Fire at the Pink House

Yesterday was Thanksgiving, and I’ve been reading posts by a lot of friends and family about what they’re thankful for, so I thought I’d do one too. Although it feels “off” to list only the good stuff, when in reality my family is still very much in the middle of a bunch of crap. So, in the spirit of not tarnishing reality, I’ve decided to do a duality column:

Don’t let my petty whining give you the wrong picture. I’m well aware of how extremely fortunate I am. Not just to have come out of our ordeal mostly intact, but to have been born into circumstance that can only be considered privileged relative to the rest of the world. I have access to communication tools that allow me to read news and consume media to keep me educated and informed. Did I say I can read? I’m able to stand in the shower and let warm water run over my body, on a daily basis. I don’t have to worry about a marauding army pillaging and destroying our lives. I have a job, income, a car, and access to stores where I can pretty much buy anything my family needs. I can walk, run, see, hear, smell, touch. I have instruments, clothes, tools, and skills. Unless struck by some unfortunate accident, I should live a long life with my two beautiful girls.

Speaking of, I have the most wonderful daughter, who constantly reminds me that nothing is very important next to family and friends. And I have a wife who “gets” me, stands next to me, challenges me, and enthralls me.

I’m more fortunate that many people, some far off and some right here in Juneau. It’s actually a bit embarrassing.

The United Way of Southeast Alaska has been a huge help to us throughout our process. From emotional support to coordinating volunteers to helping facilitate donations, without the United Way and her sister agencies (namely the Red Cross of Alaska) we would have had a much harder go of it.

So of course when president Brenda Hewitt asked if we’d be in their 2009 promotional video, we were happy to tell a bit of our story and how they helped us:

Recently we took the pink house down. This was a high priority for us as the sight and smell of that burned out house was rather depressing.

When we think about our hopeful rebuild next spring, and look at our budget, we know it’s going to be tight. We won’t be able to build the house we had. And certainly not the house we want for the long term. But if the stars align we’ll be able to afford enough of a construction loan to get a comfy abode to hang our hats in.

There are three major financial factors that play into this as of yet existing affordable construction loan we’re dreaming about. The first was the asbestos test coming up negative, a huge relief that saves us a lot of money and hassle.  The second was the foundation being sound enough to reuse, which takes a good chunk off the rebuild estimates. And the third is that Waste Management of Juneau has agreed to donate the landfill fees for dumping the wooden shell of the house.

Those three expenses combined add up to about $60,000, which is about 25% the amount of a construction loan we can afford. In our budgets that 25% is a crucial amount. With those costs, we’d be forced to consider not rebuilding. Without them, we can see possibility on the horizon.

Waste Management has gotten a good deal of criticism in Juneau, especially after the incinerator stopped, the trash mound grew, and the notorious Lemon Creek odor problem. We weren’t sure if they’d be able to work with us, as they are a rather large corporation in a tough economy.

I approached Waste Management shortly after the fire and wrote a letter to them describing our circumstance and the weight estimates for the demolition. Local branch manager Eric Vance took it from there. It took a couple months but you can imagine how good it felt when he told me “we’ll take care of you”. And they did, all 34 tons of us.

So here is a huge “shout out” to Eric Vance and Waste Management, who have helped my family out in a Big way.

On August 25, 26, and 27 Jerry and his excavator took the remains of the pink house to the landfill. Here’s some pics: