Are We Done Yet?
When are we done improving? When have we completed all our learning? Of course, the answer is obvious. We give ourselves credit to know that it takes ongoing effort to become the person we still hope to be. But I wonder if we give the same assumption to others?
As with life, the improvements to the Temple grounds are also not done yet. We knew when we started there would be additional needs and a continual effort to improve and hold on to what we have started. For example, the bioswales (or the city’s term, “bioreactors”) are very self-sustaining, but only after they can take root for the first 3 years. This means we have to keep the deer out and may need to water them if it’s a dry summer.
The derecho brought down our meager outdoor lighting. Now we can enjoy our new landscaping and in the spring, a new concrete parking lot will be poured. We will need to add new lighting to these areas for ease of access after dark and for security. There is also other landscaping that will need to be addressed. For example, new bushes and fill are needed along the north driveway aprons. Also the retaining wall behind the kitchen is falling down.
We call this list of items “phase-III” (phase-I was the assessment/design/city approval required for funding). There is a one-page plan of these phase-III items. The details and cost estimates are not yet known. What we are seeking now are your ideas. If you want to review these items, we can send you a pdf document. After reviewing it and walking the grounds, please let me know your thoughts.
When are we done? I think if the goal is to continually improve while preserving that which we now have, the answer is never.
Robert Becker
President