Well, it’s one of those director’s statements that are not as fun as others. the studio is a great building and it is serving it’s purpose well but for a few things.
Our Fire Alarm service box(the brain) has gone kaput and after months of service calls and technicians being stumped it turns out the panel is blown and repairs are out of the question because the box is outdated. This isn’t an optional thing, every single commercial building in Beaumont has one of these control boxes somewhere in their building. It senses smoke or heat and alerts the fire department.
The cost to us: $604.00. Not bad for a for profit corporation who can handle such an expense but for orgs like us, it is quite a bite out of our budget.
Roof repair is an on going problem. The big leak in the main roof was sealed up thanks to Alex Murphy and a bucket of tar, but we have a myriad of leaks all through the ceramic area.
Its metal roof is more difficult to detect the leaks from outside, we need some pros to come in and volunteer their expertise to find and assess the leaks.
The cost estimate is too hard to tell based on what repair has to be done until the work begins. that’s too much of a risk for us. The last repair was a week before Hurricane Ike and it was $10,000 for a roof that subsequently got a 2×4 stuck through it via a tornado—another $1500 for repairs. Last month the water heater went out and needed to be replaced— $800 and the toilet in the women’s room needed repair right before the opening aproximately $150. We spent over $700 to get our phones in basic repair since the digital age has descended upon us and our phones are analog, to complete the job would cost about $1300.
Maintenance is an on going situation but, we have been hit with such a plague of repairs you would think Moses was on our case. The Studio is capable of keeping up with basic needs but, some work is not so easy to dispatch.
I find this difficult to ask, but if any of you could be so kind as to help us with this unusual onslaught of mishaps and defray some of the costs for these needed repairs.
The studio would be infinitely grateful for any level of assistance on these projects!
We are currently reestablishing life drawing class at the studio as our leader, Abby McLaurin has moved back home to North Carolina and is no longer able to participate. We will miss Abby and wish her the best in her creative endeavors. Look for the new life drawing schedule on our website
By Greg Busceme
TASI Director