Greetings Brothers! I hope everyone has recuperated from Thanksgiving feasts & family time.
I stepped back into House Corp as President on November 20th following the resignation of Roger Moody and wanted to take this opportunity to send a quick note on some of the main items House Corp is working on now and what is coming up.
For those of you who remember my first stint as HC President back in the late 90’s, I sent monthly email updates on progress & plans and I will be picking this up again starting with this update.
Three things to take away from this month’s briefing:
- 45th Birthday is coming up (March 31-April 3) and full details will be sent out very soon.
- 520 South Ridgewood is looking fantastic following recent large projects – you’ll be amazed at 45th.
- House Corp finances are in good shape with strong support from fundraising efforts and some exciting upcoming opportunities.
45th Birthday
James “Gassi” Ahrens (’90) has been spearheading the planning to date and is going to be assisted by a recently formed 45th Birthday Committee comprised of myself, Josh Chancey (’12), Derek Pizzo (’09) and Seth Downs (’90). Joining the group will be Chuck Bonini (Chapter Advisor) and a couple of undergraduate brothers to help coordinate activities with the active chapter.
If you haven’t already, block your calendars for March 31-April 3 2016 as this is shaping up to be another great birthday weekend. The detailed timeline of events are still being finalized but will be similar to 40th as we had very positive responses from the alumni who attended that event. The weekend will kickoff with an ERAU campus tour on Thursday, a BBQ and party at the Sigma Chi house Friday night, House Corp Annual Meeting Saturday morning followed later in the evening by the 45th birthday Reception and Dinner and a chapter meeting Sunday morning to close out.
Finishing touches on the events and budget are being worked out which is why the invitations have not been sent out yet but stay tuned for updates via Facebook and etaiota.org for complete details over the next 2 weeks.
House Projects
Eta Iota’s been rocking out some impressive house improvement projects with Tom McSwiggan, our volunteer Director of Operations. Tom joins us from Iota Eta chapter (Western Connecticut State University) and has been onsite helping oversee and coordinate projects with House Corp, the undergraduate brothers and select contractors.
For a taste of some of the projects completed in recent months:
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- New and expanded deck
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- New stairs, fully compliant and built to last.
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- New firepit
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- Waste cleanout
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- Trenching in preparation for new waste lines
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- Upstairs AC closet
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- New secure Regalia closet across hall from Brother’s Office.
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- Regalia closet interior with mold resistant rigid fiberglass paneling
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- New entrance to library from deck
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- Guest bathroom on 2nd floor
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- Refreshed upstairs hallway
Upcoming projects will focus on the roof and what has turned out to be a substantial lack of insulation in many areas of the house. Our attention on those 2 areas will mitigate risk of future leaks and improve overall efficiency of AC systems/reduce utility costs.
House Corp Finances
House Corp Treasurer Seth Downs has been doing a great job during his 9+ years in this position and has kept regular updates on financials here on etaiota.org. I won’t repeat his updates but check out his latest update here if interested.
John Wrightington has been leading the charge on fundraising and has reported new records in the count of 1855 Club members thanks to our active alumni base and communication channels. John and I have been talking with the Sigma Chi Foundation and ERAU to explore new opportunities for making future donations tax deductible. Stay tuned in the next 2 weeks for updates on this as we are targeting to have this in place before end of year.
That’s about it for now. If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a note.
In Hoc,
John Banta (’96)
Eta Iota House Corporation President