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400 DAYS COUNTDOWNOctober 2011 Blog ARCHIVE
HALLOWEEN! 13 Volunteers A working deck (floor) was built over the kitchen in the attic and all kinds of odd noises emanated from that area - perhaps Halloween spooks and goblins at work. Every once in a while a large section of pipe would go clanging to the floor as the final assault on the attic progressed. Believe it or not, the area was vacuumed! Now THAT is dedication. A new water drip developed in the kitchen ceiling (barely missing Momma's Table this time), and there was an audible drip into the bucket placed underneath. El Viejo discovered a florescent light fixture plastic cover full of water in the kitchen when he arrived at the BUUB. He moved a large garbage can underneath, carefully removed the plastic cover full of water, poured it into the can without spilling a drop... only to discover the garbage can had a huge tear in the side, so once again the floor had to be cleaned up. The water was turned on, so dishes could be washed. It was turned off after the dishes were done so some old plumbing could be fixed, thus ending the drip into the bucket. Water, water, everywhere. Unfortunately there is still a lot of that brittle water pipe to be removed. Our statistician has returned from a trip to Israel and we will be sharing our new totals for volunteers and hours donated. We saved a lot of paperwork for her while she was gone. Additional daisy chain lighting was created to get more light into the chapel. I saw a crate of light bulbs in the lobby - let there be light! Wire stripping continues. More copper pipe came out of the remaining attic, but this is about the last of it. Floor plates were secured and ready for the library and east offices. Air vent returns in the Sanctuary were removed and the only duct work left to come out is in the attic over the kitchen. The rug shampooer that arrived today is not in working order, so if anyone else out there in radioland has one we can use, please let me know. We will come pick it up. Working on those chair cushions would be a great project for volunteers on our first Monday evening pizza and work party tomorrow at 5 PM. About 50 bricks were cleaned this afternoon - nice outdoor activity and a good way to keep warm! Now all we need is someone to take down the last half of the chimney, and a crew to clean the rest of the bricks. So far, we have only one person attempt to guess the number of bricks. We have now been at this massive volunteer effort for twelve weeks. I did a little simple math to see how many people we have averaged on different days of the week. It makes interesting reading. We started out with big numbers on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, but built up numbers on Tuesdays. The information for Wednesday and Thursday is a bit off because we have been "closed" on those two days for the past three weeks. Interestingly enough both of those days remained about the same
What the figures don't show is whether the volunteers worked 8 hours or 2. I will let our statistician figure that out. Tomorrow is November 1 - we will announce the winner of the copper poundage guessing contest.... QUOTE OF THE DAY: Expressed by every visitor who walked through today.
Did I remember to mention we are serving pizza for volunteers at 5 PM tomorrow night. The only hitch is we want you to stay and do some work afterward! And don't forget - we have an open house next Sunday from Noon to 4 PM - Hot coffee and fresh cookies will be served. Judie
Days Left 315 SATURDAY OCTOBER 30, 2010 10 Volunteers I thought the BUUB looked like Jerry's lumber yard before. You should see it now! The sanctuary's south wall has support brackets and about a third of the lumber formerly stacked at the west end of the building has been moved into the sanctuary. The many different sizes, shapes, and styles of boards were sorted by wood squirrels and are very much "on display". Those on the wall will certainly not interfere with the croquet tournament! Thanks to the diligence of the wire strippers who got tired of seeing the mound of unstrippable (is that a word?) wire, a major effort resulted in the wire being sorted and stored in black plastic bags. The copper content is not great, but as salvage brings 25 cents a pound, so certainly worth the effort. One other benefit of having the wire bagged is that it no longer is so visible through the frosted glass windows. Any kind of wire is hot on the thievery market and we don't need to advertise that we have a pile of it. Wire stripping continued and the pile yet unstripped is getting smaller. In addition to our research into how to solve our inadequate number of chairs situation, other research focuses on comparative pricing of toilets, urinals, and sinks, and the price of FSC lumber. FSC lumber is certified to come from a sustainable forest. Some of the wood product we need may not be available in FSC, but it is in our goal to use as much as possible within our budget limitations. No additional tear down of the chimney today because there wasn't sufficient volunteers to work on it, but it is impressive to walk into the boiler room and see the chute for sliding bricks and the rows of neatly stacked bricks against the north wall. Meanwhile, outside is an assortment of bricks waiting for folks to arrive and strip them of mortar. It could be like a quilting bee as you stand around a table swinging a chisel and watching the mortar fly. An upholstery shampoo machine will arrive at the BUUB Sunday afternoon, so we hope some brave soul will come see if we can save a bundle of money by cleaning up the padded blue chairs. Any takers? There was a bit of a mishap late in the day - the foot of a volunteer slipped off a walkway in the attic above the kitchen and went through the ceiling. In the process of avoiding an injurious fall, a brittle pvc water pipe was bumped. It shattered, sending a few buckets of water to the kitchen floor. Water and electricity were shut off and out came the shop vac for sucking up water, fans and halogen lights arrived, mops were brought down from storage and the floor was less dusty. Thankfully there were no injuries, and the hole was not over Momma's Table or the food. The good news: I didn't have to wash any dishes because there was no water. The refrigerator is on a separate circuit from the lights, so food could be put away for another day. QUOTE OF THE DAY:
Tomorrow - work party from Noon to 4 PM. Monday - work party from 9 AM to 4 PM, then Pizza and more work beginning at 5 PM. Judie
Days Left 316 FRIDAY OCTOBER 29, 2010 13 Volunteers Ooooooodles of activity -- much of it revolved around the chimney. Or should I say half of the chimney - which is now taken apart (the top half!). About a 10th of the bricks have been cleaned. One volunteer worked out a system for working inside the chimney and a way to remove bricks cleanly without mortar attached. At day's end a plastic 'skylight' was crafted to cover the exposed hole and the amazing part of that story is that the piece of plastic hauled up there to do the job was the exact size needed - no cutting. A wood chute for dropping bricks was hastily constructed. Various holes in the roof left from removing pipes were patched and waterproofed. Downstairs the layout for rooms 3 and 4 was completed. Several tripping hazards were removed - the one on the north side of the lobby threatened to send several people airborne. A scientific study has determined that UUs do not take - the last cookie, potato chip, or grape on the table, do not open containers to see what is inside unless it has a clear lid, or open an unopened box of crackers. We have been fussing about how to get some heat into the building before the snow flies and it turns out a volunteer has a 90 amp heating unit available and it will be installed next week. Wire stripping continued. Very soon the Schnitzer dumpster will go bye-bye once the last vestiges of the howitzer are gone. Knee braces were fabricated as lumber racks because this weekend we will be moving all of the lumber from the west room to the sanctuary in preparation for creating rooms 3, 4, and 5 in the west end. We have been assured that the lumber stacked in the sanctuary will be high enough off the floor to accommodate the croquet tournament on the day after Thanksgiving. Volunteers Needed Now: Wire strippers, wood squirrels, lumber movers, and brick cleaners. New Skills Needed Soon: Seamsters/Seamstresses and upholstery officials. We have taken all of the blue padded chairs apart prior to seeing if we can get them cleaned up sufficiently to use. Two chair frames were taken to a powder coating firm to determine how much work they will need to get painted and how much it will cost. We should get the samples back next week. If we go that route, there will be a labor intensive project to remove all the rubber or plastic parts on 75 chairs, since the powder coating process exposes them to 400 degrees. If the fabric cannot be salvaged, then we will research how much to recover them in a fabric compatible with the 188 padded chairs we use at church now. If you have expertise in sewing or upholstery, please let me know. This job would probably not start until after Christmas. The general sewing job relates to creating the cloth reflection panels for the daylighting system. During dinner at Fortune Inn, there was a discussion about how we would get a water supply to the new restrooms - perhaps cut holes in the floor? perhaps dig a trench around the building? Stay tuned. Plenty of tasks on the board for work this weekend and Monday - and remember - we have our first Monday Night work party with pizza on November 1. Pizza at 5 PM, with work to commence soon after. QUOTES OF THE DAY:
If you have left over Halloween candy, you might consider donating it to the volunteer crew at the BUUB. In addition to their love of string cheese, grapes, and salty potato chips, they love sweets. Judie Days Left 317 THURSDAY OCTOBER 28, 2010
2 Construction Volunteers I was unable to talk directly with the 2 construction volunteers, but the notes next to their sign in indicated they worked on removing duct work - probably from the area above the kitchen. The structural engineer has been working with the architect to solve problems on moving support beams that are in the way of doorways or corridors... and found the perfect solution. All is well. The Landscaping Task Force met with Architect Gary Moye this evening. He presented an updated design for the grounds outside of the building, with suggestions for fencing using an ornamental system to hide other things going on behind it, such as the playground or possible raised beds for food crops,etc. There was discussion about what impact the EMX route mentioned in today's Register-Guard would have on where we plant trees and there will be followup to see how we will be affected. This group hopes to plant trees before the end of the year. I forgot to mention in an earlier post that the Scottish Rite Association found the original signed agreement related to the 30 foot shared easement in the north parking lot and a copy of the environmental certification for an old oil tank removed years ago. Good documents to have in our possession. GUEST EDITORIAL
Reminder - Friday night dinner at Fortune Inn for Chinese Food - come as you are - 5:30 PM - Each person responsible for their own dinner. Judie Days Left 318 WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 27, 2010 There are a couple of volunteers who can only work on a Wednesday or Thursday, and some that can't stand to stay away, so that's how it went today. I expect they know there is less competition for food! Just kidding. The "visitor" saw all the bricks along the east side and wanted to know if he could barter for them. No decision made until we know how they will clean up and how many we need for our own projects. One volunteer worked on the de-finning project, another pulled outdated conduit and another worked on the emergency and exit lighting systems. There was also excellent action to fix a water leak.....This is truly a matter of "Don't Ask-Don't Tell." I didn't ask, so I can't tell you! The Aesthetics and Logistics Task Force held a meeting at 40th & Donald to further refine their mission statement and discussed possible content of operating guidelines that will help in future decisions about whether items will be donated to charity, sold, or moved into our new building. All you pack rats might do an inventory of packing materials like bubble wrap, furniture blankets, paper other than newspaper for packing breakables, and uniform size moving boxes. Information will be going out to Committees and Staff in a few weeks and an article in the December newsletter to let you know what this group is all about. You may recall they were recruited and appointed by the Building Project Oversight Committee to plan for a seamless transition from 40th & Donald to our new home at 13th & Chambers, in order to be up and running for our first service in the fall of 2011.
