My last blog focused on the pipe laying and hole digging going on beside N Witchduck Road but now it’s time to shine a light on the rear wing where a major milestone has been achieved!
In the early part of last week, in the heat of the day, a construction team was out on the rear wing sand pad to prepare for the much-anticipated concrete pour that will form the new building’s floor. First a thick plastic sheet or membrane was laid on the sand to serve as a water barrier and the base for the concrete pour. Next the team laid a steel wire grid on top of the membrane, this serves to give additional strength to the floor. My description doesn’t do justice to the real effort it took to do this preparation, whilst there might not have been any tears there was certainly a great deal of sweat, and I suspect even blood, with our own Scott Crumley joining in to install a steel pillar, at present the highest point of construction, that will eventually be part on the support for the rear wing’s roof. With this preparation completed and the work passing inspection the scene was set for the concrete pour, scheduled for first thing Friday morning. Friday 5.45 a.m. and it’s a clear, cool start to the day as the preying-mantis like “concrete-pump” truck gets itself into position and ready to receive the 700 square yards of concrete that will be needed to make the floor. Much as I like the heavy machinery this morning my attention is drawn to the bunch of Spanish speaking chaps who will be working, at the delivery end of the concrete pump, to spread and level the pour. There are ten of them in the team and they are a very happy bunch especially when you realize they have traveled down from Richmond to be here at this early hour (you need some specialist skills for this concrete leveling gig and these fellows are in high demand). Their banter is loud and laughter echoes around the site, no doubt to the discomfort of some of the closest residents. These guys will be literally wading up to their ankles in the concrete as it’s disgorged from the delivery nozzle so it’s no surprise that their common piece of attire is a stout pair of rubber boots. Now you may recall the term “rubber wellies” or “wellies*” from an earlier blog (English colloquial for rubber boots) so not wishing to be slow in offering an ODEC welcome I struck up a lively conversation. Not being blessed with too many words of Spanish I’m afraid I never really got any further than complimenting them on their “bueno wellies” and even though that seemed to get lost in translation I’d like to think we established a degree of international “wellie camaraderie!” The first concrete mixer truck arrived on site at 6:45 a.m., slightly late but apparently they had already delivered 1000 square yards (100 truckloads) to another job before starting the ODEC delivery. Once pumping started the “bewellied*” team leapt into action, directing, pushing, pulling and leveling the concrete flow – a short break whilst the next concrete mixer truck took its place behind the pump - and then back into action. I left the concrete gang to it to return to the site some 3 hours later and what a wonder to behold. By now mixers and concrete pumps had long left but not our intrepid gang. Now without their wellies, some on their knees deftly leveling and smoothing the concrete by hand to the precise depth whilst others using machines that looked like giant sanders. To me the floor already looked perfect but even so the work to smooth and level continued well on into the day to produce a surface that looks like polished glass. Stay safe and stay healthy, David Beach *wellies – colloquial English for rubber boots *bewellied – word I made up as the wellie equivalent to bejeweled
2 Comments
Mal Higgins
7/21/2020 04:11:56 am
I wish I had seen this Richmond crew in action with their "bueno wellies". Luckily, David, you are bilingual, sort of.
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Gretchen
8/16/2020 07:36:27 am
I think tether ball would be a lovely addition!
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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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