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HALLOWELL: A Greene keeper's story
By Jane Hallowell/Gallimaufry
Thu Sep 13, 2007, 10:25 AM EDT
Concord -When I look out the window from my home office in Concord Greene, I often see Paul Vander Lee running by — checking on various construction projects, shoveling ice that is blocking water drainage from an unexpected rain storm in the middle of winter, or distributing flyers. Another resident sited him recently clearing out the invasive Japanese knotweed by the pond at 8:30 in the evening.
Paul became business manager of the Greene more than a year ago, after having served 13 years as president of the Board. Whenever I call the condo office, he always answers the phone. “My policy is to be available for calls and to return all phone messages promptly,” he says.
Paul grew up in Western Michigan. He graduated from Calvin College and Seminary in Michigan and completed his graduate work at the Institute for Religion and Human Development in Houston, Texas.
He started out as a Presbyterian minister and soon discovered that the more he studied, the more he realized he didn’t believe in what he was studying. So, he became a social worker with the Big Brothers Big Sisters Agency in Houston.
Several years later, he wanted to make more money, and he took a job in sales as an account executive with AT&T. This still didn’t feel like the right match. So, he applied for a position with Digital Equipment Corporation in Colorado Springs shortly thereafter, and got the job. He eventually became project and program manager for large projects and traveled all over the United States and the world. His career culminated in managing a $150 million 12-year project, where he managed a team that built the NASDAQ stock market network, the world’s first all-electronic trading exchange.
Paul moved to the Greene in 1985, two years after Digital transferred him to Massachusetts. In 2005, he took early retirement.
As a retiree, Paul hung out for a while and soon became bored. He talked with the Concord Greene Board about the possibility of becoming business manager, which would involve a lot of what he had been doing already as Board president. They signed him on. As manager, he prepares the budget, contracts, gets bids from vendors, and provides recommendations to the Board. He loves doing this and enjoys working with a very dedicated and skilled maintenance staff. The fact that he owns a condo in the Greene makes him care even more.
Paul balances hard work with vacations to Africa. He has been there five times on photographic safaris with his girl friend of 20 years. Their panoramic photographs of lions and other wild animals hang on the wall opposite his desk in the main office. They are planning a trip in November close to the Arctic Circle to see the polar bear migration. With winters starting late and ending earlier there, the polar bear population has decreased significantly. He says, “It’s sad to have to plan a trip around the possible extinction of these beautiful animals.”
Back at the Greene, just when Paul thinks he has things under control, something unexpected needs immediate attention. Now, he’s learning the operation of the sprinkling system. “Progress feels like two steps forward and one step back,” he says. A 20-year long-range plan for maintenance and repair is in place, but who knows when someone’s hot water heater will go or some other unplanned event will occur. “There’s so much detail, it’s mind-boggling,” he says. “In some ways, the multi-million dollar project I was working on with Digital was easier than managing Concord Greene.” This may be the case, but this early “retiree” enjoys the challenge and is certainly up to it.
Jane Hallowell is a resident of Concord Greene and a monthly contributor to the Concord Journal. She can be reached at jane@yogainstead.netor 978-505-5503.