Last night I said I would give some highlights from our BPOC meeting Tuesday evening. Most of the meeting focused on an update from architect Gary Moye who is trying to put closure on the schematic design. As measuring began for rough framing, we and he found discrepancies so there have been adjustments in the drawings. The classrooms have created the most complicated fit between new rooms and the existing building. The skylight system to accommodate the odd ceiling slopes is more complex, especially in working to get natural light during the day and providing proper light for evening use. Since we want to take advantage of the massive beams, we have to be sure that we have adequate attic space for mechanical services. The Chapel is the guinea pig for the CPI daylighting system so we can determine actual effect provided by the reflecting system. Moye is also refining the shape of the sanctuary and how entrances define the space and still work within the gabled shape. Have to also have room for new mechanicals to provide optimum air movement. The corridors will be 8' 4-1/2" high which will make a proportional difference (remember an earlier mention of eliminating the nursing home look of the hall? - this should do it....) There was a hearty discussion about toilets and whether wall mounted or floor mounted is preferred. The choice could be driven by several factors - cost, ease of maintenance, and the fact that one option takes out about a foot of space. I can't remember how many fixtures total are in the plans, but I do remember it is a substantially higher number than we have now. Things still changing to be sure - at one point Moye said, "we are working from old drawings", and we realized the "old" drawings were dated October 24. There was also a discussion about placement and number of doors into the kitchen. Other business at the meeting were reports from the Landscaping Task Force, Aesthetics and Logistics Task Force, status of money in the capital campaign fund, and sale of 40th & Donald property. QUOTES FOR THE DAY:
No official work at the BUUB tomorrow, unless you have a key or want to take a chance of the building being open. We will be back at full power on Friday, followed by dinner at 5:30 at the Fortune Inn, and then to join the ghosts, goblins, fun and games at the Halloween Party at the "olde" church. Judie Days Left 319 TUESDAY OCTOBER 26, 2010 A hole was cut to access the jungle of twisted ducting, copper pipe, wire, and materials in the attic above the kitchen. There is enough "stuff" in there to keep a crew busy for about five days. This was the 80th day of demolition and everyone is more than ready to be done with this phase. It sure doesn't seem like we have been working inside the building that long. The Scottish Rite checked out the glass fronted display case and decided they won't be able to use it after all. They had forgotten how long it is, and they don't have space for it in their new location. I called one of their members who has worked on a number of different commercial buildings to see if he knows of anyone who can use it, so keep your fingers crossed. The east hallway ductwork and other ceiling associated junk is finally gone. Kitchen lights were fixed, exit signs moved to the stage, an old hot water line above the kitchen is gone, flattened cardboard was recycled, the outside pile of bricks and mortar cleaned up and broken bricks hauled to the dumpster. All the old pipe stored under the portico was cut up and moved, the dumpster ramp restored and the parking lot cleaned up, a "mock up" of the skylight in the chapel constructed with strings to the corners to show where the angles of light will fall and the framing in Rooms 1 and 2 was top plated. Wood was sorted, framing between the lobby and social hall is prepared to be moved, there was a wire stripper, and outdated conduit was removed, removed, removed. There are bets being placed about how long it will take to bring the rest of the chimney down. The guesses are 2 days, 4 days, and 7 days. It will be interesting to see how that goes. We received another check for scrap metal from Schnitzer - the last load, containing the old boiler paid $497.00! We also received our Certificate of Compliance in the removal of all asbestos. I have been wondering why we have so many men of a certain age as volunteers. Today, I am sure I figured it out. They are able to eat all the potato chips they want at the BUUB. At home there are NO potato chips, and even if there were (being served to company) their wives wouldn't let them eat any. You know how women wear jewelry? I have noticed that men have their own version of jewelry -- it is tools in their pockets! A current detector is very popular at the BUUB. QUOTE OF THE DAY:
Tomorrow and Thursday the BUUB is "officially" closed except to those workaholics who have a key or drop in hoping the doors are unlocked. We had an almost three hour BPOC meeting tonight attended by the architect. I will write about highlights of the meeting in tomorrow's report. Judie Days Left 320 MONDAY OCTOBER 25, 2010
Hard to believe another 30 yard dumpster is full and will be hauled away tomorrow. We are so far along with demolition, we can downsize to a 20 yard dumpster. We investigated a smaller size yet, but it was not cost effective at this juncture. In our mission of thrift being our driving force, we look to every corner of the project to use the money we have to accomplish the most progress. There were many exciting events to record -- and if it is possible to have more than one highlight, this was the day for it. One highlight was finding Betty Hosokowa's hammer! It had been missing in action ever since we tore the one office apart that had a sink. The sink had been stored for reuse with a piece of plywood over it to protect it from being broken. On top of the plywood was the upper cupboards of the unit from the office and on top of that were stored boxes of furnace filters. By some fluke of tidying up, the sink was uncovered and the hammer appeared. It had a nice long nap. A second highlight was the ingenuity of Dave Franzen. There was a glue laminated heavy, massive shock absorber for the folding wall between the sanctuary and social hall. The bolts holding it to the wall were so old there is no longer a socket available to remove them. Dave figured out a way to get it removed. Husband Ed and I had been at the BUUB earlier in the day to deliver some metal we had picked up for the scrap drive, and the chimney was visible from the north parking lot. When I arrived again about 5 PM, I noticed the chimney was gone. I asked "where is the chimney?" There had been a discussion over the past few days about how to set up a system that was safe for a volunteer crew on Halloween weekend to remove the chimney - big job - kind of like a barn raising. The crew checked it out this morning and one fourth of the chimney was taken down. Many of the bricks have already been cleaned and are neatly stacked (no fair counting them before you guess!) An area under the portico on the east side has been set up for brick cleaning. The plywood panels formerly used as ramps to the dumpsters had been loaded into a dumpster this morning because they were dirty and beat up, but then they were hauled back out and put on sturdy legs and form the table for brick cleaning. Nothing goes to waste on the work site. Room 1 is framed and the common wall for room 2 and the new men's bathroom was framed today. We have enough recycled lumber to finish about two more walls and then we have to actually purchase lumber. This is amazing considering we have been able to frame the library, minister's office on the south side, the chapel, and almost two more rooms on the north side without using any new lumber. A great debt of gratitude to our demolition, de-nailing, and wood stacking crews. More outdated conduit was removed. Ed wants to know: "Where are the strippers!" This was the first day of no wire stripping in a long time. The boiler room was cleared of all miscellaneous debris and the floor swept making room for the demolition of the bottom of the chimney. After the top was taken off, some temporary 'skylight' was put over the top to keep out the rain and provide light for working. Thanks to Gil Osgood, every single blue padded chair has now been taken apart to make way for an assembly line process for cleaning the upholstery. Most had only 4 screws holding the cushions on, but every once in a while he ran into one chair with as many as 12 screws, representing someone's attempt to repair it. I had a call last night that yet another person signed up as a Chalice Lighter online yesterday - only 60 to go! The Landscaping Task Force met with Architect Gary Moye and now has a much better idea about where they can begin preparing soil for planting next spring, and where trees could be planted this fall. The Board held a special meeting in the Chapel for a briefing on the project from Ed Zack and discussions with BPOC members about money, timing, and special needs. With only 319 days remaining in our 400 Day window, time is clicking away and we want to be sure we stay on target. It's important to remember we are on a tight schedule - if you have ideas or suggestions related to the new building, we appreciate you sending them to newhome@uueugene.org. That way they are assigned to the person on BPOC responsible for a specific part of the project. Sharing ideas in person at the work site or on Sunday morning may not get the desired result. QUOTE OF THE DAY:
Still need a finish sander to work on those round tables! Judie Days Left 321 SUNDAY OCTOBER 24, 2010 6 Volunteers The east hallway is decidedly changed - no more 9 foot rafters, no plaster, with only duct work to come down - a good job for a Ferrari operator tomorrow. The boiler room got a good cleaning - miscellaneous tools, ladders, and spare parts had been left behind earlier when the boiler came out - those have all departed. There are new lights in the office, minister's study and library which will make the additional framing projects easier. Much better than working in semi-darkness. Some de-finning was accomplished and lots of little cleanup chores were done. Hooray for getting 300 more blocks cut and ready for framing this week. There is now a new schematic for turning lights on and off. There was some discussion about the Monday Night BUUBALL work parties and we have the offer of someone providing pizza for workers. This begins on Monday, November 1 - Pizza will arrive around 5 PM...should be a fun time. YOU ARE INVITED TO AN OPEN HOUSE: On Sunday, November 7, we are having an open house and tour of our new building from Noon until 4 PM. This will be a special time to come check out all the changes and to see the new space being created. Mark your calendars and plan to attend. Children welcome - closed toe shoes please to keep everyone safe. For the first time since our trip to Bend in mid-September, I did not actually step foot into the BUUB today. Husband Ed and I attended the 25th Annual CALC Cornucopia multicultural celebration and fundraiser and had a great time. I have no restraint in silent auctions! Since I wasn't on site at the BUUB, I got my report by phone, so it is a little on the brief side today. A couple of weeks ago I put out a notice that one of our volunteers is looking for a used American made van for sale. He expects the one he has to die by mid-week, so if you know of one, please let me know. 2005 or later preferred. QUOTES OF THE DAY:
"We will ultimately find ourselves in an oasis of green at the new building." Good News: It is all good news, but I am delighted to report we have signed up seven new Chalice Lighters in the last two days! This brings us up to 67. In order to reach the needed 30% of our membership, we need 61 more. All doable! Days Left 322 SATURDAY OCTOBER 23, 2010
11 Volunteers Lots of activity with not more than 4 or 5 volunteers at any given time. Tasks included removing wall studs for new entry into the social hall, wire stripping, copper work, and most noticeable of all, framing Classroom #1. The north side of the building looks decidedly different. The Ferrari had a woman driver! What is the world coming to? Very useful in taking down the sheetrock ceiling in the east hallway. A string of daisy lights were strung, and with the old ceiling gone and the bright lights, the east hallway no longer looks like the entrance to a nursing home! Yeah team. I attended the newcomer's orientation today and a couple of the younger men asked about the possibility of an evening work party for those who work during the day and like to spend weekends with their young children. I tossed that idea around with the BUUB crew and all agreed it was a great idea. They expect more "production" style work to begin in a couple of weeks and have set the first Monday night of BUUBALL to be Monday, November 1. BUUBALL will be our alternative to Monday Night Football. We will plan it for every Monday for a while to see how much interest there is in an evening session. There is no set time to begin, since some people will already be there in the late afternoon, but the target time will be 5-8 PM. Heads Up for planning your day after Thanksgiving activities. There will be a full work day - 9 AM to 4 PM with things getting set up for "dinner in the chapel" beginning at 5 PM. In addition to a croquet tournament after dinner, I have heard rumors of a possible miniature golf course. Details to follow. Dinner will be potluck - hopefully turkey, etc., left overs from those who actually prepared a meal! From time to time I get questions about some of the endearing names we have given things from people who might have joined this list late and don't know what I am referring to. So here goes:
I hope that helps. Tools Needed: Finishing Sanders - we are going to have a "Spruce Up Splintery Tables Day prior to the Day after Thanksgiving Potluck. The round tables we purchased from the SRT have many jagged edges, and the plan is to sand them and then paint them. We did hear from one congregant who has a rug shampooer (hope it has an upholstery attachment). We can use a "Chair-man" or two to take all the blue chairs apart. QUOTE OF THE DAY:
Judie
When volunteers arrived this morning, there was a plywood table full of 4x6 inch cards with individual tasks written on them. By day's end, many had been crumpled up - completed - no longer needed. They included: demolishing the wooden platform that was built about six weeks ago so wheelbarrows of steel could go up a ramp to access the Schnitzer dumpster (it had no end opening and metal scrap had to be loaded over the top); move a sink from the lobby to the stage (we had hoped to sell it from a cart on the front sidewalk); remove the outdated conduit and lights from the library and minister's study; sweep up old Restroom #2; redo the minister's study door. I used the back of the crumpled cards for taking notes during dinner to use in this report. New Tool Department: We are now the owner of a Bosch rotary hammer. It will be useful when we start removing bricks from the chimney. A "how many bricks" discussion was overheard at dinner with references about "having math expert Ken Ross figure it out for us" based on the height and width of the chimney - one guess was 35,000 and another was 340. Correction: In yesterdays blog about calling the post office, I said our address is 1865 W 13th - it is actually 1685 W 13th. One member Googled 1865 and found a number of excellent quotes relating to freedom and peace that would fit right in with our mission - now she will have to go back to see what 1685 brings. Things Moved: Because we have no artificial light source on the registration and First Aid table near the lobby, those two functions have now been moved to the central counter in the kitchen. The light is very bright in that room, and there is a water source two steps away in case a wound or your hands need to be washed. Please go to the kitchen first to sign in. Recording your volunteer hours is very important and it keeps our statistician happy. The first wall of Classroom #1 went up today - and the part that made it so interesting is that studs from the hallway ceiling were removed, then de-nailed and used immediately for the framing. They were the perfect length and required no cutting. Jake Walsh said when he got the boards, "they were still warm!" No waiting....
I got a call this morning from Kyla Bussey, who is moving out of state, asking if we could use a solid walnut office desk at our new church home. I called the Aesthetics and Logistical Task Force chair, who in turn went to look at the desk, and gave it her blessing. Husband Ed and I hopped in his truck, went by the BUUB and recruited three strong backs, another pickup truck and a van and went to pick up the desk. Solid walnut is HEAVY! With great maneuvering around corners, over sidewalks and lifting into vehicles, we got all the base, glass top, and drawers loaded up and safely delivered to the BUUB. Other great news is the owner of the fork lift came by today and said we can keep it as long as we want. He also told us that the cage lifts up so you don't have to bang your head every time you get on or off the seat. They had lowered it so it would fit through the boiler room door. There was further sorting of lumber today - rather than just being 2x4s or 2 x6s, etc., it is now sorted by similar lengths. That lumber room still looks like 'Jerry's Annex' even though we have used a lot of the stacked lumber. De-nailing and wire stripping continued - we now have a second male stripper! It is suggested you bring a flashlight with you if you think you might need to use the restroom at the BUUB - more and more circuits have been turned off. If you recall, we had circuit breaker boxes A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, and J. I am not sure which ones are still working, but we have eliminated four of them. Turning lights on or off has been a bit of a hide and seek job, so the plan is to have a much more simple system in place. The conversation at dinner gave a good indication of our average age - everyone there knew what a key punch card system was. One person still has several thousand key punch cards and another has a cabinet designed to store them. QUOTES FOR THE DAY:
Special Request: Is there a mechanic in the congregation who understands transmissions? We have a job for you! Please, at the end of your shift, return all the tools you used to where you found them. This makes the quartermastering job much easier for those who close up at the end of the day and keeps the work site clean and safe. Speaking of which - we have gone 35 DAYS WITH NO ON-THE-JOB INJURIES! Thanks to everyone for your diligence in helping to keep you and your fellow volunteers safe. Judie Days Left 324 THURSDAY OCTOBER 21, 2010 There were two hearty souls working this afternoon, de-nailing, de-finning, and doing general removal of outdated conduit and iron pipe. Many small details go with moving to a new location, especially when the building you are moving into is being extensively remodeled. The question arose this week - would we have mail delivery to the building or have a post office box? Our present church has mail delivery, and that is the plan for our new building - why pay rent on a box at the post office. There is a lockable mailbox in the front lobby, but that entrance will be altered, so where to put the new box? The architect asked whether it was a motor route or a foot route, and was the box to be on the south or north side of the building, and did that matter? I called the station nearest to 13th and Chambers - the phone was answered by a pleasant female voice and I said: I am Judie Hansen with the Unitarian Universalist Church and we just purchased the Scottish Rite Building at 1865 West......and that's as far as I got before the woman on the phone said, "Yes, I know, I am congregant!" That was a pleasant surprise. I got all my questions answered - the box has to be on the south side because we are on the cusp of two routes, and the north side is another carrier and would require a different address. The route is a foot route. Problem solved.
The Landscaping Task Force met to take a look at the mission and goals statements prepared by a sub-group two weeks ago, and had a general discussion about what could be done yet this fall to improve the outside appearance of the property. We don't have a specific design from the architect about the fence and have yet to decide on the species of street trees and other plantings or their location. Native plants are preferred, and once there is a clear direction in the location of driveways, etc., the soil will be amended with free leaves from the City, in preparation for planting next spring. Areas getting top priority are screening for the playground, a bed parallel to the front sidewalk, and another parallel to the driveway on the east side. A focal point would be a small area between the two south driveways now bordered by an evergreen screen, with one member itching to try out her new chain saw! We wished for a video camera to record one member wearing Hawaiian print shorts, running the perimeter at top speed, indicating her preference for border plantings. If you missed the first round of meetings, but want to be involved once digging and planting, etc., begin, be sure to contact Judy Sawyer at her new email - jsawyer712@comcast.net Tomorrow is a full day of work at the BUUB - come early, stay late - but not too late to join us for dinner at the Fortune Chinese Restaurant 1775 West 6th Avenue - just past Chambers/River Road intersection - north side of the street. QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Thanks to Gil Osgood for the following - it previously appeared on SHARE on October 17:
Judie
Days Left 325 WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 20, 2010 It was not an official work day, but Ed Zack returned from New York and met with Jake Walsh to review all that happened during Ed's absence and I tagged along so I would have something to write about tonight. It was a joy and delight for Ed to walk through the entire building end to end and top to bottom. His opening words: "There are a bunch of jaw droppers!" Most of the chapel framing was new, the light emitted from the chicken coop windows was awesome, the howitzer/torpedo had been cut into three pieces and stored in Room A, all the lumber had been restacked, the wire pile was way down, and outdated conduit and iron pipes had come down, plus the display case was stored in the sanctuary, dirt was dug, and all of the First Balcony and framing for the rooms under it were gone! When we are in there each day we don't think of things being drastically different. Jake and Ed planned for upcoming work days and there is a ton of work to do and an interesting variety of tasks. Some examples: build several dump boxes to use with the fork lift for dirt and gravel, saving the backs of the diggers. Rather than loading dirt into a wheelbarrow and moving it to the 'playpen' and trying to figure out how to dump it on a pretty high pile, the dirt can be shoveled directly into the dump box, then moved with the fork lift and dumped from above into the playpen. A work party for taking down the chimney - probably on Halloween weekend - we are trying to think of a catchy name for it - but work clothes can involve a costume. There could be anywhere from 2,000 to 8,000 bricks in the chimney and each and every one will need to be cleaned and stacked for recycling. Additional jobs are finishing the demolition of the ceiling in the east hallway - including framing, sheetrock, and duct work. There is also duct work over the kitchen that needs to come out and be smashed. There is several hours of work (from the Ferrari) in various classrooms to clean up outdated conduit and pipes. The daisy chain work lights need to be reconfigured now that the parameters of rooms have changed to make sure we have plenty of light for working. About 1/3rd of the gravel has been removed and we are about 1/4th done with all the digging of the Panama Canal. Ed and Jake were comparing notes, as contractors, about the many paths of destruction that have been used by our army of volunteers. The two of them each have their own set of systems for getting various jobs done, but they have found that the UU Neanderthals have developed non-traditional ways of getting things accomplished, many of which make more sense than the traditional ones. For instance, a number of people have attacked the de-finning of radiators -- each person has a different approach, and each has their favorite method and they all work. HELP NEEDED - We haven't received any offers of rug/upholstery shampoo machines. We are asking for a crew to take all of the blue padded chairs apart and see whether they can be cleaned sufficiently to not have to think about putting new fabric on them. If anyone out there in radioland has a machine we can use, please let me know. You don't necessarily have to be the person who operates the machine! We plan to work on both the blue chairs and the gold ones in the near future. If it turns out we can't use them, we will have to be thinking about what people will sit on when we move, since at present we have only 188 of the padded chairs in the church sanctuary. QUOTES OF THE DAY:
A NEW CONTEST: Guess how many bricks are in the 24 foot high chimney we are taking down. Deadline for guessing is Monday, November 1. Send your guesses to: judie310hansen@comcast.net There will be a prize to the person who gives the best guess, and a booby prize for the person the most far off base! No work party tomorrow, but back to full speed ahead on Friday, and of course dinner at The Fortune Chinese Restaurant at 5:30 PM on Friday...All are welcome - work clothes acceptable!
