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.
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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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