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September 2, 2010: Come and See

While reading my Bible this morning I came across a text in Ezekial 12 that gave me pause. Now, granted, if you go to Ezekial 12 and read the chapter you will see that I'm taking some liberties with my application, but it still spoke loud and clear to me. Let me quote it to you in the King James: ^"Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, 'The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth'?" (Ez. 12:22).

We too have had a vision in Spencerville, one that has been more than 10 years in planning and talking. And during that time there were many people who said, "it won't happen." I remember one individual specifically coming up to me on a Sabbath morning and saying, "I don't know why you are wasting your time. This building will never happen. It isn't meant to be. God is not in this plan." In other words, some of us had our own version of the proverb: "This is taking forever. We can't see anything happening . . .ever."

But as I sat and remember those comments this morning, I also thought of all that is now happening at the property. The vision is happening. We are seeing a school being built. And I was immediately reminded of yet another verse, "He saith unto them, Come and see" (John 1:39a). Again, I'm taking liberties with yet another Bible text, but not with the invitation. You are invited to "come and see"!

Please mark the afternoon of Sunday, September 26 on your calendar as a day to come and see the new school. The details are not completely put together, but between myself and Pastor Shawn we're planning some fun time, good food, and a chance to walk in the halls and a way to leave your mark.Come and see that the vision is alive!

August 27, 2010: Still Thinking "Wow!"

I know it is not original, but "wow!" is still the first word that comes to my mind when I see the new school. It still seems a bit surreal. We talked about this building for so long, so to walk through a real structure, see real door frames, real places for windows, walls, hallways, stairs, and more is enough to make give me smile. I know it will you as well. We are very close to announcing a time to bring you on to the property. The date has been selected, but I'm waiting for a green light from our pastoral team before I can fully announce it. When we do, write it on your calendar because you're going to want to see this! Enough talking--let me show you in pictures. I took ten this morning. I'll give explanations of what you are looking through the captions. Just place your mouse over the picture. Each one can be clicked on to enlarge so you can see it larger.


 

August 24, 2010: Has it been 2 weeks already?

I was reminded last night at the church board by one of my favorite pastors that I haven't been out here for a bit. It was a very gentle and friendly reminder which I greatly appreciated because it demonstrates that people are reading this and missing it when it doesn't get updated. He's not the only one who asks. There are more of you and each Sabbath I'm pleasantly surprised to find yet another reader. This makes me very happy because a) you're interested in the project, and b) I'm not just talking to myself!

I was last out at the project this past Wednesday for an application for payment meeting. That is a fancy way of saying they presented and reviewed the bill for the month of July and I agreed that we would pay the amount indicated. Of course, it rained buckets that day so I didn't take any new pictures or walk the site. I think between the pathfinders and the invoice payments we could show ourselves to be "weather prophets" as it seems both are able to entice the heavens to pour rain upon the earth. I wouldn't be surprised to find that since we started this project until it concludes that it might have been one of the wettest seasons ever when you look at snow and rain totals. Of course the more and more this project gets concrete poured and roofing in, the more and more weather does not affect progress. This is already true and you will see workers still forging ahead even though it is raining.

I am including two pictures that came from Junior Sines (thank you!). These are actually about 10 days old so there has been much more done. Both show the installation of the sprinkler system (in the gymnasium) and the HVAC system (in the locker room area--three cheers for air conditioning!). Work continues to go well and progress. They are continuing with the erection of steel. They are moving toward the left side (as seen from Rte 198) which is the elementary portion, toward the front which is the administrative wing, and will conclude by moving around to the auditorium. I would think that weather permitting we might be able to see the full building (steel frame) by the end of September.

One note, also from last night's board meeting: we incurred the largest invoice thus far in the this project last week--$630,000. The invoices will only mount from here with the further erection of steel and masonry. There are now 50-75 workers on the site daily and multiple subcontractors as well. This number increase as work progresses. Mark Griffen, church treasurer, shared that with this invoice we have dipped low into our cash allotments for the project which means that we will be moving toward bridge loans to get us to the next influx of cash in June which will come from the sale of the current property. This is a critical juncture and we, as a congregation, must continue to respond. Note that I used the word continue.

I am continually blessed to be a part of this congegation. You are a giving and generous people. I would urge you to keep on giving, increase it if you can, or give for the first time. This is an exciting project and will be even more exciting if there is no mortgage on it when we finish! I know that this congregation can do it because I've seen you do it in the past. The Lord constantly is blessing this congregation both individually and corporately. Thank you so much!

I will end for now, but add that I'm working on a date to bring you out to the property. I'm hoping for September when the weather is nicer and some of the scaffolding is done. I'll let you know soon!

August 11, 2010: Oooooooohhhhhhh!

I extended an invitation to our SAA faculty to take a quick fieldtrip to the new school site before school begins officially on Monday. This was their third visit. All their visits have been recorded so if you want to see a difference in how the project has progressed simply move back into the archives and do some comparison. It is amazing. Today they walked a bit in the dirt and mud, but mostly on concrete. They were able to walk into the front of the building, see a classroom and roam about the back half of the building. And I would say what I heard most often was "ohhhhh" or "ahhhhh" or "wow!" It was fun to watch them take it all in--the high ceilings, the large rooms, the long hallways, and to see them, more than once, touch the walls as if to say, "this really is real!"

The photo to the left is the group we had that day. Three of them had nt come the last time so it was a whole new experience. From the left is: Darlene Rackley, Paty Seranno, Jessica Nichols, Nathan Hess, Carrie Hess, Jane Lanning, and Richie Silié. Next to Richie is Dwayne Nitz and Junior Sines.

Our teachers are special people. They work hard to educate our children and make a difference in their lives not only educationally, but spiritually as well. Sometimes we get so caught up in the actual building structure, we can forget the people inside. Let's remember our administration, teachers, and students this coming week as they embark on a brand new school year.

Our little schoolbus left that day carrying teachers and I couldn't resist taking a picture of it as it created a dust cloud behind it imaging the day when it will leave this school for real on a regular basis carrying students. Oooooooooohhhh, this really is real! :-)

August 8, 2010: The Two Most Frequently Asked Questions

As the building begins to break the horizon and become more visible from the road, the excitement grows among the congregation. This is great! I'm so glad to see so many people interested and happy about the progress. And what makes me particularly proud is that I'm hearing comments from all sorts of people, not just students, not just parents or grandparents, but also those who have no immediate connection to the school. That's a good thing. Because this school is OURS--all of us for it will take all of us to support this building as it provides Adventist education in this community.

As you do make comments, there are two questions I'm asked most. I thought I give an answer here which may reach more people than my one-on-one time as I come in contact with you.

Question #1: This building doesn't look any bigger than the one we are in right now. How big is it anyway?
Answer: Good question! Just remember what you are seeing from the road is only 1/3 of the actual building. This building is more than 100,000 square feet in size. You are seeing back portion of it which are some of the largest rooms, but you are not seeing any classrooms, the administrative portion or the auditorium. They are just now moving toward the front of the building (closer to Route 198) and you will begin to see the classrooms and front portion. I was asking Diane Jacobson, my go-to person for anything about the current building, about the current square footage and she told me that off-the-top-of-her-head the square footage of the current building is somewhere around 40,000 square feet, so you can see this building is MUCH larger.

Question #2: That driveway doesn't look big enough for two cars. Is it? And, if it isn't, what are you going to do about it?
Answer: Another great question! The driveway and parking are not at all what I would wish for the building. We have no control of how much land is dedicated to parking and the driveway or entrance. Remember the impervious surface restrictions? Remember that we are in two watersheds? These completely drive these decisions and they are made entirely for us instead of by us.

The building is sitting completely in the back watershed. The driveway and entrance are in the front watershed. We are at the absolute limit of impervious surface. We cannot cover anymore of the property with impervious surface. Thus the long driveway to the road and the narrow entrance. These have all been guided and approved by Montgomery County Park and Planning as well as Maryland State Highway. So, what do we do? We have to become somewhat creative in how we handle the traffic flow in and out of the school.

I've spoken with our principal, Brian Kittleson, as well as the school finance chair, Walt Fennell. They are both well aware of this challenge and are already thinking of creative solutions to avoid any traffic nightmares in our immediate future. I'm also in conversation with Nitz Development and they, too, are aware of helping us in any way with driveway usage as they proceed with the construction.

Thanks for your questions and comments. They are always welcome!

August 6, 2010: Wow!

Not a very original headline for sure, but it captures everything. I have been away or busy for about two weeks so today was the first day back to the property for a quick walk about. Spencerville, we have a building! Rooms, actual rooms with floors, walls, door (frames), and a ceiling (sorta). I walked into the high school entrance today, down the main hall, looked into the lower level high school classrooms on the right, into the gym, out through the athletic director's office, into the weight room, across the locker rooms, down another hall, into the kitchen, out to the multipurpose room, around to the band room, into the choir room, and looked into the bell room! I actually did all that--not just in my imagination. Too cool! Here's pictures so you can do it too (place your mouse over the picture to identify what each photo is).

By the way, I did something new and took two videos. The first is short and a survey of the whole project. The second one is much longer (3 minutes or so) of them putting a steel beam in place on the main high school hallway. If you have a decent connection, you shouldn't have a problem, but be patient. The second one is the largest and may take a bit of time to load before you can see it. Be patient!

1/photos/Building%20photos/August_6,_2010_025.mpg (survey of project)
1/photos/Building%20photos/August_6,_2010_024.mpg (placement of a steel beam)

July 27, 2010: Steel, Walls, and Roof, Oh My!

I received a set of pictures taken on July 26 by Junior Sines. He is a set of eyes and ears that is on the property on our behalf to make sure that things are going as they should. He carries a camera with him and is taking a photographic history of the project. I haven't seen much of what I'm sharing today with my own eyes, but I can see that even more exciting things are happening. You can see the beginnings of the roof on the gymnasium, additional walls, more steel and a building gradually taking shape. I'll post some of them here for you to enjoy. Click on them to see them a bit larger.








 

July 23, 2010: Project Paparazzi

I woke up this morning as usual with a to-do list. One item was to go visit the property to get a few new pictures. I had had a conversation with Pastor Lutz this week and he mentioned that the beginnings of the roof was on, so I thought today would be my first chance to get over there a get a few shots. That was early this morning.

Started out on my day, one thing led to another, and at 5:00 p.m., Tim asked when I was planning on going over. I had totally forgotten and the property had closed for the day! "Ahhhhh," said Tim, there's bound to be another way. Well, that wasn't a totally new idea to me, but when I can drive up the driveway, I'd never thought how I might see what's going on when that way was locked. Let the stalking begin!

Some of you may already do a bit of your own private sleuthing already (I know of at least one, but I actually had some fun figuring out where I might get some good peeks at what is happening. 

Sure enough with a bit of ingenuity, knowledge of the surrounding area, and the willingnes to walk in woods and deal with some major grasshoppers gave me a few unique shots. Just like the paparazzi who look for those oppotune moments from trees and over fences!

New things I noted: more steel erected out in the front portion of the building where classrooms and administration will be. More mason work on the rear of the building and it appears they have closed in the back hallway portion, but that was a bit harder for me to see. The beginnings of the roof are on, but from the two vantage points I had I couldn't get a good picture of that. However, you will note that there is a "darkness" about the interior of the building which I haven't seen before. I would guess that might be the fact that the roof is beginning to be installed and we've lost that open air feeling. Maybe the best way to get a shot for proof is to ask the Frooms to do another flyover!

I'm not particularly encouraging you to sneak around , but it was a bit fun to try and see what is going on. I was doing it on an early Friday evening and didn't disturb anybody. As I stood and remembered what used to be an empty flat area used for SABL games and now saw a building rising from the ground, I couldn't help but offer a prayer of thanks. What a wonderful God we have and what a wonderful journey we are on! Happy Sabbath everyone!


 

 

July 16, 2010: A Work in Progress

Yesterday, it was time to pay the bill again. And, guess what? First time it hasn't rained! It rained buckets the day before so the site was quite muddy, but walking in mud versus walking in rain is quite doable!

There is not too much to write today since not a lot has changed that you would see in pictures since my last post. However, I thought it was appropriate to give a small update. As I was preparing today's pictures, I noted that I took pictures on the exact same day a year ago. Thought you would appreciate a "then" and "now" shot. Wow! Pretty amazing, isn't it! Just think what a year from today will be like!

When we go to these application for payment meetings we see how the project is going, what has been accomplished, and what is coming. Right now there is a lot of masonary work going on. They are working on some two-story walls that go clear up into the roof area. The next major thing to happen beginning next week is the installation of the roof over the north part of the building. Once the roof is on, several sub-contractors like the drywall installers and electricians can do a bit more work than they have before. The north portion of the building (gym, multi-purpose room, etc.) is the more complicated portion of the building. Once they move forward to the classroom and administrative portion, things will pick up some more.

Another thing that will begin soon is the installation of sewer pipe involving the roadwork on Peach Orchard and Route 198. This will be a bit disruptive to those living in that neighborhood so they want to begin prior to school starting (public) because traffic will increase by quite a bit then.

I will include a few pictures taken yesterday of the masons on the roof. Notice the split-face next to the block. The tan color is the "outside" of the building and the cinderblock is inside. This is the end of the building that shows the opening of the stage. Also, you will see a photo of our project manager and our project liasion. Ernie Sines, along with Junior Sines, frequently go to the site on our behalf to check the work being done and make sure everything is of utmost quality. I appreciate them so much because they work as our "eyes" and their eyes are very experienced with this type of construction. In this particular case, Dwayne was explaining an issue on the plans to Ernie as they explored a solution to an issue.
 

July 9, 2010: Floored!

Well, it has been a while since I've written here and I thank you for your patience. I was working at the General Conference Session in Atlanta, Georgia for two weeks, returned here last week and worked all this week finishing up work from the session. I think now things may go back to normal again.

Today was my first time to go to the property and see what had been happening since I was gone. The progress is amazing! In three weeks the building has gone from what was blocks and steel to actually looking like a building with rooms that have four walls, a floor and the semblance of a roof. I think I will let most of this been seen in pictures below, but I will outline a few things.

The gymnsium floor is poured and what a difference a floor makes! I have to confess that each time I went into the gymnasium I would be just a bit disappointed because even though I kept being told it was a high school regulation size gym, it just looked small (or just not as big as I thought it would be). Well, turns out when you put in a floor and take down all the scaffolding you have what is an enormous space. I was really amazed. In a few weeks we'll have you out to the site to see this room for yourself.

Equally impressive is the multi-purpose room. It is totally enclosed on all sides, the stage is blocked in, as well as the doors and windows to the kitchen, storage, and office space. I took a picture of the stage from inside the multi-purpose room as well as from the auditorium side. Remember this is a stage that can be open on either side or both at the same time allowing for 700-800 people to view the stage at the same time.

The masonery walls are being covered with the split-face block. I really like the color we have selected. You know I'm just not very good at looking at some 2-inch block and imagining an entire wall which is why we have a committee who does have that skill set. They have done a wonderful job. The color is light in the sun, and a beige in the shade. Each window and door has contrasting trim that is very nice as well.

Take a look at the photos below. Pass your mouse over top of the them and it will tell you what they are. Click on them and you can see a larger version. By the way, our WSSC permit is finally ready just in time for the plumber to go to work on some serious plumbing business. I was notified today that it is ready for pick-up just as soon as we deliver an $87,798 permit fee. Yes, you read that number right and my decimal point is in the right place. Mark is cutting the check this weekend for delivery on Monday so not to delay progress. However, it is a nice reminder that we still need to keep up the giving. When it goes out in large chunks like that, it needs to be replenished at the same or greater rate! Thanks for all the support thus far--your contributions are helping erect a really fabulous building that will soon be used to educate kids for eternity!




 

June 19, 2010: Totally Cool!

First I want to tell you that I will be a bit distracted by some work-related items for the next two weeks so I will most likely not be updating the blog until after July 4. Not saying absolute, but I've got a major project ahead of me and I am thinking that it will absorb most if not all my free time. So, I figured I would have to leave you with something that could sustain you for the next 14+ days. Go out with something that you could actually come back and visit a few times and never tire of it. Well, have I got just the thing for you!

This week I opened my e-mail to find one from Sharon Froom. Her subject line said: Surprise! And her message said, "Can you guess what this picture is?" To be honest, we're fairly close to SAA's graduation and I thought, "Mmm, she's probably got an awesome picture of Lisa at graduation." Well, not that I wouldn't want that, but she had ssomething even more awesome than that in mind. I opened the picture and said "Wow!" so loud, my husband heard it downstairs. I think it is totally cool and I hope you do too. Thank LeRoy for taking the trip (and getting back safely) and Sharon for having a camera ready. Enjoy!

If you need some point of reference, Route 198 is at the bottom of the picture. The driveway into the school is at the far left of the brown dirt area. Cedar Ridge Church is on the far left. The circle is the circular driveway in front of the school where parents will drive in and move around the circle for pick-up. The very small gray boxes are the gymnasium and multipurpose room. The trees as far back as you can see are also part of our property. The ballfields next door belong to the Montgomey County parks and will most likely be used for us as well. The tree nursery is next door (on our right and below the park).
 

June 15, 2010: Frames, Cranes, and . . . Rain

I went to the construction site today to pay some bills. Today was our monthly visit to get the invoice for payment as well as to see the progress of the construction site. As always I take my camera.

As I walked up the driveway this time I had to really stop and study the site. It has changed so much. (Just compare this picture at right to one I took just 12 days ago.) There is so much steel up now, it doesn't actually look quite recognizable to me. I've been on this project so long, I've got about every nook and cranny memorized, but this supporting structure is such that it confused me a bit. It is so much steel and so formidable that Pastor Lutz commented that he didn't think even a tornado could take this building down. I agree. There is a myriad of steel, cement, and block that makes it look like a fortress. The understructure is really amazing to look at.

I'm including a photo of the architectural plan that is taped to the wall in the construction trailer. They've marked it in pink to show the footers that have been poured,but it is a good as a way to allow you to get your bearings (if you're used to looking at plans). The steel that we are seeing is mostly all in the rear portion: the gymnasium, multipurpose room, music rooms, and hallways. The gym is the larger open area on the right. However, they have placed one outside section of steel (look at the outside line immediately in front of the gymnasium that is perpendicular to the gym) that if you use your imagination you should see six high school classrooms. Each opening in the steel sections represents a classroom and since it is a two-story steel structure you are seeing two floors of three classrooms (see photo at right). The classrooms on the high school side are just about 900 square feet in size. Each room will have plenty of windows allowing natural light into the rooms.

While I was there a small crane was lifting some material to the upper part of the roof section. As our meeting progressed a much larger crane arrived to lift into place the last cross piece of the roof above the stage/multipurpose room. I needed to get back to work so I couldn't stay to actually watch them lift it, but did take a picture of the crane. If you look carefully you can see the steel beam on the ground. Pastor Lutz described it like putting together an erector set. He's right. You can see how every piece comes together just like a puzzle.

So I described the frames. And the cranes. But you guessed it--we had rain. Funny thing was that rain wasn't predicted for today. And it wasn't raining when I left the house. Nor was it raining when we walked up the driveway. However, the minute we stepped out of the trailer to do the walking inspection, it started to rain. And it rained the entire time we were at the site. And stopped when we left. So I'm not sure what's going on, but every single time we have to pay the bills, the water works start. Not sure what the connection is, but since this has been going on for about 5 months, I would suggest that if you are planning a picnic for July 15, I'd change the date or plan to bring it indoors.

