by Anya Firszt, General Manager
Hello Owners; Hello Summer
June brings us the end of the traditional school year and the kick-off to summer. Yay!
June also marks the end of the current fiscal year and next month the beginning of our new fiscal year. This month we need to finalize the FY24 Operating Budget for the Finance Committee review and input before recommending approval to the Board of Directors at their June meeting. The approved budgets will be printed in a future Reader for your review. Stay tuned.
Hate Has No Home Here
We want all customers and staff to feel safe shopping and working at the Co-op. Recently, you may have heard that transgender people are subjected to hate on Co-op property.
In the November 2019 issue of the newsletter, the following paragraph was included, and sadly, it needs to be said again: hate has no home here.
“Hate Has No Home Here
“Certain people have taken it upon themselves to sticker our property in order to promote their anti-trans messages. Three customers have also come forward with testimonials of intimidation and harassment. We will not tolerate the use of Co-op spaces for hate. We stand with our LGBTQ+ customers and community members and will continue to provide a safe space for members of the LGBTQ+ community to join, shop, work, and enjoy. We will remove all hate propaganda as soon as it is located and we will take action if we witness intimidation or harassment of any kind or catch anyone vandalizing Co-op property.”
Last year, we were made aware that someone had put such a sticker on Co-op property; we were able to identify and verify that person and ban them from Co-op property. We remove these stickers, or any hate sticker, whenever we find them or are made aware of them, and we’ll continue to ban anyone we identify doing so.
Board Elections
While the Board elections are not until October, it’s not too soon to consider that this may be the year to run for the Board of Directors. We have four board seats to fill; three three-year seats as part of the regular election cycle and one one-year seat, which was vacated before the end of the regular term. The Board Candidate packet is available this month at willystreet.coop/run-for-board. Check it out!
North 7-Year Bond Repayment
In the months of May-August, we will be paying back our Willy North seven-year Owner bonds. My thanks and appreciation to all Owners who purchased a bond to support the renovation of the space in 2016. The total amount that will be repaid this summer is $550,000. Thanks again for making it happen.
FY22 Patronage FINAL REMINDER
In January of this year we issued patronage to those owners who were eligible to receive a store credit. This is my last official reminder to claim your store credit before the deadline or it is forfeited. You have until June 18 to claim your patronage—use it or lose it!
2023 Festivals Reminder
We sure love our outdoor music festivals, don’t we! Up this month is the Marquette Waterfront Festival celebrating 34 years of bringing live music to the near east side of Madison. Join in the fun on June 10-11 at Yahara Place Park. The following week, June 16-19, is the Pursuit of Happiness Festival, bringing live music, comedy, and dance performances to McPike Park. See you there!
Special Store Hours: Stores Close at 7:00pm
- Last day of FY23 (year-end inventory): Sunday, July 2
- Independence Day: Tuesday, July 4
- Labor Day: Monday, September 4
Until next month, enjoy the sunshine.