This morning we had the zoom meeting with Mary Elizabeth Ryder, who I call the high powered consultant. Tracy who works for the Mat-Su Health Foundation arranged this meeting. Tracy likes the project, and she got the absolute best person she could find for the job.

Pete, Tracy, M.E., and I attended the meeting, Milena joined us midway through it. The purpose of this meeting was to figure out a scope of work plan for M.E. Before I began this project, I had no idea what a scope of work actually was. For the record, it’s a document spelling out what exact tasks the non-profit making the request is requiring. The cost is going to be $8,000.00.

Bill sorting at VCRS

We’ll pay this fee with a grant from the Mat-Su Health Foundation. Tracy works for them.

There was at first a lot of talk about procedural items, like acquiring an accountant and getting set up with something called Quick Books and the like.

I began to feel like a tea kettle – I was ready to blow off steam. Finally, I could stand it no longer. I said that the procedural matters were very important, but that our acquiring building space had to be a priority. I then said that unless our situation changed, that I’d have to bow out by December 1st.

It was right then that the conversational gears shifted. M.E. and company began putting together a plan, one in which the first end result would be a small building, and the second end result would be a big building.

We are going to ask the Mat-Su Health Foundation for a second grant, to pay for some of the smaller engineering building costs. And much to my joy and amazement, M.E. indicated that the timeframe for the smaller building’s being in place would be January 1. There was no talk about the possibility of inclement weather slowing down this project, in fact, quite clearly, the message that I got was, “we’ll go for it.”

I do think that M.E. is a very smart cookie. And I do think that when she sets out to do something, that she gets it done. And so, no surprise, this meeting ended up on a very upbeat note.

After, Pete and I went to the recycling center, and there we met Milena, who assisted us in salvaging the contents of 42 boxes of books. We then took them to Kid’s Kupboard, our new Wasilla location. There, we went through the boxes that we’d sorted through at VCRS and did yet another sort.

I am pleased that Milena took the initiative to get this particular space for our books. These books are now housed in a beautiful, refurbished cabin with drywall and heat. In time, each book will be taken on by an appreciative reader.

After all was said and done, Pete, Milena, and I went to a Mexican restaurant where we rehashed the major events of the day.

Next: 225. 8/14/22: Day# 1: On the Road Again