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INTERVIEW WITH A NEIGHBOR
By Cathy Arney

Welcome to the newly created Interview with a Neighbor column. I am interested in interviewing anyone from the Cambridge Woods Neighborhood. If you are willing to be interviewed, please contact me at ssabin@execpc.com.

I recently sat down with one of the most interesting couples in the Cambridge Woods Neighborhood, Rebecca North and Adolph Paul. After a tour of their completely rehabbed lower duplex, we talked about their upcoming Green Roof project.

1.) What part of Cambridge Woods do you live in?
We live in the 3200 Block of N. Cambridge Avenue

2.) How long have you lived there?
We bought the house three years ago, spent one year renovating and have lived here for one year.

3.) What drew you to the Cambridge Woods neighborhood?
Adolph: We were looking for a duplex on the East side. We knew the neighborhood. We use to live south of Riverside High School. We like that this is a working class neighborhood. We have, of course, noticed the house we live in. It is unusual and has stature. One day it was for sale.

4.) What do you like best about your neighborhood? What makes it special for you?
Rebecca: The view is wonderful. I can see the boathouse from my house. The woods are across the street. It is like living in a park. One of my neighbors has a security light that reminds me of being on my uncle’s farm-a very found memory.
Adolph: I like the East side with the University, stores, everything is very convenient. I can ride a bike to the store.

5.) If you could change or improve anything about the neighborhood, what would that be?
Rebecca: The noise. Students are noisy; they keep different hours. They talk at two in the morning.
Adolph: I use to talk at two in the morning when I was a student. I thought we solved all the world’s problems.

Tell us about the Green Roof project.
About a year ago we started researching the project. We went to the Great Lake Institute. They have a green roof on their roof. They were a great resource. Then we visited Chicago to look at a neighborhood with several green roofs on the same block. We talked to one of the owners and saw his roof. There is a big push in Chicago to incorporate green roofs into new construction. In fact, all new construction must have a green roof. We wanted to build a garage but we didn’t want to give up the whole yard to do so.

Green roofs make sense esthetically and ecologically. In Milwaukee, there is a sewer problem. The deep tunnel overflow is controversial. When you have a green roof, the rain water is diverted from the sewer to a rain barrel, where the rainwater is collected and used in the garden that is on the roof. Also, the plants are like container gardens-they need more water. A green roof does not reflect heat like a standard roof. So, you are not contributing to heating the area from your roof. A green roof is really beautiful.

Currently we are negotiating with the city over the plan. We will start the project when the city approves the plan.

Rebecca and Adolph taking down the old garage: