Victory.
When I got to my branch a year and a half ago, there was a giant hole in the adult room's ceiling. We had a ton of water damage from the leaking, and there was crumbling paint, peeling plaster and dust bits. On the other hand, it was a beautiful branch, built in 1936, with two fireplaces, built-in wooden book shelves and a pretty nice layout. I was completely appalled that a historic, beautiful building was so damaged from flooding.
The long story involves lots of email, visits from upper management, calls to union reps, and a lot of hard work by the staff and our branch supporters and advocates.
When I first started asking about the roof, one of my fellow branch managers explained she first noticed a leak in her branch when she was pregnant with her first child-- the kid had just turned eleven. She said not to hold my breath.
So, I'm completely proud of my first accomplishment (and all the hard work from my staff and everyone else who sent in their letters and email and advocated on our behalf)-- the roof work started this week! In six weeks, come on up to the Bronx and visit!