Taking Shape

Now in the second day of erecting steel we are really starting to see the building take shape. It is amazing how easily they move around such huge pieces of metal. So far everything seems to be moving ahead smoothly and on schedule. All of the steel is on site after one final delivery this morning.

It was amazing to watch them lift the very large pieces that make up the music suite. You will recall that the volume of that space is much larger than the rest of the building (this will improve the acoustics in the space).

Otherwise, they continue to do site work on both the drainage and the new front parking. If the weather holds off a few more days we might have the front parking lot ready for use in the next two weeks. While the parking lot will not be paved until the end of the project even a gravel lot would be a great help to our church and school families.

Got Steel?

Yes, we have steel.

Early this morning two loads of steel arrived on site. They are using a large forklift to maneuver the pieces around the slab. The pieces are being laid out for easy access as they begin bolting the pieces together later today and tomorrow. The work of erecting the steel structure is scheduled for the next two weeks.

Back At It!

Today the workers were back on the site . . . with the warm weather there was much to be done. The crew continued work on the water retention/drainage along the west side of the new building. There was another crew cleaning and preparing the large bolts (set in the concrete slab) for the steel which will arrive on Monday and Tuesday. Another group worked on preparing a road for the semi-trailers to enter the site with the steel. A large amount of lime was laid (several dozen 50 pound bags) on the south/west side of the new building to create a path for the delivery trucks. As you can imagine we don't need a semi-trailer loaded with steel trying to drive through the mud.

Steel Update

No work again today. The rain has certainly brought the site work to a standstill. Thanks be to God that we got all of the building slab work done before the rain. While the rain is slowing us down it is not stopping work on the new building. We are right on schedule.

The good news: the structural steel for the new building will be delivered on Monday and Tuesday and work will begin at that time. We are hopeful that the steel work will be completed in about two weeks. This mean that our Slab Party (Saturday, February 9 from 3-6 PM) might be a party under the steel.

Covered Drop Off

The last few days have seen minimal work as the rain has slowed the dirt work. This morning the concrete truck is again on site (only one truck this time) to pour the base for the columns that will become the covered drop off on the west side of the sanctuary. They are also pouring the elevated pad for the chiller and the small portion of the slab where additional electrical work had to be done.

Hopefully the rain will hold off and we will get more underground storm drainage done this week. Also the supervisor has said that it looks like the steel is on schedule and will arrive at the end of this week or the start of the next. Once the steel arrives we will really be able to see the building take shape.

Silent Night (and Day)!

Because of the rain last night (and early this morning) there is no work at the site today. The ground is so saturated that it would be nearly impossible to continuing the drainage work (this work is big equipment and big holes). Hopefully everything will dry up today so that work can resume in the morning.

Lake Memorial was drained early this morning (this would be the new lake that resides in the gym parking lot). Our storm water drains have all been covered during construction so that dirt doesn't get into the system. This morning with about five-inches of water in the lot we had them opened temporarily to drain the lake. School parents were glad not to have to arrive by boat!

Drainage Work

The last couple of days the work site has been relatively peaceful, meaning the work is not happening at the speed it had been leading up to the final slab pour. Mostly the work has been focused on the huge amounts of underground storm drainage that still has to be installed. This work will probably continue for the next few weeks.

They are also doing a fair amount of cleaning up around the site; a lot of grade dirt being removed or leveled around the new building site.

This morning work began to remove the front and west entries to the sanctuary (removing the concrete steps and sidewalks). One more small inconvenience for the sake of progress.

Riding the Slab!

There are some jobs that one might even consider leaving the ministry to try . . . I used to believe it was only NASCAR until I saw this little contraption! I wonder if it takes a license to drive this little baby!

FInal Pour

On Thursday the crew worked very hard to prep the rest of the foundation for a pour on Friday morning. As I write this message the concrete is almost completely poured. They began work at 4 AM (yes, that is in the morning) so that the trucks would not be on the road during morning rush hour.

Otherwise work is progressing quickly. Much of the work has focused on the water drainage. Because there will be no run-off on the campus we are installing huge underground water retention piping to "manage" our rain water. By the weekend they should be moving up along the the front of the sanctuary (on Westheimer). The new underground pipe runs along Bering and Westheimer and then turns North and runs between our property and Macaroni and finally turns back East and runs through the new courtyard space between the buildings.

The steel is still on schedule and should arrive in the next two weeks. Once the steel is up work on the new building will progress quickly. Over these next two weeks all of the interior spaces will be marked out on the slab. This is done so that once the time comes to erect walls, etc. there will be no measuring needed. This also means that at our Slab Party (Saturday, February 9 from 3-6 PM) we will be able to see exactly where all of the rooms will be located. We should get a good feel for the size and proportion of the new spaces. This will certainly be an exciting day.

