As we are drawn into the dying embers of 2020 one is inclined to reflect on the passing year and look forward to what is to come in the new. I’ve done this exercise every year since the advent of a New Year actually meant something more than just being a young teenager enjoying the company of a few friends whilst my parents made “whoopee” at some formal “do” in downtown Plymouth.* In all of that time I’ve reflected on births, deaths, marriages, military postings, state of the Beach bank account, resolutions, evolutions and a host of other matters but in all that time I have never reflected on a building. All of that is about to change!
The start of 2020 was very much a case of “will we, won’t we, yes we might” as on the one hand we looked over our shoulders at the approaching pandemic whilst we rode the bureaucratic wave that is the City of Virginia Beach’s building permit process. By Feburary 2020 the pandemic had arrived as had our permits and by the end of March Scott Crumley had unleashed the wrath of tree fellers, pipe layers and, unforgettably, Ryan and his Higgerson’s site construction team. With trees gone, pipes and storm water tanks installed, and concrete pad laid the Rear Wing started to rise from the ground. Walls appeared, roofing trusses were installed and a roof, that for the most part didn’t leak, was laid followed by bricks and windows. As work on the rear wing moved inside to fit electrical power and HVAC systems the construction focus turned to the Narthex and Great Hall as the construction dance repeated itself to the beat of Scott Crumley’s construction drum! And then we had the huge milestone of being able to use the shell of the Great Hall and Narthex for services on Christmas Eve, perhaps not quite as dry as one might have wished, that’s what you get without windows, doors or roof shingles, but the services underpinned by the reflection of lights, clergy and parishioners in the half inch or so of standing water is the stuff legends are made of! We may be in the festive season but it's a mere bagatelle to the building construction industry, especially when the weather is clear albeit a little chilly, and we have had our full share of wet weather in 2020. So following the old adage “make hay whilst the sun shines” or in our case “make buildings whilst the weather is clear” progress during the month of December has been phenomenal. The rear wing has (some) doors and paint is going on the walls, the roof is mostly finished and is laced to the old, entrance porches have been added, Father Bob’s office is being worked on whilst a veritable web of pipes and HVAC conduits are being installed in the Great Hall. The old courtyard is now blessed with new “shop windows” so those of you who enjoyed the great outdoors sneaking through the old, rotten doors and frames into the corridor will now have to go elsewhere to seek their blast of fresh air and, contrary to rumors, the Great Hall is not to be fitted with a system to recreate the magic of the 2020 Christmas Eve services by flooding the floor at the turn of a tap*! In the montage of pictures with this blog I’ve tried to capture all of this progress in the hope that a picture really does paint a thousand words!! Looking forward into 2021 there is still much to do. The rear wing will probably be ready for occupation by the time Spring comes around. In the Narthex and Great Hall internal walls will be installed, the roof will be shingled, windows will go in and electrical and HVAC systems added. As part of the maintenance program new windows will be installed around the courtyard which will also get a new concrete (and smooth) floor then towards the Summer the remaining site work, including the third and final storm water tank, will begin. So much to look forward to in 2021 and it only remain for me to thank you all for your patience, your support and for your generosity in tolerating my ramblings in this blog. Thank you also for those who have given their time and expertise over the past 12 months supporting the construction project. I wish you a very peaceful, happy and blessed 2021, stay safe and stay healthy. David Beach. “Plymouth”: The City of my birth in Devon/England where the Pilgrim Fathers set sail for the New World, from what are now called the “Mayflower Steps,” on 6 September 1620. “Tap”: A faucet.
0 Comments
B.C. (in our case that is Before Construction) our existing facilities were a much-loved, patchwork quilt of buildings constructed by different projects in different decades. There was no grand design and although the front façade didn’t quite match the dimensions or style of the rest of the buildings and we had a roof that in places possessed basket like qualities it was all part of the buildings’ charm (well maybe not the roof but even that had a charm of its own to the roof repair company). The problem with our patchwork quilt of buildings comes when you try and add another piece and it is not just the visible that's a problem but also the hidden beams, roofing frames and quirky utilities that our new buildings have to tie in to, it’s all about the “construction integration” challenge.
The integration challenge has been a recurring theme throughout the building process and I have tried to describe these challenges, as they were explained to me, in this blog (unfortunately I’ve probably misinformed the readership on more than one occasion but that is completely my fault and no reflection on those experts who have spent so much of their valuable time trying to explain the details to a complete building novice such as myself). There was the floor challenge (back wing 6 inches lower than the library floor), the electrical challenge (connecting into the existing electrical systems exposed some “odd” cabling), the sewer challenge (unexpected and covert third sewer line running to the day school wing) and of course the ever-enduring roof challenge that I can only describe as akin to being color blind and trying to solve the Rubik’s Cube. So it is with a merry demeanor and in keeping with the spirt of the season that I am delighted to mark the reaching a critical milestone in this past week. The last major challenge in stitching the new building to the old focused on a patch of roofing above Father Bob’s and Gretchen’s offices for it in this small area that new pitched roof and flat roofs meets the old. It would be no understatement to tell you that even our maestro of construction Scott Crumley was mildly concerned about the implications of this challenge and by way of preparation both Father Bob and Gretchen were evacuated from their respective offices just in case a laminated beam, or worse still a roofer, unexpectedly “dropped in.” The rooms were also cleared and whatever remained covered under sheets of heavy plastic in case it rained (see the pictures above) and my deep gratitude goes to Blair Hood for his help in the “humping and dumping.” Meanwhile Scott, his carpenter and his roofer huddled in conference to consider the problem and the best approach. The result speaks for itself. The work started on Thursday and by close of business Friday parts of the old roof were gone, new frames and beams had been installed and the new flat and pitched roofs were in place and joined to the original structures without a gable end in sight! Writing this just doesn’t do justice to the prior planning and preparation that resulted in such a perfect execution so when, in the future, you walk into the Narthex main entrance spare a moment to look up to your right and admire one small piece of roof that meant so much in the grand design (and hopefully by the time you do that we will have moved Father Bob and Gretchen back into their respective offices!). Before I end (yes, I’m sorry there is more…it’s been a busy week) I have to give a mention to that same Narthex main entrance. As the sun climbed over the horizon on Saturday morning the Narthex main entrance was but a concrete pad and four upright steel girders but by the time that sun went down on that same day the entrance canopy was in place. To a building luddite, and I count myself as one, this might seem to be a trivial piece of work so, without his permission, let me use Scott’s own words, illuminated by the pictures below, to describe the level of planning and attention to detail that went into making this happen and please know that this level of planning and attention to detail is what has gone into and will continue to go into every piece of construction right to, and probably beyond, the very end: “It started with Bart's (viz the architect) picture, then the structural engineer sized the beams, then the steel fabrication company drew shop drawings that passed back through the before mentioned (viz Bart) for confirmation. Then it was made and delivered. The beams sat in the mud for a while until the concrete guy poured the floors. On construction day (viz Saturday), all those measurements were accurate enough that a 3/4 inch bolt fitted through a 13/16" hole. Then, wood trusses from another company were tied into the beams making the roof pitch and equal overhangs. Not to mention the architecturally pleasing round columns (for looks only) wound up dropping in place mysteriously along with their vernacular correct cap and bases from yet another company. Easy stuff!!!” Have a very Peaceful and Blessed Christmas, stay safe and stay healthy, David Beach I am absolutely gobsmacked* (straight in with a good old Brit informal word), yes completely gobsmacked!
Over the past couple of weeks my wife and I have been back and forth to Durham/NC - that drive between Emporia and Virginia Beach seems to defy the laws of physics, the further you go the further you still have to go, I am sure Brigadoon* is located somewhere off the 58 between Emporia and Norfolk! But I digress or whatever is the blogging equivalent of getting off subject. So I’ve been out of town quite a bit and when I went away the Great Hall was just a skeleton picked out in framing steel and open to the elements. I get back on blogging mission and, as the French say, “Voilà!*”I am gobsmacked and, if I know my blog followers, I think you will be as well. I have always found those “before and after” pictures you see in the media to be quite powerful, a wee caveat on that statement that I’m not talking about the before and after shots of celebrities’ nose jobs but rather those pictures that bring home the stark reality of global warming or some natural disaster so before and after pictures don’t tend to record a good thing but not so in the case of ODEC. At the top of this blog I've challenged my blogging skills to offer 3 pictures, ordered left to right. On the left a picture taken on 27th Nov depicting the bare bones of the Great Hall, it’s little more than the concrete pad with some steel framework. In the middle a picture taken on 8th Dec and already there’s a roof, much more framing and even external walls. On the right a picture taken yesterday (11th Dec) and there is the palladium window looking out onto Witchduck Road, albeit without frame and glass but nevertheless clear for all to see. I think it looks rather fine. That little series of before and after pictures record what I can only call amazing (and that comes with a good slice of Brit understatement) progress over a mere 14 days, from a concrete pad edged with steel to the palladium window. Progress such of this does not just happen. As the little picture gallery at the end of this blog shows, there has been a mesmerizing mix of trades and contractors on the site over the past few weeks. All working to a construction dance that’s been carefully choreographed by Scott Crumley who when not getting stuck in with saw, Bobcat (that’s a very small bulldozer), dumpster truck or helping the Tuesday Yard Crew is all over the site checking, directing and correcting. I could not end this blog without mentioning the wonderful examples of forklift trucks we have working on site. I confess my first “love” will always be the yellow heavy roller, but then there was the brooding power of the concrete pump and the magnificent ingenuity of the concrete curb extruding machine but for now it’s the age of forklift truck and what a magnificent display they are putting on, well that’s all expect the large orange one that’s stuck axle deep in mud just outside Parish Administrator’s Office window - but maybe that’s for the telling at another time. Stay safe and stay healthy, David Beach. “Gobsmacked”: Generally, gobsmacked refers to something so shocking that it leaves you utterly speechless. Although written examples of the word gobsmacked date from only the last eighty years or so, it is highly likely that the word was used in spoken language before that time. “Brigadoon”: The legend of Brigadoon is the story of a mythical village in the Scottish Highlands. The village became enchanted centuries ago remaining unchanged and invisible to the outside world except for one special day every hundred years when it could be seen and even visited by outsiders. As I now know, the village of Brigadoon isn’t in the Scottish Highlands but is actually located somewhere off the 58 between Emporia and Norfolk “Voilà” French meaning “there it is” or “there you have it” I have been out of town of late and that’s reflected in my recent “blogging” routine but have no concerns, whether I’m in or out of town it’s all quite irrelevant when it comes to the relentless march of building progress. What a difference a week makes but more about that in my next offering.
Today I’m going to turn my “blog light” away from construction and give you the “Bobby Moore*” on the ODEC team working on the construction project, a team that seldom gets a mention! Just this past week the Building & Facilities Planning Commission (BFPC) met under the able leadership of David Burt – I call him David The Yank (DTY) and he calls me David The Brit (DTB) – to discuss ODEC’s requirements for furnishing the new buildings and the Historic Traditions Commission’s ambitions for bookshelves and display cases. Establishing requirements is always a tricky process so I for one am very grateful to DTY and his BFPC for taking this on and whilst I sat in my car participating in the Zoom meeting from afar, I was struck by how lucky we are to have such dedicated parishioners who are willing to give of their time. There was Bob Perrine and Jackie Murray ably supported by Chaille Lindo all pitching on behalf of the Historic Traditions Commission and painting a vision for using the new spaces to bring ODEC’s rich history to life. Then after the meeting, Bob giving even more time to translate that vision into tangible requirements by providing detailed sizes for the proposed shelves and display cases, all carefully marked up on the floor plan for the Narthex and new Library. Then there was Father Bob and Gretchen Hood, the former describing his vision for contemporary worship in the Great Hall (couple of actions falling to me out of that) and then he and Gretchen describing how the rooms in the new rear wing would have multiple roles to maximize their usage. Of course, everyone had an opinion about furniture – in fact I think there were 16 different opinions from the 10 or so attendees – so how lucky we are to have two professional experts, and longtime building project contributors in so many significant ways, Ann Perry and Bill Waide. Ann who is ODEC’s own “doyenne of internal design” and Bill who is, amongst a great deal of other things, ODEC’s own “dean of furniture and fittings.” Between them they skillfully guided the discussion around the bear traps and pitfalls that without their expertise we would have certainly fallen foul of. Then, at the end of the meeting, both volunteering to apply their professional skills to computer model various options for furniture and fittings so the BFPC’s decision making processes will be better informed. Stepping away from DTY’s Zoom meeting there are many others who give unstinting support to the new building project. There is Carl Sterzing whose professional review of our contractor’s lighting package proposal made all of us more enlightened and confident we had a good proposal. Then there’s Doug Weiss who with infinite patience has led us through the intricacies of studio construction in order that we might realize another ambition. I couldn’t end this “shout out” to the volunteers without mentioning Stuart Forbes and his Tuesday Yard Crew for all the work they have done to clear up and clear out spaces before and after the flying fickle finger of construction has passed by and one more call out to Bill Waide for his expert advice in the field of neighbor relationship management (or otherwise)! Nearly last but not nearly least there’s the financial crew. Ned Kuhns for continually finding the money I’m continually spending, Diane Miller and Terri Piston for making it so easy to spend that money and for Jill Woolard, from the Crumley Group, for keeping all of the subs and their subs in tight fiscal order. And last but not least there’s Mal Higgins our friendly (at least to date) attorney at law not just because he has so freely given an exorbitant amount of his professional time over the past 18 months to the project but also, and more importantly, because he is the regular contributor of comments on this blog (brown envelop in the usual place Mal). So, folks, when you read about the exciting “doings” of those in the blogging spotlight such as the Bueno Wellie Gang, Ryan’s site team from Higgerson, The Crumley Group or the roof framers please also spare a thought for the rest of the unsung members of the team that make the wheels of our building project turn. Stay safe and stay healthy, David Beach. “Bobby Moore:” Cockney rhyming slang “Bobby Moore” means “score” so I expect that’s made it a lot clearer! A cockney is a Londoner who is born within the sounds of the bells of St Mary-le-Bow church and Cockney rhyming slang is a local form of speech. Other examples include “whistle and flute” means suit, “Adam and Eve it” means would you believe it, “apples and pears” mean stairs. Bobby Moore was the captain of the England football team (soccer) that won the FIFA World Cup in 1966 (since then our national side has not exactly been a world football dominating power so we English have to draw succor from the single win albeit over 50 years ago) so in rhyming slang “Bobby Moore” means “score” which in itself means “what’s happening” (after all of that description I’m beginning to wish I had just blogged “what’s happening”!!!) |
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
|