A renovation update

The Washington Lodge is CEED’s headquarters, and Sally Wellinger, the executive director of CEED, is spearheading the renovation project on South Country Road in Brookhaven Hamlet.

“As far as the painting and the outside, our target is the end of November,” Wellinger said, adding that the Town of Brookhaven Parks Department officials visited recently and said they would help paint the trim around the roof. “They are doing that, and they are going to help spruce up the driveway and get rid of a few stumps. We went through and made a checklist of things we can do immediately to improve the site of the location.”

Wellinger also discussed the incorporation of a meeting room. Great Room West, which features a fireplace in the center of the room, will be prioritized in the renovation list. She explained they are seeking a temporary certificate of occupancy to be used for the time being for Great Room West.

“We are looking to increase our fundraising efforts. This room renovation is probably going to cost about $15,000,” Wellinger said, pointing out the necessity of window repairs, smoke alarm, and CO system and the installation of a door. “Even a small renovation of a room is costly. We are always looking for donors and sponsors.”

Wellinger said that the whole building remains to have millions of dollars in renovation work necessary, particularly mentioning the need for a complete roof overhaul as well as a sprinkler system.

“That is part of why we want to get an active room that is usable,” she said. “We are kind of stymied moving forward without being able to show people what we need to do. We are also limited in what we can provide without an indoor space.”

Internal CEED meetings and other types of community meetings would be held in the room, Wellinger said. She added that the community has been a large help to the organization.

“We just want to get the community more involved. We were thinking of trying to have a few think-tank meetings between Eric [Powers], myself and a few other people. We have a lot of connections with a lot of different nonprofits on Long Island with similar mindsets. We have been really trying to get everyone together and just figure out how to spread the word of conservation and get people excited.”

Wellinger specifically mentioned the necessity of the Post-Morrow Foundation in order for CEED to still remain afloat.

“They have locations that they have been more than generous allowing us to use,” Wellinger said, continuing on to provide multiple anecdotes displaying the foundation’s generosity toward CEED.