(Photo: John Scott preparing to attack the building.)

The very first meeting of neighbors, which later evolved into the Table Mountain Association, met at the Altona Grange on Nelson Road. Many of our subsequent activities have also taken place at the Grange. Many of us vote there. Ditch meetings, weddings, and graduations take place there. The Grange is truly a community center -- yet the building has needed some T.L C.

A couple of years ago, the Table Mountain Association offered to help maintain the Altona Grange. This spring "grange master" Harold Steele took us up on our offer- could we please paint the outside of the entry vestibule, and by the way, could we also please replace the toilet in the ladies' room?

We, naturally, jumped into action -- there was a deadline of two weeks away, when a gala graduation party was scheduled for the facility. Both projects turned out to be a bit more complicated than we had expected. We scraped, sanded, primed and painted the half-century-old addition - a "Victorian Beige" color, which now complements .the main building. The toilet in question had been leaking water slowly down through the floor, necessitating plumbing adjustments and complete removal and replacement of the floor (fortunately the joists below were still solid). For good measure, the curtains in the main room were taken down and washed, the old shag carpet on the inside steps removed and the steps painted, and the entire place given a thorough spring cleaning. We made it, the day before the deadline!

The TMA Grange Team included John Scott, Steve LeBlang, Jim Cooke, Penne and Dave Adams, Paul Gelatt, Daryl Oshiro (a master plumber), Ray Bovet and myself. We hope you 11 notice our efforts next time you're up at the Grange, and that you will be pleased with the results. We were happy to be able to provide a much-needed needed service, and we look forward to many more years of a mutually beneficial relationship, between the Table Mountain Association and the Altona Grange.