Today could mark the first time I have written this message with a sunny view outside of my window. It seems like every time it is time to write this, it is raining. Well, not today. Low humidity, beautiful sun, and a Friday have all converged to make this a fine day. So, what to do on this fine day? Well, as most of you in this field know it is always important to be looking ahead at what needs to be done to prepare for the future. This is the time of year when everyone is looking to make sure they will be completing their goals for 2013 and looking to set new goals and objectives for the year to come. Think it's too early? Well, the first ad for the Christmas shopping season has already aired. (?!?!) Nobody wants to leave approved dollars on the table, you never know when your approval will be pulled or if you'll be able to "keep it in the budget for next year." So it is important to make sure that projects that are needed and have been approved and planned, actually get completed. Weather changes pretty fast around these parts and that always makes outdoor projects tricky for the fall. Asphalt, roofing, and building sealing are among the projects that can be negatively affected by a dip in the temperature. So make sure to have your projects done sooner rather than later. At the same time, it is just as important to get out and see what needs to be done next year. Small parking lot cracks may become large enough to require large scale repairs. Questionable machinery may need to be replaced. Window systems may begin failing. All of which are almost impossible to pay for when they are unplanned. Speaking of keeping one eye on the future, while operating today...just this past week we had another great program held at The Society Room of Hartford. Chris Nelson and Carey Hurlburt from the CT Department of Energy & Environmental Protection and Marilynn Cruz-Aponte gave us a great presentation titled "Multi-Dwelling and Business Recycling: Obstacles & Opportunities." It was a very informative program that explained the state's mandatory recycling program, its enforcement actions, as well as some great discussions about some of the obstacles faced by our membership in their efforts. Coming up on October 10th will be a new awards program we are holding. "The Best of the Best" will highlight properties in our area that stand out above others. We hope you will join us. We will be holding this event at 960 Main St. in downtown Hartford from 5:30 - 9 p.m. On November 19th we will be have a program entitled "What's Happening in Your Town," that will highlight current projects going on in 3 different area towns (East Hartford, Glastonbury, and West Hartford). We are extremely excited to be holding this event at a new venue, Goodwin College in East Hartford from 7:30 - 9:30 a.m. And of course December will be our Annual Holiday Social. Please check in on our website at http://www.bomahartford.org/ for information on all of the great programs I have listed as well as any other information you may need regarding our local chapter and links to BOMA International. Dues invoices have been mailed out for 2014, so please be sure to do some of the future planning and make sure you have them included in your budget. And as I have mentioned, we have big plans for 2014. Please consider bringing a prospective member or someone else from your company to some of our events. If you are not a member, please give some consideration to attending one of our events (of course our members should always consider attending) and checking us out. We are always looking for new members. Wes Nicoll is the president of BOMA Greater Hartford, and is with Griffin Land, Bloomfield, Conn.