December 13, 2024
Dear Bloys Members,
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, and we are all looking forward to Christmas. I know that Bloys is very important to each of you, and I need to give you a brief update and ask that you consider a generous gift to help us finish some major projects. I make this request with a great deal of humility, as I know each of you has your own obligations these days.
First, let me tell you about some changes going on in our administration. Our long-time accountant, Summer Webb, has recently been promoted within the Blue Origin organization, and is being required to travel a great deal for her work. This is an exciting opportunity for Summer, and we all join in wishing her the best. Unfortunately, taking on this promotion won’t leave her time to handle Bloys, and she will be stepping down at the end of December. Summer has done us a fantastic job over the last several years, and while we hate to see her go, we’re excited for her new position.
Angela Becker, a lifelong Bloys member whom many of you may know, will be taking over as our accountant in January. Angela and Summer are already busily working on the transition. We apologize for any delays in getting your August donations processed, but it was due to this transition. We appreciate your understanding.
As of today, we have approximately $143,000 in our operations account, which is about what we need to fund our regular, routine operations through the year (salaries, maintenance, electricity, etc.). An additional $60,000 is in the memorial account, which is our reserve for emergencies. All other reserve funds have been exhausted. As you know, we have been working on several major capital improvement projects, which are outside the normal budget, and we need your help to get those completed:
1. Electrical Improvements: Over the past three years, we have been completely replacing our electrical system. The old system was on the verge of total collapse, and when AEP Texas, our electric provider, offered to spend $3.5 million of THEIR MONEY to help us rebuild the system, it was an opportunity we simply couldn’t pass up. As part of the deal, though, Bloys was responsible for paying for cabin connections from the meter to each cabin or RV space. Through 2024, our cost has been $321,923.98, including the cost of replacing our outdated streetlights with fixtures that comply with the dark sky laws in effect in Jeff Davis County. While this project is currently about 90% complete, we still have to finish all the connections
on the North side and RV Park, and we have to tear down the wires and poles of the old system. Completing this huge project is going to cost Bloys approximately $125,000 in 2025.
Caretaker House: We replaced the caretaker’s residence in 2024. Our caretaker, as a part of his duties, is required to reside on the grounds. Bloys furnishes a house for this purpose. The existing residence was over 100 years old, and simply was not suitable for use as a full- time residence anymore. Making upgrades to the existing house would have been cost- prohibitive. Last year, our caretaker moved his family into Fort Davis, while he stayed in a cabin generously provided by some of our members (obviously not a good situation!). The new house was in place before Campmeeting, and the family has now moved in and are very happy. This wasn’t a project we planned for, but it was one of those things that come up every hundred years or so and simply has to be dealt with. While the bulk of the new house costs have already been paid ($219,000), the contractor is currently finishing up, and we anticipate approximately $15,000 in final expenses on this project in 2025.
Water Storage: for many years, water has been a critical issue at Campmeeting. We are totally dependent on four wells to provide us with all our water. If something goes wrong during the week, it can get very dry, very fast. Since West Texas is subject to droughts (and we’re in a serious one right now), you can’t count on the wells being reliable enough to pump 24 hours a day for a full week. To try to mitigate this problem, the Grounds Committee is in the middle of a 5-6 year project to add approximately 36,000 gallons of storage each year to our system. 2025 will be year three of this plan, and the tanks are already at the Campgrounds. We received the bill for these tanks last week - $27,000.
All these projects are permanent improvements, and each is designed to last for decades. With the exception of the water storage project, each of these is a one-time expense. Each of these capital improvement projects is critical to Bloys. We have to have electricity. The caretaker residence has to be finished. Water is an absolute necessity. It’s pretty obvious that we have to move forward with each of these. There’s only one problem – WE DON’T HAVE THE MONEY.
There is some potential good financial news on the horizon. We understand that Bloys may have been named as a beneficiary of a fairly large estate this year. We don’t know all the details yet and are working to get all the paperwork in order. As I’m sure you understand, these things take time, and we aren’t likely to receive this bequest until sometime in late 2025. In the meantime, we must deal with these capital expenses, along with our regular operating expenses.
That leaves two choices: either ask for donations or take out a loan. I suspect that many of our members would be absolutely against borrowing money, however, if we are unable to raise the necessary funds through donations, we may have no choice. We don’t know when these capital invoices will be coming in from the contractors, and we are going to have to maintain the liquidity to pay both the capital invoices and our regular expenses.
The bottom line is this: Bloys Campmeeting needs to raise about $200,000, in addition to what we currently have in the bank, in order to complete these capital improvements and pay our normal operating expenses for 2025. (I realize the project estimates above only add up to $167,000, but we’d like to have just a little bit of a cushion for the unexpected.)
I always feel uneasy asking for money, especially in tough times, but these projects are already in motion, and we don’t want to lose our momentum. The membership at Bloys has always been very generous. In fact, when they bought the Campgrounds at the turn of the last century, they were able to raise the purchase price in one meeting. I ask that you please pray about this and give as much as you feel you can.
The new address for contributions is: Bloys Campmeeting Association % Angela Becker
6 Desta Drive, Suite 2670 Midland, Texas 79705
You can also donate online at www.bloyscampmeeting.org.
If anyone has any questions or concerns, or if you need more information, please feel free to contact me at (432)290-1914 or Bart Medley at (915)526-6255. Either of us will be happy to visit with you.
Thank you for your support and generosity. Have a Merry Christmas!
Sincerely yours,
DA Harral, President
Bloys Campmeeting Association