PROGRESS REPORT # 1 on MAJOR RESTORATION PROJECTS at STILL MOUNTAIN MEDITATION CENTER

We are making steady progress in our quest to prepare STILL MOUNTAIN MEDITATION CENTER for reopening for online and in person public programs

Feb 20, 2024

THE DAWNING LIGHT, Volume 8, # 783 Tuesday, February 20, 2024

STILL MOUNTAIN CHRONICLES Section # 48 Stories by Chinmayan about our life, challenges and triumphs in seeking simple living freedom and our way of serving the world in a small rural meditation Center

Top image: photo by Chinmayan….. Bottom Image courtesy of Pixabay

All construction photos by Chinmayan…all other images courtesy Pixabay

We are making steady progress, even with bad weather and set backs, on our quest to prepare Still Mountain Meditation Center for reopening for a full schedule of public on line and public programs…

We Are Making Steady Progress

Even though we are being buffeted and battered by one back to back atmospheric rainstorm after another, we are still able to make slow but steady progress on the major restoration projects that we launched here on Still Mountain.

A few weeks ago, while I was in deep prayer, I realized it was time to move out of the long retreat we have been on here since we had to close Still Mountain during the Lockdown period of the COVID Pandemic.

I realized that we needed to reactivate the Center as soon as possible because the need in the world for this ministry is very great, now more than ever before.

I feel a very clear and strong inner call to resume teaching, producing events, and retreats and offering our Resourcing Counseling programs…as well as expanding our Publications (like this “Dawning Light” newsletter) into books, videos and courses.

If you missed our earlier story about this work that we have undertaken as part of our preparing to reopen our Still Mountain Meditation Center for public programs, here are the links to that story: https://open.substack.com/pub/thedawninglight/p/finally-launching-major-restoration?r=1l34hk&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web.

Just to quickly recap…We have several projects that we need to complete before we will be ready to re open, and we are working on them one by one in a well thought out sequence that gives us the best use of the time and funds we have available.

RESTORING THE FLOOR and SUMP PUMP SYSTEM IN THE SOUTH END

Our first project that we started working on a few weeks ago is to replace the rotted floor and restore the sump pump system in the South End.

Our Meditation Center building is over 4000 square feet, and is divided into the North End, which has our large meditation hall, kitchen, offices, bathrooms and Resourcing Ministry room…

and the South End, which is a large unfinished open space that was used as a shop and store rooms…Ever since our building was constructed back in 1906, a large lake would appear under the floor every winter during heavy rains.

Years ago we built an extensive sump pump system with deep wells to collect and pump the water out from under the building to prevent this lake from forming. In recent years, the entire floor in the South End rotted out from the moisture and the failure of some of the pumps to operate.

OUR PROGRESS SO FAR

In the weeks we have been working on this project we have…

**Restored or replaced all four sump pumps, cleaned out the sump wells and repaired all the drain lines that carry the rain water out from under the building into a brook that flows into a big creek and away from Still Mountain

**Spent six days clearing and cutting new much better drainage canals to catch and funnel all the incoming water into the sump wells, which insures that the lake of old never forms and the ground under the floor stays dry

**Removed half of the rooted floor and prepared it for the new high quality ACX tongue and groove plywood flooring

**Installed new 15 pound roofing underpayment on floor joists to make a vapor barrier and laid down about half of the new flooring, including greatly strengthening the floor joists by adding new ones wherever needed

Half of the new flooring in the area we have cleared of old rotted floor has been installed….

STILL TO BE DONE…

Our intention for this week is to:

**Complete laying down the rest of this first half of the floor’s vapor barrier and flooring plywood

**Build new large access ports in the floor over each of the four sump wells with easily removable hatch covers so we can monitor and service the pumps and wells

**Restore GFCI electrical plugs to each well to provide safe power to each individual pump

**Clear the completed new floor of tools and materials, set up shelves and space for everything being removed from meditation hall

**Begin work on PHASE TWO, which is the next project…clearing the meditation hall of everything that has been stored in it and making the necessary repairs and upgrades to get it ready to open to public programs…

We will come back to rebuilding the second half of the old floor in the South End after we have completed restoring the Meditation Hall.

