| OCTOBER 2011 400 Days New Home News |
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OCTOBER 31, 2011 MONDAY 13 Volunteers
Clarification - one day last week I mentioned in my blog that we needed help "closing up the building" - it wasn't that we were closing the building permanently - I meant that some of the doors require lifting heavy plywood and using a drill to screw them closed. This is a daily chore always done by the project manager, since he was always the last to leave the building each evening. After locking up, he would make a couple of trips around inside and out to make sure everything was locked. In his absence, everyone who works at closing time needs to make sure things are secure.
A trip to Jerry's and Home Depot helped replenish tools and a chop saw. UPS delivered the specialized saw that will make the shallow cuts in the concrete floor to bury the loop system.
Several boxes of donated tools were sorted and put in their proper place, insulation was installed on the east wall of the Sanctuary, the sheetrockers continued with taping and mudding (they have finished Room 4 and most of Room 5) as they continue to work east. The electrician installed low voltage conduit and was running exterior circuits. An effort is being made to get the temporary lights on a system less complex for turning on and off. I asked if there were switches - and the response was "Light switches is over stated." and then pointed to the tangle of plugs on the kitchen wall - "That' s the switch for now." Efforts to clean out the warehouse continue. Almost all the doors are out, the old finished lumber (hardwood floor boards and wainscoting) are stored in the southwest porch, and everything that is not essential to finishing the building will be donated to a non-profit agency or sold. Lots of insulation installed or adjusted, and lots of organizing of tools. Twenty five gallons of coffee grounds arrived, massive sorting and recycling of cardboard and plastic was done, food arrived and the kitchen was cleaned and dishes washed. Bless Margaret Kaeser. She arrived to deliver some power tools and was recruited to go to Jerry's to pick up 16 more large bundles of R-23, 16 inch insulation in her utility trailer.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: The north door was marked closed with red "DANGER" tape across it because of the crane and delivery of the large A/C units. One volunteer needed a tool from his car and went under the tape - when he opened the door he exclaimed loudly - "S#&@!- They are here!" There was so much noise inside the building, the volunteers didn't know the crane had arrived. Some tools donated on Sunday were still on the counter in the kitchen and had not been sorted - when they were pointed out, one volunteer took a peek in the box and got very excited. "This is great --- a stapler that works!"
OCTOBER 30, 2011 SUNDAY Volunteers 1 The one volunteer was there three hours and must have been the person who put a bucket under the one leak in the building -- under the main skylight in the social hall. One thing needed for sure -- more sawhorses. If you have some taking up space that you would like to loan to the project, they will be appreciated. Also, rechargeable drills would be nice.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: An article in the most recent Writer’s Digest caught my eye. It related to writing subplots, but it reminded me of our current situation. We are a congregation of many threads on the loom that will create our new church home. Our fabric has a flaw and we are all trying to find answers and figure out a way to make it whole and the pattern smooth. “My sister is a weaver. While inspecting a particularly striking piece still on her loom, I thought about the intricate, subtle pattern she’d devised and the hundreds of threads she was using. “What do you do,” I wondered aloud, “if you realize you’ve made a mistake after you’re halfway through?” “Well, you’ve got three choices”, she answered. “You can throw the whole thing out and start over, you can undo everything back to the point your mistake started, or you can incorporate the mistake into your pattern and go from there.” “There are so many ways to make good fabric. You just have to plan it out, then pay attention while you’re working. And don’t be afraid.”
OCTOBER 29, 2011 SATURDAY No Volunteers Today
There is no "official" work day at the BUUB tomorrow. Good news for all you who were worried about running out of insulation. Bob Kaeser picked up another trailer load yesterday. There are Quotes of the Day at the end of this email. In the absence of a report, I am sharing an article from the Register Guard that originally appeared in the New York Times. ** We will have a loop system in our new church home... nice to know we are on the leading edge of technology.
New York Times October 23, 2011 After he lost much of his hearing last year at age 57, the composer Richard Einhorn despaired of ever really enjoying a concert or musical again. Even using special headsets supplied by the Metropolitan Opera and Broadway theaters, he found himself frustrated by the sound quality, static and interference. Then, in June, he went to the Kennedy Center in Washington, where his “Voice of Light” oratorio had once been performed with the National Symphony Orchestra, for a performance of the musical “Wicked.” There were no special headphones. This time, the words and music were transmitted to a wireless receiver in Mr. Einhorn’s hearing aid using a technology that is just starting to make its way into public places in America: a hearing loop. “There I was at ‘Wicked’ weeping uncontrollably — and I don’t even like musicals,” he said. “For the first time since I lost most of my hearing, live music was perfectly clear, perfectly clean and incredibly rich.” His reaction is a common one. The technology, which has been widely adopted in Northern Europe, has the potential to transform the lives of tens of millions of Americans, according to national advocacy groups. As loops are installed in stores, banks, museums, subway stations and other public spaces, people who have felt excluded are suddenly back in the conversation. A hearing loop, typically installed on the floor around the periphery of a room, is a thin strand of copper wire radiating electromagnetic signals that can be picked up by a tiny receiver already built into most hearing aids and cochlear implants. When the receiver is turned on, the hearing aid receives only the sounds coming directly from a microphone, not the background cacophony. “It’s the equivalent of a wheelchair ramp for people who used to be socially isolated because of their hearing loss,” said David G. Myers, a professor of psychology at Hope College in Holland, Mich., who is hard of hearing. “I used to detest my hearing aids, but now that they serve this second purpose, I love the way they’ve enriched my life.” After his first encounter with a hearing loop at an abbey in Scotland, where he was shocked to suddenly be able to understand every word of a service, Dr. Myers installed a loop in his own home and successfully campaigned to have loops installed at hundreds of places in Michigan, including the Grand Rapids airport and the basketball arena at Michigan State University. “One of the beauties of this simple technology is that it serves me everywhere from my office to my home TV room to nearly all the worship places and public auditoriums of my community,” Dr. Myers said. The Midwest has been in the vanguard, but New York is starting to catch up. Loops have been installed at the ticket windows of Yankee Stadium and Citi Field, at the Apple store in SoHo and at exhibits and information kiosks at Ellis Island, the Metropolitan Museum of Artand the American Museum of Natural History. Even in that infamous black hole of acoustics — the New York subway system — loops are being placed in about 500 fare booths, in what will be the largest installation in the United States. “This isn’t just about disability rights — it’s about good customer service,” said Janice Schacter Lintz, the head of the Hearing Access Program, a group in New York promoting the loops. “The baby boomers turn 65 this year,” Ms. Schacter Lintz said, noting that more than 30 percent of people over 65 have hearing loss. “That’s a big group of customers who won’t go to museums or theaters or restaurants where they can’t hear. Put in a loop, and they can hear clearly without any of the bother or embarrassment of wearing a special headset.” The basic technology, called an induction loop, has been around for decades as a means of relaying signals from a telephone to a tiny receiver called a telecoil, or t-coil, that can be attached to a hearing aid. As telecoils became standard parts of hearing aids in Britain and Scandinavia, they were also used to receive signals from loops connected to microphones in halls, stores, taxicabs and a host of other places. People in the United States have been slower to adopt the technology because telecoils were traditionally sold as an optional accessory, at an extra cost of about $50, instead of being included automatically with a hearing aid. But today telecoils are built into two-thirds of the hearing aids on the market as well as in all cochlear implants, so there is a growing number of people able to benefit from loops. Hearing loop systems are more complicated to install than the assistive-hearing systems commonly used in theaters and churches, which beam infrared or FM signals to special headsets or neck loops that must be borrowed from the hall. Installing a loop in an auditorium typically costs $10 to $25 per seat, an initial investment that discourages some facility managers. But advocates for the loops argue that the cost per user is lower over the long run. “The joke among my friends is that the loop system sounds too good to be true, but it is,” said Christine Klessig, a retired lawyer living near Stevens Point in central Wisconsin. “Before they installed a loop at the public library, I had to sit in the front row at lectures and try to lip-read because I missed so many words. Now I sit wherever I want and hear everything.” The Hearing Loss Association of America, the largest group representing people with hearing problems, has joined with the American Academy of Audiology in a campaign to make loops more common in the United States. The technology is a cost-efficient way to provide benefits that even the most expensive hearing aids cannot deliver, said Patricia Kricos, an audiologist at the University of Florida and a past president of the American Academy of Audiology. “Audiologists have always had a lot of faith in new high-tech hearing aids and cochlear implants, which are wonderful, but we’re coming to realize that these work primarily in relatively quiet places without a lot of reverberation and noise,” Dr. Kricos said. “In many settings, like a train station, they can’t give you the crystal-clear clarity that you can get from a hearing loop.” In the pre-loop days at Dr. Myers’s church in Michigan, the assistive-hearing headsets were rarely used by more than a single person at any service. Other worshipers were dissuaded by the inconvenience and embarrassment, he said. Shortly after the loop was installed, 10 people told him they were using it, and the number has been growing as more people get hearing aids that work with the system. “If we build it, they will come,” Dr. Myers said. “I see no reason why what’s happened here in West Michigan can’t happen across America.”
QUOTES OF THE DAY: These comments were sent to me last night by a member of our crew, too late to include in the blog.
the Fountain of building innovations, network skills, clever ideas, crazy ideas and constant encouragement... the Scrambler, always searching for tasks to engage volunteers at all levels... the enthusiastic Tour Guide to visitors, spinner of present miracles and future community... the Bulldozer crunching through obstacles... the Father confessor and adviser... the Imp of twinkling eyes and outlandish stories... the dear Friend on a tough day... ... many of us miss him terribly, and hope he’s getting some much needed rest.
OCTOBER 28, 2011 FRIDAY 10 Volunteers
Fasteners for the sleepers on the roof were installed in preparation for the CRANE ARRIVING ON MONDAY AT NOON. Please, if you come to the BUUB on Monday, park in the east parking lot to leave room for large equipment to move around. The HVAC units will be installed on the roof. Springs were added to existing doors (in an effort to keep them closed and hold the heat in), several walls were repaired so sheetrock could be applied, Steve's Playhouse in the southwest corner was weatherized, more gutters were installed, trim was replaced on some siding, and LED lights were installed in the Chapel. Rooms 4 and 5 were primed and painted. The paint we are using is Benjamin-Moore (not Sherwin-Williams as I reported earlier). The paint is a green product, with no VOC and no odor. Since our contractor purchased the paint, he was given a contractor's discount saving hundreds of dollars. The main wall paint is HC 173 - Edgecomb Gray; the doors are #987 Buckhorn, and the trim is #1497 Rolling Hills. Don't you just love the names? The paint store swatches are on the counter near the sign in sheet if you would like to see the colors.
(Photo right: ...and we get into the kitchen, how?) Tomorrow Chuck Wagar will be at the BUUB beginning at Noon - we need experienced insulation installers -- all insulation has to be cut to fit and not just jammed in around pipes, etc. Some insulation had to be redone because it had been stuffed into spaces and the surface was too rough to accommodate sheetrock. If you plan to install insulation, check with someone who is experienced first. An abundance of food and some juice was delivered, the kitchen was cleaned and swept, and dishes washed. Debris was picked up inside and out and corridors were swept. The block masons worked on the front entrance. One wire was strung, but with only one member of the two person crew on site, it was difficult, with a lot of going up and down the ladder, etc. Ed Zack has removed all of the tools he had on loan for the project. As a result, we have almost no tools. No drill bits, chop saw, wire cutters, pliers, etc., and only a couple of drills. If you have tools you are willing to loan, mark them with your name and bring them to the BUUB. This includes hammers, screw drivers, levels, etc. We also need a printer and copier.
QUOTES OF THE DAY: "Were the HVAC people here? Yes, and they were banging on stuff all morning." "Can I clean up something? Yes, we never run out of stuff to clean." "I wonder who left their pants in Room 3? I think it was the sheetrockers. Are they working in the nude? So it is the nudists instead of the Buddhists....." "Last week it was a breezy experience using the restroom when several doors were missing." I'm glad I missed that experience. "Is that wall 52 inches, 54 inches or 56 inches?" At the Chinese dinner, as you can imagine there was discussion about the state of affairs. - One diner's opinon: "It's all about God and the Compost." We all had a good laugh - since she had meant to say Cosmos.
OCTOBER 27, THURSDAY DAY #446 10 Volunteers
Volunteers worked on sheetrock, hand trenching, installation of irrigation pipe, and puttying doors. Insulation was installed in the east restroom and there was sweeping. Food was delivered, the kitchen cleaned and dishes washed. An HVAC installer came by to measure and then returned to the shop to fabricate more equipment. On the roof, landing strips for the heavy HVAC units were prepared. The drywall folks were sanding and texturing walls. Still no word on when that crane will be on hand to load the units on the roof. The southwest entrance got gutters and temporary downspouts were set up in case of rain. Without them the entire property close to the building could become a huge mudhole when it rains, and we sure don't need more dirt inside the building. We are working out the kinks of closing up -- and everyone who might be part of the crew last to leave, please help by checking to see if any of our temporary doors need to be screwed into place and check to see others doors are unlocked or if lights are still burning brightly. We are a little low on juices in case anyone is motivated to drop some off.
REMINDER: There will be a Chinese dinner at The Fortune Inn tomorrow at 5:30 PM - 1775 West 6th Avenue. QUOTES OF THE DAY: "It was a day for keeping on. Work continues, but there was a sadness on the work site... We hope wisdom and a good heart will prevail." "The split pea soup was really good - both with ham and vegetarian. The perfect meal on a cold day in a cold building" and "The great bread was also appreciated."
DEFINITION OF THE DAY: A "goon spoon" is a shovel. Picture a sharp shovel used in landscaping. You shove it in the ground, and when it is stood up, it looks "gooney". This fact shared by a carpenter! LITTLE KNOWN FACTS: This was sent by a friend in Danville, Indiana - the local weekly newspaper has a section called "for the record." And this appeared under the Ten Years Ago This Date: "On Saturday, October 27, the Indiana Religious History Association presented a Certificate of Highest Achievement to Danville resident Judie Hansen ., . ." Much like 400 Days, for 8 years I prepared a chronology for our new UU church. Can you tell, I'm using fillers tonight?
OCTOBER 26, 2011 WEDNESDAY 14 Volunteers
Men in white suits began painting Room 3 - Sherwin Williams HG-#173. I was shown a sample of the color, but we were standing in a darkened corridor and I couldn't get a clear idea - I think it is best described as a light beige. The one piece white jumpsuits with hoods made our crew look like moon walkers. One volunteer installed sprinkler lines outside. Perhaps when that project gets done the internet cable can be connected again. New lumber racks were built in the southwest corner plywood "room" and massive amounts of bundled lumber were moved from the warehouse into the new space. Efforts were made most of the day to move the majority of our building materials out of the warehouse. The rebar for the block bases for the pillars designed to hold up the beams for the south entrance had to be cut off and new rebar installed. Where a former mason installed, it didn't line up. The masons began building the block bases this afternoon. There was a lot of sheetrock activity, with taping and mudding and sanding. Pizza was procured and the kitchen was swept and dishes washed. We received the additional check from Schnitzer Steel for $12.75. Every penny helps. We still have more metal to recycle.
QUOTES OF THE DAY: "Where is Ed?" "It just feels different around here." "I thought I hit send two hours ago."
Project Manager, Ed Zack, submitted his resignation today. The UUCE Board, BPOC and Capital Campaign are meeting to discuss this situation, and will make a statement when all the facts are known.
OCTOBER 25, 2011 TUESDAY 20 Volunteers
The BPOC meeting was held in Room 3, using saw horse plywood tables. There are no hard wired lights, so when it got dark and the minute taker's computer screen light no longer illuminated the room, a temporary fluorescent fixture was brought in. Since the floor is not yet scraped, the office has not been moved. Room 3 looks terrific, with the texturing and a primer coat of paint in place. The drywall crew taped and mudded Rooms 2, 6 and 7. All of the odds and ends of drywall scraps were moved from the west to the east end of the building to give clear sailing to the finishing of the drywall in the entire west end. There was sexy tweaking of the doorways in Rooms 4 and 5. Insulation was installed.
All of the old and unnecessary sprinkler pipes were dismantled. The electrician was installing light boxes and cans. The "doorman" applied putty to doors, sanded and painted them. Food was delivered, the kitchen was cleaned and dishes washed. There was major picking up of drywall scraps and lumber, coiling electric cords, and sweeping rooms and corridors. We need sweepers...we need sweepers....we need sweepers....do I sound like a broken record?
QUOTES OF THE DAY: "This room really looks terrific! It is so light -- and BIG!" "When I couldn't find what I was looking for, I grabbed my binoculars to help me find it. This building is so massive inside, binoculars are a handy tool." "How is the rototilling? It is very hard work. We broke the tine on the one we rented. When we took it back the rental guy said the tines are designed to break before the shaft." "The tillers we borrowed from members out-performed the rentals."
OCTOBER 24, 2011 MONDAY 12 Volunteers
A shovel, broom, and dustpan rolling cart was fabricated and has become the best loved item at the BUUB....it was the major topic of conversation today. The masons installed blocks on the south side of the building under the future windows in the offices for the minister and music director. The roofers worked over the west entrance and did some "tidying up" work on the north entrance. There was sexy tweaking on the north entrance beams.
During cleanup of the kitchen, the table was in line to be scrubbed. El Viejo and his assistant grabbed pretzels, chips, grapes, bananas, and a bowl of apples into stacks reminiscent of the Town Musicians of Bremen....thankfully nothing tumbled to the floor.
Volunteers signing in listed: insulation, recycled plastic sheeting, vacuuming, rototilling, and playing in the dirt (see photo below: Jan Willing at back of swale).
Despite sweeping and vacuuming, the floor must be scraped to clean up dried sheetrock mudding debris, and then will have to be vacuumed again. We are waiting for the connection of one large HVAC unit to be done in the Chapel so the rest of the ceiling can be insulated and then the whole room can get drywall. Sequencing jobs is one of our biggest challenges. The insulation installed was in the east wing restrooms. The drywall installers taped Rooms 1,2,4 and 5. We can use anyone and everyone who can sweep or vacuum.
QUOTES OF THE DAY: "Bless whoever built the rolling cart for the brooms and dustpans." "Happy Broom Cart!" "I don't think there is anything that is not on wheels... they have saved us hours and hours moving stuff." "I had a nice little splitter right here that someone took." "A childhood fantasy of mine was being locked in a library overnight."
OCTOBER 23, 2011 SUNDAY 8 Volunteers
The insulation is almost finished in the Chapel in preparation for drywall being installed tomorrow. Room 3 was swept, but still needs vacuuming prior to becoming the Project Office. The rototiller owners came by to give a tutorial to a landscape team member, but I think insulation took preference. Early this morning, even before the coffee was brewing, one volunteer came by to do some "sanding" - but didn't say what was being sanded. I will assume it was beams. The Project Manager made a trip to Jerry's, repaired more tools, and did paperwork. Unfortunately, the internet cable was cut, so a report he is preparing for the BPOC, Board and Capital Campaign Committee had to be done at an internet cafe and then he brought it to my house to get it sent this evening. About ten days ago, El Viejo wrote down what he had done in an hour and a half. It was a typical day. I have been saving it for a slow news day. So here goes:
7:15 AM Open up doors Unscrew temporary doors turn on lights start coffee rough set up kitchen walk around inside picking up tools and scraps Make a "To Do" List Fill up wheelbarrow with junk Discussion with contract framers Straighten out personnel problem Straighten out employee problem Discussion with electrician Order Sheetrock Order Electrical Plugs Call Erosion Control Inspector Call Volunteer for errand Call Volunteer to get information Discussion with architect Sort out Schedule and Sequence of day's projects Have first cup of coffee (8:45 AM)
QUOTES OF THE DAY: New church Mission Statement presented this morning: "Empowered by love, we transform ourselves and serve our world." After seeing a post written on the sign-in sheet about the sanding:
OCTOBER 22, 2011 SATURDAY 12 Volunteers
Insulation in the chapel is a little more than half done (covering up where my granddaughter Lilly wrote her name on the framing she did last October). Pallets were stacked, lumber de-nailed, wire stripped, the parking lot swept, and plywood moved. A long list of chores was on a yellow pad and by 5 PM more than half had been marked off - other things done: Sweep inside Sweep mud off the north sidewalk Sweep mud off the top of the block walls Grade the berms Pick up debris from the building and grounds Clean up brick cleaning area Deliver food Clean Kitchen Wash dishes Repair Tools Find pin hole natural gas leak in the line to the kitchen stove Apply texture to drywall in Room 3 (wet bar installed tomorrow, sauna on Tuesday *grin*) Rototiller delivered Portable heater delivered Organ moved from warehouse so it could be repaired Fine tune insulation around pipes - a three dimensional puzzle Repair foot scraper by north door (it was clogged with mud) Throw out debris Give away firewood
One of our visitors was Elsa Struble from the UU Congregation of Salem. She was in Eugene for a League of Women Voters meeting and decided to come see what husband George has been working on when he volunteers at the BUUB. She had not been inside the building before and enjoyed the tour.
TOMORROW - #1 Priority - Someone available to vacuum Room 3. The floor is covered with drywall dust and we want to move the Project Office to this location on Monday. Room 3 is light and bright and a pleasant place to work. There is no official work day tomorrow - if you have a key and are an insulation techie, you are welcome to do so, but there will be no tutorials. Some trickster played what was perhaps an unintentional practical joke on El Viejo. When he grabbed a coffee filter off of the top of a stack of filters in the cupboard above the coffee maker, he was buried in coffee grounds. As you may have noticed, he doesn't have much hair on top, but he was picking coffee grounds out of his hair, neck scarf and shirt pockets the rest of the day. Perhaps someone was trying to save him time, by filling the filter with coffee ahead of time.
QUOTES OF THE DAY: One youth indicated on the sign-in sheet that he did: "Everything." And another volunteer noted: "I need another bath." "This is a dusty, dirty, dangerous place." "Every day without rain is a day without water in the building."
OCTOBER 21, FRIDAY 23 Volunteers
You do the math! The total number of people in and out of the BUUB today - 54! Add to that how fast the sheetrock crew was moving and it seemed like a lot more. One of our volunteers tried to get a scrap piece of sheetrock from the back of a stack and the whole stack tripped over onto him. It took two people to lift it off - the area he was working in is so well insulated nobody could hear him scream, but El Viejo said he could feel a change in the rhythm of the building, then jokingly added: "Since there was no blood and no broken bones, I told him to keep working." Sheetrock can be vicious. The roofers were working above the north and east walkways and covering the sleepers. The block mason worked on the south side. The brick tent is gone! The carpenters framed-in the water fountain recess. There was sheetrock installation and finishing. Doors were sanded and painted. There was lots of sweeping and installation of insulation. Food was delivered, the kitchen was cleaned and dishes washed. The dance of the wire pullers continued. One person commented that he spent time on "insulation and gazing at the building." It was a "no school" day so we had two youth who worked 7 hours each, picking up nails, moving material, and working in the attic. One person devoted 9 hours to cleaning up debris and taking sheet plastic for recycling. She also restacked garbage, gleaned the dumpster and then stomped on the debris to make it more efficiently packed. We put out the call for the loan of a rototiller and one will arrive tomorrow! The plumbers installed the lines for the water fountain and worked on the condensation drain lines from the HVAC units.
TOMORROW - An official work day - lots of chores on the list - so come on down for an hour or the day and have some fun.
QUOTES OF THE DAY: "If I were a Polar Bear and the social hall "raft of insulation" was my ice floe, I would be getting very worried by now." She: "I found a closer place to recycle sheet plastic." He: "What will they do with it?" She: "I don't know, I don't care - it's out of the BUUB and out of my car." "Not all brooms are created equal....sheetrock dust needs a stiff broom....or a vacuum." "The screw guns used by the sheetrockers are like a precision woodpecker."
El Viejo has had a rough week healthwise. His fortune cookie tonight: "Eat your fruits and vegetables to improve your health." Another fortune cookie read: "Investigate the new opportunity that will soon become an option." -- does that mean he will move from installing insulation to painting walls?
OCTOBER 20, 2011 THURSDAY 16 Volunteers
Most of the volunteers wrote "insulation" on the sign-in sheet. They were working on walls and ceilings. Carpenters built catwalks and ventilator boxes in the attic flooring to cool can lighting fixtures. Twelve inch holes were cut in the flooring and then 14 inch boxes with holes were put on top. Carpenters also constructed a recessed unit for the drinking fountain in Room 6 so the fountain won't protrude into the corridor. Additional sheetrock was hung and finished. The crew practically runs as they measure, cut and move the panels. There was major moving of materials and tools, and this was especially evident in the chapel which has absolutely nothing left in it. This will make it much easier for the insulation and sheetrock crews. Additional wheeled dollies were built for moving tools. With the advent of cold weather, we are on the hunt for a large heater. Even if the HVAC was hooked up tomorrow, we wouldn't be running it until all of the insulation, sheetrock, and tile are installed and the BUUB is scrubbed from top to bottom to get rid of all the dust. Turning on anything with a fan at this point would play havoc with filters and fill the duct work full of gunk. All of the stacked and exposed block was covered with plastic to protect them from getting wet. The ends of the block are porous and if they get wet the concrete holding them together in structures does not cure properly. We are still negotiating price for large loads of composted material to top dress mounds to meet erosion control requirements. Over there at 40th & Donald, two very tall flagpoles have been installed by the Buddhists. Volunteers also did "foodish" things, cleaned up the kitchen, did paperwork, and washed dishes. One person said he "followed Mark around." Another said he helped move a whole bunch of stuff from the chapel. Additional wood racks were built in storage areas.
REMINDER: Tomorrow night - Chinese dinner at Fortune Inn, 5:30 PM, 1775 West 6th Avenue. Then rush over to the book sale at the church!
QUOTES OF THE DAY: El Viejo had basal cell surgery on his nose this morning and was sporting a good bit of bandage. One volunteer asked: "Are you going to add your name to the injured list?" El Viejo just kept telling everyone: "You should see the other guy --- he was a 90 year old in a wheelchair." When I showed up this afternoon, someone said, "it's the Great Pumpkin News...."
Photo: "There are Sunday go to Meeting clothes, there are Work clothes, and there are BUUB Clothes."
OCTOBER 19 WEDNESDAY 17 Volunteers Just take a look at that list - 36 people working at one thing or another. There were almost as many yellow and orange heavy duty extension cords running from spider boxes and a cacophony of "duck call" screw guns blasting away. At day's end the floor was strewn with odds and ends of drywall scraps and dust, A small army of broom pushers worked at making order out of chaos. El Viejo requested that I see if I could recruit people to sort and stack drywall scraps and sweep, sweep, sweep. The nature of putting up drywall is that it creates a huge mess and dust, so if we start sweeping at one end of the building, by the time we get to the other end, we need to start all over again. If you can lean over to pick up scraps or use a broom - we can use you! It's not too early to sign up for volunteering this weekend. The sheetrockers will be working, there will be food available, and we can use every person who shows up on Saturday from 8-5 or Sunday from Noon to 5. We will also be moving the office and other materials around. The lasagna garden is 85% done -- at this point, you can probably smell the freshly unearthed composted leaves from five blocks away! It looks luscious. And guess what? 100% of the bricks are cleaned. The insulation pile in the social hall is getting whittled away and with only one storage room and the chapel left to do, we should be done with it within days. The social hall is scheduled to be insulated tomorrow! The plumber installed pipes for the mandatory separate hand washing sink in the kitchen on the south wall where the slop sink used to be. The drywall crew began taping and mudding and have done much of the corridor and skylight shafts. Five hundred and fifty sheets of drywall were delivered on Monday and the pile is disappearing. Accumulated metals were taken to Schnitzer Steel - We made $51.25 on ferrous metals, and will get a check for $12.75 for the aluminum.
QUOTES OF THE DAY: "A person doesn't dare not show up for a day because things change so fast." "Go away for two days and you don't recognize the place." "We had to add a name to the injury list when one person drew blood after smashing his finger." JUST IN: From the Architect - We need gardener bodies and mild elbow grease. Aren't there a bunch of people interested in landscaping and gardening? We need people to prepare berms and the lasagna garden for winter mulch and planting. Big issue is preparing berms with hand grading and raking for erosion control. We are not ready for compost in either berms or lasagna. We need bodies for mild handwork before compost and the installation of sprinkler lines.
OCTOBER 18, 2011 TUESDAY 20 Volunteers The landscape was hand graded on the south side and more silt fence was installed. There was additional work on the lasagna garden and we discovered where all the extra garbage cans are located -- in the east garden full of coffee grounds! They have been dumped and moved indoors where they are really needed. It turns out we don't need readers to donate more garbage cans. If you drive by the BUUB, you will notice two "porch" areas have been closed up with plywood panels. Those are our new temporary storage rooms - the west side will house all the finished wood that has been stored in the donated warehouse. For the time being, chairs, tables and the piano can be left in the warehouse. The other tenants want the urinals, sinks and some items which we are unable to reuse. The north side storage area will hold HVAC units waiting to be installed. A steel door was added to the sprinkler room. (The door was stolen from the project office... is nothing sacred?) Drywall was installed at a break neck pace and the automatic hammers were making quite a clatter. Rooms 1,2,3,4,5 and 6, the west end men's room and the north side of the corridor have drywall and are ready for tape and mud! It's amazing to walk around the corridor and see all those white walls. Insulation continues apace. The east wall of the sanctuary was furred out two inches to accommodate pipes and wire. (Furring definition: The preparation of a wall, ceiling, or floor with strips of wood or metal to provide a level substratum for plaster, flooring, or another surface or to create an air space.) Old boards were de-nailed and turned into firewood. The mason was setting columns and screens on the south side. There was wheeling and dealing all day, along with moving, moving, moving materials and anything that is not absolutely necessary for construction. The work to be done now requires that the work space be cleared out for ease of movement and to keep workers safe. Here are the posts by volunteers in their own words: insulation, mud, insulation, cleanup, carpentry, general labor, the dance of the wire pullers, putty, sand, paint doors, cleanup, taping, clean bricks, mudding, insulation, taping, firewood, dishes, hauled "-ss", insulation, pulling of the wires, lasagna garden, sweeping, food delivery, kitchen/food cleanup, dishes, office. (Just in case you ever wonder what volunteers do. I added up their time - they worked 73.10 hours today.)
NEEDED - A porch swing. If you have one, please let me know. We would like a short term loan for use at the BUUB. The World Corporate Headquarters of the BUUB Nation will be mudded tomorrow in preparation of the move, once again, of the project office... temporarily to Room 3. Evacuation of the building will not be necessary all day when the HVAC units are installed on the roof with a crane - perhaps for an hour only - That's good news!
QUOTES OF THE DAY: "Did you notice the drywall hammers sound like duck calls?" "There are Sunday go to Meeting clothes, there are Work clothes, and there are BUUB Clothes." Correction in Last Night's Quotation: "It's a little less of the worst." should have been "It's a little less worse." And did I forget to mention? We are having fun! Photo below:
16 Volunteers I was a sandwich volunteer today - awakened at 7:30AM by a phone call from the Tasmanian Devil asking if I could get to the BUUB ASAP to write a check for the drywall delivery since El Viejo was in sick bay. Off I went. Being there so early in the morning is pretty exciting and I had fun taking photos of the anthill of activity. The parking lot was full of trucks, including the large delivery truck with crane for unloading bundles of drywall.
Inside the contractors were getting set up for a day's work. The coffee made, but the #1 Mama from Mama's Table and I spent about 15 minutes trying to find the coffee pot for "regular" coffee because we suspected the crew would boycott coffee in an orange-topped decaf pot. We finally found it in the refrigerator -- with cold coffee from Saturday! All those shelving units purchased last week were assembled and storage areas were reorganized. A door for the entrance to the room with the stand pipe for the fire suppression system in the southwest corner was constructed. One volunteer reported: "There is only one pallet of bricks left. I demortared 250 bricks today - the luck of the draw, lots of single bricks whose mortar was not stuck on very tightly. We ought to be able to finish the bricks this week." All those bricks neatly stacked on pallets and shrink wrapped are impressive! Installation of both sheetrock and insulation continue.....broken record, broken record....I will be reporting this daily. One volunteer reported muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuding. The mason worked on adding block to the south side and volunteers helped dig holes, set rebar, and drive the forklift to help move blocks. I went out the new front door on the south side and was surprised to see block piled five feet high just inches from my nose. The passageway between block and building is narrow and a bit of a challenge. Great amounts of sweeping was done, with piles of sheetrock scraps and other debris in the center of the rooms. We could use more large garbage cans, because there are people working throughout the building creating debris. They don't need lids, so if you have some extra plastic garbage cans or barrels, we would love to have them. Paper dispensers were serviced and sinks cleaned. The wire pulling team was hard at work. Food was delivered, the kitchen cleaned and dishes washed. The second half of my sandwich day was to collect a report from the Tasmanian Devil but he escaped just as I arrived. Thank goodness volunteers write down what they have done.
From an afternoon sweeper: "It's a little less of the worst." Volunteer sign-in comments: "Scoping out wire pulling."
QUOTE OF THE DAY: -- from Jake Walsh "Back when we were dismantling the interior walls of the former Scottish Rite Masonic Lodge, and sorting everything for future reuse, it became abundantly clear why this is almost never done. Dozens of diffrent sizes and shapes of wood needed to be put in some kind of order. it requires countless judgment calls as to which went where. I developed a theory that at a certain pace and pressure, the primary form of UU communications is disagreement. We stop noticing our commonality and instead focus on our differences.
Photo: Jackhammerin' Buddha!
"I did aerobic sweeping and aerobic insulation." TOMORROW: An unofficial work day - no team captains have reported in - if you have a key or want to drop by to see if the building is open and can work independently, please do. There is always sweeping to be done.
Tomorrow we could use a full crew and the doors will be open and the coffee on by 8 AM.
Our two person wire pulling team was but one, so the one that was there "talked to herself all day." She sent me an email tonight to report on her day:
"There was Myles of rototilling." -- by Myles, of course.
22 Volunteers Lots and lots of insulation installed by volunteers in Rooms 2 and 3. Sheetrock adorns the west wall of the social hall and it is beautiful. Sure changes the look of the room. Sheetrock was also put up in Room 2 which is about to become the new Project Office. The present Project Office will get dismantled so it can be insulated and sheetrocked.
WE NEED MORE VOLUNTEERS - we have insulation to install. The crew removed the form boards from the concrete caps of the block wall, and the boards were scraped to remove concrete debris, and then the boards were de-nailed. A trench was dug for the roof drains on the west side and when the pipes were being installed the trench was so deep you could barely see the heads of the workers. Gravel was added.
WE NEED MORE VOLUNTEERS - we have acres of sheetrock to install. Check out the north entrance - the ROOF is on, with the first coat of waterproof material. Standing underneath look up at the ceiling. Beautiful boards. Nice to not have water dripping on my neck going in the kitchen door too. *grin* The plumber installed a hose bib in the former boiler room area.
WE NEED MORE VOLUNTEERS - we have mudding to do. Bricks were cleaned, plastic wrap and cardboard were taken to the special recycling center, food was delivered, the kitchen cleaned and three different people washed dishes. A volunteer took the kitchen recycling home. Doors were sanded, puttied, and painted. When the kitchen floor was swept, it created two gallons of mud/dust! One volunteer arrives early each day to be sure coffee is started and food is put out for the early crew.
WE NEED MORE VOLUNTEERS - there is sweeping and cleanup to do. Thanks to Bob Kaeser for the clarification about the anti-siphon, anti-backwash gizmo installed yesterday. Here is the real skinny on that gizmo....By the way, the anti-siphon, anti-backflow gizmo is a device that prevents water from the sprinkler system from getting sucked back into the potable water supply should the water supply pressure drop. Otherwise if there were a water main break dirty water from the sprinklers might be sucked back into the mains, potentially back to the street thus contaminating the water we and our neighbors drink when the water pressure is restored. This system is built into toilets, for obvious reasons. Also I think domestic dishwashers need one also.
QUOTES OF THE DAY: "We want no slow days." During lunch today the subject of George Carlin came up, so the architect whipped out his iPhone and played one of Carlin's routines for everyone. One person,"laughed so hard at lunch he almost threw up."
FROM MARY OTTEN, BOARD PRESIDENT CHURCH GARAGE SALE We are located at 310 Brae Burn - come south on Willamette to the traffic light at 46th. Turn right (Brae Burn) - come up the hill past the condominiums, past Brookside Street, and we are the fourth house on the left past Brookside. We have a red front door. Questions? 541-335-1637."
17 Volunteers There was a whole lot of mudding going on, and mudding instructions. Captain Chuckie (photo right) got a new recruit or two. They get to start out in the closets, and if it isn't perfect, they keep working on it until it is perfect. My 20 year granddaughter Lilly was one of the recruits and she said she really enjoys doing the mudding; very satisfying and a feeling of accomplishment. The plumber installed an anti-siphon, anti-backflow gizmo for the irrigation system (makes sure the whole system doesn't drain or get blown out with too much pressure.) The old cast iron rain gutter leader was cut out and additional trenching was done, followed by the installation of a four inch drain line for the north and west sides. More work was done on rain prevention for the south entry to minimize the amount of water entering the building. Four posts for the southwest corner entry were sanded and put in the block bases. The rest will be done after the mason builds additional bases. More experimenting was done on making floor cuts in the concrete for the hearing assistance wires. Volunteers worked with the electrician drilling holes in the support beams in the South and East entrances to allow for installation of the can lighting. A security "cane" was added to the old boiler room door. "Cane bolts are metal bolts that slide through brackets on the door and into the ground or ceiling, thus anchoring the door to something a little more solid than itself." -- Home Security Guru There was de-nailing, brick cleaning, massive sweeping and cleanup in the attic, insulation installation, food delivery, kitchen cleanup, and dish washing. The Break Room Dancer organizers met to discuss vacation schedules and review the routine. I was happy to discover gummy bears! Unclaimed kitchenware was delivered to the Clutterbusting garage sale...still not too late to be claimed. No guarantees after 7AM Friday. The tile woman is done getting samples. I haven't gotten to see the samples yet - they are tucked away in a safe place because they are from several sources and not all are marked to show their company of origin. I did see them being taken out of a car trunk and you will be happy to know that our great bargains are not baby pink, apple green, goldfinch yellow, or avocado. Instead, think earth tones. Two volunteers worked crawling around figuring out the routes for wire, and they discovered when they got into the insulated areas they couldn't hear each other. Some walkie talkie equipment has already been donated. One very flexible volunteer crawled through the floating clouds to work on finishing sheetrock. This is not the place for the faint of heart! El Viejo ran errands (trips to Jerry's) and worked on preparing a construction projection spreadsheet so you can all know what you will be doing with your spare time and Thanksgiving weekend or Christmas vacation. One of the Breakfast Club members returned to repair the wheelbarrow with the blown tire, and the Ferrari charger was fixed.
Sheetrock hangers and finishers Insulation Installers Tile layers - If you love working with patterns, crossword or jigsaw puzzles or are a quilter, you are well suited for this job! We are ready to rumble, and the more volunteers we have the happier we will be..... QUOTES OF THE DAY: What did you guys work on? "We were in different places today and all over the place." "When we worked on the leaks over the south entrance we discovered claw marks where either a bird or squirrel decided to stash nuts and acorns in an open spot in the roof. -- All we need in this place is more nuts."
The roofers did preparation work on the south entrance and made a scupper on the north entrance. The scupper is not yet hooked up to the gutter, so all the water from the north entrance dumps on your head as you come in the door. Refreshing! A scupper is an opening in the side walls of an open-air structure, for purposes of draining water. A trench was hand dug on the north and west side for roof drainage. Upon arriving this morning, El Viejo discovered a puddle between the corridor and Room 5 and there were a few small leaks in various places. The roofers worked on patching small imperfections and tightening up the temporary skylight covers. Sheetrock was installed and volunteers did mudding and finishing on walls and storage areas. More temporary lights were hung and by 5 PM they are much appreciated in those dark halls. The daily de-nailing of all the temporary forms and supports continued, with the used boards all neatly stacked in the chapel. Sinks were cleaned and paper dispensers filled. Food was delivered and the kitchen was cleaned top to bottom and dishes washed. The hand diggers were very busy today. They dug trenching for the irrigation pipes and hand backfilling along the wall. I keep forgetting to ask specifically what the carpenters are working on, but I'm pretty sure it all has to do with entrances. Tonight I had the pleasure of walking out onto the new porch on the southwest corner. There are going to be so many cool places to sit outside when the building is finished. Approaching the building from 13th and Chambers it seemed strange seeing light coming through that doorway. Can you believe it? All of the insulation is complete in Rooms 1 and 2 and the men's restroom on the west end. That means sheetrocking can begin in those rooms. Hot doggie! Captain Chuckie has trained several people to do the sheetrock work - I haven't heard if there is a final exam. Instead of a coffee break from mudding, one volunteer got to go outside and haul bushes to the dumpster. They had to be removed to make way for the drainpipes from the roof. Once again the Project Office was torn apart and El Viejo found all his electronics disconnected and dislodged. There is a 20 foot stepladder in the corner instead of a desk. The architect's "desk" is gone. The reason? The pipefitters were installing fire suppression pipes in there today. Never a dull moment. Nice article in today's Register Guard about the sale of 40th & Donald to the Saraha Nyingma Buddhist Institute. Items are coming in for the garage sale and there are a number of things that can be used at the BUUB and El Viejo has been pleased to see them, such as a hand saw, a jig saw, and a tape measure. QUOTES OF THE DAY: "Say 'insulation installation' fast 5 times!" Bids came in for 2400 square feet of imported Italian ceramic tile and the discounted warehouse price was only about $3,000. One person commented: "My God, I spent that much to just do one small bathroom in my house."
20 Volunteers (many from the Breakfast Club) The highlight of the day was a wheelbarrow tire that had a blowout. It was an empty wheelbarrow, so no obvious cause. It ripped an 8 inch hole in the tire. That was the third wheelbarrow tire failure in the past two days. Volunteers made a trip to Lowe's to buy new tires and got them installed. The crew made a dent in the insulation stack. There are notches on each end. Hooray! Some of the volunteers wrote about working on insulation. "My first time." and "Me too!" Insulation was going up all the way around the west end and the young kids were busy with brooms cleaning up the debris left behind. Wonderful food was brought and the kitchen was cleaned up and dishes washed by day's end. One volunteer climbed to the roof and reset all the flags indicating the edge of the roof. There was sheetrock installation and mudding. The excavator moved some dirt and volunteers did some finishing by hand with shovels on the landscape berm. The mud clods were cleaned off the top of the block walls, and the sides of the walls were also cleaned up to avoid dirt staining. A lot of mortar left over from cleaning bricks was picked up and hauled to the dumpster. MUD was cleaned up inside and out and El Viejo thinks we are making headway against the dirt. Once the excavator finishes his work, that should help tremendously. One volunteer pressure washed all of the north sidewalk and part of the parking lot to rid them of mud. This effort uncovered gobs of nails and screws. There was sweeping, sweeping, sweeping....at one point, eight brooms were in use. Boards that will be used for the ceiling of the north entrance were sanded to remove water stains and additional screws and nails were added into framing anchors holding the glu lam posts on the north side entrance. Thanks Breakfast Club and other volunteers for a very productive Sunday afternoon!
12 Volunteers Four teenagers on the job today - hot doggie. Always a delight to see them. Their backs are strong and their energy just keeps on going like the Energizer bunny. Some worked on the parking lot removing large mud clods. The mud tracked all over the place by the heavy equipment working on the wall or delivering stone blocks really made a mess. Tomorrow we hope to get all the north sidewalks pressure washed in an attempt to cut down on the dirt getting into the building. The teens said they spent 4-1/2 hours sweeping and scraping mud. The mounds of dirt were moved on the south and west sides -- remember I reported earlier that all exposed dirt has to be covered prior to October 15 to avoid runoff into the city sewer system. The second layer of irrigation pipe was covered with a dirt berm. One family of three spent the day with wheelbarrows and shovels digging dirt and covering pipe. Magnet Man did his daily surveilance for nails, screws and other tire puncturing metal in the north parking lot. His minimum count is five per day and today was no exception. Insulation was installed and there was sheetrock finishing. Some kind soul brought Subway sandwiches for the crew. Our tile expert keeps showing up with more samples to show the architect and will type up a report with an overview of options. Such a great volunteer she is - she cancels out the need for an interior design architect who would be charging $100 an hour to do the same work. Every time we turn around volunteers step up to the plate and save us gobs of $$$$$. The restroom was cleaned and all paper dispensers were serviced. Very important work! Someone made a sign large enough to be read if you are driving by on Chambers, reminding everyone that the only thing to be flushed down the toilet is toilet paper. I think everyone got the gist of it because we haven't had any more plugged pipes. Bills were paid and there was a lot of paperwork given attention in the project office. Hey - drive by on 13th and check out the block facade under the windows on the south side of the building. The mason built the base for pillars for the new entrance on the southwest corner, and probably finished installing the blocks under the windows. The walls are handsome with their new caps and it is easier to see the design now that the form boards have been removed. It takes about six weeks for the concrete to be 95% set so the support boards will stay on at least two more weeks.
QUOTES OF THE DAY: "Ed used to like me, but now he has me digging ditches." Sent to me several days ago: "If a building looks better under construction than it does when finished, then it's a failure." -- Doug Coupland -- The person sending the quote added: "I think we could all agree that it looks as if, by this standard, the BUUB is a success." From Marilyn Junkins - "We love you and we love ED and we love the BUUB… and I am in Portland this weekend and Nisco is in BOSTON at the UUA!!! I am so proud of her… she is on the INTERWEAVE NATIONAL BOARD…. And I am just in seminary… Hugs and kisses to all of the BUUB and UUCE volunteers!!! It takes ALL of us to RAISE a CHURCH….." TOMORROW: The young adults Breakfast Club will be volunteering at the BUUB beginning at Noon and others are invited to join them. They will be volunteering every 2nd Sunday of each month and that is a great time to stop by for a visit.
