<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><BR><DIV><DIV>On Sep 19, 2006, at 3:01 PM, Willem Blees wrote:</DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">I've made a<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN></FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">list of all the pianos with their current values, and replacement<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN></FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">costs. He was impressed. But still no budget.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN></FONT></P></BLOCKQUOTE><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>It's kind of like that here. I do get recital fees in an account, and that's around $2500 a year. Too much for tools and supplies and not enough to get anything real done. I'm scared to spend it because (a) it costs 8% to spend it and (b) we could have an emergency later. But nobody wants to commit state/tuition dollars to maintaining the pianos beyond a tuner's salary. Our new dean wants to do something, but he just can't get folks above his head to agree to anything because places like the University of Alabama, etc., don't have a piano budget either. That's the problem.</DIV><BR><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><BR></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">I keep the pianos going using my own tools, equipment and supplies.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> Once in a while I can buy some small parts that a desperately needed. </SPAN></FONT></P></BLOCKQUOTE><DIV><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">But for the most parts, I have to made do with what I can, using my </DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">own supplies. </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>No. Use your tools, but if the university shop doesn't have and cannot afford the supplies, the repair doesn't get done. I've got a music desk out of a piano major practice room that I did not repair all last year and kept the action out of the piano all year, simply because we do not have the tools to do the repair right. Yes, all I've gotten was fussed at, but I'm no genie, and I cannot wiggle my nose and make it happen. The university bears more responsibility that they are taking. Enough comes out of my pocket. I draw the line at tuning/regulating tools.</DIV><BR><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><BR></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">There is some hope, in that the state is having a banner year in tax<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN></FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">collections. Maybe it will loosen up some money for the music<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN></FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">department. But there are so many needs at this university, that the<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN></FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">chances of getting anything for pianos is very slim.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN></FONT></P> </BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>South Carolina is debating over what to do with nearly a billion dollar surplus this year and I can't get a decent raise or a maintenance budget. Maybe they'll give it back to the taxpayers instead of applying it to departments that have had to take deep cuts they could not afford for the past 6 years. Don't get your hopes up.</DIV><BR><DIV> <SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><DIV>Jeff Tanner, RPT</DIV><DIV>University of South Carolina</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"></SPAN> </DIV><BR></BODY></HTML>