FRIDAY, JUNE 1:  MYSTERY SOLVED: Those four big concrete blocks are the gate posts for barricades across Oak Street at the north and south sides of the site.  They have been positioned to support gates which will be closed during the construction.
The trench across Oak Street has been backfilled with dirt to about a foot below the surface of the street.  It was then filled to 2" below street level with concrete.  A final surface of blacktop will come after the concrete sets.  The street remains closed to traffic.

SUNDAY, JUNE 3: TROY MESSENGER ARTICLE
TROY MESSENGER PHOTO; USED BY PERMISSION

MONDAY, JUNE 4:  Concrete workers poured the footings for the retaining wall at the west side of the site, near the northwest tower of the church, while electricians moved the power transformer from the back door of the church to a location adjacent to the water service valve house on the Oak Street side of the site.  The lights were back on by dark.  On the Walnut Street side of the building, a wheelchair ramp is taking shape.

TUESDAY, JUNE 5: VERTICAL CONSTRUCTION!  The retaining wall on the west side of the site near the main building has risen to the level of the upper equipment plaza (about ground level at the kitchen door).  The electrical trench from the Oak Street has been backfilled.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6:  A perforated drain line was laid along the retaining wall inside the enclosure formed  with the northwest tower of the main building, and extended out to be laid along the west side of the  front foundation wall of the new building.  This will be covered with gravel and serve to drain any water which backs up against the foundation wall.  It will be extended to the north side of the building and drained to the surface or storm sewer.  The voids in the concrete block were filled with concrete and steel rods were inserted into each space.  This effectively makes the concrete block retaining wall a solid concrete wall.

Plumbers spent much of the day exploring to find the various sewer lines at the site.  They were able to uncover the point of exit of the line from the site.  This enables them to plan how to reconnect lines which were disturbed, disconnected or broken, and to  make connections for the new building.  In the process, it was discovered that one sanitary sewer line from the main building has been misconnected to a storm sewer for as long as the building has been in place! This will be corrected.

THURSDAY, JUNE 7: A slow day.  Workers cut the concrete pad under the large air conditioner to achieve access to the plumbing under it.  And gravel was poured over the drain pipe at the retaining wall.  Otherwise the day was spent meeting EPA requirements to curtain the site to prevent wash of soil onto the streets and into the storm drains.  On the other side of the building, work progressed on the ramp.  It should be finished by Sunday, if weather holds up.

FRIDAY, JUNE 8: Plumbers got the lines from the main building reconnected to the sanitary sewers, at least temporarily. And the General Contractor crew shot the corners (found and marked the exact corners of the new building).  Air conditioning crew tried to get the unit for the choir running. It appears to have a bad thermostat.
If a new thermostat can be secured, their serviceman will return Saturday. Otherwise, it may be inoperative again this Sunday.

MONDAY, JUNE 11: A break in the storm sewer pipe under the conduits at Oak Street resulted in undermining the gatepost at that location and mud washing into the system. Workers cleared the pipes to allow passage of water in the system, and installed a diversion dyke in the street to prevent street water from entering the ditch.  Rain throughout the day prevented other work at the site.

TUESDAY, JUNE 12: Rain Delay; no activity.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13:  Much of the morning was spent recovering from the 5" of rainfall in the past two days.  It was necessary to pump water from digs and depressions.

The broken culvert under the conduits was repaired and covered with cement.  The enclosed space adjoining the Northwest tower was filled with gravel and dirt.  The space adjoining back doors of the main building was cut down to about new floor level.  There is still walking space at old ground level, but only about three feet or so.  The space in front of the new foundation wall at the front of the building was cleared.

On the Walnut Street side, the ramp gained side guard rails but no floor.

The air conditioning thermostat for the west system has not been replaced.

THURSDAY, JUNE 14: The massive gatepost has been replaced over the culvert repairs.  Otherwise there is little evidence of activity; it may be that there was some grading, but the site was soaked with water at 7:00 PM with evidence that some  machinery had been moved around after the rain.

The wheelchar ramp on the Walnut Street Side has a floor, but no lower landing pad.

FRIDAY, JUNE 15:  The site remains quite waterlogged, however, forms have been fabricated around the upper equipment plaza to contain the pad (floor).  Fencing has been installed outside the back doors of the church building to prevent accidents should someone walk out the back of the building.  This leaves an observation deck area outside the kitchen and rear door of the building.  Strings have been stretched at what is apparently floor level, outlining the dimensions of the building proper.

On the south side, the wheelchair ramp received its finishing touches.

The thermostat for the west sanctuary air conditioner has not yet been replaced.