16 Volunteers The train is moving......jump aboard.....
8 AM STARTING TOMORROW - THE BUUB IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK
The Break Room Dancers and Dish Washing Crews have weekends off, so bring your own lunch if needed. There are snacks and beverages available. If you are part of the afternoon crew and are motivated to wash dishes on either Saturday or Sunday, that would be greatly appreciated. El Viejo wants to see that stack of insulation disappear out of the social hall now that we have been cleared to work on the west end. Sheetrock classes are still available...see Chuck Wagar or call him at 541-543-1489 to schedule a time to meet. Volunteers have already learned how to do ceilings, which means we have eliminated the need to hire a specialist for this job. Yeah team! We have already begun experimenting with texturing the surface. Okay - here is what happened today: Insulation was installed by several crews Sheetrock and taping Sweep, sweep, sweep in all areas Food delivery, kitchen cleanup and dishes washed A shoe scraper was installed by the kitchen door Move dirt Conduit installed for hearing system Clean Bricks Installed temporary door in southwest corner Dig and driving forklift Run wires through baskets Sand and paint doors Install temporary lights ALL CONCRETE has now been poured. Tomorrow the excavator will move the large piles of dirt. Soon, we should be done with mud and gravel. In the meantime, if you walk through MUD and your shoes/boots are muddy, please use only the kitchen door and scrape them off first. The only concrete left is after the landscaping is done and we pour sidewalks and paths. It's amazing to see the difference with all the temporary lights that have been strung in the halls. Just in the nick of time, since the sheetrock installers need to be able to see every teeny tiny imperfection or Captain Chuckie will not put his stamp of approval on the work.
QUOTES OF THE DAY: "I have enough work for 20 people every day!" "Damn good chili!!" "Looks like the locusts were here." "The construction budget is like a bikini....there is no place left to take away a part of it." "The brackets on top of the Chambers Street wall are like a promissory note." "Every normal rule on this job is upside down." Favorite fortune cookie from dinner tonight: "You will accomplish more if you have a little fun this weekend."
DAY #425 16 Volunteers I was at the BUUB briefly twice today and there was no place to park in the north lot. Contractors have big trucks, and mix that with a cement truck and pumper and you have a lot of obstacles! Thanks to the crew that hosed off the north sidewalk and door mat in an effort to remove concrete splatters and MUD! The concrete cap was added to the southwest wall along 13th Avenue and the entire Chambers Street wall. If you drive by, you will notice some hardware along the top of the Chambers Street wall. They will be the supports for a wood fence on top of the block wall for an additional visual barrier for the playground area. Caps were added to the northside pillars and there was concrete poured in various places outside . It seemed like everyone was working double time at a fast pace to get done before the concrete set up. All the wheelbarrows were in use. Backfilling with dirt was done by hand shoveling to cover the secondary irrigation pipes. Inside different crews installed some insulation on ceilings, did sheetrocking and texturing, installing more temporary lights, and there was even some wire stripping. A lot of firewood and recycled materials were removed. Cable trays were installed, there was sweeping, food delivery, kitchen cleanup, dish washing, and sheetrock mudding. The HVAC technician came to take some measurements and then went back to the shop to fabricate more equipment. A rolling magnet was used on the north parking lot where the carpenters had been working on the entrance. I am a little sensitive about nails since I had another bout of the "low tire" light activating on Tuesday. Les Schwab and I are great friends.
One volunteer wrote next to her name on the sign in sheet: "Mudding with a capital M." "How are you today. Did you have a nice weekend?" (It is a little late to ask me that, today is Thursday) El Viejo had a joke pulled on him today. Some merry prankster posted a notice saying that Ed Zack was hosting a football party tonight with food and a 52-inch TV. Ed called to tell me - "I did not host a football party. I don't have a 52-inch TV and I don't like football." By three PM, 6-7 people had signed up for the party.
16 Volunteers Sheetrock installation, taping and mudding, insulation fluffering, door sanding and prepping. There was quite a bit of work done by the carpenters on the roof to patch leaks in the temporary skylights and they tweaked the entrances. There was de-nailing, errands and paperwork. The roofless portion near the Religious Education office and south entrance was patched, and there was sweeping, trash pickup and general cleanup inside. Food was delivered and dishes washed. No more general insulation or sheetrock installation can be done in the west end until all of the fire suppression system is done. Temporary lights were hung in dark hallways and a lot of the HVAC mechanicals were installed. It was a surprise to walk into the old boiler room and find that all the HVAC equipment was gone. There have been reports of spiders being discovered in various locations in the BUUB. El Viejo will be leaving them alone, as they are efficient at taking care of other problems, like silverfish. Having spiders also means you have a dry building, so we should be very happy to have them. The Aesthetics and Logistics Task Force met this evening to begin their planning to work backwards from April 15 as they figure out how to get us packed up and moved. El Viejo pointed out that following the major HVAC units being installed the week of October 18, things will accelerate and all of the work that is so well suited to volunteers will ramp up. There was a discussion about the inventory of items that are in storage and the need to find a vacant commercial storage space to use between now and next April. If anyone has open space available, please let Ed Zack know. We have been very fortunate to have the space provided just a block away, but that space is now needed by a new tenant. Thanks to Rich Margerum for leading the effort and the others who put together a detailed grant application to the PNW District of the UUA for a Chalice Lighter grant. The deadline for applications is October 15 and we are ahead of the curve! Cross your fingers and toes that we get chosen for the next round of donations in January.
"When will the pipefitters be done? -- Any day now, any day now....any day now...." A volunteer commented: "It is at the point in the project when we want it to be done." "Bomb proofage of the edges of the roof was accomplished using Durascrim sheet plastic, scraps of membrane, plywood strips, and lots of staples. The Pentagon may want to use our technique." From Ken Ross: "For various reasons, the Coordinating Council chair Susan Verner and I agreed that the Coordinating Council meeting scheduled for this Saturday should be canceled. So be it!" From Me: "This Sunday, husband Ed and I will have our red Ford pickup in the parking lot from 8:45 AM until 12:15 PM to accept items for the Clutterbusting Garage Sale. Let me know if you have questions about what we will accept. 541-335-1637"
15 Volunteers The carpenters worked on interior doorways and outside entrances. The Doorman sanded, puttied and painted doors. The Drywall Captain installed sheetrock and mud. In general it was a very busy day with more jockeying for position among all those contractors listed above - trying to figure out who has the right of way, so to speak. Eventually they got it worked out. The volunteer crew cleaned concrete forms, did a massive cleanup inside and out, moved materials away from walls and rounded up excess "stuff" to move to the warehouse. One of the biggest barriers to getting work done is having to spend time moving stacks of stuff out of the way. I remember Jake Walsh telling me 18 months ago about the maxim "If there is something you need, it will be in your way." We "need" all that stuff that is blocking areas needing attention, so we spend a lot of time moving things over and over. There was insulation "fluffing", a conference about tile research, a lot of dirt moving, some de-nailing, brick cleaning, bill paying, and stacking wood. Break room dancers delivered food and the kitchen was cleaned and dishes washed. Cable channels were hung and yesterday bricks were moved, stacked and shrink wrapped. We are thrilled to see the floor completely DRY next to the sink under the dishwasher. No more leaks. And sometime in the past few days the slop sink in the kitchen was removed. I hadn't even noticed. That irrigation team of volunteers working in the rain yesterday included three women -- all retired - a judge, an attorney, and a physician! I hope we are paying them sufficiently.
"I came to sweep up because I brought so much mud in yesterday." "He has headphones on, but he can hear everything I say." "What did I do today? -- Oh my, the list is soooooooooo loooooooooong." "Stop getting in my way....." spoken by a contractor - a solution was found when the electrician got testy in the territorial arena. "It was like going back to the jungle."
