Unnecessary Remodels

by choosing life 11 Replies latest jw friends

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  choosing life

  A kingdom hall by me is remodeling, a rather extensive one I am told. They do need some painting, some corrections of poor workmanship by the quickbuild committee and a few other odds and ends. Then I was told they took out all the ceramic tile in the entrance and bathrooms. I asked why and was told "because they can". There is absolutely nothing wrong with the tile. What? Someone died and left the cong. money recently. Rather than donate that money to some poor ones who can't afford a hall in a 3rd world country or help some poor ones locally, they are wasting it, "because they can".

  This really bothers me, but they seem to have no shame. I protested and got those blank stares for questioning the authority of the local elders who are pushing for the extreme makeover. Does this bother you or am I just being too sensitive?
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  TMS
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  MidwichCuckoo

  I think it's morally wrong too...just replacing stuff because they have the spare cash...maybe they're spending it before mother hears about it/gets her hands on it?
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  TMS

  Choosing, Sorry about the accidental double post. How many Third World Kingdom Halls do you think the Stanley Theater renovations could have financed? Frequently, very serviceable halls are remodeled at the whim of a circuit overseer or just "because they can." tms
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  WTWizard

  What about replacing Kingdumb Hells that don't need to be replaced? The Hell I used to go to was in serviceable condition. The only major thing wrong was that the climate control system needed major work. The carpet was in good condition, as was the whole building aside the climate control. So, they went ahead and sold it, taking pledge forms on two occasions for this. A side note is that the new Hell was on one level (the existing one was on two), and the new climate control also sucked.

  Just this past year, another Kingdumb Hell was sold. The people sold a Kingdumb Hell that, once again, was in good condition save for a crap air conditioning system. This one, too, had some of its stuff downstairs. The parking lot was borderline small (but with the shrinking congregations, I hope it will soon turn out to be too large). They bought a place about 1 1/2 miles away, and of course I have not seen that building. Presumably, if history is a guide, its air conditioning will also be a piece of crap.

  I suspect that when they build or extensively remodel, they borrow money from the Society that they had contributed to via the Worldwide Work box. The Society charges interest on this money, and they get the proceeds from the sale of the existing building. They also get money from interest on the loans, while the materials and labor are donated by the people working on the building. They have to pay for the materials, and they also have to pay the Society. And the Society ends up owning the building. Scam alert.
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  LongHairGal

  Choosing life:

  I agree with you on this one. I saw this years ago not just with my hall but with another one in a nearby community. While ours did need some work, the one in the nearby community needed nothing. I guess the color combination didn't go with somebody's complexion! This was just a monumental waste of money.

  When a sister in that hall told me they were trying to get people to "pledge" a certain amount of money, she was alarmed. I was also horrified. Imagine the nerve of these bastards! They don't believe in higher education and scoff at work and think money grows on trees. It is certainly true that money should have been sent to places in third world countries where they really needed it. But, nah! This is all about selfish, deluded people not in touch with reality and with an undeserved sense of entitlement with absolutely no regard for people who work for a living. I have nothing but contempt for the whole travesty.

  LHG
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  startingover

  IMO they do this because it builds up the morale of the troops. Kind of like buying new clothes. The same reason they keep putting out new cut and paste books. Even if they are paperback, they are still "new".

  The same reason applies to big retail businesses putting up bigger and better buildings. People are attracted to "new". Since the WT is nothing but a business they play that game too.
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  Finally-Free

  When I was account servant for a year I learned a few things. When doing the congregations's tax return I learned that there were 2 classes of donations as far as the government was concerned - those which the congregation issued tax receipts for, and those for which no tax receipt was issued. The unreceipted donations were essentially free money. Of the money that receipts were issued for, a certain percentage had to be spent on charitable work, administrative fees, etc. Since we did no charitable work, the money had to be spent somewhere. The logical choices were unnecessary renovations, rent to the congregation that owned the hall, and donations to the society. A few questions crossed my mind. Why were we merely moving money from one charitable organization to another? Obviously to retain charitable status and avoid paying taxes. Why were we paying thousands of dollars to renovate a building that we didn't own, but paid rent for? Who in their right mind spends money renovating someone else's property? Again, to retain charitable status and avoid paying taxes. Why waste the congregation's money on charitable work when it can be better spent on procuring, maintaining, and improving real estate holdings?

  W
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  Mum

  Will they be donating the old tile to a poorer congregation somewhere or giving it to the poorer JW's in their congregation who need improvements to their homes?

  I wonder,

  SandraC
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  choosing life

  So it's about moving money around? They seem to grow greedier by the moment. I have toured the Stanley Theatre where they have their gilead graduations for the important ones. I was horrified at the time because I used to buy into the tale that jws were different and only used adequate facilities, not like the churches. As we toured, my stomach was churning. It's not that it isn't beautiful, it just isn't necessary. I see the same philosophy that has really always pervaded the org. Some live with high standards while the poorer ones in other countries meet in the heat with minimal, if any facilities. And there's no provisions for the poor, even in affluent countries. What a racket!