Worshipful Master's Message
W. Bro. Bryan Gerrie
W. M. Cascade Lodge # 5
2004
December 2004
Brethren,
This will be my last message as
2004 W.M. and I would like to thank all brethren of Cascade Lodge for your
support during the year. The Lodge has realized a number of accomplishments in
2004, the most notable being our success in obtaining designation as a Town of
Banff “Municipal Heritage Resource”. This designation preserves our lodge
building as a Masonic Lodge for future generations. This is no small
accomplishment and our J.W. deserves credit for taking on the task of preparing
the necessary submissions to the Town of Banff that resulted in the passing of
the required bylaw on December 13, 2004.
This designation comes with a
grant from the Town of Banff for $45,000 to be paid over 3 years. The funds will
be spent on restoring and maintaining the Lodge building over the next three
years. In anticipation of the grant, we have already upgraded the insulation in
the attic and are in the process of replacing our old inefficient furnaces that
we expect will be completed by the time you read this notice.
This designation also opens the
door to obtaining provincial and federal heritage status and hopefully
additional funding in the future. Our J.W. will be moving to the S.W. chair in
2005 and will continue on this task.
While I will be passing the
gavel to W.M. Elect, Bro. Stephen Moore,
I intend to remain involved with the Cascade Lodge Centennial Committee in
planning events for 2005. Bro. J.W. has suggested that we hold an open house in
February to invite interested members of the Bow Valley communities to visit the
Lodge and get some sense of the history of the building as well as learn
something about the craft. More information will be forthcoming in January. I
believe that in order to attract new members to the Lodge, it is imperative that
we increase our profile in the community. Take this opportunity to talk to your
friends about the historical significance of our Lodge and of Masonry in
general.
We made a number of visits to
other lodges during the year, and while we missed a couple of lodges in the
district, I intend to support our new W.M. in his visitations next year and
encourage all brethren to do likewise.
We have conferred Honorary Life
Memberships on two worthy brethren and hopefully we will continue to identify
and honor brothers in the coming year.
Bryan Gerrie, W.M.
November 2004
Designation of
Cascade Lodge as a Municipal Heritage Resource
Further to the decision of the Lodge to seek Heritage status, we have now received a draft of the proposed bylaw, compensation agreement, and maintenance contract. If any of the brethren would like a copy of the documentation for their review, please contact me and I can mail or fax a copy.
The following represents a summary of the content of the documents:
The Bylaw – The Bylaw provides for the designation of Cascade Lodge as a Municipal Historic Resource. It describes in detail the location and features of the building, both inside and out, and imposes some obligations on the owners of the Lodge through the schedules to the Bylaw.
Essentially Cascade Lodge agrees that the building will not be “removed, destroyed, disturbed, altered, rehabilitated, repaired” other than in accordance with the schedule dealing with “General Guidelines for Conservation”.
General Guidelines for Conservation – Provides for any development or alteration affecting the lodge must respect and conserve the heritage value and character defining elements of the building. It is desirable that the building continue to be used as it has been used in the past and continues to be used today (i.e. As a Masonic Lodge). The removal or alteration of any historic material is to be avoided. Architectural features should be repaired rather than replaced where possible. The Town and Cascade Lodge will enter into an agreement to maintain the building in a manner to prevent deterioration. Signs should be limited to signs that were originally present on the building.
Compensation – It is proposed that the Town will provide the Lodge with a “preservation grant”, not to exceed $15,000 per year during the years 2005 to 2007 (3 years). The grant is to be payable as of March 15th in the year following the year that the Bylaw is passed.
Maintenance Agreement – Cascade Lodge will mutually agree to a maintenance work plan that will outline any work that needs to be done to maintain the building, a schedule for completion of the work, and the manner in which the work will be completed. Costs of completing the work are the responsibility of the Lodge. There is a provision for arbitration in the event of disagreement between the Town and the Lodge.
It is the intention that the appropriate officers of the Lodge sign the agreements in order that the Bylaw can be presented and hopefully passed at the December 13th meeting of Council. This will ensure that we will receive the appropriate compensation early in 2005.
Note: Our discussions have centered on the compensation amount of $15,000. This is a decision of council and the amount could be less at their discretion. I will be in attendance at the council meeting and hopefully will be able to speak in support of this amount.
BUILDING
INSPECTION:
Brother Paul Tobolski has completed a full inspection of the building. If any brother wants a copy of his full report, please contact me. The two key areas that need attention are the upgrading of the insulation in the building and the replacement of the furnaces. We have two furnaces that were installed in the late 70’s. They are Flamemaster Furnaces and are very inefficient. This model of furnace apparently has a very poor reputation. We are proceeding to obtain quotes to replace the furnaces and upgrade the insulation. It is hoped that we will be able to finalize these projects this winter in order to reduce our operating cost. We intend to apply the grant money from the Town of Banff to these projects.
There are a number of other smaller housekeeping issues that we will need to address and the SW will proceed with these items in 2005.
I would like to express our appreciation to Brother Tobolski and his wife, Joyce, for providing their assistance and expertise in preparing the report on the Lodge.
