Over the last 25 years since we moved to this location, the Seed facility was cared for by Bill Glover. Serving as our Business and Facilities Manager, he kept an eagle eye on the property and building. Having been in the construction business for decades, he had a unique skill set that served the Seed well. We have our beautiful playground and incredible shade trees because of his vision. One of his main contributions maintenance-wise was the shade screen system that surrounds the building.
The shade screen system survived over two decades of summer heat, desert storms, and extra windy days. From time to time, a section of the “sail” would rip and need replacement. Often times it would be Bill doing most of this work on his own, although in the last few years, a few helpful workers have contributed time to the cause. As time has passed, our faithful guardian has not been able to do the work he has in the past, and we’ve had to call on multiple people to cover all the tasks he’s done for the Seed since 1987.
Time has taken a toll on our current shade system, and we’ve reached a point of needing to move in a new direction. On Wednesday a crew removed the awnings, poles, and a section of fencing from the big sand circle area. Fortunately, we still have an immense amount of tree shade on the playground, which will hold us over until we have our new shade structures in place. Today we met with a representative of the company that will install two new shade structures on the playground, one over the sand circle and the other over the basketball court. Ironically, they are the same company that made the custom sails for our current system.
Change can be difficult, especially when it involves shifting the way we’ve done things for years and years. But it also forces us to think outside the box, and visualize a new way of being. As we move through this process, we simultaneously honor and acknowledge the incredible work that has gotten us this far, while we look forward to expressing the Seed vision in new, creative ways. Look for our new shade structures appearing in early June.