Nov
5
Among the unsung and unpraised heroes of James Bay are the many resident managers of high and low-rise apartment buildings. The resident manager whose praises I sing here is Annette Poole.
During late spring and throughout the summer of 2015, the Michigan Street low-rise building I live in was in flux. There were balcony replacements. Old wood floors were ripped out and new vinyl floors hammered into place. New railings were erected. The work crew seemed to be everywhere. A huge machine rolled onto the front lawn, eating up the quiet and the grass, ruining the flower borders Annette and a tenant had created. Shingles were torn away from the top storey, flung to the grass, and new shingles nailed into place. For weeks, we tenants experienced racket and disturbance, often for most of the day, as this important and time-consuming work was accomplished. For weeks, our building was in turmoil.
During this turmoil, the hero was Annette, who fielded noise complaints, cleaned up lawn mess, rescued flowers, soothed tenant tempers, answered queries, and who knows what else. She helped keep the peace, always with a smile, joke or reassuring word. Her energy, humour and daily efforts to keep us secure, and notified of important daily changes, helped to make this time of transition bearable for us tenants.
Kudos, Annette!
Judith Castle