Time to Move On

(Originally written Monday, Nov. 17)
The Tybee Island City Manager came by today trailed by her assistant. A no nonsense middle-aged woman, she had a look around Avalanche then told us in a “brook no argument” way that it is not in her power to extend our 7 day permit and that getting a variance to the by-law stipulating that people can park their trailers next to houses but not live in them more than 7 days in a row 3 times a year would cost a minimum of $250 and take a month longer than we plan to be in Georgia. To her credit she promised that she would put in a good word for us with the owner of the trailer park at the north end of the island because she likes our Tour, and she did so. When Erin checked back with him a few hours later he had a spot for us and it has been left to Wednesday, when we must move, for us to find out if there will be a charge and if it will be less than the usual Tybee rate of $1000/mn.

The three of us met and about an hour later we were joined by Kristin Russell, the owner of the Sentient Bean and the partner of the man who owns the house where we are currently parked. We were engaged in frank discussion of how we are doing, how we can work together better and in what activities we can set up and/or join that will forward the objectives of the Tour more powerfully. I definitely feel that we made progress.

The idea that I feel the most excited about is for us to work with some active youth groups to create a local currency initiative. This would be different from other barter systems in that its intention would be to create exchange, inclusion and relationship more than to be a strict barter system. I think such a “game” could be powerful because it could give people a way to acknowledge and appreciate contributions that rarely get noticed in our typical economic system. Such a contribution is like when a person with Down Syndrome is very good at making people feel happy, or a child with learning challenges stimulates greater academic learning in other students. We quickly slipped into calling the potential medium of the currency “happy dollars”. This also reflects that it seems that creating such a game might help pull people out of the gloom that current economic difficulties have spread all over Savannah, and Tybee where ¼ of the properties are up for sale.

Now it is up to us both to get things underway and to find the necessary funding ourselves to keep us on the Tour and at the Task. It is clearly time for us to be intentional and to create from the amazing opportunities that we have been given.

Judith