Judie Days Left 326 TUESDAY OCTOBER 19, 2010 It was one of the more interesting days to drop in during the afternoon. I had been at the BUUB at 7 AM before birding to make coffee, set out food, etc., when all was quiet and the lights were turned off. The plywood panels covered the north louver openings and it was dark as the inside of a cow back there, but the sun was streaming through the stained glass at the front entrance and lighting up the lobby. When I went back at 4, the original screen panels from behind the louvers were being covered with plastic (like I remember covering windows in our chicken coup) and put into the openings -- voila - "windows" - frosted windows perhaps, but the light emitted was wonderful. Meanwhile, there were ear splitting sounds coming out of the Howitzer room as the beast was being cut into three pieces, and at one point it seemed the whole building shook as the first section of heavy metal pipe filled with brass rods hit the concrete floor. After the fact, I hollered "timber". The rods that ran through the center of the beast are beautiful and when struck are quite musical -- tinkly and reminiscent of wind chimes. It turns out they are copper coated brass. I'm not sure how much that brings on the open market, but it will be a pretty penny. The volunteer crew said they managed to be in shirt sleeves because the nature of the work warmed them sufficiently. That work included de-nailing boards, moving boards, "de-finning" coils, and removing sheetrock from the east hall ceiling. There was more digging of the Panama Canal and taking down iron pipe at various locations in the building. The late afternoon visitor was a mixture of interesting and down right annoying. He had lived in the neighborhood for the first 20 years of his life. His parents were members of the Moose Lodge and he said he knew every inch of the building and grounds, including the quonset hut firing range. I asked if he had any old photos of the Moose Lodge and he said he thought he might because he has all the family photographs. But then he launched into complaints about the Moose selling so much property that now has subsidized housing, complained about the Marine facility being torn down (it was a national shrine) and then began with a racial slur about the people living in the apartments. At that point I told him that we don't use that word in our building and I didn't want him saying it. He stayed a bit longer, and then finally wandered off. Husband Ed and I stayed with him the entire time he was in the building - we confined him to the front hall and just waited. He was well aware of everything we had put in the Schnitzer dumpster and I wasn't about to have him wandering around checking out our metal. We do enjoy having visitors, but I frankly felt uncomfortable about having him in the building. I didn't think of something to say to escort him out, but later thought what I should have said. Anyone else in a similar situation might use the same: "This is a construction site and only the members of our church are covered for liability, and I will have to ask you to leave." About 15 minutes later, the joke was on me. We had locked the east doors and gone out the north doors from the kitchen. As we drove around the east side of the building I saw a white box against the door. I was just paranoid enough to think it might be a bomb.....I got out of the car to check it out. It was a polystyrene container full of sterile blue cotton towels! REMEMBER: No official work party tomorrow or Thursday. If you have a favorite job and a key you are welcome to show up, but there is no guarantee the door will be unlocked. QUOTE OF THE DAY:
Judie Days Left 327 MONDAY OCTOBER 18, 2010 First off, let me report that it is COLD inside the building - much like being outside. There is no source of heat and the doors are usually open most of the day for wheelbarrows and fork lift movement. This is a heads up for the Landscape Task Force planning to meet there on Thursday - dress warm. Even if we put a small heater in the Project Office, it might not do much good since there is no door to the office. Maybe I can coax someone to add a door between now and then. The ice in the ice bucket in the kitchen hardly melted. A word to the wise, if you use the microwave - the timer does not work, so stand by and make sure you get your food or drink out before it is incinerated. The area where the First Balcony used to be was the major change today - all of the wall studs, balcony, and the large louvers above the balcony area are gone. One advantage was the amount of light that came in to Room B...unfortunately for security, etc., the four openings left by the louvers were closed with plywood panels late in the day. The wall that used to be behind the glass display case has lost everything but the framing, so light comes in through the lobby to Room C, and that's pretty nice too. The Virtuoso of the Forklift managed to yank out two large slabs of concrete from the 'Panama Canal' and hauled them to the dumpster. That machine is a wonder, saving our backs and cutting down on the number of hours it would take to move heavy stuff otherwise. The stash of heavy electric motors recently resting in the east hallway were moved into the minister's study to make the way clear for taking down the ceiling. Some of that work was done today. LOST AND FOUND - A "found" shirt jack was claimed today! A black, North Face, men's vest (can't remember the size) that was tucked under the counter in the kitchen is in the "lost" category. Only hint of its owner was the presence of many wads of tissue and two brown cardboard sleeves for a hot cup of coffee. It is now hanging on the back of a chair at Momma's Table so it is more visible. With the cooler weather, we thought the owner might surface. The pile of lumber needing nails pulled is dwindling and that activity may slow a bit until the east hall ceiling comes down. Wire stripping appears to be about caught up, but there are a couple of piles hidden away until the Project Manager gets back on Wednesday. I went on a field trip to Curtis Restaurant Equipment in Springfield - what a fun place! I could get in a lot of trouble in that store. My focus was finding commercial size basket coffee filters for the automatic coffee maker at the BUUB. Had to buy 1,000, but I will be donating some to the Church, since we have been using household filters there too and they aren't quite high enough, which means coffee grounds in the coffee every once in a while. I also picked up a Decaf pot and was amazed it cost only $5.49. QUOTE OF THE DAY:
Judie
5 Volunteers Just now I looked around for my brand new paperback 21st Century Thesaurus and it has vanished since last night. Husband Ed and I have torn the house apart and it is no where to be found. We had the family here for dinner and I thought maybe one of the teenagers moved it around. Then I went to turn on my laptop and it is red hot and won't boot up. Must be a pre-Halloween poltergeist! But enough of my complaining. Outdated conduit continues to come out at the BUUB, a couple of wire strippers were on the job and some sweeping was done. A small portion of the sheetrock ceiling in the east hallway was taken down. The Puzzlemaster intended to stop by after church for a half hour to check on a couple of things and when I left at 5 PM, he was still climbing around in the attic and showing no signs of going home anytime soon...I talked to two of our recently recruited volunteers at church (they are the tool-familiar ones) and they said they plan to volunteer on a regular basis for a couple of afternoons a week. Good news to be sure. One visitor today is the business owner just north of us. I had talked to both he and his wife several times last spring on the phone, and BPOC member Rich Margerum has had a number phone conversations with him as well, but never met face to face. We have been in discussions about shared parking and the possibility of a sewer line easement so it was really nice to get to finally meet him in person. He gave us our... ...QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I'm just a sidewalk superintendent --- every job site needs one of those." It seems he has been stopping by to look in the boiler room on a regular basis, and now that the boiler is gone, he wanted to see the inside of the building.If anyone finds my thesaurus please call me immediately. I am lost without it.
newhome@uueugene.org Days Left 329 SATURDAY OCTOBER 16, 2010 11 Volunteers The beastly glass fronted display case is down off the wall and was moved to the sanctuary. Yipppppppeeeee!!! I always freak out a little when we drop into a new number. Why is it that 329 seems like so many fewer days than 330 when it is only one? Just think about all that has been accomplished in the first 70 days. I don't think anyone would have been able to visualize what the BUB/BUUB would look like on October 16, but for a refresher course of where we came from, check out the old photographs on the church website. Everyone working on this project is to be congratulated on a phenomenal job so far. The Boiler Puzzlemaster is still defraggin g the wall of metal doors in the boiler room with the hope of bringing the Howitzer out through the boiler room rather than across Momma's Table in the kitchen. This same Puzzlemaster was called upon to weed out all the conduit and other surprises exposed when the display case came off the wall. Things like hidden nails and unexpected wiring were a part of the picture. Meanwhile, things were relatively quiet in the rest of the building. There was wire stripping and de-nailing done off and on, and fire wall blocks added to the framing in the Chapel. For those planning to volunteer tomorrow (Sunday), there are some fun projects planned. We need wood sorters to help move 2x6 boards from Room A into the Sanctuary where they will be more accessible. As you might have noticed, the northwest corner of Room A is fully stacked with lumber. If your not into sorting wood, you can help remove some of the standing pipes on the floor where the First Balcony used to be. There are also metal grills (fan louvers) on the north wall that need to be removed - and this is best accomplished while driving the Ferrari (scissor lift). For that team of Cracker Jack Jills who figured out how to de-fin the old radiators, there is plenty of that still needing attention. When separating the aluminum from the copper, we make more money on the copper scrap. The drywall needs to be removed from both sides of the wall where the display case was mounted. There is a blue door frame from the old "beer room" that needs to be moved to the stage. And, if we get all that done, we can begin removing the dry wall in one corner of the Sanctuary (southeast corner) where the new main entry will be located. Day Two of Clutterbusting Garage Sale #6 was conducted today - final two day total $1,096.35. I was whining yesterday about sales being way lower than normal - but in checking my records I found that this sale brought in more - a whopping $2.22 more than the last October sale! I still have a few items left that will be advertised on Craig's List, so the total will climb even higher. Thanks to everyone who donated items, helped with sales, or purchased merchandise. The weather was perfect and we helped a number of people who are suffering economically take home household items at a bargain price. QUOTES OF THE DAY:
Judie Days Left 330 FRIDAY OCTOBER 15, 2010
14 Volunteers The architect visited and confirmed where additional demolition needs to be done - specifically the ceiling in the East hallway. This means still more duct work to come down from above that hall. Additional strategizing was done about removing the glass fronted display case, which is no longer glass fronted. The bottom is resting on the forks of the fork lift. That piece of equipment is coming in mighty handy, even if it does require taking off the doors on the East end of the building. The First Balcony is absolutely and completely GONE and it sure makes that room look a lot bigger. There were many sheets of plywood used to built it originally, and that was de-nailed and stored. There is a mountain of lumber to be de-nailed tomorrow. The Schnitzer dumpster was hauled away and we can hardly wait to find out how much the boiler and its many spare parts weighed. There appeared to be a bit of a strain on the cable connecting it to the truck cab, but off it went. This afternoon our accumulated copper and brass was delivered to Schnitzer and in exchange they handed us a check for $1,606.85! Keep in mind that we are not yet done stripping wire or removing pipes from equipment, so our accumulated total of copper is not the final total for the copper guessing contest. So far we have collected and sold 501 pounds of copper worth $1785.86. We sold 93 pounds of brass for $178.56, and the lead brick sold for $12.60! This was possible because of the diligence of volunteers who day after day removed, stripped, cleaned, and separated precious metals. Our total metal sales (without the boiler load) is $3,010.35....Oh Happy Day.... Two new recruits arrived - always a welcome sight. They jumped right in and are both "tool familiar" which is a bonus. In addition, there was a good bit of lawn care going on and the beginning of strategy for getting the "Howitzer" dismantled and removed. I think it involves knocking out a portion of the west wall of the boiler room, but I try not to ask too many questions. The hot water is back on after a two day hiatus, egg salad sandwiches arrived, the coffee maker was operational, and volunteers were anxious to get back on the job after a two day break. Day One of the Clutterbusting Garage Sale had less than sterling sales. The economy has definitely affected buying habits. Through operator error (mine), the classified ad for today was not in the print section of the Register-Guard - but was on line. (Thank goodness, my across-the-street neighbor and I always have a sale on the same day, and he did have an ad in the paper.) That got corrected for tomorrow and I posted the sale on Craig's list, so we will see if we can lure in some prime customers. Unfortunately, Saturday is not normally a very high traffic day at sales. Total for today: $662.00. Friday total in July was $1,092 and that was lower than any previous sale. It wasn't for lack of merchandise - the flood gates of donations opened about 2 PM Thursday and we had plenty to sell. Thanks to everyone who provided the goodies. QUOTE OF THE DAY (Accompanied by a BIG Grin):
Judie
Days Left 331 THURSDAY OCTOBER 14, 2010 4 Volunteers There are always times when electronic or word of mouth information doesn't make it to all corners of our church family. The BPOC made the decision to close down work parties on Wednesday and Thursday for a while - but that action was not taken until late last Thursday, so missed the order of service deadline. Wisdom would say we should have announced it during church on Sunday. I didn't do that either. I have mentioned it in every blog since Wednesday and sent it to this week's UUpdate, so it is in the calendar in that publication. In the last two days there have been people who showed up expecting the doors to be open and a list of tasks ready and waiting.
