The old building is really gone now, with just a small pile of rubble left. The old building’s foundation was 8 inches deeper on one side than the other. Yikes! It’s all gone now. The web cam is making it easy to check our progress, and the time lapse videos are just so much fun! Check the web page!
Work this week has been focused on preparing the site. They dug down several feet and found our soil is wetter (thanks to the clay) than ideal, so mixed in dry concrete mix to reduce the moisture content. Work is proceeding on refilling and compacting the soil, one foot at a time, to provide a strong and even base for the foundation.
The next couple of weeks will be busy with getting all the underground infrastructure ready for pouring the slab. There will be several surveys and inspections, building forms and laying rebar, pipes, and conduit. We hope to pour the foundation in about three weeks.
The sidewalk in front of the rental building is now smaller than we anticipated. At our request, the contractors removed some of the bushes and replaced them with wood so we can safely access that area. The good news is that the pergola still has power, so the coffee cart has gone back to its previous home.
Craig Spery is the chair of the sanctuary planning and construction committee