From the CSPC President

I have some very unfortunate news; our new building is no longer viable, due to the cost of required seismic improvements. We are negotiating with the landlord to find a way out from under the lease. Conversations about how we want to move forward from here are ongoing.

We knew this building would require a lot of work, and we budgeted for that plus a healthy margin. Before we signed the lease in November, we had a structural engineer give us a preliminary seismic assessment of what it would take to bring the building up to code. Based on that professional assessment, we decided to move forward with the lease. In the middle of March, they came back to us with a surprising update of several times their initial estimate. We were unable to reach an agreement with the building owner to share or assist with financing those projected costs, or find any other way to mitigate them.

The time, rent, and construction expenses for this process have used a lot of our reserves. Given the long timeline for construction permits, we have no way to continue with paid staff until a future buildout is finished - for the foreseeable future, the organization will have to be entirely volunteer driven. At her own recommendation Jeanette, the Managing Director, will be laid off after helping us get out of the new space and other ongoing costs. She is not at fault in this set of events, she's done an amazing job in an incredibly difficult situation and has earned our gratitude.

I can't begin to describe how personally upsetting this is to me, and the rest of the board. The Wet Spot, then The Sex Positive Community Center, then the Center for Sex Positive Culture, have been the social core of seventeen years of my adult life. So many people have put so much into this, and to have a setback of this magnitude is disheartening to all of us. This organization has had tremendous positive impact on countless lives, and we still hope to find a way to further the goal of a sex positive space in years to come.

As we know more, we will keep you updated. The next board meeting is 7pm on May 10, at 1514 NW 46th St. Comments and questions in the meantime can be directed to Elizabeth, our Community Board Member, at cbm@thecspc.org.

Russell Harmon
Center for Sex Positive Culture Board President