For nearly two weeks, The Center’s executive director, Randy Stephens, couldn’t sit in his office chair. The building’s roof leak had gotten so bad that it dripped through his office ceiling onto the floor directly behind his desk. His executive assistant, Kay Brady, also had an office ceiling that was succumbing to water leaks.
“We finally reached a point where we could not risk any damage,” Stephens said.
Fortunately, help was quick to come.
Stephens said The Center’s Board of Directors approved an emergency expenditure of $2,000 out of their operating budget to pay for the materials to repair the roof. Volunteers took it from there, led by Nancy Garcia of Home Cosmetix and Chris Drobny of DFF Cruises, who planned and oversaw the project.
“The last time we had the roof repaired was after some hurricanes, when some fly-by-night group came in and used thick foam instead of plywood, then put a tarp over it so no one would know the difference,” Stephens said. “That’s why it deteriorated so badly.”
On Dec. 3 and 4, about a half dozen volunteers gathered to make the repairs.
“They used plywood and it’s sealed,” Stephens said. “We shouldn’t have another problem for 20 years.”
He said The Center got a great deal, as roof repair estimates that included labor ran from $8,000 – $16,000.
