As many of you know, we host a monthly meeting for all of the masons to gather, network, and discuss important matters that affect our organization as a whole. Over the past 3 weeks or so, we’ve had 4 break-ins. The first time, the person broke the front door. The second and third attempts occurred late at night and the robbers broke the window. They stole 7 garments and $1,500 from our community safe. Then, last week someone snuck in through a door one of the masons forgot to lock and stole the Chalice of Angelica, a gold cup that was passed down to our group from the previous owner. It’s worth more than $10,000, so we filed a police report immediately. However, after much investigation, the police weren’t able to find any evidence and don’t even have a suspect.  Needless to say, we were very disappointed and have now decided to increase our building security.  This week, we installed a state-of-the-art alarm system by ADT that has video streaming and alerts 911 directly when movement is detected inside the building. Second, we did some research on different types of fences. We looked at composite, wood, and laminate fencing before deciding on wood. So, to protect the building we installed a 9-foot-high wooden privacy fence. The fence installation was done by Queens Fence Company, a local fencing contractor that serves all of New York City. We’re hoping the new fence barrier will deter any more uninvited guests from attempting to breach our building. In the front, we’ve also installed a premium locked gate. There is no way for anyone to get in now without a key. Next time our masonry friends get together for an event, hopefully we will have some good news to share and we won’t have to talk about problems like this anymore. Updates to follow.