PARCS NEWSLETTERS AND PARCS MEMBERSHIPS

When the PARCS Directors were establishing their priorities for 2020, it was decided that we would focus on our PARCS newsletters (our PARCS UPDATES). We looked back at the 110 newsletters that had been sent out over the 128 months from June of 2009 to January of 2020. (That's one newsletter every 1.1 months!) Some of the newsletters were brief (Season's Greetings in December, for example). Others were much longer (for example, the newsletter that included detailed directions diagrams for building dikes with sandbags).

Please note the TWO ASPECTS of these our newsletter that WILL BE CHANGING :

1) NO LONGER SENT AS ATTACHMENTS TO EMAILS. Back in 2009, not all cottage communities had email addresses. Many of the resort villages used their administrator's email address. Email addresses for RMs were not the standardized ones that RMs use now. And certainly, maintaining a consistent email list for OHs has always been a struggle because a) OH contact information is not listed in the Municipal Directory and b) Not all RMs have been willing to share their OH contact information (unlike the RM of Mervin, for example, who annually provides PARCS with an updated list of their OH email contacts).

This newsletter, PARCS UPDATE #112, is the second newsletter that is NOT sent as an attachment but rather is embedded within an email sent to you VIA CONSTANT CONTACT. We decided to purchase the services of Constant Contact because our email address list and email newsletters will now have a protected life beyond the hard-drive of the PARCS computer. The information will be stored on the CLOUD under the guardianship of an email management firm. As such, when a new staff person assumes the task of managing our newsletter, it will simply be a matter of sitting down to a phone consultation with Constant Contact.

2) NO LONGER FREE TO BOTH MEMBERS AND NON-MEMBERS. This newsletter will be the last newsletter that will be sent out to non-member communities. If you check out our website, you will see that we are no-longer posting our newsletters (merely listing them with a statement about their themes).

Later today, BLANK INVOICES will go out to all of our member and non-member communities - encouraging them to renew or sign-up for 2020 membership. The exception will be ORGANIZED HAMLET MEMBERS, who will receive their INDIVIDUALIZED INVOICES by regular email.

Please take a close look at our new invoice (shown here on the left). You will note that a NEW CATEGORY OF MEMBERSHIP has been added at the bottom. The FEE for this "STAYING IN TOUCH" membership is only $40 and is meant for those individuals or groups who are NOT interested in voting on PARCS issues and are NOT interested in attending PARCS conventions - but would like to continue to receive our newsletters.

The main advantage of choosing a "STAYING IN TOUCH" membership is that PARCS helps your community stay in touch with government officials. For example:

1) During the flooding on the Qu'Appelle Lakes a few years ago, the Water Security Agency sent alerts to small cottage communities along those lakes, via PARCS, alerting communities about expected water levels for the following day. PARCS was the only agency that had email addresses for organized hamlets on a variety of lakes.

2) Our March newsletter will provide information that we will be passing along from the Ministry of Environment's Task Force on Zebra Mussels. At their request we will be telling you how you can play a role in monitoring and reporting for your lake.

3) The surveys which we are now able to insert in our newsletters will allow you to have input about current issues (such as the survey that went out last weekend in Update #111).

We hope that you plan to STAY IN TOUCH!

RV ADMINISTRATORS - Thank you for answering the poll in our last newsletter sent Sunday Feb. 16 !

We currently have received replies from 8 resort villages. It would be great to have replies from all 41 resort villages!

READERS - To learn more about PARCS, visit our website by clicking on the logo at the top left of the newsletter or on the button below.

When you visit WHAT'S NEW on our website you will also see that the deadline date for renewing 2020 PARCS memberships (along with an explanation) is: