But do not think that this means we are ready to make a purchase. We lost the first Villa Augusti not because of heavy mortgage payments, as there were none, but there were the daily costs of ownership, from the electric bill to trash fees, and our Society could not sustain these. We must not repeat this error; we must make certain that such routine expenses are covered before expending our capital again.
To date, we have found no one willing to serve as the champion for [[Fundraising]]. This role, vital though it is to the long term survival of our Society, we have been unable to communicate in a way that motivates someone to step forward. We are disappointed by this, as it means we shall all have to wait that much longer before we can move into the second Villa Augusti.
What we may be able to do in the interim is to lease space. Perhaps not enough for a museum and [[Chapel of the Rose|chapel]], but certainly for office space and probably for much of the library collection to become accessible. This will incur added expenses, but much of these can come from the interest earned by the idle capital fund, which is already paying for the storage facilities that now contain our library and museum collections. It will give us room to work, room to utilize volunteers ... and it will give the Metcalfs back their dining room.