Con Ed is here and ready to go to work

12/19

To the church early. Mystery: when I left last night, I thought all the lights were off. They were on as I arrived. And someone had left three food platters from Gourmet Garage inside the church. I find this somewhat disconcerting. Con Ed is here and ready to go to work. Into the basement. All over the boiler. And into the ground. The jackhammers are digging under the sidewalk. Soon pipes will be being laid down and connected. Ted the Polish plumber has arrived and is turning valves and adjusting things. Work is underway. We’ve cut through six weeks worth of red tape in six days. Thanks to Gale. Thanks to Ted. In the end, as always, it’s relationships. And it’s beginning.

I’m catching up on my writing. DJ Dan has taken down the brown paper sign and the Craft Fair banners.  Amanda and Aaron stop by to say good bye on their way out of town. She leaves her New York guitar with me for safe keeping .John H walks in to talk through strategies re. the upcoming meeting on air rights and is glad that I seem to have a hold on the legal parameters at hand.  

Danielle comes in. Her last day of work before she heads home for the holidays. There are acknowledgement letters to get out. Year end requests. All the grind it out work needed to keep going. Tonight there will be a meeting of the Center’s Executive Committee. Budgets to be created. Financial reviews. We’re still on edge.

And Marsha and I meet Mitch from the coop to the north. They want to help. They actually supported us in the landmarks struggle. But they want to also lease air rights. Air rights that range from valueless to invaluable depending on how things shake out. A proposal will be drawn up. We’ll see.

And still there is the question as to how to rebuild a viable congregation out of all this.  It is a living, breathing church. But still so far to go.....

When I left to go to the Eecutive Committee meeting, we put the food platters on the steps. By the time  leave the meeting with Mitch, they’re all gone.