Comments on: Our move now complete, we are ready to roll!

by: Marvin T. Miller

Sat, 07 Oct 2006 08:15:28 +0000

Stake Holder,Thank you for your comments! In response to Sitewatcher, the "board" was an advisory board, and we are still in touch with the members of that board. You can contact each one of them and see how they feel about us and the vision today.We are now ready to make The Laurent Institute a main focus of our efforts, therefore we now need a real board. Stay tuned.

by: A Stake Holder

Sat, 07 Oct 2006 04:45:50 +0000

I am one of the people on the reservation list. I have been following the building of Laurent for a couple of years, as many others have. I applaud Marvin and M.E. for taking on such an enormous undertaking…..and having the guts to go forward with a project so HUGE. In fact so huge, that some have said this kind of vision/project has never been done. But that did not stop them! Some people laughed and said it would never happen! But that did not stop them! They didn’t have enough money. But that did not stop them!The opposition group is trying to stop them with legal action. But that did not stop them!Marvin and M.E. continued to research, talk, investigate and move forward in a professional and responsible way. They have continued to tell of Marvin’s dream and they have continued to lead the way. Yes, the road has been bumpy, some things have not gone as well as planned, some things were not planned for. However on the other hand, the world wide attention tells me people are curious, interested and want to watch what happens, and/or be a part of Laurent. From what I have seen, Marvin and M.E. have acted morally and ethically responsible in creating Laurent and representing the new residents of Laurent.I still believe and hope Laurent will be built one day. But, let’s just say, hypothetically, this was the end! (as some people might believe)….I feel the lives they have touched and the hope and vision they have given with their dream, is an incredible feat in of itself. I was a stake holder at the charette and I saw first hand, the life changing event that occurred. Not only with the signers, but with the professionals from Nederveld and the other organizations that were represented. We all left the charette knowing each of us had a small part in helping to make a difference. I have become a believer in their vision. I don’t know how it will all happen….but I am cheering them on. I can’t build a town, nor do what they do! But, I can lend my support and I hope I can continue to find small ways to help Marvin and M.E. build Laurent for all who want to be part of it. As history tells us many highly respected and successful people failed time after time, until they finally succeeded!

by: Site watcher

Fri, 06 Oct 2006 05:47:37 +0000

You keep mentioning a new Board. Whatever happened to the Board you announced way back in Vol 9 of the LaurentTown Crier? Did they ever do anything? Or did these people jump ship, too?

by: Tom Willard

Thu, 05 Oct 2006 19:57:03 +0000

My thought was that if this person promised funding and all the subsequent work was based on this promise and then the person reneged on the agreement and left Marvin & ME in substantial debt, then this person should help bail them out. Without the initial promises of funding, they wouldn’t have done all this work or gotten themselves into debt.I wouldn’t be surprised if the big (literally) mysterious angel donor is none other than Ben Soukup. I bet the problems started when the media exposed his absurdly high salary, and when people stopped making so many relay calls through CSD .. forcing them to lay off many staff.I recall when you had the charette, I thought it was great that you could afford to do that, and now I find out you put in on a credit card, so to speak. I don’t understand why Nederveld allowed you to do that, or why the "angel donor" didn’t pay for this in the first place, or why he won’t pay for it now since he’s the one that got all this hoopla started.

by: Cynic part 2

Thu, 05 Oct 2006 10:32:08 +0000

Marv, it is good to hear you admit that your approach up to this point may not have been optimal.I don’t doubt that this appears to have been frustrating beyond belief sometimes - hope your upcoming announcement marks the beginning of a new chapter in the Laurent story.To Tom Willard - I do not know what suing the "angel" donor (if it is who I believe it is) would accomplish. It may well be that at the time the agreement was made, the donor may not have seen any problem being able to provide the money - but things have a way of changing.I’m not sure how much more can be said without giving up clues as to their identity - but their inability to provide the money at this time is understandable.As Marv pointed out, it’s possible that at a later date they may be able to come through (but shame on Marv for relying almost totally on this donor from the beginning). Oh well - only time will tell.

