Quick Look At Lots Of Work

As promised, here’s the picture of the finished section of the wall. The picture that shows some of this section knocked out demonstrates that mistakes are possible and that they can be corrected. That is reassuring, as was the taking out of the now missing blocks. This was very difficult labor on the part of two workmen, one with a jack hammer-like tool and the other with a sledge hammer. The latter wore straps around his torso. These were connected to a line so that a mis-blow would not permit him to fall to the ground (the wall is around 40 ft. high). Many other interesting moves have been made on the theater site; one could photograph all day.
Other photos show the other side of the wall and how high the south wall has risen, the site as it appears from the 4th. floor porch, and the path prepared for the new sidewalk along the edge of the field. One wishes for wings to get a bird's eye view.

What's New?

The weekend has come with a new kid on the theater site block. In one photo you see some packages, the content of which is mysterious thus far. In another photo showing the same area you can see piles of the extensions used on the scaffolds. In the photo showing much of the western side of the site are visible the prop room floor now poured, the sacrete mixer, piles of blocks, etc., and the fork lift all folded for a few days of rest. This piece of equipment has worked very hard throughout the theater project, carrying water for the mortar, delivering the mortar to ground crews and scaffold crews, lifting the skids of blocks and delivering them to ground and scaffold crews, as well as anything else heavy to where it was needed. The skill of the driver is notable as he maneuvers the forks with a remarkable precision, much like the excavator operators. The west wall continues to rise and will be shown next week when it reaches its final height. Currently, it is quite a bit higher than the auditorium, so it will be interesting to see just how much is to be added.
The tennis courts, standing lonely for a few days, are accompanied now by some mysterious piles of dirt. Their function will be revealed perhaps in the days to come. They may, however, just be "in storage" there for use somewhere else. A great deal of humility is learned by the lay observer who tries to predict. The moto still holds, "Live and learn."

All Are Under Construction!

Imaginations are having to work less hard these days. The parking lot is given its final scrubbing. The soccer field is revealing for the first time its shallow bowl shape. The new parking lot is photographed for the first time, and so appears here with its first occupants—the workers’ vehicles and the Sturm trailers.
Perhaps the most dramatic advances are occurring on the theater site as we see the wall rise from Tuesday morning to Wednesday afternoon: the first from the east side and the second from the west. The second photo shows a number of interesting things, not only the new wall, but the metal frame work that will be the foundation for the raised seats just beyond the curved wall, as well as the temporary fire escape passageway that is a must until the cafeteria and Heritage Hall fire exits are completed. Also visible is the progress the workmen are making on the back wall that will be the back of the stage.
The students returned today, only superficially aware of all the progress that has been made since they left in early June. Sister Shauna, our president, told the girls about the advances in this morning’s opening assembly, and reminded them that they too are still under construction. Since that fits us all, it’s encouraging to be reminded of the fact every now and then. Their Builder and ours is the same!

And On, And On, And On

Today’s busyness has three foci, as has been usual in the last few days. Leveling off is still the task on the soccer field. This is contrary to what blogger thought would be the case. One lives; one learns.
Much speculation has gone on about the table-like structure in the corner of the theater site. Today unmasked its use (though not its name). The photo shows a third one being put in place just inside the rising theater wall, east side. So it is a platform from which the workmen can lay the concrete blocks. The wall is about six feet high closer to the building, so high that the platforms are now needed. Progress! A forklift is used to put the platforms in place as well as to deliver the skids of blocks to them. Earlier today a smaller forklift was used to draw the skids off the flat bed truck—draw them off, not lift them. Perhaps this machine has a different name?
Of course, a really big move today is the laying of more asphalt by the large green, well attended machine. A last step before this, however, is the testing of the compactness of the gravel by the engineer (pictured with the small red instrument). It is reassuring to see this kind of precaution many times in several areas of the project.
One picture above gives a glimpse of the new lot with a vehicle parked on it. By the end of the day, all the trailers are on this lot.
The firemen arrive to give their approval of students coming on to the property: all is safe from their perspective. Sighs of relief.

Hard Work: That's What It's All About

Very busy week! Activity on all fronts as the workmen take as their goal our goal of getting the place ready for the start of school on the 20th.. This calls for a big cleanup on the parking lot, patching of damaged areas of asphalt, completion of all necessary trench work and all work requiring the moving of heavy equipment across the parking lot and drive. Of course, like every other task in this whole project, the redoing of areas of asphalt is a multilayered one, both literally and figuratively. The photo shows what looks like wet gravel in the area to be blacktopped. The asphalt follows, but not yet.
At least one more trench on the front side of the building is required; there may still be more that we do not foresee. But then, who of us forsaw most of such endeavors? The trench in the photo is for electric wiring going back to the theater site.
And the theater site is seeing its own marvels unfold as more concrete blocks are laid and the foyer area is given a concrete floor. Now that's Progress! (Some technical difficulties prevent blogger from posting photos. It will be Progress when she works the difficulty out!)

