LCS major capital improvement campaign interviews

No more than what they are listening to coming out of my place right now.......jajaja!

Trailrunner wrote:... I think the whole concept of the LCS needs to be rethought. As it stands now, I think it's pretty irrelevant for most people...

Remember, it was conceived when there was a very small group of expats coming to live here and the whole area was different then... Having said all this I would not vote for it to go away completely, but something simpler, maybe even DOWNsized! ...

Well-said, Trailrunner. I've used LCS library only as a supplement to my Kindle, the DVD rentals as a supplement to satellite movies, the directory only if I can't find something online... haven't used it for much else. I guess I would not really miss it if it went away or got smaller.

I think their real problem is generational - the people running it are dying out, and they are not attracting boomers.

merry

CanuckBob wrote:Being somewhat younger than the majority of the membership of the LCS I was reminded of attending one of my grandmothers tea parties the one and only time I had entered the grounds. I have never returned however being that my property backs onto the LCS grounds I may venture in for another look one day. I do watch some of the activities through the windows of my back casita.

Well, in my seventy second year, I fit right in over there except for the fact I let my Reader´s Digest subscription expire in 1958 when LOOK Magazine offered Two-For-One Quaker Oats Coupons with Captain Marvel Comics.

One of the things I really admire about the Lake Chapala Society is that they never let their lack of knowledge about anything interfere with their unhesitant pontification about subjects ad nauseum with which they are uninfomed. Move over Professor Irwin Corey.

Poor Zed, he's going to be sorry he asked. Lots of food for thought here - but very interestingly - all having the common thread that the LCS, as it currently exists, is no longer viable.

I think we just saved them a 1.5 million dollar debt or fundraising! Now lets see what direction they decide to go in.

OK I tried. Thanks to the folks who offered something constructive.

Z

Zedinmexico wrote: I imagine it would probably be illigal in Mexico to charge one price for Mexicans and one price for Gringoes right?
Z

It happens all the time.

The LCS is one of the places that I sought out for information in January of 1996 when I was first checking out Mexico as a retirement destination. It was worn out, lacking in information and out of date then. Unfortunately, it does not appear to be any better today and we saw, again, no reason to join.
The grounds are very pretty and some of the volunteers are very nice...some are grumpy old farts. Parking is a DISASTER.
Can you shuffle around locations for some of the sections that you're having problems with? The office seems to be in the best condition. Could the library move there and solve your "damp" problem? Just a thought.
A major investment of the kind you are thinking about needs to have a clear vision for the needs of the future...but it still won't solve the parking issue.

Vision. Vision. Vision. What is the plan? What would make you relevant moving into the future? It's not about fix and patch, or raising a bunch of $$$ to keep doing what you're doing now. That's what LCS needs to understand.

Here's a suggested exercise for the people who run LCS.

1. Pretend The Lake Chapala Society has never existed before. Ever.
2. Pretend you just inherited the LCS grounds and the Wilkes Center/Biblioteca.
3. Pretend those two pieces of property are empty. Of everything.

What would you create if you inherited those two pieces of property? What would your goals be? What, exactly, would your mission statement say?

If all you come up with is "Serving the Expat Community" by continuing to offer Ed and Lenore a spot to go line dancing once a week, and let's not forget a place for Miss Millie to get her blood pressure checked for free on Wednesdays between 10:30 and 12, it's over.

Time to reinvent.

Well folks........the "failure to communicate" is alive and doing well. I just discovered a modest announcement on TOB that TOMORROW FEBRUARY 28 at 10a.m. is the General Meeting. They need a quorum or they have to put off the meeting.

Better late than never?? Or was this promulgated by jungle drums to the membership previously??

LOL Gringal. That's part of my point...jungle drums!!! It used to work, now it doesn't.

In large part these local forums have probably replaced a lot of what the LCS's original intent was. Maybe I can add an online line dancing section?

gringal wrote:Well folks........the "failure to communicate" is alive and doing well. I just discovered a modest announcement on TOB that TOMORROW FEBRUARY 28 at 10a.m. is the General Meeting. They need a quorum or they have to put off the meeting.

Better late than never?? Or was this promulgated by jungle drums to the membership previously??

