A Child's Haven - 13. Chapter 13

I hadn’t seen mom and dad for a while, not since the last board meeting, so it was nice to play catch up. I showed them the cook shack, the work going on for the offices, and the buses. I told them about the kids’ contest and our plans to see the Lion King and the zoo. “I’m looking for new ideas. So far we’ve come up with a picnic and going to a park. But I need more. I’d like to do one outing a month. If you guys come up with any ideas, let me know.”

We had our meeting on 3A. Abe presented the plans for the 3rd floor, the plans for the cook shack, and the office area. The plans were discussed in detail; mom and dad thought I might be biting off a big piece of work that might cause me to become ill. Tony and Abe laughed, “He doesn’t do the work. He farms it out to us.”

“The floor we are on will be for the classrooms for our school. There will be facilities for staff as well as students. We need to answer a few questions, such as how large a classroom will be needed. I was planning on a four-hour class each day, Saturday included. And most importantly, I need a professional to help design the ideal classroom and to obtain staff.”

“Why only four hours per day? Most schools operate seven hours per day.”

“The seven hours includes lunch and sport activities. If we take that time away from the seven hours, you are in the range of five hours. A standard school has seven hours for five days; we will have four hours for six days. Considering that traditional schools have lunch periods, break between classes, we probably have the equivalent number of teaching hours. The other thing is that the kids will not change classes, but we’ll have roving teachers instead. Each classroom will have a locker for the teacher.” I was planning on utilizing retired teachers who love teaching, and I’d like to have two teachers per subject.

“How do you plan on recruiting teachers?”

“I’d like to contact the school boards, but I’m afraid they’ll make the kids go there instead of being schooled here. The problem is that they’ll be put back into the system, and anyone can find them, even those people who caused them to run away. These kids need anonymity until they are old enough to be recognized as an adult. So Grace, with your insight and knowledge, I was hoping you could help me. I want to open the school this fall just like a regular school. I need to have them tested to find out their placement level. I need help in this area. So if any of you have an idea, float it by me.”

“What about an exercise program?”

“On 2C, there is a gym at the end of the cocoons. That gym is equipped with treadmills, bicycles, and some exercise machines. I don’t want to have a muscle-building gym; I’m looking for a basic exercise that tones the natural body. The equipment I’ve installed will do that.

“How are you going to keep their interest in using the gym?”

“Two ways, the machines I have are tied into video games. For example, on the treadmill, you are chasing a cat, if you go fast, you get closer, and if you go slow, you may lose the cat, and then the screen changes and shows a boy or girl on the bike being chased by a large rabbit. You are the turtle in the hare and turtle race. The kids can select the video from a keyboard mounted on the treadmill. The bicycles, you are in a bicycle race; as you pedal, you move forward. It is a takeoff from the bicycle races shown on TV. On the workout machines, you’re shown the correct way, and an on-screen instructor coaches you. Your statistics are kept, and you can see the changes.”

“It seems you have thought this through fairly well.”

“He thinks, and we do, right, Tony.”

“What are your plans for 3B?

“For 3B, I want to build an apartment complex that contains the concepts of a college dorm and that of an apartment. As our kids get older, I want to move them from the cocoons into those apartments. I have two reasons; if they get a scholarship, in all probability, they’ll end up in a dorm where they’ll share a room. In the apartments, they’ll share a room with two roommates. They’ll learn to live with someone in a more intimate way. They’ll also experience a little of living in an apartment where the units have a small kitchen. So they’ll not only learn to keep their bedroom clean but also their kitchen. I’ll put a lounge at the end of the apartments so they can relax with others, similar to some college dorms.”

“How will you decide who goes into these apartments.”

“The main criteria will be age. They’d have to be close enough in age to be college freshmen, given a year or two. Maturity will be a big factor, and I can judge that by seeing them every day. Factors like self-initiative, getting along with others, being established as a leader, and other traits need to be considered.”

“Do you have any candidates now?

“Yes, I’ve two candidates I’d consider now. There’s Jeff. You probably have seen him around. He’s a quiet kid, soon to be 17, and is recognized by the other kids as a leader. The other is Andy. Andy is 19 and will be 20 in 6 months. He has completed his freshman year and is currently enrolled in an online university program. He works part-time as a waiter and is looked upon by the younger kids as a big brother.”

“How soon will 3B be completed?”

“Not until the classrooms are completed. I’ll move the carpenters to 3B as they finish the classrooms. Once Abe finished the drawings, we can begin to install the electrical lines and the ventilation duct. Of course, the final connection will have to wait until the apartments are completed.”

“OK, what are your plans for 3C?”

“That floor is going to be bedrooms for permanent staff that’ll be living here. The bedrooms will have windows, a comfortable bed, a desk, an ensuite bathroom, and a walk-in closet. They’ll be big enough to have a small lounge area. If we had a late meeting, you could even sleep there.”

“And do you have anyone chosen for that floor?”

“Currently only one, but I’m hoping for more. To fill that area permanently will be harder because most of the permanent staff are married or have a significant other. In those cases, living here would be a problem. The rooms will be designed for a single person. A single person could stay there until he got married, and then he’d have to move out. The first person for that floor is a charming guy who can get his friends to carry out his schemes.”

“You know I might be interested. It seems I’m always here anyway.”

“You can stay here, Tony. If I were here, my wife would shoot me. Anyway, I’d be too close to Brad, and heaven knows what his next project will be.”

“I have just two last items to bring to the Board. First, I’d like to nominate Abe as a member. Are there any dissenters? No, then welcome to the Board, Abe. I didn’t expect anyone to disagree. Abe has done some great designs for Sanctuary and has been a great friend. The next item concerns the kids. I’d like to give the kids an allowance and pay them for the work they do here. Currently, we have no staff, so cleaning and laundry are done on a volunteer basis. I’ve been using one person for record-keeping. I asked Tony to look into this, Tony the floor is yours.”

“Giving an allowance is no problem, but paying them will require a work permit. We’ll have to file taxes and Social Security. My recommendations are to wait till they are over sixteen until then give them an allowance. Once they are over sixteen, they can work part-time until they are eighteen and work full time. There is no limit to what the allowance can be, but it must be reasonable and age-appropriate.”

“Tony, can you bring the Board up to date on our 501c filing.”

“I checked with the IRS, and they wanted to make an inspection. I told them to give us twenty-four hours’ notice so we can have all the records available for their review.”

“Will you keep us up to date on that item?”

“Brad, I think we should hire a secretary for you who can take notes from the Board meeting. We have discussed some very expensive and serious issues, and we should have a record of these meetings.”

“That’s a good idea, Mom. You do realize that once we have a secretary, I’ll have to address you by your name and not mom.” If eyes could kill and then my mom’s smile, which I love to see. “Mom, since this is your idea, would you mind taking on the job of finding a secretary. But don’t get one too attractive, or Tony will lose his concentration.”

With that, we adjourned the meeting. I thought we covered a lot of bases, and I had the Board behind me.