by Anya Firszt, General Manager
Hello summer! Hello June!
“Long stormy spring-time, wet contentious April, winter chilling the lap of very May; but at length the season of summer does come.” -Thomas Carlyle
This is the month that the traditional school year ends, and for some summer school begins. Also, we in the Northern Hemisphere celebrate the summer solstice; the official beginning of summer. Happy Solstice!
There is a lot going on at your Co-op this month. June is the last month of the current fiscal year and we are hurriedly finishing planned projects and tying up loose ends in preparation for the coming fiscal year. It is the month that management finalizes the coming year’s fiscal operations and capital budgets for our Finance Committee to review and submit their recommendation to the Board for review and approval. It is a busy time for operations, not to mention all the preparations for upcoming Board and Owner events.
Board of Director elections July 1–17, 2018
Candidate information for the upcoming board elections will be shared with Owners in the July Reader as well as online. Then it will be your job as Owners of the Co-op to review the materials and cast your ballot for the three candidates that you feel will best represent you on the Board. These new Board members will be tasked with collaborating on the vision and governance of our cooperative. Please keep an eye out for candidate information in the July Reader!
You will be able to cast your ballot in the ballot box located near the Customer Service desk at any of our stores, vote online via the unique ballot link emailed to you (provided we have your current email address), or mail absentee ballots to 1457 E. Washington Ave. If you’re not sure if we have your current email address, there’s still time to check! Just stop at the Customer Service desk in any of our stores and we can check for you. Ballots are due no later than Tuesday, July 17 at 6:00pm!
Annual Meeting & Party (AMP)
As if you need another reminder! Our annual meeting and party is scheduled for Thursday, July 12th in Madison’s Milton McPike Park (formerly called Central Park). Gifts bags will be distributed to the first 1,000 ticket holders starting at 4:30pm, along with children’s activities, Ferris wheel rides and music taking place throughout the afternoon and evening. The annual business meeting is slated to start at 5:45pm.
Meal tickets will be available starting July 1 at any of the retails. This year meal options include either tamales, gluten-free vegan options or the brand new carnivore option: BBQ pulled chicken.
Willy West expansion
We are still in the first phase of remodel and expansion work at Willy West. The concrete floor in the new space has been removed, underground plumbing and electrical lines have been laid, and masonry is being demolished and rebuilt. Stay tuned for more exciting updates as we begin work in the existing retail space—that’s when the real fun will start!
Finance Committee Seeking New Member
The Board’s Finance Committee has a vacancy to fill. After eight years of service on the Finance Committee, committee member AJ Sue has stepped down to pursue other interests. Thank you AJ for being an integral part of overseeing the financial health of this organization and seeing us through a successful third site opening and eight years of budget planning!
We are looking for candidates with financial experience who are committed to Willy Street Co-op and its ideals. The average time commitment is five-to-six hours each month. Please contact Ben Becker b.becker@willystreet.coop (link sends e-mail)) if you are interested and would like to volunteer.
Special store hours: July 1 and July 4
Please take notice, early in the coming month (July) we have dates on which the Co-op will be closing early. All stores will close at 7:30pm on Sunday, July 1 for our year-end physical inventory count, and at 7:30pm on Wednesday, July 4 in observance of Independence Day.
Face-to-face-time with the General Manager is next scheduled at Willy North on Sunday, June 17 from 12:00pm–2:00pm to coincide with the Board’s tabling session. You can also reach me by calling my direct line: 608-237-1210 or emailing me at a.firszt@willystreet.coop (link sends e-mail).
I am looking forward to enjoying all the summer food, including BBQ, fruit salad, and s’mores! Ciao.
