It was the beginning of March 2020, and our world was about to change. Remember, we didn’t expect anything to happen to us.
On March 6, our State Representatives Ken Wells (D) and J.C. Allard (R), together with Andover resident Dr. Sooze Hodgson and myself organized the first “Andover Dialogue”, a formal get-together of stakeholders for the development of a German style, employer financed Vocational School and Apprenticeship concept for New Hampshire.
Over 30 guests representing the New Hampshire State House and Senate, New Hampshire Education Department, United States Labor Department, the Community College System of New Hampshire, small and mid-size business owners, the City of Franklin, and others came to listen to a presentation by the Consul General of Germany and the German American Chamber of Commerce in New York City at the Highland Lake Inn.
No worries about COVD-19 at this time.
By March 10, I was feeling somewhat uncomfortable about attending our Town Meeting due to increasing signs of COVID-19 in the media. We also had received the first cancellation from Proctor parents for reservations made for the beginning of April. By March 11, all future reservations through May were cancelled. One professional Snowboarder from Colorado, who had stayed with us a couple of times before, stayed with us on March 13. That was the last guest we have seen.
Looking into the future, depending on our guests’ wishes, we are ready to reschedule reserved wedding events to a later date this year or to 2021. We have lost all Spring business especially due to the closure of Proctor Academy, which represents 90% of our business in the Spring.
As far as the summer 2020 is concerned, we usually host many scientist attendees of Gordon Research Conferences at Proctor Academy and most have been cancelled. We have not yet been notified if Camp Kenwood-Evergreen will be in session this year for us to host visiting parents. Hosting Proctor parents, Gordon Researchers, and Kenwood-Evergreen parents makes our business a lot of fun.
At the moment, we do not see the end of the tunnel.
However, thanks to the great support of our bank, Bank of New Hampshire, we were able to defer all Mortgage payments till October 31. Certain support designed to help Small Businesses from the Government has not yet and might never reach us since Small Business is defined by the government as companies with up to 500 employees. We shall see.
Our United States House Representative, Annie Kuster (D), has been trying to help as best as she can. Representative Kuster calls Small Business owners in her district personally and listens to our problems. She keeps us updated with the progress they are making in Washington DC, but how much help can one expect? It is tough.
Now we are using our time to work on different programs we are involved with. As a result of our March 6 Andover Dialogue, the City of Franklin is planning to go ahead with the development of the employer financed Vocational School/Apprenticeship program. Also, we are involved in a foundation, Granite Foundation, to raise money in support of students of the New Hampshire Community College System, and this needs more attention for alternative means to raise funds since all fund-raising events for the summer have been cancelled.
My wife Gail, as a French teacher at Mascoma High School in Canaan, is becoming a specialist in online teaching, and I have to say that all teachers rightfully deserve a huge bump in salary after seeing what goes on at home from 8 AM to Midnight most days.
We are lucky to live in a wonderful neighborhood here in East Andover, where neighbors get together (6 feet apart) and help each other or just have a cup of coffee in the driveway once a week. We are grateful to our neighbors and friends in town who make the situation a bit lighter by just being there for one other. As long as we can go to the Refinery or the Kitchen for prepared food and shopping, we will not starve. What a great place to live. Be Happy and healthy.