Fraternally,
Bryan Gerrie, WM.
Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones. As the words in one Beatles famous records put it. “Love is all you need” and how true it is.
August 2004
Brethren,
We
are now past the halfway mark of 2004 and the summer is progressing too quickly.
When we leave the house in the morning, the crisp mountain air reminds us that
fall is just around the corner. A big thank you, to Bro. J. W. Nigel Paterson
and R. W. Bro Whitbread for organizing and attending the Open Doors Banff event
in the spring. Unfortunately I was unable to attend, however from all reports it
was very successful and will be repeated next year as part of the 2005
celebrations.
Bro.
Paterson has also provided an update (see here)
on our application for heritage status and hopefully by the end of the year it
will be complete. As you can see from his report, this will provide an
opportunity for some funding for the lodge.
Regretfully,
Jordan Lodge has surrendered its charter for a number of reasons. I was unable
to visit their lodge in July, however will be attending a dinner along with
other sitting W.M.'s in September hosted by their members. When a lodge ceases
to exist, the orphan brethren can of course affiliate with another lodge or
their choice, but we are reminded of the importance of supporting our lodge and
make every effort to not only recruit new members but also encourage inactive
brethren to return.
Our
next scheduled visitation is Bow River Lodge on October 6th and I
would be pleased to drive any brother who wishes to attend.
We
have also tentatively scheduled a table lodge for October - more on this later.
Our web site at www.cascade5.org
has generated hits from around the world and Bro. Guiler
has done an admirable job in creating, improving, and maintaining the site. If
there is anything that you would like included on the site, please email myself
or Bro. Guiler and we will try to accommodate your wishes.
June 2004
Brethren,
We
are almost half way through the year. We were planning on a Fellowcraft Degree on June 24, 2004 but circumstances beyond our control have
not allowed this to happen. The candidate is getting married early June so we
wish the newlyweds many years of happiness and prosperity in their
new journey together.
Remember
to contact Brother Nigel Paterson if you are interested in attending the Lake
Minnewanka Wine & Cheese Boat Tour on Friday, June 18th. We have
had considerable interest from our Calgary brethren and there are only 40
tickets available. This will be a great opportunity to renew acquaintances with
both Cascade Lodge brethren and other Lodge brethren who are planning to visit.
This is open to all family members.
As
this will be the last notice before summer, I would like to wish all the
brethren a safe and healthy summer wherever your travels take you.
Fraternally, Bryan Gerrie.
May 2004
Brethren,
On June 14 we will visit St. Marks Lodge. Your support for this visitation would be appreciated, I am hoping for a large turnout.
Please
note our Junior Warden has set the date for the Lake Minnewanka Cruise for
Friday June 18,
2004.
The boat will leave the dock at 7:00 pm.
(Please be at the dock by 6:45 pm)
The cruise
itself will take about 90 minutes, wine and cheese will be served on the boat.
The boat seats
40 people so we need to know in advance if you are coming.
Please book your seat by calling Bro. Nigel Paterson 762-2580.
This cruise is
open to members and their family and friends, everyone is welcome.
Price: $31.00 per person
Any brother who wishes to join us from Lodges in Calgary is encouraged
to do so. For those out of Towner’s’ who wish to spend Fathers Day weekend
in Banff or Canmore Bro. Paterson is arranging a special hotel rate. Call
Nigel at (403) 762-2580 for details.
The last time Cascade Lodge organized this trip was on a beautiful day
in June 1983. So don’t miss out, book your seat today.
Fraternally,
Bryan Gerrie.
April 2004
Brethren, we had a
great visit at King Solomon Lodge in March and were received as official
visitors “in form”. This was a new experience for all of us I believe. The
evening was very enjoyable and it was interesting to hear that they are also
seeking heritage status for their building.
Our J.W. arranged
for members of Banff’s Heritage corporation to visit Cascade Lodge room and
they were very impressed with the historic significance of our lodge. We are
moving forward with our application.
Fraternally, Bryan.
March 2004
Brethren,
we had an excellent turnout for our visit to Perfection Lodge and I believe the
largest visiting delegation that evening. Thank you for your support. We are
moving forward with our application for Heritage Designation and hope to have a
presentation to the Lodge in the near Future to receive final approval from our
brethren. The Rocky Mountain Outlook is doing an article on the Lodge
building that may be out by the time you receive this notice.
Please
come out to support our new candidate at our next meeting.
We
are trying to build a database of email addresses and fax numbers to enable us
to provide you notices and other information in a more cost efficient manner.
Please email me at wmaster@cascade5.org with
your current information. Please note that this information will not be shared
with anyone else.
February 2004
Brethren, thank you for
your confidence and support as we move into 2004. This year we hope to finalize
the application for Heritage status for the lodge and proceed with plans to
improve and restore some aspects of the building. I welcome your constructive
suggestions. Lodge membership and attendance is an ongoing challenge and I
encourage all to join with us at our monthly meeting and bring a brother who we
haven’t seen for a while with you.
Thanks, Bryan
Bryan Gerrie
Box 1360, Banff, AB T1L 1B3