Happy New Year, Bugbee! Winter is certainly here! All I can hear outside are plow trucks. It kind of reminds me of getting a snow day when I was a kid at school, although back then we didn’t have Zoom or laptops. I think I had an Apple IIe when I was young, but all I did with it was play “Oregon Trail.” In any case, I like working at Bugbee, and what could be better than helping to edit the Bulletin with a cup of tea during a snowstorm.
As you probably saw on the front page, we’ve got a collection of maintenance projects slated for the calendar. I can’t think of a time since maybe the pandemic where the Center will be closed for a week! It’s a lot to coordinate with a small team so I appreciate your patience during this temporary change of pace. The biggest project will probably be excavating part of the floor in the kitchen to replace some plumbing – I will be sure to take pictures for everyone. Can’t wait to see what they find under the floor! Despite the uncertainty that big repair projects bring, I’m sure that we’ll “roll with it.” Thank you to Putnam Vineyard, the Wilder Club, & Quail Hollow, who are allowing us to meet offsite for some activities. One of Putnam’s staff said “we’re looking forward to being Bugbee Lite for a few days!”
I also wanted to thank the Bugbee Building Committee, who helped us prioritize the most important repair projects, and who recommended we get these done to the Hartford Selectboard. The Committee had some friends from Bugbee, some staff from the Town, and some community members. Working with them reminded me how important this place is to so many people – to me, a symbol of how important you all are to us.
Thank you all for being a part of making Bugbee an awesome and welcoming senior center.
Happy Valentine’s Day. Stay warm!
Mark Bradley
Executive Director