LCS acquisition

Prime lake front property turned into a parking lot? Terrific.

It's a lot of money to spend for parking so I hope the return on investment is worth it. They will need a lot of new memberships to cover the cost of acquisition and maintainence.

From the September newsletter.... also an article in last weeks Reporter...

LCS Plans for the Next 60 Years

Over the summer, your board of directors and its standing
committees have made significant progress toward meeting our
strategic goals of optimizing programs to assure LCS' continued
relevance, re-engineering the campus to meet our current
and future needs, and improving community and member
perceptions of LCS.

On August 18, LCS purchased Calle Riberas del Lago #50,
formerly owned by LCS member Ruth Darling, located directly
behind LCS behind the Children's Art bodega and the gardener's
bodega on the south end of the property at the lake.

Two donors saw the potential benefits of this acquisition:
the expansion of our outreach to the Mexican community via
our education programs, as well as additional space for new
offerings for our members; opportunity to improve parking for
members, including provisions for handicapped parking; and
the preservation of green space as we add additional capacity.
They donated $380,000, including a short term loan of $30,000,
to make this acquisition possible. Ruth, a long time volunteer
and a strong supporter of our outreach to the local community,
said, "I am so happy that LCS was able to purchase this property.
I think it will be a great opportunity."

At the August 20 board meeting, three important milestones
were achieved. The Community Committee presented a
comprehensive marketing plan designed to increase the level
of awareness and create a positive image of the LCS in the
ex-pat and Mexican communities focusing on the charitable,
educational and cultural contributions that LCS provides to
members and nonmembers alike. This marketing program,
unanimously approved, focuses on four marketing "segments":

1.Soon-to-be retirees - focusing on those who are
investigating Lakeside as a possible retirement
destination or have newly arrived

2.Lakeside residents – to engage or re-engage longer term
residents by emphasizing the economic, intellectual
and philanthropic advantages of belonging to LCS

3.The Mexican business and professional community – to
emphasize the economic benefits of contacts with the
ex-pat community and the cultural benefits of bringing
the two groups together

4. Mexican families living at Lakeside – to encourage
participation in the outreach programs the LCS currently
offers.

Next, the Campus Committee presented four "conceptual"
options for redesigning the current campus that integrate the
current Wilkes functions, including the Neill James Bibleoteca de
Ajijic and the ESL program, into the main campus. The options
presented were based on input from the board, focus groups
and wide-ranging opinions gathered from LCS members and
other interested parties.

The board asked the committee to share these options
to other stakeholders, including LCS volunteers, members,
and other key community members and report to the Board
on its findings next month.

Finally, the board approved the formation of an ad-hoc
Capital Campaign Steering Committee to start organizing for
a Capital Campaign to support the campus redevelopment.
Board members agreed to donate "seed money" to be used
to hire support staff and develop promotional materials.
More news will be forthcoming on the campaign as the
committee is organized and decisions relating to specific
objectives are made.

The board is excited about recent progress and is committed
to the success of these extremely important objectives.
----Ben White, President

---------------------------------------------------------------

They paved paradise and put up a parking lot,

I just did the sale at that house and she is far from dead or dying!

Intercasa wrote:They paved paradise and put up a parking lot,

Absolutely not true. I know for a fact that no decision on use of new property have been made. Give it some time folks to let the dust settle.

Z

Zedinmexico wrote:

Intercasa wrote:They paved paradise and put up a parking lot,

Absolutely not true.  I know for a fact that no decision on use of new property have been made.  Give it some time folks to let the dust settle.

Z

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZd   thatz Joni Mitchell's Big Yellow Taxi

They took all the trees and put them in a tree museum...
Now they charge a buck and a half just ta see em...

Sounds like a win win all round.

Meetings for LCS members will occur in the near future for members input.  Lots of choices to be made. I was impressed by the work being done by board and committee members.
I have heard nothing about taking down any buildings to build parking so lets just stop that rumor right now please. Lots of rumors flying around parking lot for some reason. Silly.

Z

I was thrilled to hear of the acquisition. The LCS grounds serve as a lovely little park in the center of Ajijic, with ponds and a variety of decorative trees and plants. I see a number of natives going thru there, as it is an attractive walk. (The Plaza is attractive but not park-like.) So any land purchase by LCS to expand its space is welcome news to me. And if more parking ensues, that would certainly be welcome by LCS members who are disabled and can't walk far. Me, I usually park on the malecon and walk in, but not everyone can do that.

JayBear wrote: I see a number of natives going thru there, as it is an attractive walk.

Does that make it dangerous for "the others"? 

From the newsletter above:

"opportunity to improve parking for
members, including provisions for handicapped parking; and
the preservation of green space as we add additional capacity."

So, yes, that's part of the plan, too.....and not a bad idea.

IMO, after taking some Spanish classes at the Wilkes center, I think this sorry facility should be sold and the activities it has hosted be moved to the main LCS location.

Attracting new members is going to take some doing, though. They could start by lowering the membership fee and charging separately for use of individual facilities, like the library, which is becoming less and less relevant to a lot of people.

Yes in some areas LCS is behind the times and needs to move forward. Lots of things that could be done.

slainte39 wrote:

JayBear wrote: I see a number of natives going thru there, as it is an attractive walk.

Does that make it dangerous for "the others"? 

LOL!Once while driving thru a problematic neighborhood in the outskirts of Guadalajara my Mexican friend suggested that we roll up the windows just in case the local indios started shooting arrows at us...he was joking of course..

Folks I think they are just talking concepts at this point and a few spaces for handicap parking not a big parking lot which is what folks were concluding thus the Joni Mitchell song. I saw all four proposals and a big parking lot was not part of them. Members should go to the information meeting when they are held soon and look at the drawings themselves.  Opportunity to improve parking could mean four spaces of some kind which would be an improvement to the one handicap space they have on the street now but hardly turning the new property into a parking lot. Whats going on now is folks looking at concepts.

Z