We are moving. Well, at least we hope we are moving. The building that currently houses the North Platte Catholic Offices is a very old building that no longer meets our needs. With additional diocesan offices calling North Platte home the condition of the building and lack of size made it necessary for us to find a new building.
The Fifth Street building has been my office for nearly twenty years. I've seen people come and go from office directors to support staff. It has been a good office. And as buildings can, it holds a lot of memories. I will miss going to work on Fifth Street. Some of my co-workers make fun of me when I talk fondly about the building. Yes in the middle of winter my window is wide open because all the heat has a way gathering in my second floor corner office. In the summer the window air-conditioner struggles to keep that same office endurable. But it has been the office for nearly twenty years.
I do have to admit an office building all on one floor has its advantages. I look forward to central air-conditioning and a heating system that works equally well in all parts of the building. Not to mention a meeting room, modern phone system and a computer network that will allow us to manage our data in an effective way.
So now, pending final signing of a lease and Nebraska weather that cooperates with the construction company the North Platte Catholic Offices will have a new home. The actual move is scheduled for sometime between November 1 and December 31, 2005. I am excited about the move although packing up 20 years worth of files, folders, papers, and stuff promises to be a challenge, a challenge and a wonderful trip down memory lane.
We had a dumpster brought in on Monday and had it dumped just 4 days later. We have so much stuff to go through that hasn't been touched in such a long time. The hardest part is dealing with the books. We've stored some old and dated books that need to be thrown away. But, I have a very hard time disposing of books. Books are sacred and don't deserve to be thrown away regardless of their age. On the other hand we only have so much space for books even in the new and bigger space. So, I may have to find a new home for some of those books. I've thought about taking them to one of the used bookstores in town. If they will take them then I've fulfilled my responsibility. Did I mention, we're moving!