Week Two Done

Full steam ahead getting the Site Office (Room 101 as it's become known) up and running in time for the volunteers coming on August 15th. It's Friday and Steve, Marike and Paul are painting (erm. you're supposed to be painting the ceiling Paul). Steve has gone and got the first load of paint from Community Repaint , here Phoenix (and all Phoenix members)can get free paint that's been donated by construction companies and paint manufacturers to save them the costs of disposing of it.

But there's a problem 'It needs sieving.' says Steve after careful consideration. Marike volunteers to go get a sieve from nearby Chrisp Street Market. Once it's sieved it's fine. What colour are we painting it Steve? 'Mag(nolia) and White - you know the SP.')

One success has been getting the gas re-connected to the site office (so it's all ready to go)but getting the gas and electricity reconnected to the 8 other flats is proving to be a slow business ('One step forward, six steps back.' mutters Steve. The process is being slowed down by the fact that the blocks have been out of commission for 7 years, by the measures Poplar Harca took to render the block squat proof, by the whole range of different bodies Steve has to contact to get the utilities back on.

The plumbing for the Site Office is getting done early next week and so are the electrics and the power connection, the radiators are going on (hence the need to get the walls painted). The August 15th deadline is looking do-able.

Steve has two volunteer co-op members who actually have building skills coming on Monday next week - we can begin to move the four flats on the middle floor forward.