Changes Coming to Our Monthly Meetings

A Message from Barry Hampshire, President, CWC Mt. Diablo

Dear CWC Members,

After much deliberation, the Board of Directors has opted to make some significant changes to our monthly meetings, beginning on January 10^th, 2026.

1. We are moving location from Zio Fraedo’s Restaurant.
2. The meetings will take place at the Pleasant Hill Senior Center – the Dining Room. However, due to other events at the Senior Center, a few meetings will need to take place at the Pleasant Hill Community Center on Taylor Blvd. We will let you know well in advance when this shift will be necessary.
3. Each meeting will be shortened from 3 hours to 2 hours, starting at 10:00 and finishing at noon. Sign-in for meetings will open at 9:30.
4. We will no longer have a catered buffet lunch, but arrange coffee, tea, and pastries.
5. The main event of the meeting, either an outside presenter or Writers Table, will commence at 11:00.
6. We are still discussing what to schedule in the first hour. If you have any suggestions, let me know.
7. We have the room available to us for longer than the actual 2-hour meeting. This will give us the freedom to have a social gathering time after the main event. Other potential uses of this time are:
   1. We could arrange an impromptu critique group.
   2. Alternatively, we could arrange a book club group to meet at this time, too.
   3. What would you want? If you wish to bring a snack for lunch, feel free to do so.
8. These meetings will still require a charge to attend. Following Covid, meeting rooms are far more expensive. We have not finalized the meeting charge, but I suspect it will be $20 – $25.

Members may wonder why the Board decided to make such a radical change. Two reasons prompted this.

Zio’s proposed pricing would have made the meetings at their restaurant prohibitively expensive. The Board, for the last year or so, has been absorbing a cost increase and subsidizing each attendee.

Secondly, our relationship with the restaurant has changed since Tony died.  

Making these types of changes takes time, focus, and determination. I did not want to be forced to make such a location change if our situation suddenly altered.

I wanted to give you all a heads-up about these changes to the general monthly meeting. All other programs will continue as normal.

No matter how well we prepare for this change, there will be hiccups. The Board and I are always available to address any of your concerns and listen to your suggestions.

Please feel free to send me any comments or thoughts, as there are still many moving parts.

Barry