Update September 22, 2009
Brothers, we are presently involved in getting us a new home for our Lodge. There are many obstacles to overcome, but with the help of our dedicated building committee and trustees we are getting very close to getting this accomplished. We are moving forward with purchasing land at the corner of Country Club and Prince. We are presently having the lawyer draft the papers to purchase the land and meeting with a contractor to finalize a floor plan. I think you will be
proud of the new building.
I have made arrangements with the contractor to come to the lodge and make presentation of what they have come up with as far as a new building. I would ask all of you to invite all of the appendent bodies to come and share this so they are not left out. Some of the questions can be answered at the meeting.
Samuel A. Stephenson WM
NEW BUILDING COMMITTEE UPDATE July 12, 2009
Report from Jerry Fortson:-
The Committee, as previously reported on this website and the Right Angle, made a recommendation to the Trustees of the Lodge to purchase property on West River Road. Brief negotiations resulted in an acceptable offer to the seller and escrow was opened on May 27, 2009. As is normal in matters of this type, a period of due diligence has been undertaken providing us forty-five days to determine whether or not there might be issues that would adversely affect our moving forward with the purchase of this property.
Initially, the zoning for the property appeared to allow the construction of a new fraternal lodge facility. However, during due diligence it was discovered that the existing zoning was granted and “conditional” based on a previous plan development for an office complex filed by a previous prospective buyer. In researching the matter we learned that because the zoning was granted “conditionally” it would be necessary to file a new development plan, which was anticipated, but beyond that, it would also be necessary to undertake a total rezoning process. By most estimates this might have taken as long as one year before construction of a new facility could commence, which would exceed by some three to six months the norm for a property with “firm” zoning. As a result, effective July 10, we have withdrawn our offer on this property and canceled escrow.
The New Building Committee will be meeting in the very near term, likely the week of July 13, to discuss and consider other possible locations for a new Lodge facility. As we move forward with this effort we will continue to provide updates on our progress.
I believe it is time to acknowledge the great team we have in place to work on behalf of Tucson Lodge # 4. Jerry Fortson is our Committee Chairman. Presently Treasurer of the Lodge,
and serving on the Board of Trustees, he is a Past Master and has a strong background in the construction business.
Les Erdman serves on the Board of Trustees, is a Past Master and has a background in Law Enforcement.
Craig Gross is a Past Master and presently City of Tucson Deputy Director Developmental Services (planning, zoning, building permits ,inspections, etc.)
Gene Hamilton. Past Potentate and Commercial Real Estate Broker.
Ron Hill our Senior Warden serves on the Board of Trustees, he is a Past Master and recently retired from Management and Procurement.
Jean-Claude Malterre. Past Master and a Residential Real Estate Broker.
Sal Picerno. Past Master, Past Potentate, Commercial Real Estate Broker and Property Manager.
Mike Suba, Member Tucson # 4. a background of Construction and Contracting.
.It should also be noted that our Worshipful Master Sam Stephenson has devoted much if his time to this project and is highly involved in the process of the New Building Committee. What a great team. They deserve our applause for committing their time to our new building search.
Reported by Graham Davey Member Tucson # 4
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Excerpt from Worshipful Master's Message in June 2009 Trestleboard.
"Before we go dark in July and August I wanted to bring you up to date on a couple of items which I am sure that you are waiting to hear about. One being the progress as far as finding a suitable property to relocate the Lodge and there has been two pieces of vacant land that the building committee has come up with. The pros and cons of each location were put together. The building committee did not come to a unanimous decision as to which property to recommend to the trustees the vote was 5 to 3 in favor of the River Road location over the Prince/ Country Club location. This they presented to the trustees of the Lodge along with a list of the pros and cons so that they would be able see exactly what the committee was talking about.
The next step was that the trustees met after each had an opportunity to read over the list which the building committee had put together. After each of the trustees voiced any questions or comments he cast a vote as to which location that he thought best for the Lodge. There were 6 of the 7 trustees present and the vote was 5 to 1 in favor of the River Road property to make an offer to purchase.
Now we are in the process of making an offer for that property and the sellers as of this date have not responded. This date is May 15, 2009 and I received an email saying that I should get their answer by Monday May 18, 2009."
--Sam Stephenson, Worshipful Master
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New Building Committee Update - April 26, 2009
The committee met to discuss real estate considerations on the two properties of interest for the construction of a new building. There was lively discussion on the pros and cons of each location. The committee was polled for preferences and their recommendations will be addressed to the Board of Trustees for their decision.
Until such times as a decision has been made and the property secured we cannot publish the site locations, on this public domain.
I would like to recognize the work that each of the committee members has put into this project and thank them on behalf of the building users.
Graham Davey
Notes from April 15, 2009 New Buiding Committee Meeting
Graham Davey opened the meeting at 7:00 PM with an introduction of the Building Committee members. He also gave recognition to the leaders of each of the groups in attendance. There were more than 75 people at this gathering.
Jerry Fortson addressed the group with information on the current status of the relocation project. He also gave a bit of history on the interest expressed by the University of Arizona and the University Medical Center in their desire to acquire Tucson Lodge #4’s property. The committee has looked at 5 or 6 properties and evaluated the usefulness of each. At this time they have narrowed it down to 2 properties. The primary focus of the Building Committee has been on construction of a new facility rather than remodeling an existing building. The committee is now in a position to focus on the task of negotiations. Much consideration has been given to the distance between our current location and the proposed locations. Consideration has also been given in regard to proximity to other Lodges. The Brothers of Tucson Lodge #4 would like input from the groups who utilize the current facility as to what is needed for their organizations’ meetings.
Graham Davey facilitated the question and answer portion of this meeting. The questions alternated between members from the appendant bodies and Brothers of the Lodge. Approximately 25 people voiced questions or concerns and a member of the committee addressed each one in turn. For reasons of brevity these questions and answers have been condensed according to their category.
The majority of the questions and concerns were in regard to the physical construction of a new facility and were mainly centered on the size of a new building; specifically, concerns were on storage areas for each organization. Also, a storage room with fireproof walls and ample space for each organization to be able to store their file cabinets containing records/documents.
Another desire of a couple of groups was that the new building would have several smaller rooms that could be used as classrooms or for committee meetings be included in the new design.
Many of the people were in agreement that the size of the current dressing room should not be reduced in the new building. This was also the feeling about the size of the current dining room.
Other comments relating specifically to new construction were in regard to acoustics, ventilation, energy efficiency, and the possibilities of incorporating “green” technology wherever possible; i.e., water harvesting, solar panels and solar tube lighting. One person commented on lighting as being important because it was integral to the ritual of their organization.
Other concerns voiced were in regard to the size and location of the properties under consideration. These concerns were in regard to the safeness of the neighborhood, security features for the new building and parking lot, accessibility to the new location via bus, easy access into and out of the parking lot, lighting restrictions for the parking lot, and signage restrictions for the new locations.
Suggestions were also made in regard to the size of the new building in that consideration should be given to putting in a basement or creating a two-story building. One suggestion was to consider a steel frame construction. Another suggestion was to build with the thought of renting out business space on the street level and using the upper level as the Lodge.
A question was asked of the committee if they had given thought to hiring an architect who was knowledgeable in Masonic buildings. A couple of other questions were in regard to the timing allowed for building and moving. Also, would there be any penalties if the building was not yet vacant at the end of the three-year time period?
As noted earlier, answers and comments were addressed immediately after each question or concern. The following section is the summation of those answers.
Each committee member was chosen for the committee because of the experience that each could bring to the relocation process.
The size and location of the new properties was a primary focus of the group. Traffic patterns of the areas and safeness of the neighborhoods have also been taken under consideration. Security for all who use the Lodge is very important. Hiring an architect with Masonic building knowledge will be part of the interview process. Steel frame construction and energy efficient methods will be considered, but all ideas will ultimately be decided upon based on affordability and the time it would take to realize future savings.
Storage rooms at the current Lodge location are approximately 6’ X 10’. The committee would like to be able to consider enlarging those spaces to about 10’ X 10’ The thought is that the committee would like to use the basic layout of the current Lodge, with modifications made for storage, as the blueprint for the new building. In order to accommodate the needs of a variety of groups, consideration is being given to retaining the size of the dining room and installing moveable noise-reducing room dividers.
Acoustics, sound systems, ventilation and lighting features will all be of a better quality based on the installation of equipment that is of a newer technology. Specific lighting needs will be kept in mind.
Security lighting in the parking lot and signage for the building do have restrictions based on city and county regulations. However, based on the size of the proposed lots, and nature of our needs, these restrictions should not have an impact on the new facility.
A question regarding the sale price of the current property and the proposed budget for a new building was also asked. According to the bylaws of the Lodge, details pertaining to monetary matters will not be released to others who are not members of the Lodge. The question was answered in terms of spending 2/3 for property acquisition and construction and retaining 1/3 for future needs.
A comment was voiced that 3 years may not be enough time to complete construction and relocation. Also, questioned was how rents would be affected. The answer was that 1 – 2 years should be sufficient in having a new building ready for relocation. Trustees, not the building committee, determine the rents and that will be a discussion for another time. Sam Stephenson, the Master of Lodge #4, answered that the hope is that enough profit will be retained which will in turn be useful in helping to keep the rents at a reasonable rate for the appendant bodies. He then reminded that this is at the determination of the Trustees.
In closing, a member of the body of participants, stood to voice her feelings regarding the discussion. She felt that some of the questions to the Brothers of Tucson Lodge #4 were intrusive. She encouraged the various groups to place more trust in the Brothers’ choices regarding the relocation.
All present agreed that regular updates from the Lodge regarding the relocation process would be appreciated. Graham Davey volunteered to be the information liaison.
Sam Stephenson thanked everyone for their attendance and for the interest expressed in what our new home will become. He then invited all to continue the fellowship and return in 2 weeks for a Fish Fry.
