b'C H A P T E R T W E L V Etrouble dealing with the consultants. A problem-solver by nature, Martha Stone got on the phone to the firm. What was the difficulty? It was going to take another $8,300 to finish the job. FCWs board said O. K., and the work was wrapped up in two months.Look at any of the initiatives conceived by the Friends and youll find the word challenge in the lead paragraph of the executive summary. Saving OMBY was the first, and ever since, FCWs project teams have had to realize right at the start that they faced big winds ahead. Those who can testify to that best: Debby Ecker, John Geiger, John Sweeney, and all the others who fought a gale to achieve the Zoning Bylaw Revisions. Chief communicator Jim Blankenship thought that the PR job linked to ZBR was by far the most interesting and broadest communications project in my years with FCW Perhaps it was mere oversight that kept him from adding that the mass of that task had to be among the biggest challenges of his FCW career. Chatham residents dont ever rush into voting for Zoning Bylaw issues. They had to be persuaded that the Friendss revisions would help guide the directions of growth. And the four revisions passed at least by ample margins.Call it guts, or nerve, or chutzpah. Better yet, call it courage of conviction, that is, a willingness to take fire in the open. FCWs principals were on hand in a selectmens meeting where the interim Zoning Bylaw changes were being discussed. Attorney Bill Riley, standing up on behalf of his clients, the developers, strode into the issue. FCW, he declared, was forcing (its amendments) through, insisting on moving them forward. His ultimate rejection: I think these (drafts) are terrible! That was neither the first nor the last time that Mrs. Ecker, John Geiger and their co-workers on the project heard such an indictment. But, like Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, they stood their ground. Its fair to say that time and again FCWs initiatives have meant stepping up to a public lectern with the courage of conviction to advocate or defend an idea.More than just raising their voices for potential projects, Friends directors have beenwillingto spend money to bring them to life. In fact, FCW has put up more than $93,000 on its initiatives. That includes $38,680 for making a reality of the Stage Harbor Management Plan and $36,376 for the efforts of lawyers and consultants on the Zoning Bylaw Revision endeavor. The gross does not include the costs of uncounted ads in The Chronicle or special events, such as bringing in Duke University expert Orrin Pilkey in 1992 to lay out hard facts on how best to handle coastal erosion.And theres one other point to bear in mind: the volunteer efforts of Chatham Water Watchers save the Town of Chatham about $200,000 a year in wages, which otherwise would go to hired workmen.215'