Designation of Interim Headquarters
Recently the Council Realignment Committee (CRC) made a decision regarding the location of an interim administrative office for the new council. The CRC believes that the new council, Girl Scouts of Central California South, should be given every opportunity to create it's own legacy. To that end, the CRC felt it was not appropriate to choose the permanent location for the new administrative office, but instead chose an interim office based on a number of factors.
The major aspect influencing the decision was economical. There are two buildings that serve as current headquarters prior to the realignment. Girl Scouts of Golden Valley has an office in Fresno and Girl Scouts of Joshua Tree has an office in Bakersfield. The building in Fresno is leased while GS JTC owns the building in Bakersfield. The lease on the building in Fresno, a larger building, has two years remaining and buying out the lease would be not a wise use of funds as it is prohibitively expensive.
It was with this in mind that the decision was made to retain both buildings and utilize the Fresno building as an interim administrative office and the Bakersfield building as an additional office serving the Kern Region and other functions.
The selection of the permanent headquarters of Girl Scouts of Central California South is a decision that both the Council Realignment Committee and the CRC Finance Sub-Committee believe should be made deliberately after a thorough study of the needs of the members, transportation patterns, growth of population, business climate, and many other factors of the new council. That final decision will rest in the hands of the newly elected Transitional Board of Directors and CEO.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: Will there still be a store in Bakersfield?A: Yes
Q: When will the permanent decision be made?
A: One to two years.
Q: Do we have to drive to Fresno for meetings/trainings/services?
A: On occasion meetings or trainings may happen in Fresno as well as Bakersfield, Visalia/Tulare and many other communities in the council. This is a good time to remember that Girl Scouting is not a "building based" program like a gym or a club house, our program goes where our members are. Trainings and programs will be planned to serve the membership. We also plan to investigate and learn how to use the growing availability of technology to make accessing meetings and information easy for everyone in the council.
Q: What about the rest of the us who don't live in Bakersfield OR Fresno.
A: Staffing patterns that provide program and service girls all over the jurisdiction will be studied and implemented.