Legion members vote to sell

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/09/2014 (3499 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

After a thoughtful and passionate meeting, Legion members voted Tuesday night in favour of selling the building that has been their home for over 25 years.

The evening began with a report by Comrade Bill Richards, chairperson of the building committee that was formed last year in September. They looked at the financial end of the equation, membership as well as volunteerism.

While Legion Branch 190 in Steinbach has around 150 members with new members joining all the time, there are not many active members. This makes it challenging to find people to clean up after the building is used by another party. It also makes for a small list of volunteers to plan and execute any fundraisers.

“Volunteerism has dropped off,” said Richards. “The older generation has dedicated endless hours and we need new blood. Volunteerism here is limited to a few core members.”

The committee explored the possibility of retaining the building while operations continue the way they are right now. There were also discussions about the possibility of a general or shared lease to bring in more revenue.

“Retention is not viable,” Richards reported.

Leasing had been explored with no bites. That left the committee with only one recommendation; to sell.

In the paper issue of The Carillon this week, read the full story of the struggles facing the Legion and the possibility of saving their building.