Over the past two years I've donated thousands of hours to research, emails, meetings,etc. All that time finally resulted in the temporary roof cover in place as of late April. My volunteer work is possible due to the money I earn as a woodworker. If I had spent those many hours actually working on the house......much, much more would have been accomplished.
However, as many know, our government has a pattern of not being able to respond, cost effectively and thoughtfully, to broad social and environmental issues.
That being the case, it falls upon the shoulders of those who want to make a difference, to put their time where their mind is. I have time because I have no debt, including a mortgage, so do not need to earn lots. Of course, it helps that I don't have luxury tastes. So most of my time is available for Norwood. In woodwork everything is always clear. At the end of the day one can see the fruits of labor. With Norwood, there is no immediate gratification. The fact that it is public property, is the singl;e biggest barrier to making change happen. We paid over $4,000 to get the shingles & roofing felt removed by an abatement contractor. If the house were privately owned, a group of friends could have done the work for free. Why? The city has stricter rules than the private sector........for the same work. I guess it's about CYA........always a problem in our overly litigitous society.