This was a reminder, it was in the newsletter that you folks don't read obviously. It happens every year. I am sorry if you don't read.
Z

hound dog wrote:Isn´t it amazing how. over time, seemingly worthwhile endeavors meant to preserve old lifestyles long in the toilet continue to underpin values from yesteryear. When the original underwriters of the Lke Chapala Burial Society were concerned with the disposition of foreign corpses and the then purpuresely evolved opresumptions over time until today when there is no relevance. Old, meaningless houndogs barking at the wind. Pathetic and reminescent of old goobers exercising their limp ding-dongs to no avail.

Dawg you have not been to LCS since your prostrate started to grow. What do you know of the LCS today? NOTHING absolutely nothing.





Z

Zedinmexico wrote:

hound dog wrote:Isn´t it amazing how. over time, seemingly worthwhile endeavors meant to preserve old lifestyles long in the toilet continue to underpin values from yesteryear. When the original underwriters of the Lke Chapala Burial Society were concerned with the disposition of foreign corpses and the then purpuresely evolved opresumptions over time until today when there is no relevance. Old, meaningless houndogs barking at the wind. Pathetic and reminescent of old goobers exercising their limp ding-dongs to no avail.

Dawg you have not been to LCS since your prostrate started to grow. What do you know of the LCS today? NOTHING absolutely nothing. Z

But Zed, with all respect, does the LCS realize whose fault that is? Again, this is our point. If it offered something for those of us described on the many pages of this thread - we would be there!

Listen to Rosa.

Listening is another problem with an aging population...

I talked to Brits, Candians, USA folks yesterday not one person agreed with
anything being said here other than the lack of spanish and mexican. What
am I suppose to think about your comments considering what others are saying
to me? I don't think this board represents LCS membership. What I
will do is make sure management see these comments but they will not
comment on them as that is policy. I am done. I look to the future.


Z

Zed writes:
Dawg you have not been to LCS since your prostrate started to grow. What do you know of the LCS today? NOTHING absolutely nothing.

Well, Zed, if my prostate were, in fact growing, I´d be prostrate.

As for knowing "NOTHING absolutely nothing" about the LCS; I sure as hell know an anachronism when I see one.

Great logic Zed! Talk to the folks still participating at LCS to get more of the same while ignoring the opinions of people outside of LCS who may represent potential new members. Sooner or later, you will achieve nirvana with one remaining member and one opinion.

Lake Chapala Society Campus Enhancement Project

Introduction
The Lake Chapala Society (LCS) is the largest and oldest foreign community organization in the world. Founded in
1955 by a handful of foreigners, the Society has served an important role in both the foreign and Mexican
communities for the past 58 years. For the past several years the Society has maintained a membership of
approximately 3000 members. The Society includes two campuses that are about two and a half blocks from each
other. The Wilkes Educational Center (WEC), Galeana #18) was donated to the Society by Ed Wilkes in 1999 and
houses educational outreach programs and a Spanish library for the Mexican community. Built in the 1950s and 60s,
the main campus (16 de Septiembre #16-A), was donated to the Society by Neill James in 1988.
The current Board of Directors and administration have proposed a renovation and rebuilding of the main campus in
order to better serve the needs of both foreign retirees and the Mexican community. This document offers a
description of the Lake Chapala Society Campus Enhancement Project, its projected cost, and a brief explanation of
the justification for the project. Your comments and advice are welcome and appreciated.
Project Description
The proposed LCS Campus Enhancement Project is a multi-phase construction project that addresses the aging and
deteriorating condition of the buildings as well as the anticipated future needs of the LCS. With the exception of the
Neill James home, the other structures on the campus are too old and deteriorated to renovate, and so most of the
campus will be demolished and rebuilt.
The project is divided into two principle construction areas; the north campus and the south campus (see Attachment
#1). The north campus is where the service offices and main libraries are located. The south campus includes the
Neill James home, Sala, Patio and Gazebo. Construction in the north campus calls for buildings with two levels. The
project will proceed in the order outlined below:
Business/Information offices (west) - This area is currently used for ticket sales, and there are no existing structures.
The ground floor will house the membership and information offices while providing space for tickets and an LCS
sales areas. The 2
nd
floor is for Administrative Offices and a Conference /Board room. An elevator is proposed
between the Entrance area and the business offices.
Library/WC (east) - The ground floor of the east side will house auxiliary library functions such as: a Reading room,
a workroom, open space, storage areas, stairway and lavatory (WC). The 2
nd
floor will house the WEC Library,
Computer Lab and lavatory.
Library/Classrooms (north) - The ground floor will house the English Library and the service office. The 2
nd
floor
will include the WEC office and Classrooms. This area will be designed with moveable walls to allow for
larger/smaller rooms on demand.

Main Entrance - The main entrance to the campus will be rebuilt and offer access to the elevator, stairways and
walkways that serve the entire area.
Neill James Home/Sala (south campus) - This portion of the project will focus more on renovation of existing
buildings such as the Medical Unit which will be upgraded, and the Kitchen area which will be outfitted to handle
the Café operations that are currently found on the north campus, east side. The current Sala, however, will be
substantially renovated/rebuilt to house the New Sala which will be a meeting space for approximately 110 people.
The footprint for the existing Sala will be changed in order to accommodate its expansion as well as a drop off area
which will be situated south of a new handicapped parking area.
Ancillary enhancements - In addition to the major architectural enhancements, the preliminary budget (see
Attachment #2) includes landscaping and grounds improvements, communications systems and Wi-Fi for the entire
campus, the moveable walls mentioned earlier, a professional grade sound system for the New Sala, solar panels to
fuel hot water and pump systems, and walkway lighting. The design will incorporate traditional Mexican
architecture and modern materials and construction techniques that will offer bright and airy rooms, handicapped
accessibility, and technology-friendly buildings.
Statement of Intent for the
Lake Chapala Society Campus Enhancement Project

Justification
The decision to embark on this project is a result of the work and effort of various committees and individuals
concerned about the future of the LCS. The LCS Exploratory Committee examined what improvements and/or
changes should be done over the next 10-30 years, and the common concern among this group was the deteriorating
conditions of the buildings. The committee and administration met with several architects and experts before
deciding to accept the estimate from Rodolfo Rodriguez Perez, an architect from Supervision Ingenieria Y
Construccion. Proposals from other firms supported this estimate, and the firm’s experience in landscape and their
willingness to work with the Federal government to allow LCS to use the federal lake shore for parking made them
the best candidate for this project.
Another more controversial discussion regarding the project has been the reintegration of the WEC programs with
the main LCS Campus. A recent Visibility and Assessment study conducted by the Educational Program committee
revealed that 56% of the 274 Mexicans surveyed did not even know what LCS was or did, and two thirds of the
sample did not know that LCS sponsored the WEC educational programs. The survey also indicated a large demand
for other courses (e.g., computer courses, health and nutrition, etc.) as well as a continued demand for the existing
English (ESL) classes, the Children’s Art program, and the Student Aid program. Since these programs were
originally offered at the main campus, many believe this will improve awareness among the Mexican community
and offer them access to a more technologically advanced facility. The Mexican programs are generally offered in
the late afternoon and evening, while foreign community activities are concentrated in the early morning and early
afternoon hours. Many feel this will promote cultural integration between the Mexican and foreign communities, as
well as reduce operation costs. The WEC building, however, will continue to be used as an educational center or as a
funding source for new community education projects.
Another point of discussion regarding the future of LCS has been the potential impact of the retiring Baby Boomers
and how this generation may affect the mission of LCS. While some have attempted to quantify the growth rate of
the Baby Boomer migration to Mexico, the lack of accurate data on the migration of foreigners to this area prevents
any statistically significant prediction (MPI 2007, Truly 2002, Sunil et al 2007). Researchers, however, have
identified characteristics of those who are more likely to retire to areas of Mexico. These migrants have higher
educational levels, higher residential mobility rates, and extensive travel experience, and these characteristics are
common among the Baby Boomers. In addition, the simple economics of aging, (i.e., the cost of long term care, long
life expectancy, etc.) suggest that more seniors will move to areas that offer lower costs and a higher quality of life
than they can afford in their home country (Banks 2004, Croucher 2012, Warner 2012). Because of this, many
researchers and government officials expect to see an increase in international retirement migration over the next
decades (King et al 2000).
Another issue among the LCS members has been how the needs of this coming retirement generation will differ
from the past and how that might affect LCS and its operations. According to a LCS Membership Survey conducted
in January of 2012, when asked why they joined LCS, more than 75 % of those surveyed indicated these three
reasons: access to the activities, services, and facilities; to support activities of the foreign community; and to
support charitable activities for the Mexican community. The most important activities of LCS were the educational
services for the Mexican community and the free health care services for the foreign and Mexican community.
Finally, the services that most members were interested in were (in ranked order) access to the library, access to
medical services, assisting the Mexican community, access to education programs, and assisting the local foreign
community. These results underscore the need for a campus that will offer a clean, safe and modern environment for
LCS members and the communities it serves.
Project Cost
The total cost for this project comes in at approximately $1.5 million USD. This includes demolition,
foundations, masonry, electrical and plumbing installations, doors, windows, floors, and painting. This estimate
also includes a 20% budget over-run and 16% IVA. We would appreciate your comments and input on this
important project and LCS as we move forward, and hope you will participate by agreeing to be interviewed when
you are contacted.