With no demolition to speak of yesterday, there were no boards to cut up for firewood or that needed de-nailing. There was plenty of wire to strip and gravel to dig but those didn't match the skills bank for who showed up to work. One person was busy most of the day removing outdated conduit. Tonight I met yet another couple interested in the glass fronted display case. So far everyone who called that took a look at it decided it is too much work to get it apart and moved. The seams holding the trim around the main box is glued really tight with no pry seam to get them apart. The folks tonight did say that if we get it down off the wall to give them a call and they will reconsider. Here is a note I received from Gretchen Miller after she brought over some items for tomorrow's garage sale: I would say it is the...
...QUOTE OF THE DAY:
So, you just never know. The building is closed, but someone with a key arrives and perhaps we have another worker! -- Gretchen So there you have it. I guess there is no such thing as "closed." UPS tried to deliver a package for a person none of us knows. Did you ever try to find a local UPS phone number? Tomorrow: Will be another full day at the BUUB with tasks awaiting. And in case any of you are wondering - the garage is stuffed to the gills, and there is plenty for a dandy sale tomorrow and Saturday. I have helpers and it is all good. Thanks. There is dinner at The Fortune Inn for Chinese food tomorrow night at 5:30 PM. 1775 West 6th.
Judie Days Left 332 WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 13, 2010 6 Volunteers On Monday and Tuesday, I placed an advertisement in the Register-Guard classifieds in an attempt to sell the 18 foot long glass fronted display case, describing it in detail with lockable doors, adjustable shelves, 15 inch wide glass shelves, etc. So far I have had four inquiries, and this evening made an appointment to met four individuals who were interested in seeing it. Imagine my shock when I arrived and found it had been partially dismantled! The prospective buyers collect cars, trains, and all manner of other things and have just completed a new building for storing all their hot rods and equipment. They are thinking about it. They actually figured out how it is attached to the wall. Keep your fingers crossed that they want it. This was our first Wednesday being closed. I managed to stay away until 6 PM but had a good excuse for sneaking in there because I needed to return the clean dishes *grin*. The water is turned back on after removal of the boiler, but there is no hot water. Ed Z and Jake Walsh met for two hours to plan out tasks for the next week while Ed is out of town. The wood grain wallpaper was peeled off of the display case and it's hardware removed. I hadn't realized before that the case was lighted. The folks interested in the display case also showed some interest in buying florescent light fixtures but had questions I couldn't answer. Outdated conduit removal continued, along with some de-nailing. The building was quiet as a mouse, all shut down for the night. I have been keeping a "yard" bird list for the BUUB. So far we have had crow, starling, western scrub jay, robin, and northern flicker. With two days of being closed, I hope my stories won't put you completely to sleep. I spent the better part of the last 24 hours watching the Chilean miners and their rescuers come up in the tiny capsule. A wonderful sight to see. It was indeed a day of 333s. It was our 400 Days countdown day 333, and 33 miners being rescued on 10-13-10, which equals 33. I bet that was an oft chosen number for gamblers.
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
No official work day tomorrow, but we will be at full tilt on Friday morning with the last of demolition and more framing of chapel and classrooms. There will be our usual dinner on Friday at 5:30 at the Fortune Restaurant, 1775 West 6th AVenue. Someone thought listing it as no host without a hyphen was confusing - but all that means is that you pay for your own food and nobody is the host. Judie Days Left 333 TUESDAY OCTOBER 12, 2010
16 Volunteers and The boiler is out! All other news pales by comparison. In order to get the job done, the water heater had to come out. Martha Osgood was there with a camera, thank goodness, but got blocked from escaping after going behind the boiler to get good photos. She said she was clicking away the whole time. I expect it was mighty noisy being in that small space with the fork lift chugging away and the sound reverberating off the walls. A good question is how many Unitarian Universalists does it take to remove a one ton boiler? This afternoon it took 12. The process began at 9:30 AM and required a whole team of people to dig old debris out of the original fire box - looking through the door to the boiler room, it looked like a fire was burning. On closer inspection I found it was a bright light bulb reflecting off the orange handle on a new shovel. Once it was cleaned out a bit, then the top half was unbolted and pried up and blocks installed to keep the two separated. Then the way had to be cleared inside the room to give the fork lift operator enough room to not only move around, but to reattach the forks needed to lift it off the base. Once the hot water heater was removed it provided another 20 inches of clearance. When I arrived the second time, a little after 4 PM, everyone had gathered to watch as chains and straps were attached so the top half could be dragged out into the bright sunshine to be greeted by a cheering crowd. I didn't see how they got the top half off, but I am sure the stories will be circulating for days. I will ask Martha for a guest editorial! I was concerned the equipment would run out of propane midway through the process. After the top half was hauled around the building and lifted into the Schnitzer dumpster, a second chorus of loud cheering was heard. Then it was right back to work, as volunteers went into the boiler room and dug decades old ashes and soot from the old fire box and hauled them to the trash dumpster. Then the fork lift returned several times until it hauled the fire box, water tank, and water tank cradle to the dumpster. The dumpster is now FULL! Think $$$$. The next job was to load up all the bricks and other detritus into wheelbarrows and haul them to the dumpster.
It's always dangerous to single out people who performed amazing feats, but best I can tell it was Bob Kaeser at the wheel of the forklift attended to by Ed Zack, Charlie Eckerson, and Chuck Wagar watching every move, helping to strategize the best method for attaching chains and cables, directing traffic and probably most important, cheering him on and offering moral support. Bob has been working on that boiler for weeks, one bolt at a time and must certainly have a sore neck from having to bend over in the cage to drive the fork lift. The rest of the support team was right in the middle of it all. Thanks for a job well done. Meanwhile, hustle and bustle of the day was not all focused on the boiler. Wire stripping, de-nailing, demolishing the last wall to come out of Room A, removing some of the First Balcony framing, digging the Panama Canal, taking out plaster on the wall behind the glass display case in the lobby, framing the north wall of the Chapel were all going on. The Chapel framers put what is called a "tipped" wall section in one corner so when the new support post is set in concrete, that section can be tipped over and then put back up and put permanently in place. With no water turned on, and definitely no hot water, I brought all the dirty dishes home for a hot bath. Lots of interesting food continues to arrive. Nobody is starving. Things are good. It was a red letter day to be sure. But not only for us, but for the rescue of the 33 miners in Chile. As I write this, only one has made it to the surface so far. I hope they all make it out, brave men.
Our statistician reports: QUOTE OF THE DAY:
Setup for the Clutterbusting Garage Sale has begun. Items will be accepted until 6 PM Thursday. They can be delivered to 310 Brae Burn - south on Willamette to the light at 46th Street - turn right, come up three blocks. We are on the left side of the street. Sale is this Friday and Saturday. Judie Days Left 334 MONDAY OCTOBER 11, 2010
14 Volunteers When plates for framing are installed, they are bolted into concrete and then the spacers are placed on top and secured with nails. Once the framing has been "approved" then the permanent anchor bolts are installed. Much of the chapel framing is now up and running and it helps to define the space. Infilling continues to close up old doorways and the plating for the east office space off the lobby was installed. About 30% of the "Panama Canal" is dug on the northeast corner outside and the playpen is filling up with dirt and gravel. Additional outdated conduit, pipes and old framing were removed from the First Balcony. One of the de-nailers got "elevated" on the scissor scaffolding (the Ferrari) this morning. He was somewhat intimidated in the beginning and wasn't too sure about being lifted off the ground and commented about how it is necessary to "get your sea legs" when you first ride it. Within a half hour he was comfortable with the experience and howled with delight about how much fun it was. Ed Zack believes there is a certain karma working at the BUUB. He was working on a project that required a piece of treated lumber that was 40-1/8th inches. He walked over to the saw to cut the length, saw a piece on the floor, measured it, and it was exactly the right length. Later, he was infilling a doorway with a 42 inch opening that needed a 39 inch space for the doorway. To the original opening he added the jack stud trimmers and you guessed it, it was exactly 39 inches wide. Not only are we recycling lumber, it is all the right size... *grin*
The 8th wonder of the world occurred - by moving the fork lift back and forth inches at a time, Bob Kaeser and Charlie Eckerson shoe-horned it into the boiler room. It required taking the double doors off and removing the fork from the front, plus a lot of back and forth, back and forth. One corner of the engine is a half inch from the water heater, and the backside probably rests against the doors when they are closed. Bob reminded me "I thought you said we couldn't get the fork lift in here..." And I responded: "I thought you told me you couldn't come in today." I knew he was itching to get at the boiler. I heard discussions about a jack, putting blocks under things and other strategy for removing the boiler - perhaps tomorrow. Another photo opportunity for sure. This evening, two members of the BPOC attended the Green Sanctuary Committee meeting to hear a discussion with guest Sarah Mazze who spoke about community solar projects and other state or federal programs where funding might be available. Some of the programs require high administrative costs and personnel. In most cases, the kind of help available is more suitable for about 5 years from now. We will continue to research what is available and appropriate for our situation. One of our strippers and the Chuck of all trades were at the meeting. Quiz them with your questions. QUOTE OF THE DAY:
Judie Days Left 335 SUNDAY OCTOBER 10, 2010 (10/10/10) 3 Volunteers Remember the concrete removed with the fork lift yesterday? It left a square hole, but not one deep enough for a new footing for the support beam. Today, it got dug out to a sufficient depth and the gravel removed to the playpen in the north parking lot. With diligence, the plywood used for walkways in the first balcony was vacuumed and then removed. Great work. It will make a big difference to the people working to demolish the balcony next week -- no soot and grime falling in their eyes and hair or all over their clothes when they rip into it with crow bars, etc. The floor plates for the studs in the Chapel put in Friday were secured with light-weight bolts until it was determined everything was in the right location - today permanent concrete bolts were installed. In preparation for a more defined corridor on the west side of the Chapel, further demolition was completed on the east wall of Room A. The scrap firewood pile grew some more. Plywood strips or boards with paint keep sneaking their way into the pile and have to be pulled out because of toxic glue or paint unfit for burning.
De-nailing and wire stripping continue. Cleaned boards were moved from the social hall work room to Room A. There was a whole lot of sweeping going on. The double doors and framing between the lobby and office area to the east were removed and there is no longer a door frame into either side of the "beer" room. Tomorrow will be framing, framing, framing. One of the coolest projects resulted from turning loose an all-woman crew to figure out how to remove the more than 50 copper rods from behind the fins of the torn out air conditioning units. We could name them the "Finnin Haddies" but there might be something mighty fishy about that. I didn't completely understand how they did it, but I think it involved a power saw slicing through metal and then yanking fins out with nail pullers. I heard it was only quiet at the BUUB from about 10:30 to 11:30 am and then there was a steady stream of volunteers, including yet another teenager. QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Sent earlier to the Chat-list by Gil Osgood. Well worth repeating here.
Judie
Days Left 336 SATURDAY OCTOBER 9, 2010 11 Volunteers The last of the large heat exchangers is G-O-N-E from the First Balcony. Clang, bang, load it onto the fork lift, maneuver it through piles of lumber, de-nailing stations, past the new chapel studs, barely through the double doors to the hallway, past the wire strippers and down the long hall to the east entrance and outside. It was a bit of a struggle, with the largest section, when it got moved off the fork lift to a dolly with blocks for stability - requiring a four person crew measuring all the way. One of the units is stored under the portico because of its potential for salvage for someone who wants the two large "squirrel cage" innards. We already sold one to a would-be inventor who wanted one from the dumpster in order to do an experimental hydroelectric project on his property. A shout went out to the de-nailers- "move that stuff right away" - so they scrambled to grab buckets of nails, hammers, pullers, partially cleaned boards, dismantled the table from the sawhorse legs and got the heck out of the way. The building feels decidedly lighter without all that heavy metal weighing it down from above. Next week the rest of the balcony will come down. While the fork lift was chugging along, it made a pass through the southwest corner, collected up several hundred pounds of cut concrete and delicately and effortlessly deposited it into the dumpster. Without the use of that loaned fork lift, we would have worn someone to a frazzle doing the job with a sledgehammer. The fork lift will also be used to remove a section of sidewalk on the northeast corner leading from a door that will no longer exist. The walls on the chapel are going up and will likely be finished Monday. The boiler removal is on the agenda as a Monday project as well. Have your cameras ready! Day after day, we mention that de-nailing and wire stripping continue. The folks who faithfully show up for this seemingly unending task are truly our unsung heros and heroines. Without them we would be buried in piles of wire - of every color, size and shape (and money in the bank) - and piles of nasty looking boards with protruding nails that could easily cover most of the floor in the social hall. Each morning we look at what has been generated the day before and wonder how we will possibly get all those boards de-nailed and wire stripped, but about 4 PM it's all been done and the work area is neat and tidy, floor swept, nails and wire casings cleaned up and tools put away. It truly is magic and we appreciate the effort. We have a few tasks that are ongoing - vacuuming! I mentioned this a little yesterday - we could use someone vacuuming surfaces 8 hours a day, every day. It would reduce the sneeze load! We need diggers for what El Viejo refers to as the Panama Canal - that grassy area behind the building that needs to be 12 inches deep. A special request is to find someone who will spearhead a research project related to the 18 upholstered gold library chairs we purchased from the Scottish Rite. They have been moved around from pillar to post, are dusty and tired looking. We are curious to know if they could be spruced up sufficiently to be used when we move. If you have an upholstery shampoo machine and are game for the task, you are invited to see what you can find out. Also, architect Gary Moye has suggested we investigate the possibility of having the metal frames of the office chairs electromagnetically painted and recover the backs and seats in a patterned material. He has had other clients who had similar chairs and was amazed at how great they looked with some effort and very little money.
The tasks for Sunday include: Infilling openings in existing walls and doing framing. Of course, there is always de-nailing, wire stripping, digging, sweeping, and eating green grapes. There are also home made apple muffins and hot coffee! In the near future we are planning some "themed" work parties - a "women's continental breakfast and work party", a "women and teens garden project" a "co-ed chimney corps" or a "men's post hole digging contest." Of course there is also the Day After Thanksgiving: Skip the Shopping, come to the BUUB for a leftovers potluck lunch and croquet tournament. Mark your calendars! I went into the women's rest room late this afternoon and was surprised to see men's feet in the next stall... thank goodness, they were my husband's. Since all the men's restrooms have been demolished, the men haven't quite gotten into the habit of using the unisex accessible toilet next door. QUOTE OF THE DAY:
Judie Days Left 337 FRIDAY OCTOBER 8, 2010 14 Volunteers Where to begin. WOW...it was a very active day. Opening words at the Fortune Inn dinner were "Hellacious week - got a lot done and nobody got hurt." But just for today: The grass got mowed - all 5 miles of it. There was vacuuming, scullery, de-nailing, sweeping, wire stripping and food delivery for starters. The hallway for future meeting rooms was demolished, strapping was added to stabilize the old south wall of the chapel. The heavy duty project was lowering the largest air conditioning unit (see photo below!) in the entire building down from the First Balcony. It is 6x8x6 feet of steel, weighing in excess of 600 pounds and those working on it had the appearance of coal miners. Thank goodness for the fork lift to get it down. Once down, it was loaded onto two of our rolling racks (purchased from the Scottish Rite to move tables!) and wheeled outside. Once again, off came the double doors. Tomorrow the fork lift will move it into the metal dumpster...
My 19 year old granddaughter, Lilly, began training as a framer under the guidance of Jake Walsh and at the end of eight hours declared: "I had fun with the framing - it's cool to have it happen so quick." Going home in the car she was talking to her dad on the phone and was telling him how much she liked learning how to use so many tools, got to drive the Ferrari, how nice everyone was to work with, and that "this is the kind of work I really enjoy doing." Tomorrow she wants to finish "her wall" in the Chapel and plans to be a regular part of the crew. Speaking of young people, we have a number of short and long term tasks that would be ideal for any of our youth, especially those high schoolers who need community service hours. One of the many jobs today was vacuuming all the floors to help keep down the dust. We have removed so much sheetrock, stirred up dust and grime from the ductwork, sawed up boards, planed boards, and ripped out carpeting that left glue particles now ground into dust. The particulate matter in the air is very noticeable at times. Just like mowing the grass, vacuuming and quarter-mastering in general are daily events. Recycling at its best. We can find a use for almost anything. The cut up sections of concrete from the old office space? Tombstones for dead cats in the backyard of one of our church members. Some have asked why we are going to be closed Wednesdays and Thursdays. There are at least three functions of this action:
In reality, if there are people who wish to work independently on a favorite task on the closed days, they can get a key and work away at their heart's content. No questions asked. Someone asked me what I was going to write about on the two days we will be closed? Just make something up, like I do every other day! *grin*
QUOTES OF THE DAY:
The Visitor was my 51 year old son who hadn't seen the inside of the building before, but had heard husband Ed and me yammering about it for months. When he saw the sanctuary: "This place is huge. You could seat 500 people in here." Yes, dear, that is the general idea. He couldn't believe how much work had been done with our volunteer crew in just 63 days. Days Left 338 THURSDAY OCTOBER 7, 2010 11 Volunteers The delivery of the fork lift was the highlight of the day for sure. We tried storing it in the boiler room but it wouldn't fit, so the delivery man just handed me the keys and said, leave it outside, no big deal. Then the "three old duffers" arrived and insisted on taking off the east end doors and hardware and bringing the fork lift inside. To their delight, they discovered they can get the fork up high enough to move the remaining dismantled air exchanger down from the First Balcony and move it to the metal dumpster. The main job for the fork lift is to move the boiler. The duffers are chomping at the bit to tackle that this weekend. Our 16 year old volunteer shoveled gravel for three hours! The Ferrari was busy all day - first removing high "dots" from the walls in the sanctuary that couldn't be reached earlier with the stationary scaffolding, and then this afternoon the last of the supports for the batwing came down. The ceiling in the Sanctuary looks so open and clean. One old doorway was infilled in the minister's study. Wire stripping continues and a whole bunch of uncooperative boards were de-nailed. The wood that came out of the older part of the building has very long nails, some bent, some rusty, and they were a bearcat to get out.
One visitor is a man who visited church about a year ago and I encouraged him to come back and help with construction. He already does volunteer work for the ReStore run by Habitat for Humanity and he was very interested to see what we had accomplished. It turns out his father was the Hunter Education instructor in the 1960's when the Moose Lodge had a firing range on the property. He is going to talk to his dad to see if he has any old photographs of the building, etc. A subgroup of the Landscaping Task Force met this afternoon and developed a mission statement and statements related to Process, Context, Program, and Means. Soon after, the Building Project Oversight Committee (BPOC) met with Architect Gary Moye. There were discussions about skylights, lighting and dimming systems, tweaking of the schematic design, and various refinements in the plan. Ed Zack brought the Committee up to date on progress with demolition and new construction and his estimated time table and desired crew size for various aspects of the project. There was a general discussion about the lack of new recruits anticipated to begin construction and concern about possible burn out of the diligent and loyal volunteer crew who are on the job almost daily. Beginning next week, the BUUB will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday. Major works days seem to be Friday, Saturday and Sunday with Monday and Tuesday somewhat lighter. (Break (Room) Dancers take note - no food deliveries on Wednesdays or Thursdays for the time being.) Additional business at this meeting was a report on the Aesthetics and Logistics Task Force, Landscaping Task Force and an update on Capital Campaign issues. One volunteer arrived this morning when I was the only person in the building and commented "Every time I come there is nothing going on." Now that we don't have 2-3 people de-nailing, 3-4 tearing out walls or ceilings or dropping ductwork or heat exchangers to the floor, it could appear there is nothing going on. That doesn't mean the crew the day before wasn't there from 7:30 AM to well after Midnight or that by Noon eight more people will show up. That's the rhythm of the job. But rest assured, no matter when you arrive, there will be a list of tasks to be done that day. Most days we get the majority of them done, but we never run out of work. We discovered after talking to the Architect tonight that we have another ceiling to tear out! Not quite sledge hammer work since it is over your head, but lots of fun nonetheless! QUOTES OF THE DAY:
REMEMBER - we'll have a no-host dinner tomorrow at The Fortune Chinese Inn - 1775 West 6th Avenue at 5:30 PM Days Left 339 WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 6, 2010
13 Volunteers Question of the Day: In the early days of demolition, someone offered to strip the paint off of the ceiling beams in the Sanctuary. We can't remember who that might be. If you are that kind person, please let Ed Zack know. The Ferrari was busy most of the day as yet more of the First Balcony came down. Wood squirrels are probably not going to be needed as much as we thought because the piles of lumber in Room A were reorganized and each size is readily available without having to paw through mixed piles. Some boards are "bananas" - meaning they are a little too curved to be reused, but we will find something, even if they become firewood. Speaking of firewood, every last scrap was hauled away and only sawdust remains. You have heard of the game, "go in and out the windows?" - well, in our case we are taking out existing doorways by infilling them with studs, and are making new doorways to match the design. The door into the RE director's office is an example. It now opens into the corridor leading to the lobby instead of the long east/west hallway. Thanks to Laura Alpert the holes are cut for the new support beams in the upper grade classrooms and we are waiting for some hale and hearty soul to lift out the concrete sections. One volunteer wrote that he spent time "water mopping" as the cutting was going on. Good deal - helps cut down on dust in general. The garbage disposal in the kitchen had not been working, so Boiler Bob traced the lines and discovered the power had been shut off in the early stages of demolition. Now it works like a charm. Anytime someone shows up there are tasks to be done. GRAVEL - shovel it out of the area behind northeast corner and put it in the "playpen." The gravel does not have to be smoothed down like brownie dough - just dump it in there in a pile. The only purpose of the wood sides is to keep it from drifting all over the parking lot. There are some wall DOTS to be removed in the sanctuary (not on the ceiling - just the upper walls). There is a wood structure to the south of where the batwing hung in the Sanctuary that needs to be demolished. There are two walls along the west corridor behind the Chapel that need to come down. Probably one of the most important jobs is to go over all the studs in the walls and remove NAILS, high and low. Some remaining nails have snagged workers in recent days. All of the lumber in Room C that gets de-nailed needs to be stacked in the Chapel. The remaining demolition can be a little tricky about what goes and what stays, so be sure to ask before you start tearing something out. QUOTE OF THE DAY:
If this report is somewhat disjointed, I am not surprised. Long day driving to Portland and back and getting information about upcoming tasks.
Judie Days Left 340 TUESDAY OCTOBER 5, 2010 10 Volunteers My main contribution was to go on a field trip with Architect Gary Moye, his assistant Patrick Hannah, and Jake Walsh. We visited the new education building at Mt Angel Abbey to look at the CPI cutting edge daylight reflective lighting and night flushing cooling system. The reflective system is called a "cloud" and diffuses the light and moves it outward so you never sit under direct sunlight from the roof area. The louvers are controlled by a sensor that makes sure there is never less than 30 candle powers of light in the room. Very pleasing. We also attended part of Vespers to hear the monks chanting. Three hours in the car provided an opportunity to ask lots of questions and brainstorm on a variety of subjects. The only downside was getting stuck in a "farm equipment rush hour" between Mt. Angel and Salem. I asked whether we would have LED lights - the answer is - "yes, we will be using them to the extent possible and providing adequate wiring for areas that have to be done later." The color spectrum for LED lights is getting better all the time. In order to accommodate the design and support mechanical equipment, several existing posts will be removed and new ones installed. Drilling in the concrete shows very stable soil under the building with lots of gravel. Additional insulation will be added to all areas necessary to meet commercial codes. A sprinkler contractor will be scheduled to find out whether the new dimensions we create have the same requirements as the previous floor plan. We were joking about how "invisible" sprinkler heads are for most people, but now that all ours at the BUUB are exposed and we are figuring out what we will need, we notice them right away wherever we go. The architect commented that the BUUB is a strange building but we will be able to make it lovely and inviting and hopes there will be interest and money to make the outside attractive. Deep skylight wells for the classrooms will keep them from appearing too high. The Chapel will be free standing with a ceiling height of 8 feet in the surrounding corridor. Back at the BUUB things were decidedly changed. More of the First Balcony was torn out. One of the south doors of the Sanctuary was infilled with framing - I almost walked right into it, expecting an opening. Headers and trimmers were added for doors in the office/library complex. The metal carcass of a heat exchanger was moved, Egyptian style, by "three old duffers" to the Schnitzer dumpster with the help of some rope and muscle. Wire stripping and de-nailing continue. Some issues for framing the Chapel were resolved. The small air conditioner was lowered from the southwest corner rafters. That is all of the systems to be demolished. By design, Wednesdays and Thursdays will concentrate on planning and layout in preparation for having several "Unholy Trinity" crews working on Friday and Saturday. We appreciate all the people who showed up Monday expecting to be put to work. Your patience and indulgence were necessary because on that first day of working with recycled lumber we encountered unrefined board lengths, warped or twisted boards and many judgment calls in order to keep the lines true. Some of the skills needed may be holding a level, attaching floor plates, finding lumber, measuring, measuring, measuring, or standing on tall ladders or scaffolding or to hand things up or down. And there will be hammering. It is becoming more and more apparent that we need to have assurance of a crew on Fridays and Saturdays in particular so we can get those walls up. If you have been thinking about coming to help, and are waiting for an invitation - this is it! Watch for announcements of future "BIG" construction days. Once the rhythm of the crews is established, it will be much easier to plan specific work. Break (Room) Dancers snuck in crackers, Halloween miniature candy bars, homemade chocolate chip oatmeal cookies and string cheese. Seven people have signed in to host Momma's Table and things are covered through October 19! Thank you, thank you, thank you. There will be a Friday night no-host dinner at The Fortune Chinese restaurant at 5:30 PM, and there are rumors of a day after Thanksgiving feast at the BUUB so you can share all your leftovers. Monday is a holiday - and a great way to spend it would be to come help with construction. QUOTE OF THE DAY:
Judie
Days Left 341 17 Volunteers There was a great turnout to begin the construction stage on our new church home. Someone suggested it might be helpful for newcomers to have a little background on the Building Project Oversight Committee (BPOC) and our search for a new church home. The BPOC presently has five members who were elected by the congregation to find a new building because of our growing membership and numerous activities which can no longer be accommodated in our property at 40th & Donald. We made an offer on the new property in 2009 and went through a lengthy due diligence process to verify the integrity of the building. We completed the purchase of 1685 West 13th Avenue for $1,350,000 in May 2010. On August 5, 2010 we began the demolition and a 400 day countdown until our "move in" date of September 2011. There is detailed background information, photographs, and all of these 400 Days reports posted on the church website at www.uueugene.org/newhome.html. Today the framing for walls went up in the minister's study, library, and the offices for the director of religious education (RE) and an assistant. New doorways were established off the main hallway and there is a corridor between the two RE offices. A hole was cut through the 4-1/2 inch concrete floor to support a new support beam between what will be the high school and middle school classrooms. Additional holes for similar projects will be completed Wednesday. The loan of a diamond-tipped cutter by one of our members is saving hundreds of dollars and hours of work. Piles of stacked lumber are disappearing as they are used for the framing. Volunteers learned the complexities of using recycled lumber - some is warped or unusable.
Someone asked for a definition of a "wood squirrel" - this is a term coined by Ed Zack. It identifies volunteers who become familiar with every type, size, and characteristic of the recycled lumber stored in Room A, and who can be on hand to find just what the framers are looking for. So if there is a need for a 21 foot long 2x6 inch board, a "wood squirrel" is the person who can find one in short order. The piles are well sorted and consistent by type, but do vary in length. As the days move along and framing continues, three person crews or "little trinities" will be forming. The Ferrari (hydraulic lift rolling scaffolding) was in constant use all day, as straps, hangers, pipes, and outdated conduit continued to come down. The ceilings in all rooms are looking incredibly bare. We heard the story of how Chuck Wagar couldn't sleep Saturday night thinking about all that needed to be done in preparation for the work schedule for Monday, so Sunday morning, he was up before dawn and at the building, working on the Ferrari. By the time the rest of the volunteers arrived after church, he had pretty much put in a full day's work. Sitting around Mamma's Table late this afternoon talking to the crew, they all had smiling faces reminiscent of little kids who had been playing in mud all day. The second gargantuan air handler was lowered from the First Balcony with block and tackle, chains and hoist. It is so large, it will take a fork lift to move it to the metal dumpster. We are now half done with removing the air handlers. We are repeatedly and pleasantly surprised by the amount of copper being discovered, and will be selling what we have this week because of storage issues. Don't worry - we are keeping track of how many pounds. Anyone have a fin cutter? A person referred by one of our members who heats 100% with wood came by to stock up with firewood. We will be generating more as boards are cut to specific lengths and we pile up the tag ends. QUOTES OF THE DAY:
That's not too far of a stretch - cookies, muffins, a berry whipped cream pie and a pumpkin pie were delivered today.... By the way, Marine McIntire did not retire from the job as Food Czarette - she and Elliot were gone to Maine on vacation for two weeks, but we didn't want to advertise that fact to the world. She is now back and doing the oversight on food for volunteers. If you are interested in donating food, please check with Marina first so that we can utilize all of the food that comes in. If we get too much on a day when there are few volunteers and it is something that spoils, we end up having to throw things out. We have limited refrigerator space. You can contact Marina at marina.mcintire@comcast.net or call 541-434-2315. Thanks to Kay Crider for organizing food while Marina was on a lovely cruise.