The summer months for Spencerville Church have officially begun since school is out. The pews are a bit sparser as many of you vacation or take excursions to lakes, boats, beaches, etc. Don't forget to continue supporting this project through your prayers and contributions. They are very close to either putting on the roof to the gymnasium followed by pouring the concrete floor or pouring the floor and then putting on the roof. I would guess by mid-summer we will see some serious changes. I was also told that the end of this week will find the mason putting the split-face block for the exterior walls on the south gymnasium wall which should also be exciting. Keep checking back here, pay attention during church announcements, and keep in touch! Remember this is your school no matter whether you have your own kids attending or those of your church family. This is a family business!

June 3, 2010: Teachers Take A Look

Our new school is rapidly becoming a very busy construction site which means lots of hazards, holes, and liabilities. So, before shutting down the site completely to visitors, I took some of our faculty on a short tour to see the facility. I have to tell you that I am continually amazed at the progress. I actually don't get to the site that often, but when I do, for the most part it looked much the same. But now, whenever I'm there I'm astounded at the transformation. They are working hard and they are working fast.

I met the teachers there when the work crews had completed their day to avoid getting into their way and to help eliminate some liabitility. In the photo above you see (from left to right, front row) Barbara Plubell (vice principal), Michelle Kittleson, and Becky Koeppen. Second row (left to right) are Jane Lanning, Brian Kittleson (principal), Heidi Wetmore, Rod Kerbs, Mindi Nix, Linda McEowen, and Richie Silié. We walked together as a group to make sure that everyone was safe. It was fun to see their reactions as we stood in the various parts of the building. The steel structure is in place now so that you can see the outline of the multipurpose room, the music rooms, two hallways, the locker rooms for the high school and the gymnasium. We stood in the band room, choral room, walked up close to the stage and peered into the multipurpose room. That was a surprise to me as it is almost fully enclosed now with walls on three sides. The picture to the left is taken from the west side (I hope that is right--I'm directionally challenged.) The two columns you see to your right is the steel forming the back hallway that crosses the entire width of the school. Directly to the left of those columns are the music rooms. Next to those is the multipurpose room.

We stood inside the gymnasium where Linda McEowen and Richie Silié had the biggest grins on their faces. We stood in the basement room below the stage where drama props and scenery will be stored and saw Mrs. Lanning's face light up. In fact, the basement was probably the biggest hit of all. Coming from a place with limited storage to a basement where you could run a small school entirely is certainly something to be impressed about.

It was fun to see the building through their eyes. The last time they were there only the beginnings of a basement was there. Now, we can see actual rooms. Imagine what it will be like in August when they return!

May 31, 2010: They Grow Up Fast

Who grows up fast? Well, for one my youngest daughter, Lisa. She graduated from Spencerville Adventist Academy yesterday. We had a whirlwind weekend of events, ceremonies, and family celebrating the event.

Who else? Her friends. (left to right) Blair Thompson, Meagan Hess, Lisa Poirier, and Amanda Dunbebin all have attended Spencerville for their entire education. In fact, Meagan, Lisa, and Amanda came during the daycare years giving them 15 years on the campus and Blair joined them in pre-first making her time 13 years. These girls have grown up together in Sabbath School and the classroom. During this time we've talked and prayed about a new school. Again, they are a wonderful depiction of the passage of time.

And, the building continues to grow. The exciting news is that while yet another graduation has passed without a new school, there is one in the making. I cannot believe how fast it is "growing." Each day that passes sees more steel and higher walls. You can now see the main center steel framework that shapes the back cross hallway and front walls of the multipurpose room, weight room, and gymnasium. The back masonary wall is the rear wall of the multipurpose room. The gym walls also continue to get higher and higher. The stone mason has just completed the sample stone wall that will be a part of the front facade of the building. The idea was to create a connection back to the Spencerville Church. I think he's done a wonderful job as does the building committee. Together you can see what the front wall and side and back walls will look like.

This past Sabbath we showed the congregation pictures of the new school construction project over the past six months. I told them then what I will go on record here as saying as well. My youngest is graduating from SAA and as of today I sit here in this very weird transition period. I don't have to make any more lunches. I'm washing uniforms for the last time. Her choral dress will never be worn by Lisa again. I never have to look at Renweb. She woke up this morning and I realized I never again have to nag about homework or reading or projects. I actually can go through my house and purge it of all things related to SAA. But with all of that--I'm not finished. As long as I am a church member at Spencerville, I am never finished. Because I am passionate for Seventh-day Adventist education. I believe all of our member's children need to attend SAA. I want that new school and even though my children will never attend nor will their friends, my fellow brothers and sisters children will.

