Late last fall, a “sink hole” was discovered in the Rustic Village and theories about its origin were flying. Old records were examined, and calls were made to past staff members to determine the cause. Early in 2020, volunteers from Grantfork UCC arrived with their mini excavator. They gently dug around the collapsed area and confirmed our worst suspicions. The 50-year-old septic system had caved in on itself.
Then came meetings, bids and state reviews. The work was scheduled to begin in mid-May, but heavy rains and a surprise backlog of projects for the contractor delayed the project. The work began in early July and was nearly completed. There are now new pipes from the Rustic Shower House to the new septic tank and then on to the new sand filter.
This is all good news, except that there was nothing in the budget for this surprise expense. Fortunately, late in 2019, DuBois Center received two sizable gifts. The Legacy Gift from the members of St. Peter Evangelical UCC in Granite City upon the closing of their church and the subsequent sale of their facility totaled a donation of $12,000 to DuBois Center. The other gift of $10,000 was an anonymous gift from a UCC church member. Both were undesignated with the intention that they would be used to support the ministry of DuBois Center. The ISC Conference Council decided to set aside a portion of the funds for deferred maintenance and major projects at DuBois Center. Within the next month or two, the sink hole emerged. The timing of these gifts could not have been better!
A special thanks to the former members of the Granite City St. Peter Evangelical UCC and the anonymous donor for their critical support.