That's more like it...

Ladies and Gentlemen I am proud to declare the Saturday Opening (this Saturday -the 24th - this morning) a success. Steve and Eight Phoenix members (Paul, Ray, Steve - another one, Ofa, Ninad, Mike - another one, Amit and Mark White) came and painted and sanded and stripped wallpaper and attempted a little light carpentry and even helped bring down the plasterboard cupboard in 87. A further two members got as far as the shops on the estate and then got lost - it is tricky to find, bring a map. Ken Kamara came down and took photos (and even shot some film of the Phoenix massive grafting away), we hope to post some of these soon.

'It does make a difference.' Muttered (a somewhat abashed) Steve.

If you fancy some more we're here Monday to Fridays and every second Saturday - Come On Down.

Progress - the 1% barrier is broken

One percent of the membership of Phoenix have now visited the refurb site - our lucky member to break this first barrier is Ola. Now how about we try for 5% - we have after all only been open to volunteers for a week. The site is open daytime weekdays and every second Saturday. Phone Maihan if you are coming in and if you are not sure where it is try Google Maps. Come on Down.

On the other hand volunteers from College of Northwest London (Moussa, Ibrahim, Shaban, Andreas, Edward) continue to come one day a week each and do good work, also in today was Erik from Archway who read about Phoenix online and is interested in becomming a member (as is Ibrahim). The electrical installations of the four mid-floor flats (99,97,95,93) have been certified today and the installation of the kitchens in them is proceeding well. Tommorow we begin painting in 97 (and perhaps 95) - Darryl (a Phoenix member) and Erik having spent a lot of time sanding down the walls.

The power is finally on in room 101 - EDF having pronounced themselves pleased with the installation. We have a toilet, hot water, two sinks, a kettle, a fridge, tea bags, milk and sugar, helath and safety notices cover the walls.

Volunteers - Come on Down!

Ladies and Gentlemen - the refurb is now open to Volunteers from Monday August 15th.

Phone (or email) Maihan and come on down. For those of you who work weekdays we will be open this Saturday August 20th, we hope to see you then.


Flat 101 - the site office now has central heating, hot water, a functioning toilet (thoroughly tested), a desk for Maihan, a noticeboard and all the health and safety signage is up. The high-vis vests, safety boots and safety helmets are all stacked up waiting for Volunteers to put them on and go to work. Thanks to Steve for all his hard work and to the people who showed up to help get the site office ready (Kevin, Marike and Paul). It hasn't all been plain sailing however, we are still waiting for the main company head fuse for flat 101 to be put in to get the power on after we were repeatedly misinformed about which company's responsibility it was. We also ran out of time to get the bathroom sink fitted (so that's a job for monday if anyone fancies it).

Elsewhere in the building we are still ahead of schedule despite delays with the gas and electricity. Having wired up 101 on the top floor and 95 on the middle floor the electricians are coming back next week to finish off 99, 97, and 93. In 95 and 97 the outsize storage cupboards (that took up most of the room in these flats) have been taken down to create a bigger living space. (Here's Steve showing Marike how it would work.)


The ground floor we are leaving for Phase 2 of the refurb, we are leaving it boarded up and using it as a rubble store.

Monday we hope to begin the task of putting new work surfaces and cabinets into the kitchens (people with carpentry skills required). Thanks to Kevin for coming down and putting mortice locks into the doors for added security.

See you Monday.

Midweek

While 6 flats now have front doors and the top floor flat and the four on the 1st floor have their windows in, for some things it feels that progress is slow. As anyone who has attempted to get their gas or electricity reconnected will know deregulation has made doing this an absolute nightmare of competing agencies, companies and established contracts. Steve has spent a lot of time with a mobile phone clamped on one ear. 'How's it going?' I mouth to him (silently). He responds with the international gesture for 'Shoot me now'.

The gas meters on the four ground floor flats are external - contained in those ugly white plastic boxes - except these have been smashed and the meters are gone. All are gone but one has to be reported to the police as stolen before the flat can be reconnected (go figure!). Steve has bought four replacements - those for the the front 2 flats have now been replaced, those for the back 2 flats on the ground floor we will do when we've got the windows in and have access to the back gardens.

By the end of the week we hope to have front doors on all the flats. A steady stream of plumbers is coming round to bid for putting in the boilers and putting in the heating, but our budget for doing this is very tight.

Week One Done

'That's good progress for a week.' says Steve as he closes the front door he's just put back with a satisfying thud. So where are we with Phoenix's plan to refurb 9 flats in a block in Poplar?

Flat 101 - top floor, the site office to be. Front door on, windows unboarded to let daylight in for the first time in seven years, the glass put back in, wallpaper stripped, floor tiles stripped, lino stripped out of the kitchen. Once this flat is done up - to provide a toilet and washing facilities for volunteers - the volunteering can begin in earnest - probably from Monday August 15th.





Flat 99 - these next four flats are on the first floor. New front door on, unboarded.
Flat 97 - front door on, unboarded, swept out, floor tiles stripped, lino stripped out of the kitchen, windows unboarded and glass put back in.
Flat 95 - New front door put on, otherwise ditto.
Flat 93 - ditto but the front door still needs doing.

The four flats on the ground floor we are leaving boarded up until we are ready to start work on them - though one is being used as a waste store for the rubble as it is generated.

In rendering the flats squat proof (and to prevent scavengers from stripping out the electrical wiring etc.) Poplar Harca rendered the flats exceptionally difficult to get into - everything has been glued and screwed (and the screwheads covered over). The power's not on yet, the water's not on yet, the toilets, baths, sinks and kitchens aren't in yet and Steve is busy gettting quotes to get the work not suitable for volunteers done.

Next week - more of the same - if you are interested in helping out email Maihan.

Volunteer Meeting Wednesday 13th July 7pm-9pm Oxford House

Dear Phoenix members,
Just a quick reminder that there will be a meeting for all Co-op members who are interested in finding out more about volunteering on the Housing Plus renovation of Spey Street. The volunteer meeting will be held on Wednesday 13th July from 7pm-9pm at Oxford House, Derbyshire Street, Bethnal Green E3 3LE.






If you are interested in volunteering on the renovation project, then please come along to meet Steve and Maihan and find out more about the project. Steve Hopson is the full time Spey Street Site Manager and Maihan Hamed is the part time Employment, training and education (ETE) Co-ordinator who will be working on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Please RSVP your attendance. Best wishes Carlita