Affordable
Commercial Space for Lease in Booming Southern Saskatchewan
Newsletter #2 : August 10 2008
Limerick Opportunity Centre
P.O. Box 174, Limerick, SK. S0H 2P0; 306-263-2111
Cleaning: First we had to put things to rights inside the building. In anticipation that furnishings would be taken to other schools PSSD had everything moved into the halls. In fact not everything was taken so we were left with chairs, desks, tables, and an assortment of other items that became ours with the transfer of title of the property.
A group from the village and the municipality gathered at the Centre early in April to do the reorganizing. With Guy Cayer & the RM crew, Mark Bratton, the Village truck to haul the garbage & Dave Skarbon & his vacuum to help with the detailing the building was tidied in just half a day!
Staging: Several rooms were “staged” with available furniture. These areas include spaces set up as a board & office support room; an adult learning classroom; a daycare centre; a computer lab; and a seminar room.
Photographing: Joyce Belanger & Michel Farveque took pictures throughout the building. Now we have a disc with about 100 pictures to be used in promotional materials.
Landscaping: To define the new status of the building the broken flag pole was taken down, as was the sign identifying the building as Limerick School. A pot of flowers, 3 new shrubs and some mulch were added along with a window sign identifying the building’s new role.
Over the summer a number of people have worked to keep the grounds in reasonable condition. Dave Headrick, Kelly Ruzicka, Guy Cayer, and Paul Bergeron have all mowed the large field. Mark Bratton has worked with the village tractor and weed wacker to trim hard-to-reach spaces. Lorelei and Hugh Studer have mowed the small front lawn. Gerald Kinchen painted the bell (a job that the school division had tagged at $1000 but which Gerald accomplished with the cost of a can of paint). The R.M. has sprayed the front and side parking lots to keep the weeds down. Carolyn Ruzicka developed a weed control plan for the shelter belt and Bob Smith loaned equipment for that task. Lil Auser coordinates these activities from the RM office. The efforts are not surprising, just more evidence of community spirit!
Playground: One area that has suffered for want of children is the playground. We long for the feet of little children to beat down the weeds! Seriously, we do invite families to make use of the playground. Remember, of course, that you must provide your own supervision.
The Legacy Fund
Please think about making the Legacy Fund part of your charitable giving this year.
Names of those who are contributing to the Fund can be seen in the Legacy book at the RM office. Now, too, you can chart the progress of the Legacy Fund by going to that section of our new web site.
World Wide Web
On the site you will find info, pictures, video clips, maps and drawings about the Centre and Limerick. Please visit often to keep up with goings on at the Centre & in the community.
Tenants
Fund Raiser
Programs, Workshops and Courses
This fall, look for the Centre to sponsor workshops in cooking, astronomy & silver-smithing. We are working collaboratively with the Community College to deliver a non-credit course in carpentry sometime early in the new year.
If you have ideas about courses / workshops please make them
known to any member of the committee or drop this tear-off off at
the RM office.
I am interested in attending workshops in the following interest areas:
---------------------------------------
Newsletter #1 April 2008
On Tuesday, April 2, 2008, the Village of Limerick and the R.M. of Stonehenge received title to the property known as the Limerick School.
Planning had been underway for some time in anticipation of this event. The two local governments established a Joint Operating Committee and identified an interim operations manager for the building. A name for the facility, Limerick Opportunity Centre, was selected.
Now the Heavy work of turning the facility into an economic asset for our community begins.
Joint Operating Committee -- interim*Kevin Engel -- village
Kelly Ruzicka -- R.M.
Dave Skarbon -- village
Bob Smith -- village
Vince Topola -- R.M.
*at a future date the committee will be expanded to include interested community members
Operations Manager -- interim*
Lorelei Rogers
*this will be an unpaid position for a short period of time. As leases are signed and funds become available the position will be advertised and filled with a paid employee.
Mission Statement: The Limerick Opportunity Centre will be developed to bring economic diversity to the community.
Guidelines: Written and accepted at the February meeting of the Joint Operating Committee
The building, known as the Limerick Opportunity Centre, will be owned jointly by the Village of Limerick and the R.M. of Stonehenge #73.A Joint Operating Committee will set policy for the operation of the facility.
An Operations Manager, reporting directly to the Joint Committee, will oversee the day-to-day operation of the building.
Focus will be on long term use. Such use will be developed through lease agreements of not less than 6 months in length.
The whole building will be offered for lease in parcel sizes negotiated with the lessees.
Charges for the lease of space within the building will be developed to include all expenses related to the operation of the building including the development of a reserve fund for long term maintenance of the facility.
The facility will not depend on volunteer effort either for operation or for maintenance.
Outbuildings and surplus furniture and fittings will be offered for sale through tender or auction. Money realized from such sales will be placed in the reserve fund for building maintenance.
An Invitation: As the marketing of the space within the building swings into gear we welcome any suggestions you might have for possible tenants. Please contact Interim Manager Lorelei Rogers @ 263-2111 or drop your idea off at the RM / Village office. If you have details of contact persons and/or addresses and phone numbers that will be especially helpful.
Limerick School Legacy Fund
The closure of Limerick School was a great blow to this community. As children who would have attended this school found their way to schools in four different communities we have gone through a period of grief and loss.
Now the community has taken the brave step of taking on the building as a project to encourage economic diversity. This is a steep hill to climb. But success will mean that Limerick will continue as a viable, vigorous community well into the future.
Many institutions provide the alumni an opportunity to participate in the ongoing life of their institution. We are inviting the alumni of Limerick School and others to participate in this new community endeavour.
All contributions to the Limerick School Legacy Fund will be invested and held for capital costs that arise in the operation of the building.
Donors will be recognized in a Legacy Book and there will be space there for the insertion of comments and memories related to the school.
The success of this initiative rests on the willingness of alumni and others to participate and to provide names and addresses for other former Limerick students and parents who can be added to the mailing list.
The mailing list created with everyone’s help will not be shared or sold.
If you would like to know more about the Legacy Fund or if you would like us to send information about the Fund to someone please complete the tear-off slip below and mail it to Limerick Opportunity Centre, P.O. Box 174, Limerick, SK. S0H 2P0 or drop it off at the RM / Village office.
Names provided to us will be placed on a mailing list to receive complete information about the Legacy Fund.……………………………….............................................................
Name: ________________________________________
Mailing Address: ________________________________
________________________ Postal Code: __________
E-mail address: ________________________________