Greetings everyone! Autumn is a time for Thanksgiving, and like every other year, I am thankful for everyone who contributes their time and talents to the DAC.

It was so wonderful to see everyone at the recent annual meeting. The annual meeting is a chance for us all to reflect on the past year and celebrate the success that we’ve had as an organization. Preparation for the annual meeting involved a great deal of reflection on the past year. We looked at our level of activities, the amazing amount of volunteer hours that were contributed by membership, and we also took inventory of our financial situation. For those of you who were at the meeting, I hope you got a clear picture of the status of the DAC and some of the successes and possible challenges that we have going forward.

We had a very successful year in terms of activities. We’ve added new activity groups, and we have a strong base of volunteers. Danish Day was a success, both in terms of attendance and financially, and our rental activity at the DAC remains strong.

Our financial position looks very solid. Our balance sheet is strong, aided by solid increase in the value of our invested assets. Our building is an investment in and of itself, and as we look forward to the fall and winter, we will be making the improvements that we discussed at the meeting. Chief among these are the addition of new bathrooms on the first floor. We’ve also completed some very necessary maintenance tasks, including a substantial amount of exterior painting that is essential to maintaining our building. As we look forward to the coming year, there may be other significant maintenance needs that need to be addressed, including the possibility of some roof work. We will budget for this accordingly, and make sure that we’re taking proper care of our property.

Among the most important activities that occurred at the annual meeting was the election of new officers. To those who left the board as their term expired, I thank you so much for volunteering your time to our organization. For those who have volunteered to join the board and contribute your time and expertise, I thank you also. It is a great commitment to our DAC, and you are very much appreciated.
Pete Gantriis