Visitors Head Home After Inspecting The Site As I have just discovered the construction at ODEC is cracking on at such a pace you really can’t afford to turn your back for even a few days without missing something important. When my wife and I left for a short vacation the framers (that’s the folks responsible for building the roof) had just arrived on site whilst at the front the footings (trenches) were just being completed in the Great Hall/Narthex sand pad. Get back a few days later to a veritable cacophony of activities with framers, electricians, brick layers and Higgerson (yes they are back) all hard at it and creating quite a vibe in the neighborhood! In the case of the concrete contractor it might have been a “vibe too far” with their 0515 a.m. start on laying the concrete footings for the Great Hall and Narthex, it seems time, tide and concrete contractors wait for no man! The stack of roofing trusses is rapidly diminishing, and I think we are past the tipping point with more trusses on the building than on the ground. This area of roofing will not only cover the new rear wing but will also provide a pitched roof to replace the leaking apology for a flat roof that has blighted the day school, library and other sundry areas with water leaks for many years. This is proving to be a complicated piece of engineering because the existing buildings’ roof lines change like the Manhattan skyline and stand testament to the building projects that created our existing infrastructure over the course of many years. However, everything is starting to look “on the level” and so quite soon the new roof will be rolled out over the day school, library, corridor and other areas! I’ve already mentioned the concrete poured for the foundation, the great concrete pump was on site and I missed it, so now the concrete blocks for the footings are being laid soon to be followed with the installation of the under floor utilities, such as plumbing, before laying the concrete floor. A blog or so back I reported on Higgerson’s departure from the site but now Ryan and his team are back and busy “cutting in” the new vehicle entrances for the campus. One entrance, in the area where the old herb garden used to be, is for the new car park that will be located at the end of the Great Hall and the second will be a drive-in/drive-out drop off loop located beside Tucker Hall, which will service the Witchduck Rd door to the Narthex. It seems every small piece of site construction has to be inspected before moving forward and so it was with the “cut” for the new car park entrance as I watched a City inspector giving it the once over. I am delighted to report he seemed to be content with what he saw. One other noteworthy event to report. Some might regard sewers as part of the less seemly side of construction, a necessary service that is best left in the dark recesses of the construction craft and not openly discussed. Well that’s all well and good until a sewer doesn’t work then they really grab the headlines! You may recall way back in the mists of time, towards the start of our construction adventure, the sewer architecture serving AFH, Tucker Hall and the day school wing came under scrutiny because the subterranean system ran where the new rear wing needed to be. In the absence of any records or plans the sewer lines serving AFH and the day school were located and re-routed, “job’s a good’un*” or so everyone thought. For some reason, better known to those who went before us, the sewer system had a concealed “strategic reserve” sewer line that became very evident in the most dramatic fashion when the day school returned. We are fortunate to have the multi-talented Mr Crumley on the team because before the day school toilets flooded thrice he had identified the problem and initiated emergency remedial action so once again sewers on the campus can return to their anonymity! Stay safe and stay healthy, David Beach “job’s a good’un”: South West of England (Counties of Somerset, Devon and Cornwall) colloquial phrase for doing a good job. The City Inspector Visits The Site
2 Comments
Mal Higgins
9/20/2020 11:52:43 am
This lead photo of the neighborhood "inspectors" rolling down Alfriend's Trail is one of my favorites! Carry on, lads, the inspectors approve. Or at least haven't called the City to complain!
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Gretchen
9/23/2020 10:59:33 am
I LOVE the neighborhood inspectors! We need to invite them in once all is said and done.
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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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