The Rural Voice, 1982-12, Page 20FARM NEWS
From left: John Black, Zone 5 Director; John Dahmer, UCO Chmn. Elmwood Area; Howard Weitz, Building Committee; Fred Grierson.
Site Foreman; Mayor of Durham, Gordon MacLean; Stu Luckhardt, Group 2 Director; and Dave Bowers, Bldg. Comm. Chairman.
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PG 20 THE RURAL VOICE/DECEMBER 1982
Durham Co-op members raise
money for new building
Pierre Trudeau should have been invited
to visit Durham, Ontario on the morning
of October 25th where an enthusiastic
gruop of farmers, politicians and co-op
members gathered for a sod -turning
ceremony for the Durham Co-operative
Building Project. Less than one week
after the Prime Minister's televised talks
asking Canadians to have confidence that
the economy would eventually improve,
279 members of the Durham Co-op
expressed their confidence in Canada's
future by starting to build a 1600 square
foot warehouse and retail store.
John Dahmer, UCO Chairman of the
Elmwood Area, was in charge of the
sod -turning ceremony. He introduced the
many people who have worked hard to get
this project off the ground; then he
invited Dave Bowers, Building Committee
Chairman, to explain how the project got
started.
"Durham has sadly required new
facilities for quite some time," Bowers
said, "but the need has become really
acute since another local farm supply
dealer went out of business. But the UCO
has put the cork on spending until the
economy turns around in order to protect
existing facilities."
Bowers went on to explain that the
UCO allows local co-ops to handle their
own affairs. So when the Durham
members came up with the idea of selling
preferred shares in the UCO, the head
office agreed to let this money stay in the
Durham area to be used to put up a new
building.
Enough money has been raised through
the sale of 10 percent Class E preferred
shares to local residents and farmers to
purchase the building materials from
Glenn White Industries. Minimum pur-
chase was $500. and the shares are
non -redeemable for ten years.
The project has a unique organization.
UCO will be the general contractor and
will work with two local contractors. Site
Foreman Fred Grierson said they would
use local farmers and UCO members for
labour and will pay them in common
shares in the UCO. They expect to have
the building completed by the end of
January, 1983.
"We have gone back to one of the basic
principles of the co-operative," John
Dahmer commented, "which is a group
of people working together for the
common good or gain of all people."