There's just one important issue not addressed: How is this to be financed?

"The Lake Chapala Society (LCS) is the largest and oldest foreign community organization in the world."

Impressive statement to start off the hussle and hype. Any verifiable proof of such?

I bet you could find some Brit, French and other ex colonial clubs in Africa and Asia that are older idf you even looked but why bother. The US world sure is small.

Gringal, here you go with details...

CG very good point, if you want growth yo have to fish were the fish is not the one you have already in your basket. Sales 101,
another course that could be added..

There is no indication that the above information is intended to be private.

The feasibility study purpose is interview both members and non-members for their reaction to the plan and then the second part consisted of discussing what "support" might be available to implement the plan. The main thought there was threefold - gifts, pledges and bequests.

In our interview we did discuss the possibility of financial participation by developers who are entering the area with the stand alone senior housing developments. Although obviously that idea would not come to fruition before those communities were well on their way to being built which as we know could be or could not be in the near future. there is also the real possibility that senior housing developments would by nature offer a community center with activities and services on site. So if that is the future of growth in the area then LCS is really irrelevant in its present form.

This idea is basically a retread from the old ideas 6 to 8 years ago. Nothing new or forward thinking about it. I had two suggestions: that they implement a pilot project with Kindle for the library. This would involve the purchase of 10 basic Kindles at a price around $50 US dollars. Within an LCS registered Kindle account they could purchase current bestsellers which could them be registered to a specific Kindle when someone wanted to read that book. A deposit of $500 pesos would be required to take the Kindle for a reasonable length of time, say 8 days. This would allow the library component of LCS to determine if electronic books was a way to go forward toward aligning with a library in the US and in Canada for access to books. There is a yearly fee involved in that however that fee could be covered by a single use fee each time someone uses the Kindle, say $30 pesos. Or they could buy the books outright since many cost the same as a hardcover book but take out transportation costs. Either method would allow the library to offer a more current and better selection of titles.

As for magazines I am reading that several which I subscribe to plan within the next renewal years to charge a premium for paper magazines delivered in the post and electronic will be more reasonable. Why them is LCS setting up a magazine reading room?

Also I would reverse the uses of Wilkes and the main LCS grounds. I would move the library/DVD/magazine and administrative functions etc... to the Wilkes center. Since those services have the least possibility of being long lived. And you could probably cut a deal with the church for use of their parking lot which is right up the street. Then main campus would consist of language classrooms, activities fro young and old and personally I would build a shallow pool for aquatic exercise for all and provide swim lessons thru the schools in the area for elementary children.

But then I am generally considered to be a problem where LCS is concerned according to my other half. So consider that a disclaimer on his part. We just don't discuss it at all anymore.

The kindle library has merit , maybe Amazon would be interested in donating some since it would be good advertising for them and would eventually bring them more clients, the more people use them the more they will sell. It would be a pimple in their adv budget. Maybe they could be conviced on starting a Kindle library for the LCS.