17 Volunteers The father-son wire cable tray installation crew made headway. An irrigation crew worked outside in the mud all day on the south side. Mud, by the way, is going to be our #1 problem now that the rains have begun. Tomorrow a Bobcat arrives that will be on site for about a month as we begin moving dirt around. It is being rented at a monthly rate that would normally cover only two days of rental. Let the magic happen. The concrete crew poured pads on the east side and the north side sidewalk. Our sheetrock team leader began working in the social hall and has a "training" area with special instructions. I am not sure how many people have signed up for training, but I see there are still a lot of empty buckets on the sheetrock rolling cart. Chuck Wagar would love to hear from a few more willing volunteers who want to learn about sheetrock installation. It's interesting to walk into the BUUB and see a whole new wall that is white instead of being the drab insulation color. The plumber rearranged a lot of leftover pipes that were in awkward locations and also fixed the leaky fixture in the dishwashing area. That will be a welcome change - no more water running across the floor. The carpenters were building forms for the column caps and prepping beams for the north entrance. The continuing rain is showing where all the leaks are in the roof, but all are modest and mostly the result of plastic being taken off to use on the skylight cuts. The week of October 18, a giant crane will be on site to place the large HVAC equipment on the roof. During the entire time they are on site, nobody can be inside the building - so be sure to watch this blog for announcements about the timing. We don't know the exact date because they can't start on the crane work until all of the HVAC equipment is in Eugene. The other tricky thing going on is trying to keep the contractors from tangling with each other. There are some territorial maneuvers going on, most of which are the result of the sequencing that has to occur. Pipefitters put pipes where duct work goes, duct work can't go in until the electrician gets done, etc. It is nothing serious, but as the timeline gets tighter it could get interesting. The HVAC crew has to be completely done by the last week of October because they are starting another large job. I feel so special - an 18 square foot bird bath has been created in the south entrance.....of course it is actually the shallow well for the all weather rug when the entrance is built and protected from the rain, but right now a bird could take a nice bath in the collected rainwater.... Volunteers --- we need more, more, more. A tour of the building is evidence that we aren't quite keeping up with mud, grit, grime, sawdust, or insulation scraps, and there is a lot of stored material that has to be moved away from walls so they are accessible for work on ladders. No experience necessary for most jobs. Even an hour or two helps. QUOTE OF THE DAY: "On one of my hourly inspection tours around the BUUB, I saw five people standing near the wall out front looking down a hole." (The reason - see below) "The highlight of the day was dropping a measuring tape down a hole in the wall. With the help of long handled things and lots of masking tape, we got it out."
I have no knowledge of anyone at the BUUB today - I attended the workshop on mental health and had to race home to fix dinner for my extended family of 20 year old grandchildren and their friends, so wasn't able to go to the BUUB. I will find out the "facts" tomorrow and report if there were volunteers today.
***Highlights of the September 26, 2011 BPOC Meeting*** Judy Sawyer continues working on the business plan and rate structure for renting the BUUB after June 1, 2012. Rich Margerum has just about finalized the grant application to the PNWD Chalice Lighter Program. (Later in this report will be the details of the current call for donations from Chalice Lighters.) Judie Hansen reported we have 154 Chalice Lighters in Eugene. Two people continue to research the cost to the church of an electric vehicle charging station once it is in operation to see if this is feasible. Commercial customers (like the church) operate on a "demand" system, which means that whatever the peak demand reaches within a billing period, that peak rate will apply for the entire billing period. Ed Zack reported that he had contacted all the subcontractors following the congregational meeting to get them back on the job. The subcontractors had been on a reduced budget until additional money became available. Still needs more volunteers on the job. The architect is working with the technical people to get specialized skylights built. The Aesthetics and Logistics Task Force meets this week. The lasagna garden is the main focus of the Landscaping Task Force.
CURRECT CHALICELIGHTER CALL: (A "call" is the letter or email sent to all current Chalice Lighters asking for a donation of at least $15.00.) The first PNWD Chalice Lighter call of 2011-2012 will be open for contributions through November 7, 2011. The first Chalice Lighter call for this church year will support the Community UU Church in Pasco, in southeastern Washington. Because Pasco can get very warm in summer and bitterly cold in winter, a good heating, cooling and ventilation (HVAC) system is essential. One element of the congregation’s growth plan includes becoming a certified Green Sanctuary. And one of the energy improvement goals in that process was to replace the existing HVAC in their recently acquired building with a modern, highly efficient system, at a cost of $15,300. Improving the system was important to make the building more welcoming and comfortable not only for member-related social justice programs, high school overnights and family fellowship potlucks, but also for outreach efforts that include community members, such as Cinema Circle movie nights and a Christmas alternative charity gift fair. And an efficient HVAC system not only saves money, it also helps save resources. Earlier this summer, the project faced a crisis. The old system failed and a new system was needed right away, not later in accordance with their adopted plan and budget. Pasco had some cash reserves allocated to other important growth plan goals, so they were able to forward fund the purchase and installation of the desired equipment. However, that means those reserves are no longer available for projects with a higher priority. This call will restore the fund and allow Pasco to continue as planned. Help the Pasco church achieve their Sustainable Living Action Project and manifest our 7th principle by making your promised gift of $15 or more today. Visit:http://www.pnwd.org/ and scroll down to Chalice Lighters, click on Donate Now to make your gift online; or mail a check payable to Chalice Lighters, to PNWD-UUA, 12700 SE 32nd St., #E-101, Bellevue, WA 98005-4317. This call will be open for contributions through November 7, 2011. Donations received after this date go into the Chalice Lighters undesignated fund.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Opening words at the 9-26-11 BPOC meeting: "Leaps over walls -- especially when taken late in life -- can be extremely perilous. To leap successfully, you need a sense of humor, the spirit of adventure and an unshakable conviction that what you are leaping over is an obstacle upon which you would otherwise fall down."
OCTOBER 1, 2011 SATURDAY 11 Volunteers The major project today was preparing for the rain! That meant picking up gobs of loose material strewn around outside. Volunteers hauled lumber, picked up concrete shards, picked up nails, and made the east parking lot look nice. They worked at digging a 6 inch trench on the south and west perimeter to create a moat to keep water from running off into the street. They also installed 300 feet of silt fence and early next week we will push the dirt piles back from the edge. All relates to erosion control. One volunteer took apart a bunch of the support systems no longer needed and de-nailed all the lumber so it can be reused. Sheetrock and molding was installed on the ceiling in the sanctuary. Floors were swept and the north sidewalk and southwest corner porch were swept. The outside looks really clean. The inside still needs sweeping and cleanup. Once the fire suppression system is installed, things will take off like a rocket, and team "captains" are being assigned. Next week the Breakfast Club wants to volunteer at the BUUB on Sunday afternoon next week and chores are being rounded up for them, including insulation and painting the outside of the building. The walls and floors of the restrooms were measured to determine how much tile will be needed - hold on to your hat - 2400 square feet!! That's enough to do every room in a good sized house. Nice visual. Research is being done to find out where we can get the best deal. About that leak on Tuesday in the RE Office....It was because one corner of that room has no roof -- so when it rains - there is water on the floor. TOMORROW - SUNDAY - the Project Manager has declared the BUUB "officially" closed, but those with a key or who want to take a chance of it being open are welcome to drop in.
"When I walk into the store the sales people are expecting me to ask to put a poster in their window or donate something for a church fund raising event, but once I tell them I need 2400 square feet of tile their eyes light up and they are very attentive." |
It was a very exciting day at the BUUB - a very large crane that seemed to reach the clouds came to place eight very large air conditioning units on the roof (see photo right). The parking lot was closed , but the crew worked merrily along inside without breaking stride. There were technicians on the roof, technicians on the ground, gawkers in the parking lot, neighbors from the apartments checking things out, and cameras snapping photos.
The sheetrockers were hanging and taping, volunteers insulated portions of the east restroom, corridor, and the water fountain. They also hung sheetrock in the Sanctuary.
There was wire pulling, de-nailing, bolting on the north entrance and installing the last glu lam beam on the north entrance. The drain lines from the gutters to the soil pipes were connected. Block was laid on the south side (see photo right), the last of the bricks were shrink wrapped, and plastic sheet barriers were hung to preserve heat and help the drywall cure in the west end rooms. The temporary heaters blowing away in the west end are very efficient - I thought I was having a hot flash at the beginning of the BPOC meeting, but alas, it was the heaters.
Roofers were on the job all day, covering "sleepers" on the roof. The sleepers are triangles that convert a sloped roof into a flat surface - in this case to mount large HVAC units on the roof. One "rooftop" volunteer primed the trim on the north and east side up to the entrance (see photo right).
(Photo right: 550 sheets of drywall delivered Monday)
(Photo right: Traffic jam north parking lot!)
14 Volunteers