Construction and Continuity Update (as of November 19, 2015)

The Continuity Group is starting to feel the sense of urgency that comes from knowing we have a relatively short amount of time to pull a lot of moving parts together. To break it down, put a fine point on it, or whatever other phrases fit the bill … the entire staff of VPR will need to vacate our current areas of operation, move fully into areas that will be newly built and not entirely finished, keep doing all that we do (and start/stop doing some things) for a number of months until the construction crews completes their work, and then work to get ourselves settled into the completed building.

Don’t be alarmed! We have all that we need and more to pull that off successfully. We’re going to surf the wave like the pros we are.  There will be lots of communicating, plenty of task lists with timelines, staff Q&A sessions (hopefully with role playing which we all love), and food. Plus we have each other – and we are pretty good at helping each other laugh when things seem hard.

Imagine March 7^th through March 20^th as dates that we might be surfing together

At our last meeting, those dates – March 7 to 20 – were put forward as tentative, possible, maybe, potential dates for the bulk of office moving to take place. This information is designed to build your own sense of momentum and timing, but the reality is that the exact dates won’t really become solid until closer to February. But, it’s very exciting to be thinking about an actual timeline now.

VPR Office Security Practices

We are all accustomed to coming and going at hours that can vary greatly, and some people have regular work hours that are early or late or on weekends. This is simply a reminder that the VPR office in Colchester should be locked before 9AM and after 5PM (the office is open between 9AM and 5PM). If you find that you are coming or going from the office at hours outside of those, please be sure that you have locked the front door behind you. If you’re working early in the morning and come through the front door, please be sure to lock the door behind you. If you’re working late, and leave after 5PM, please be sure to lock the door behind you. If you need a key, please contact Laurie Kigonya. The staff members who are currently working in The Loft have a different locking protocol, but the same is true in general – the door to the offices should be locked before 9AM and after 5PM, even if there is someone working inside.

VPR Events

Many departments around VPR plan events, for a variety of groups to come visit VPR. It’s exciting to think about all the new events we will do with Studio 1 when the new building is completed. In the meantime however, with the construction activity and parking woes, it’s even more important right now to plan for events. So, if you’re hosting any sort of event (examples could include donor events, volunteer events, music events, radio camp, etc.) please be sure that you communicate your plans in advance to someone in the Continuity Group or by sending an email to Heather Dieringer. While we do see the Events calendar, some events aren’t on that calendar and the full event information is necessary for us to understand how to plan for parking and other construction issues.

Construction Update

Next week, windows above the cafe will be installed

After Thanksgiving, windows in the technology & newsroom areas will be installed

This Saturday we will be doing the cut over of electricity from the current feed to the new system. Joe will be on site to ensure the generator is functioning correctly. For any staff working on Saturday, they will not be able to park along the fence side of the new parking lot for that day.
Looking pretty good for the transition into the new building to start the 2nd week of March.