After the excitement of last week on the construction site, which was marked by the return of the Bueno Wellie Wearing Gang* from the honorable trade of concrete levelling and floor finishing supported by the mighty concrete pump, one might think it a hard act to follow but one might be wrong!
Even the most distracted traveler passing down N. Witchduck Road could not fail to notice the medium sized lumber yard that has sprung up on the ODEC “front lot.” Arranged around the site are stacks of roofing trusses and frames that will soon become the skeleton for the roof over the Great Hall and Narthex. To my deep regret I was not “in situ” to watch the arrival of all this lumber and so I am deeply indebted to Mal Higgins and Scott Crumley for their first hand accounts and by all accounts I missed a spectacle. It was Thursday afternoon when the first low-loader arrived at ODEC with its cargo of roof frames and trusses. This was not one of those 18-wheel rigs we see every day plying their trade on the highways and bye ways of the USA. This was one of those extra special behemoths that seem to have more wheels than legs on a centipede and a flatbed trailer stretching some 85 feet back from the cab and accompanied, where ever it goes, by one of those flag carrying, pathfinder vehicles announcing “wide load” to those poor unfortunates trapped behind. Picture the scene, the behemoth arrives at ODEC and is carefully reversed into position by Lerone the driver ably supported by his spotter Krissy. Once in position it's a puzzle for the uninitiated, how do you unload an 85-foot flatbed of stacked lumber with no forklift or crane in sight? Well there is a surprising process so cunning you could put a tail on it and call it weasel! Lerone’s flatbed trailer is fitted with sets of little rollers that in “travelling down the road mode” are withdrawn into the flatbed. When it’s time to unload Lerone activates the electric systems that not only raise the little rollers so they lift the load an inch or so above the trailer bed but also power the rollers so they rotate and gradually ease the load off the back of the trailer. Those of you who can remember the days of air travel may have seen similar technology on the lifts used to load cargo into aircraft. However, the little rollers are not in themselves enough to complete the unload and the next part of the process is…. shall we say, “slightly less subtle?” As the wood seems to mystically glide off the back of the trailer with no visible assistance, thanks to the little rollers doing their hidden work, there comes the inevitable moment when gravity takes over leaving about a third of the wood still flat on the trailer, about a third of the wood now flat on the ground and the third in the middle distorted into an extended “S” bend. The little rollers have done their part and can’t push the load any further so Lerone hops back into his cab, engages a low ratio gear and pulls forward in doing so dumping the final third of word off the flat-bed and onto the ground accompanied by what sounds like a clap of thunder! I think I have had airport baggage handlers treat my suitcase in a similar manner! Turning away from Lerone, his spotter Krissy and their behemoth what else has been going on in the construction world this past week? From the outside the rear wing is starting to look like the finished article, albeit it still without doors, whilst inside Atlantic Heating and Air is continuing with the HVAC installation. At the front, our new concrete pad is now adorned with steel pillars that will eventually either support the main roof beams or form part of the entrances. Around the edge of the concrete pad metal troughs are being attached to the footing bricks in preparation for the wall framing. Turning to the skies, the roofers are in the process of replacing the old shingles on the existing buildings, including Tucker Hall, having already re-roofed Alfriend House. The old, ugly, brick façade picked out with white boards, which gave such “character” to the front the building between the Duty Angel’s office and the day school entrance, is no more, thanks to some rather noisy demolition, and is soon to be replaced by brickwork that will match the new buildings. Stay safe and stay healthy, David Beach. “Bueno Wellie Wearing Gang”*: For those readers who my have missed an earlier blog the “gang” is a team of Spanish speaking construction workers from Richmond who specialize in laying and finishing concrete floors, a very skilled operation. As the team members must wade in liquid concrete, about 4 inches deep, in the course of their work the rubber boot is their preferred footwear. In the UK rubber boots are also called wellington boots or colloquially “wellies” and “bueno” because that is how I described the boots to the gang!
1 Comment
Mal Higgins
11/18/2020 02:53:10 pm
David,
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AuthorDavid Beach is our Building Project Manager, and has been an active part of our parish family for more than a decade. He is retired from NATO and the British Army and is a joy and blessing to all of us. Archives
July 2021
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