The SASP Yurt

CHECK OUT THIS LINK TO SEE PHOTOS OF THE YURT CONSTRUCTION PROJECT IN PROCESS: (copy & paste in your browser) http://sasp.collaboration.org/yurt_project.html

UPDATE: During our April retreat, the youth group created beautiful flower pots which were offered in a Silent Auction to raise money for the yurt project. A total of $252 was raised. You can see photos of the Silent Auction here: http://saspretreats.shutterfly.com/868

One of the original inspirations for the SASP Yurt was to provide a large, warm, enclosed space for the children of the SASP community who attend the monthly retreats. In recent months, we have expanded our retreat activities to include a special program for the children so that they may also feel more a part of the growing "gnostic community" that the adult members of the community have been striving toward.

The 30-foot diameter yurt will be located in the northeast corner of the SASP property next to the tennis court. This semi-permanent structure will be built on a secure foundation with wall-to-wall carpeting, screened windows and central fan for the summer months and a heating system for the winter months. (The roof of the yurt has a 15-year warranty.) In addition to providing a warm, welcoming space for the SASP children's program, the yurt will allow additional space for presentations, concerts, study programs and various indoor physical activities (asanas, tai chi, pranayama, etc). It will provide a larger group space for audio visual presentations or other presentations that would be unsuitable for the meditation hall.

The construction of the the yurt's foundation is the most time-consuming part of the project, so we would like begin this process as soon as possible. The actual erection of the yurt can be done in 1-2 days with an adequate amount of people. This could be an inspiring karma yoga project for the community. Though this plan has long been on the back burner, we feel the time is finally ripe to move ahead on this project and our goal is to have the yurt completed this spring.

In support of this goal we have completed all the required plans and drawings and have submitted them to the county building department for approval. We are told this may take from 5-6 weeks (from Feb 17). In the meantime, we are beginning to dig a trench to lay the electrical lines. We did look into the possibility of solar power for the yurt, but the cost would be more than the cost of the yurt. Perhaps we can look at this again at a later date.

The total cost of the yurt (with foundation, carpeting and heating) is approximately $20,000. In order to meet our goal, we are asking for financial support ASAP.

To support the project, we welcome donations made online via credit card through this website. Or, if you prefer, please call us at 800-735-4691, ext 4. We also welcome checks via mail made out to SASP at 2621 W Hwy 12, Lodi, CA 95241. Thanks, ~ dakshina