Raise your hand if you were ready for snow on November 2! My hand was not raised. While I cannot say I was amused by the early winter blast, it was comical to watch my puppy which had never seen snow before dealing with the white stuff for the first time. He went from frightened and weirded out to delighted in a matter of minutes. I had to laugh as he ran around trying to catch snowflakes despite shivering waiting for him to get down to business.
Speaking of business, there are many fine options in our area for plowing and all do a great job. But I want to feature Precision Lawn Care because they are members and, let me tell you, I sure blessed them several times over when they showed up at my house at five o’clock Monday morning and again when I got to the office three and a half hours later!
By the time this is published on Wednesday, the election will have been completed and some things may change or they may not. I hope everyone who wanted to vote voted. I haven’t missed an election since I was first eligible to vote in 1974. I am proud of that record and also thankful that we have the right to vote our conscience without the threat of violence or coercion.
There is a public hearing on Nov. 10 on the city of Caribou budget. The Caribou Area Chamber of Commerce will be there in force to request another year of assistance from the City Council from the Enterprise Fund (TIF). Our request will be $5,000 less than last year. Most communities make a contribution to their local chambers reflecting the benefit derived to the local citizens from local chambers.
When I was hired two years ago, I was asked how long it would take to bring the Chamber to a position of self-sustained status. I stated from the very beginning that my estimate was two years minimum and three years maximum. The minimum is gone by, but the maximum is right on track.
To be totally transparent, the $15,000 request is beyond what the Council already provides the Chamber by free use of the Nylander Museum for an office as well as the telephone and Internet connection. Such aid is received gratefully as it allows our annual budget to remain at around the $67,000 level or about $800 less than a year ago. We have done everything possible to keep costs down and make the best use of our limited budget.
For the first time, the Annual Dinner made a profit this year. We charged admission for the Arts & Crafts Festival for the first time and still had 1,947 adults admitted plus hundreds more with children who entered free. Vendors love our show more than any other and prepaid renewals for spots next year poured in. Our income from memberships is up and we are pursuing other revenue streams and better practices.
We have a way to go, but I feel that the Chamber has acted responsibly and as efficiently as possible without losing services and what we bring to our members and to the community. The Chamber was a part of all city events, both in planning and in public relations and we helped where we could with physical labor as well. Thursdays on Sweden and Caribou Heritage Day were team efforts and the Chamber was a part of that team.
We will face difficulties in 2015 without a contribution from the city. So we will make our request earnestly and the belief that what the Chamber offers to the local citizens and our members who employ so many of our citizens.
The Caribou Area Chamber of Commerce basically started from scratch after it was split off from the economic development aspect. We had just started to rise when we were separated from the city as a city department and had to create an entirely new organization on the fly. Three years of creating a viable, self-sustaining organization would be a reasonable expectation under those circumstances and considering where we started.
I hope that you will support us with this request. Have a great week.
Executive Director William Tasker may be reached in the CACC office at 498-6156 or email him at cacc@cariboumaine.net.
