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Memo 6: A Sketch of the Situation with our Bergfried Property
April 26, 2004
Index of Leadership Memos
At a congregational meeting on April 18, the congregation voted to give the Board of Trustees authority to bid on a piece of land-3/4 of a acre-- adjacent to our property in central Missouri, over 600 acres known as the Bergfried property. The small piece of land next to the property, 1528 Hwy 100, will be offered at a sheriff's auction on May 6. This property is in a strategically key location to our property, and there is general agreement that acquiring it will make the entire property more valuable.
The main reasons to acquire the ¾ acre:
- It will provide a safe entrance to the Bergfried property. This small piece of land contains the original entrance to the rest of the property; the current entrance is very unsafe, especially for large vehicles such as campers or buses.
- There is a well on the property, although it will need to be treated before the water is potable
- There are electric and phone lines on the property which we may be able to make use of in the future.
The existing house on the property has known code violations, and this house, as it now stands, will not serve the needs of providing bathroom and shower facilities for the Bergfried property. The Board has made a commitment to try to acquire the property first, and if we are successful, to make a decision about what exactly to do with the house. According to a survey of the congregation last year, more Eliot members and friends would consider camping at Bergfried if there were bathroom and shower facilities. Whatever decision is made about the house will take into account the ultimate goal of using our resources wisely to achieve our long-range goals.
We have capital for the purchase of this house because the Bergfried property itself has generated capital through timber and quarry sales. This fund has been held separate from other Eliot funds, but has occasionally been used for capital improvements on our Kirkwood property. The Board will keep in mind the capital needs of all of Eliot's holdings as we bid on this strategic piece of land.