After a mild break-up and relatively low water this summer, I was feeling confident about the state of the river bank and the timeline I had laid out for moving the roadhouse out of danger. On a work-trip towards the end of August, we had only lost a few feet of bank in front of the roadhouse, and none at all in front of the handler cabin – the closest outbuilding to the river. But during the last planned trip of the summer, after weeks of heavy rain, I had a sobering reality-check as I witnessed the river tear apart the protected little eddy where we normally park our boats, then proceed to rip out ten feet of bank in less than four hours.
This sudden collapse took out part of the dog-yard, left the handler cabin just over fifteen feet from the edge, and shaved away an alarming chunk of the thin margin of safety directly in front of the roadhouse. I scrambled to pull together a plan to move the handler cabin inland before the end of the season, and am downriver this weekend working on that project. When I return to town, I’ll be accelerating plans to organize and fund the much more complicated relocation of the roadhouse itself.
A fund-raising platform and campaign is in the works, but in the mean-time I’m asking for your help. Over the last ten months, I have hit a lot of dead-ends within my own network of contacts and would appreciate any leads on the following:
1. The scope of this project necessitates 501c3 non-profit status. In lieu of creating a stand-alone entity for this time-limited endeavor, an established non-profit organization could sign on as a fiscal sponsor for us, providing the financial accountability that is required for grant funding, corporate gifts and large in-kind donations from businesses. I would appreciate contact information for/introductions to board members of any 501c3 organization with the willingness, staffing and experience to consider fiscal sponsorship of this project.
2. Weighing all the options in setting up a structure to work under or set up a non-profit, and ensuring it is done correctly, is well outside my wheelhouse as a musher, or as a nurse. I’m looking for recommendations for vetted lawyer, firm or CPA familiar with small business and nonprofit structure options, and the tax and legal considerations around large-scale fundraising.
3. I have talked to a number of engineering firms, builders, (retired) building movers and contractors, but have yet to make contact with someone who has the experience to move the roadhouse structure. I need to make contact with a contracting company with verified experience moving buildings, bonus if they have successfully done so in remote settings.
Please forward this request to anyone who may be able to help, and message directly with any leads or send information to info@tolovanaroadhouse.com
PS. Are you here for the stories? Stay tuned.