by: Tom Willard

Thu, 05 Oct 2006 09:08:48 +0000

I thought I should educate myself a bit more about the issues that you face, so I went to your website’s "newsroom" page and saw a long list of your newsletters. I clicked damn near every one of them and they all said the same thing: "Page Not Found." Golly gee sakes alive, this is exactly what I’m talking about when I say that some people will question your abilities and competence levels if you can’t even do the simple things right. How are you going to hook up the water and electricity and sewer pipes in Laurent if you can’t even link the pages on your website correctly?Sorry if I hurt your feelings for telling it like it is … it seems as if you prefer rah-rah, feel-good, do-nothing feedback rather than hard-headed realism.Hey, I have a question. You have a long list of people interested in the town and yet only one person has weighed in on this discussion since it started last week. I’ve raised some issues and made some points, so how come no one else has any thoughts or input? It feels as if the project has been overcome with apathy. Is that true? Hello, is anyone there?

by: Tom Willard

Thu, 05 Oct 2006 05:25:56 +0000

Oh gee, did I hurt your feelings with my "tone and attitude"? You prefer I just go RAH RAH like Vikee? All I am doing is asking valid questions and making relevant suggestions. If you were in the real world, you would be holding press conferences and people would be asking you these things. But since you’re in the deaf world, you can hide and avoid giving any real answers.You seem almost delusional at this point to keep repeating your mantra, "we will build this town." A week ago I felt positive about the Laurent venture, but now I’m starting to wonder if you have the gravitas to carry it forward.If not, then it becomes a matter of whether or not the deaf community cares enough about Laurent to find someone else to make it happen. This sort of movement would most likely have to originate with the people who have signed up to live in the town.

by: Marvin T. Miller

Wed, 04 Oct 2006 19:07:14 +0000

Vikee,I also wanted to make sure I did not forget your statement of support. It was very much appreciated, and we always need positive comments to keep us going. Constructive feedback is also welcome.I do agree that Tom’s tone and attitude can make it difficult for anyone to take it well. But I have to believe he means well.Putting together best people on the board is a key, and I believe we will accomplish that.Thanks again, Vikee. Keep them coming.

by: Tom Willard

Wed, 04 Oct 2006 18:46:35 +0000

Putting together a new nonprofit’s board has to be one of the most challenging tasks.Yes, you and ME are the founders and can assemble the initial board, but one of the first things the new board will do is work with you to write the bylaws, which will explain, among other things, how future board members are selected. You may be tempted to pick your friends and cronies and people you know and trust, so that the board will leave you alone and not interfere with your vision.But one of a board’s biggest jobs is to raise and contribute money, so you want people who have money and know where to find more.No getting around it, you need hearing people on the board with experience in overseeing big-ass projects like this one. SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executive) would be a good place to look, if you have one in your area.But if you assemble a high-caliber board with the wherewithal to oversee this project, then you run the risk that they will look at you and question your abilities to be in charge. Having seen some of your internal memos, I wonder the same thing. I was struck by one thing you wrote: “We have no development experience or background.” Maybe you need to look at this sentence from an objective stance and rethink what you’re doing. Who is going to give big money to someone who freely admits he has no relevant experience?It is one thing to be a visionary and have a great, life-changing idea. It is quite another thing to actually have the skills to implement the idea. I have big ideas all the time but (usually) don’t act on them because I know my abilities and limitations. In any case, if you had someone promise you a lot of money and you worked hard for two years and got laws changed and developed a master plan, and then that funder backed out, I would think you could take legal action against that person or group and try to recover some of your losses.

by: Marvin T. Miller

Wed, 04 Oct 2006 06:44:20 +0000

Tom, thanks for the fund raising ideas. Definitely helpful! We’re now focusing 100% on this alternative — we need to tie up a few loose ends before we can announce, then from that point, we will focus on fund raising and coordinating the town’s growth.As for the office, no — we had to pay rent. As for the lawsuit, it was from an former employee and we have settled that last week. We hugged and wished each other all the best.I agree with what you’re saying, and hindsight is 20/20. If we could go back in time, we would definitely have done things differently. It was a classic case of a frog sitting in water and it slowly boiled.And, for the board… hmm, opening up and letting people apply for a board seat is intriguing. Ultimately, it would still be up to M.E. and myself in selecting them, right? or should I turn that process into a "semi-reality TV show"… at least, let people run for the seats and get votes on our blog? Our vote would weigh for 25%? Ideas welcome. I’m intrigued.