The Sound and the Fury (part one)

See also part two below this entry.

The Sound and the Fury (part two)

The last two days have seen a veritable storm of activity. Determination to finish the tennis court site has paid off as the plateau the excavator has been sitting on has continued to get smaller and smaller with each bite of the bucket into the sides. In the final phase of this operation, the excavator must finish from a lower level and so is able to descend for the first time in weeks. The driver has to heave a sigh of satisfaction: the courts are now in their completed first stage.
In the back of the building, the old electrical pit (name?) is exposed--readers may remember it as being covered by metal, alongside the back drive . Past it now is another trench coming from the building and going to the new concrete lined electrical pit some distance away. Another trench is going to the same pit from the theater site, seen in a photo a few blogs back. Lots of electricity needed in this whole area since the gym is here also.
Surely a sign of progress is the removal of some of the large pieces of equipment that the reader sees on the flatbed trucks in the photo. The task here is to clear as much away as possible for next week’s big endeavor, the replacement of the parking area, the driveway, and the sidewalk that have been obliterated in the trenching, bull dozing, trucking, etc. that have been pounding them in the last four and a half months. Once all the machines, or most of them, are out of the way, having been removed or simply moved, the water truck is able to do its thing in spraying down the mud and dust. Periodically the driver gets out and uses the hose on the back to do an impressive job with water power.
The soccer field? It too sports a cleaner but textured appearance, getting closer and closer to being really flat and ready for turfing, still some months away.

Three Days, Three Dollars (Huh?)

Unusual sight on site: the spreading of concrete powder to stabilize the new parking area. The powder is to absorb the water in the dirt. Something learned: the material poured in abundance between the new ground floor room on the theater site and the first floor level is a liquefied fill known as K-crete (complies with Kentucky law). It is mostly sand mixed with concrete and will support the floor beams above that triangular ditch (visible on the left side in the July 23rd photo, before the ditch was filled). The forms for raised seating area on the theater site are in place and the concrete poured. In evidence is the placing of pipes to carry the electrical lines for the house and stage lights of the theater. One can almost see the house lights dim as the audience quiets. In the same area, one of the outside doors at the foot of the cafeteria stairs is bricked up, as is the auditorium's large backstage door.
Drama these days: one of the excavator drivers inadvertently hit the main electrical line coming to the campus. Some of the power which comes in on three lines is affected temporarily. The pole, slightly leaning, is righted. While the line is hanging lower, the trucks on the hill-to-field run must stop since the wires cross that path.
The stabilization on the parking overflow lot is completed neatly, and stands ready for the next step. Another two day working period with a rainy day in between. Such is life.

Old, Old, Old Gives Way to New, New, New

Heavy weekend in many meanings of the words. The plateau on the hill keeps getting smaller in area as the excavator nibbles away at the sides, the dirt going to the soccer site. This in turn keeps rising as the photo of the compactor taken from the driveway demonstrates.
On the area of the soon to be parking lot, a dozer gets stuck, is extricated, and relieved of a broken tread (2 photos). Drama abounds.
On the theater site a curved wall appears with all its rods sticking up, waiting to be added to. (You may be able to detect the curve, right center, if you enlarge the photo.) Coming indoors and not very far—one wall away—from the theater site is the room mentioned in the last blog, now revealing its new connection. It opens into the gym storage room via stairs. Old stage loses; gym storage gains. The new stage will, of course, have a new storage area for flats and scenery. The old gives way to the new. All this has been accomplished over the weekend, with men working Saturday and Sunday.

Digging, Pouring, Closing, Breaking

Much has happened in the last three days. The old locker/strength-training room has been transformed into the band room. On the right side of the photo you can see the marble panel behind the sink just inside the door. Mr. Ceremele wasted no time in getting the instruments into his new digs.
Cement or some other filler has surrounded the new room coming off the ground floor of the current building and going into the theater site. Insulation of some kind around the room can be seen above the filler. (Blogger can't seem to right this photo. Sorry.)
Moving to the old back stage reveals the work of bricking up the hall door that used to lead to Heritage Hall staircase. Across from this door was the prop storage. That doorway too, must be bricked in, and the room will be accessible from another point (?).
Moving outside: the trench saga continues as the excavator makes a delicate maneuver under the watchful eye of comrades. This is close to the electrical pipes trench, thus the care. As noted before, there seems to be no end of trench digging and pipe laying. One photo above may look like we are witnessing the birth of a volcano—no, it’s merely in relation to the t. saga.
The truck run across the parking lot is supposed to be “rolled up” next week so that repairs can be done on the lot. The excavator on the hill, the truck drivers, and all the workers on the soccer site have been putting in 14 hour days lately. Now that's determination.