WE ARE VERY HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE THAT Inner Resource Institute, our California recognized Non Profit Organization, has received our first major donation to our Still Mountain Building and Restoration Fund.

At the end of our story about our “Finally Launching Major Restoration Projects At Still Mountain Meditation Center” we included an appeal for donations to help us fund these projects…which I am republishing at the end of this story.

WE RECEIVE FIRST LARGE and TIMELY DONATION

A couple that have been working through our Resourcing Relationship Rescue and Restoration ministry program to save and transform their troubled marriage for the past few months…and who are grateful for both this program and for the daily positive and inspiring messages in our “Dawning Light” newsletter have donated $5,000.00 to Inner Resource Institute, our non profit organization.

Because of this donation, we are able to continue with the work. This donation is a total God Send as we had used up all of our non profit’s Building Fund savings account…and would have had to stop work without this timely donation.

We are used to operating on a shoe string budget and are extremely frugal and careful with the use of whatever funds come to us through doing things to raise funds such as making and selling Firewood…

We respect our donor’s privacy by not naming them here, but we do want to give them a huge and loud THANK YOU FROM OUR HEARTS for your timely help and your loving and consistent support of us and our ministry!

OUR CALL TO ACTION and Donation Portal

I am republishing our CALL TO ACTION here, for those who would like to make a donation or who would like to volunteer to help us reopen Still Mountain Meditation Center…

But to keep the momentum of these projects going, we need to ask you, our Dawning Light family and friends to help us with a donation to the “Still Mountain Restoration and Building Fund.”

We have created a safe and secure portal for making donations directly to our non profit organization of any size at any time.

Here is the link you can use to make donations of any size:

CLICK HERE: To make a donation.

Ani and I have been funding all the work we have done to build this Center over the past 28 years through taking outside jobs and saving up, often for years, to do the next repair.

But now it is time for us to appeal to our friends and the folks who love this Center and all that we are offering here to come forward and help us.

To do all the work that is needed for us to be ready to open, we have a projected budget of $15,000 to $20,000 dollars to raise. This is the amount we are praying for. We are extremely frugal with all the funds that come to us, as we now live very simply and have learned how to be wise in the use of money so as to get the most “bang for the Buck.”

We will posting stories of our progress as we keep this momentum going.

The purpose of all of this work is to restore our old building so we can reopen for a full schedule of programs and activities with only purpose in mind—which is serving as many people as we can through offering classes, courses and events that truly make a major positive difference in the lives of all who participate.

If you can’t give a donation, but still want to help us with our quest, there are many opportunities for volunteering.

It takes many people in alignment and working together to accomplish great and meaningful things…and you are whole heartedly invited to join us in whatever way you can and want to on this magnificent journey!

Image by Still Mountain Meditation Center

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE WITH US TODAY!

If you loved this issue of the free version of “The Dawning Light” we ask that you consider supporting us on our mission to help save the world….

…By sharing any of our stories with your circle of beloveds, friends or anyone else in your life would would love and be helped by this newsletter and letting EVERYONE in your world know that we are giving FREE SUBSCRIPTIONS to the daily version of “The Dawning Light” to anyone who wants and needs it.

Refer a friend

Thank you for reading The Dawning Light. This post is public so feel free to share it.

…By clicking on the little heart at the top and bottom of this story to show all of us that you loved it…and make my day!

…By leaving us a comment so we can all hear your thoughts and ideas…

PROGRESS REPORT # 1 on MAJOR RESTORATION PROJECTS at STILL MOUNTAIN MEDITATION CENTER

We are making steady progress in our quest to prepare STILL MOUNTAIN MEDITATION CENTER for reopening for online and in person public programs

Discussion about this post