Judie Days Left 342 SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 3, 2010 9 Volunteers From Our Statistician: 130 Volunteers so far have devoted 2750 hours (this does not include three days recorded on missing sign in sheets). Chuck of Alltrades Wagar stripped out the hangers, pipes, wire and outdated conduit from the Social Hall and Chapel. The call for scrap metal produced a prime and hefty specimen of "pig lead" this afternoon in a grade of metal superior to the contents of the dumpster. It will get special handling. Now that the copper guessing contest is closed, I can report that our first tub of copper that was sold weighed 61 pounds and brought in $179.00. Once we tear into the "howitzer" we will unearth a treasure trove of copper wires, pipes and connectors. We also learned that chrome and brass properly handled bring in a nice chunk of change as well. All of the freon refrigerant has been pumped out of the main A/C units (more than 200 pounds!) and tomorrow the technician will return to pump out the small unit in the southwest corner of the building. A family with young children continued to dig up the area behind the northeast corner and moved it to the 'playpen.' The kids brought trucks and played in the dirt. (We are full service.) De-nailing continues and there is a mounting pile of firewood all cut and boxed waiting to be picked up. The ducting was pulled out of Room G. The only ducting left is in the First Balcony and over the kitchen. The remainder of the hardwood oak flooring was run through the planer. Now that the freon is out of the "howitzer" it can be dismembered and sold for scrap. It is one heavy dude. The layout for the office was verified and final markings were made to begin framing work on Monday. The layout for the chapel was established and will be verified tomorrow. The 68 foot diagonal layout was within 1/8th of an inch! The concrete cut on the layout was also verified. Food from the Break Room Dancers is off the charts - BBQ chicken from the Junction City Lions Club fundraiser, hot off the grill was delivered late this afternoon, along with muffins, juice, cherry tomatoes, string cheese, and potato chips, and the apple pie have disappeared. Sitting around Mamma's Table late this afternoon, there was a discussion about just how much material we have actually torn out of the building in the past 58 days. When you combine the 8 tons we already sold, plus the metal dumpster that is just about full, two dumpsters full of acoustic tile, 600 3x3 foot sections of acoustic tile that went to Lord Leebrick, the track lighting, drapes, and runners going to theater groups, theater seats sold, plywood removed and given away, the paint, hazardous materials, chandeliers and firewood, plus two dumpsters of recycled plaster and two dumpsters of carpeting and other trash, we have probably moved 100 tons! No wonder the building looks more open and feels lighter. Our statistician is documenting the amount of materials being recycled and we have receipts listing the actual pounds in dumpsters, so we will have a good accounting of the process for Green Sanctuary certification. Remember - tomorrow Ed Zack begins synchronizing the ballet of building our new church home. 9 AM - hot coffee, fruit, juice, and muffins available. I have mentioned that Ed is looking for "wood squirrels" as we begin the new construction. I was pleased to see on Letterman Friday night that the month of October has been proclaimed "Be Kind to Squirrels Month." He had me believing it since he showed some letterhead indicating it was authentic. The joke is on me - there is no such thing. But I was thinking if that were so, we could do something special for our wood squirrels. QUOTE OF THE DAY:
Judie Days Left 343 SATURDAY OCTOBER 2, 2010
12 Volunteers A number of volunteers were affectionately assigned nicknames because of their outstanding performance. Jackhammer Jake Walsh continued his magic for removing tricky coverings without doing damage to things that should not be disturbed. Bob Kaeser is the Dalai Lama of destruction. Whenever we are around him as he works on different aspects of the project, we get enlightened. Blocker Dave Franzen sliced up used scrap lumber into 300 perfectly matched blocks to be used as spacers on the framing that is about to begin. Hydraulic Doug Turvey was fearless in bringing down the long and very heavy wood supports for the batwing in the sanctuary. He thought 'outside the box' and while El Viejo's (Ed's) back was turned managed to figure out a way to use the Ferrari to gently nudge the support beam so that it rested gently on the railings of the scaffolding and then just brought to the floor with a flick of his finger on the joystick. Chalk and tape marks have created lines where new doorways and walls in the library, minister's study, and two offices will appear on Monday. All of the lumber necessary to build the walls is now moved into that space from Room A. There will be a six foot wide corridor between the two offices with an entrance off the lobby, and each office will be 8 by 16 feet. Demolition of the men's restroom is complete and the area is swept clean of debris. In addition to the "sandbox' for dirt from digging, a large "playpen" has been added next to it to receive more dirt. There was some final sorting of lumber in Room A to make the piles more uniform. We could use someone to run 500 feet of hardwood flooring through the planer and bundle it for storage. In its present location, it holds up the use of the Genie scaffolding and is in the middle of a traffic lane needed to move other boards. We also have a pile of boards to de-nail and several boxes of free firewood - some with NO nails. An incentive to show up arrived this afternoon - a homemade apple and walnut pie, hot from the oven. The Break Room Dancer of the day brought string cheese, energy bars, potato chips and other goodies. We can tell the season is changing - not only from green to red grape consumption, but by the fact an entire pot of coffee disappeared and there were more coffee cups in the dirty dishes than glasses. El Viejo got a tutorial on how to make coffee yesterday. The 16-year old Ninja stopped by and got to drive the Ferrari. The technician said he has lost track of how much freon is in our building. When he took it out of the old Montgomery Ward building at Valley River Center, there was only 60 pounds for the whole store, and he is well over 200 pounds at the BUUB. We have 9 entries in the copper poundage guessing contest. The amount ranges from 69 pounds to 550. The contest is now closed. Winners to be announced later. REMINDER - Monday begins construction and Ed Zack will talk about the sequence necessary to get those walls up. I had previously used the word "training", but that's not really the case. He just wants to get us all familiar with the materials, tools, and procedures to be used as we move forward. Lost Objects: We suspect all of these are tucked away some place out of sight at the BUUB - but could you keep an eye out for them? A roll of narrow florescent orange flagging tape, 2 nail nippers (one with blue handle and the other with orange), and last but not least - a large hammer marked "Hosokowa" that has been missing for about a month. We encourage anyone who hasn't been to the building lately to stop by for a visit. Daily I am still surprised at how it changes from morning to evening, even when there isn't a large crew on hand. Just remember, this is a construction site and you need to wear closed-toe shoes. In the sanctuary you will see a very large expanse of white paper on the wall - that is the blank canvas where Sigrid Lambros will create the backdrop for the Beatles concert to be held at Church on November 13. Tickets are available every Sunday after church or from the office.
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
Judie Days Left 344 FRIDAY OCTOBER 1, 2010 7 Volunteers Technicians removed 150 pounds of freon from the old air conditioning equipment and filled up all the empty tanks they had and will have to come back to finish the job. Things are even more difficult to use in the men's restroom. The remaining urinals and toilets were demolished leaving an uneven ceramic tile floor that will have to be chipped out before pouring a new concretet surface. The slop sink was removed from the old custodial room. FOR SALE:
You are familiar with the recent movie "Up in the Air"? That's where El Viejo found himself late this afternoon. He had driven the Ferrari outside to do a little roof repair and had himself 20 feet above the ground when the annoying beeper indicated the battery was dead and he could not lower himself back to earth. A plaintive plea brought a helper who was able to plug the Ferrari into a wall socket which gave enough power to lower the boom and move back inside the building for the night. It turned out that there are two sockets on the Ferrari - one if you want to run off the wall socket, and one if you want to recharge the battery, and the recharger had not been activated. Jake Walsh has developed a jackhammer divining system for locating water pipes buried in concrete. By carefully nibbling away and removing the debris bit by bit, he found the pipe without cutting into it. The hole is necessary to connect a new water pipe on the south interior wall for the HVAC system. The Nick and Nora theater seats were picked up leaving only 11 more. Nine of those left were paid for with cash six weeks ago, but we have only the last name of Ralls and none of the Ralls in the Eugene phone book know anything about theatre seats. Any suggestions?
Did you know that we have now removed 9 tons of metal from the building? And that doesn't include what is in the partially filled dumpster parked now. Wait until we load the one-ton boiler in there. Speaking of the boiler - all that is left is the carcass! We have decided to have a Scrap Drive.... If you have any scrap metal at your house that you have been trying to figure out how to get rid of, you are invited to bring it to the BUUB and put it in the Schnitzer black dumpster. We are sorting out aluminum, brass, and copper because it brings a higher sales value, so keep it separate. But the heavier the better. No motor engines until we check to see if those are acceptable. An addition four feet in width has been added to the minister's study and the first 100 of the more than 300 blocking boards for framing were sawn today. Decadent chocolate chip bars and assorted grapes were delivered along with some crackers, cheese, and other goodies by a Break Room Dancer. Now the quandary begins - green grapes or red grapes. There has been a shift in preference - subtle, but there nonetheless. It seems as the fall season approaches the red grapes are sweeter than earlier in the year. So, although grapes are definitely a high priority, there is no longer a strong preference about color. The 36 Hour Rule: Over and over it happens. We discover something that appears to be a big problem. We mention it in passing and within 36 hours, some member of the congregation has an idea of how to solve it, offers to help, and has the right tool to get the job done. It is absolutely bizarre. And it is absolutely wonderful. So here is your challenge. We have two specialty items we want to sell - one to raise big money and one to get rid of a large item that is in our way. The first is the wood carving hanging on the front of the BUUB commemorating the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980 which has a price tag of $6,000. The other is the 18 foot long glass fronted display case in the lobby. It is a "special grace" item because it will take a large space to accommodate it - probably a commercial building where someone wants to display a large collection of something. The glass shelves will accommodate items as wide as 15 inches and are adjustable. We are depending on you to help market these two items. The display case has been advertised on Craig's List for $100. QUOTE OF THE DAY:
Judie
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for the first 9 weeks (staying steady at 10 per day). Here are the numbers:
