provided simply was a meal. So now any cash the vagrants had could be spent on drugs. The pressure from
the population to close it down or move it elsewhere grew exponentially with each passing event that took place.
It was a horrid affair. Vagrants walking up and down cowlitz way. Walking into any house or helping themselves to anyone absent minded enough is to leave their cars unlocked. There were times that the window wasn’t even a barrier. Leaving blood all over the vehicles along with shards of glass.
There are 3 periods of my life where I have had to point a weapon at another person. 2 were my deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan: the other was when love overwhelming i.e. the city decided to operate near my home.
I had people walk in my house near midnight. High out of their minds and thinking we were someone else. Who got belligerent when we told them we don’t distribute drugs and to leave. I had someone that tried to break in my truck right in front of me. Those are just my stories.
With the accommodations to the homeless the town ultimately became less accommodating for anyone. Public restrooms and areas became a thing of the past. Taking the seats off benches, the city abandoned any public area that vagrants seemed to gather.
Kindness is not going to solve this problem. Actually it may only fuel it. So I don’t blame the city for being unwilling to react all you have to see is the statistics to know better. Especially noting that it will become
impoverished with it.
With my tirade over, I wish the best with the new systems and will have to visit and see it for myself. Taking those insights back to my own homebase.
I think that 'kindness' is what does motivate a lot of the programs that have been created to help the homeless. But, those programs are not kind or compassionate.
Letting someone slowly die on the street because we want to be kind instead of forcing them into treatment is the very opposite of compassion in my view.
A good bit of tough love, really tough love is needed. Those who can not function because of drug abuse or untreated mental health disorders need to be forced into the treatment that they need so that they can function. And none of that violates anyone's rights.
If a fellow wants to be homeless, and doesn't harm anyone or anything, then he can be left to live as he desires. But, as soon as he violates the law by harming someone or something, that is when society needs to step in and force treatment. There should be meaningful consequences for doing violence against others and violating the property of others. There isn't anymore.
And sometimes it is a game.
Last summer (or maybe it was the summer before last) I went down to a meeting of the Kelso Scottish Rite. I was really early, and it turned out that the Valley was dark at that time anyway, so there was no meeting for me to go to.
But, before I figured out that the Valley was dark, I kicked back in the little park next to the Masonic Temple (and across the street from City Hall/Police Station.) Waiting for someone to arrive.
There was a homeless dude sort of dancing around on the sidewalk in front of the little park. We made eye contact a few times, but didn't speak. He was in a really good mood, smiling the whole time.
Eventually he laid down on the sidewalk and played dead. He's got his face turned towards me, opposite of the street.
And here comes the 'do gooder lady.' She drives by on the street. Slows down, goes around, returns. I try to flag her off, to let her know that the fellow isn't dead or dying. To no avail. She stops, starts climbing out of her car.
He's smiling at me. Winks at me when he hears her getting out of the car.
She reaches him, while glaring at me. Is all 'Oh, my God, are you OK, you poor guy...."
He 'manages' to sit up, conning her for all he's worth. She decides the poor guy needs something to eat and such, so takes his order, then drives off to buy him some groceries.
While she's gone, he's back up dancing. His mission accomplished.