MONDAY, JUNE 18:  Excavation was the activity today.  On the front (west) side of the building, the trench for the footing of the wall was dug from the northwest corner to the existing footing at the equipment plaza.  Trenching was dug for the north wall footing for about 30 feet.  The concrete foundation was poured in these trenches.
On the church side of the lot, 10 or 12 inch pvc (plastic) culvert was laid from near the kitchen door to Oak Street, to connect to the street storm sewer.  This will carry rainwater from the buildings and equipment plaza, as well as receiving seepage from the west side of the front wall.  Turned up tees at forty foot intervals will allow connection to the system from above.  This culvert was covered with dirt and concrete was poured at the joints.

TUESDAY, JUNE 19, AFTERNOON:  Observations and conversations with workers at the site reveal that the "concrete foundation" poured so far has been a very wet slurry of cement and sand.  It is poured about 3 feet deep in the trench as an underpining for the next layer, which will be cement with gravel and a reinforcement grid of steel bars.  The foundation was dug deeper than expected because of the presence of clay.  It had to go beneath the clay for more solid support.  By shortly after noon today the west and north foundation trench had received the initial pour of concrete/sand, except for a short distance at the location of a utility pole.  After noon, workers were installing reinforcement grid atop the areas poured yesterday, in preparation for the pour of the concrete-gravel foundation. This combination will build a solid concrete beam which will give solid support to the building.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20:   Reinforcing bars (rebars) were installed on the grout poured yesterday.  This involves setting horizontal bars on broken bricks long the top of the grout, then tying in cross-bars at regular intervals with heavy iron wire, then laying in elbowed bars in vertical/horizontal fashion.  All are tied together and tied to the bars sticking up from the grout.  It is not a hap-hazard process.  After this, a foot or so of concrete was poured into the trenches.

THURSDAY, JUNE 21:  The foundation of the new kitchen walls is partially in place.   The kitchen will be about 2 feet larger than originally shown.  The location of the Acadamy Street entrance is apparent.  The air conditioner for the choir still does not work.

TUESDAY (MORNING) JUNE 26:  Since last report, the only apparent change is the opening of a large gap under the wall of the old building at the corner of the kitchen, apparently to facilitate underpining to extend the wall downward to the floor level of the new building.  There may be a similar gap the the other attachment point on the east side.  This involved a great deal of manual excavation.  At 8:00 AM a light morning mist had changed to a shower and workers were gathering up their toys.  Whether there will be any more work today remains to be seen.

(AFTERNOON):  Concrete was poured into the trenching under the main building by early afternoon;  rebar had been set in before the pour.  The back doors of the building have been closed off; the walkway has been removed.  The pour at the kitchen was slowed by the fact that the concrete truck could not get close enough for the chute to reach; a wheelbarrow was used to carry the concrete for the last few feet.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27: At 8:35 AM masons laid the first concrete block of the building proper at the southeast corner!  By late morning the wall was two rows high x two courses thick (1-8" block and 1-6" block) and extended to the northwest corner.  At 11:00 the wall turned the corner and the first few blocks were laid down the Acadamy Street side.  Meanwhile workers were building forms to receive concrete underpining the walls of the main building at the points of connection there. By quitting time the front wall had risen to the level of the sidewalk on the Acadamy Street side - about six feet above the working grade.  The source of apparent low water pressure at faucets in the kitchen and rest rooms has been discovered:  When the pipes to the building were broken during the initial excavations, debris entered the system, and stopped up all of the faucet strainers.  Ray Swisher went around to all the outlets in the building and cleaned the strainers.  Water flow now appears normal.

THURSDAY, JUNE 28:  The retaining wall at the lower equipment plaza was raised to about 5 feet.  This is essentially a connecting wall between the upper equipment plaza wall and the front wall of the new building .  It is constructed of 12" concrete blocks and will presumably be filled with concrete.  One electrical outlet box has been installed about the center of the front wall of the building, at about receptacle level.  At the main building, footings have been poured in three places, one underpining the corner of the present kitchen, the other two east of the present elevator foyer door.  Excavation has been made for others.  A complication has become apparent:  The buried conduits for the electric service entrance are above the finished floor level and will have to be lowered.  These are 4" PVC conduits each with four very large wires inside; there are four of them, two active and two spares.  It is probable that the wires will have to be pulled out, the conduit rerouted, then wire pulled back in.

The air conditioning unit for the choir area still is not operable.  The promise is that it will be permanently reinstalled as soon as the equipment plaza is poured and repairs will be made then.  The air conditioning contractor seems to think that lightning damaged the unit.