Shocking!

Yesterday was a calm day with work progressing at a quick pace until . . . . while digging the new electric line to the chiller the electrician hit the main electric to the school building. No one was hurt. Thanks be to God.

The electricity did not go off but the electric line was damaged enough that it will need some serious work. On Saturday we will need to turn off the electric to the school building so that the repairs can be made.

The plumbing to the new building is complete and inspected. Today (Wednesday) the inspector will be by to see the new electric work (minus the chiller electric). Yesterday also brought the hiccup of breaking the sanctuary sewer line as they were digging for the new water retention/drainage. This morning that are replacing all of that old piping so that everything will be up to date.

A bit of demolition work is also continuing around the site. Old dirt is constantly being hauled away and new dirt brought in. The "mean machine" is also back in action this morning removing the last bits of sidewalk in front of the sanctuary.

Plumbing and Electric Work

Today the work is focusing on the west end of the new building. This end will house the youth room and the early start school classrooms. This means there is a lot of plumbing and electrical work that has to be done before the slab can be poured (planned for this Saturday). The plumbing is especially time consuming because the restrooms in the little classrooms are all floor drains (unlike the wall drains in the new restrooms in the commons). The new electrical main also comes off of the pole into the building on the west side so they are laying those lines too.

Otherwise the piers for the chiller pad were poured today.

A Huge Success and Mess!

This morning they poured about 40% of the slab of the new building. The pour only took about three hours and involved one very large pump truck and twenty-seven loads of concrete. If people have not been keeping up with the rapid progress they will be surprised when they arrive for church in the morning.

Pouring the Slab

Tomorrow (Saturday) beginning at 7 AM they will pour about 1/3 of the concrete slab for the new building. There will be coffee and donuts for those who would like to show up and grab a front row seat. See you in the morning.

Slab Party Saturday, February 9

Join us on the slab as we celebrate the mighty work the Lord is doing in our midst. We will party on the slab from 3 till 6 PM on Saturday, February 9. The party will be a pot luck (meat and drinks provided): we ask that everyone bring a side dish and a dessert to share. Please watch for more details in the bulletin.

Part of the fun will be to write messages on the slab and perhaps on the structural steel that may well be partially erected by this day. So grab your coat (depending on the weather) and join us on the slab as we thank the Lord for the work that He is continuing to do among us.

So Much Work . . .

It has been several days since I updated you about the work site. This past week has seen so much work that it is almost hard to fully describe. I hope that many of you have been logging onto the web cam to get a first hand look at the progress. For the last several days there have been around thirty people working each day: plumbing, electric, dirt, framing, concrete, etc. I am amazed at how much can be done in such a short amount of time.

Here is the update as of today (Friday): all of the grade beams have been poured. The picture shows the last of the beams being poured on Thursday. Again, I am in awe of the awesome power of the machines which help drive such a project. The plumbing for the new building is almost completely roughed in (kitchen, restrooms, etc.) and the inspector is to be on site today for final approval. Some electric has also been run for the new building. Along Bering work has quickly progressed on the installation of the new large water retention/storm sewer. By this afternoon I suspect that both school driveways will be back open and the digging will be moved neared to the Westheimer/Bering corner. Our own Bomar Pest Control was one site yesterday and today to finish terminte treatment. Most exciting is that final preparations for pouring the slab have begun (framing, laying plastic, etc.). If all goes according to plan (we have a good day today) they intend to pour about 1/3 (the east side) of the slab tomorrow at 7 AM (Saturday). So if you don't have anything better to do pack the family in the car (or turn on the web cam) and watch the work progress.

The Hills!

I have often heard funny stories about the "hills". The hills were the burms that lined the front of church on the Westheimer side. One member told his new wife that the hills were ancient Indian burial mounds (a miniature Cahokia Mounds of sorts). Each year my family has taken our annual Christmas picture on the hills. We always found them to be a nice background.

If memory (and legend) serve me, the mounds actually came from neighborhood swimming pools that were dug for local homes. Whatever the case, the hills have certainly served as a peaceful buffer from the busy Westheimer traffic. Now that they are gone, making way for a new parking lot, the busy Westheimer traffic is fully opened up to our view.

I received a special little story from Lara Ogden that I wanted to pass on about the hills. When the children were little Lara would tell them before entering church, "now remember that we are going into God's house and you must listen quietly and not speak out." One Sunday Ryan (now 11) had a particularly difficulty time being quiet so when church was over he was not allowed to play on the hills. The next Sunday he asked as they walked into church, "If I am quiet in God's house may I play on God's hills?"