I hope you will also continue to support SAA through your prayers and your contributions. We need this new school and we need to pay it off. Whether you are parent of a current student, a teacher, part of the administration, a pastor, or a church member with no ties to it at all, remember that we are family and we support each other. Please continue to give. And if you are not currently doing so, check out the tithe envelope rack for a pledge card. Fill one out this coming Sabbath. You will be glad you did.

May 14, 2010: More to Love

We had our application for payment meeting yesterday instead of on Tuesday when it normally would have taken place. Interestingly it didn't rain like it always does, but it did rain the day before making for a muddy mess and it was freezing! But not complaining--I'd rather be cold and walking in mud, then in the rain. Funny thing happened that hasn't before--I was walking across the mud from the gymnasium to the multi-purpose room and walked right out of my shoe. The mud was that squishy, hold-on-to-your-feet kind of mud and it just sucked my shoe right off my foot. Of course, I was walking fairly fast and my foot minus my shoe came down in more mud--not a pretty sight!

I'm not sure how I'll keep you up on this blog as we move forward because there is so much to see and so many changes so fast! I was just there on Monday and so much had changed by Thursday. I'm going to include a lot of pictures here for you to see. They are small here so I can fit so many in, but click on them and you can see the photo much larger. I'll start with a photo of the whole building. You can essentially see the framework of the entire back half of the building. In the first photo below if you start at the far left, you see the stage. Then as you move to the right you see the multi-purpose room. The back wall is mostly up and you can see the windows and doors into the kitchen and a teacher's office. As you move more to the right you see the outline of the back hallway, then move into the locker room/weight room area, and finally to the gymnasium.



Now give yourself a tour by clicking on the pictures. As you move your mouse over the picture you can read the caption and then click it to enlarge it. Have fun! Exciting times!




 

May 11, 2010: Just had to say it . . .

Scroll down to the entry for April 14, 2010. Read the first two lines and then note the date and the weather. Did I not so call this rain? Am I good or what? Sorry, just had to say it . . .  :-)

May 10, 2010: Surprise!

Surprise #1 is that it isn't Friday and I'm writing on this blog. Gotta keep some of you guessing--you thought I was predictable! Next was what I found when I went out to the property this afternoon.

The building committee has been studying rocks for quite a while. We've looked at them at the church, outside the church, and even took a field trip. Several of the colors were close, but not quite there. Nitz Development arranged for the mason to build a sample wall so we could see how it might look. The building committee members went out to the property at random times today to see the wall and decide whether they liked the colors. I went over there this afternoon and saw the wall, and here's where I saw my second surprise. (By the way, we loved the wall!)

Surprise #2: The horitzontal beams were almost completely in place for the gymnasium! Ladies and gentlemen--we have a building! It was really very cool to see the outline of the building taking place.

This picture (left) shows the gymnasium. The masons are building the block walls on the four sides as the steel is being put in place. There is still no floor poured and it appears that will not happen until June or possibly July. We still will plan on bringing you out to the property when that happens, but for now logistically it would be too difficult to bring people onto an active construction site.

Here is a view of the multipurpose room again. Just a couple days ago the picture showed you the cement floor of this room. Now you can see the masons have started laying the block wall that separates the multipurpose room from the kitchen. If you look closely you can see the windows of the kitchen. The large opening is the window that you would pass food through from the kitchen to the cafeteria portion of the room. This is why it is called a multipurpose room because it will function not only as a second gymnasium, an auditorium, but also a cafeteria.

I took this last photo so that you could gain some perspective. All the building thus far is in the back portion of the building. You see the gymnasium frame on the right, the multipurpose room in the middle, and the stage on the left. When the auditorium is built it will be to the far left.

Surprise #3: I had one last suprise when I was there. I found out that two of our alumni--Devon Kittleson and Jordan Roe--are both doing construction work on the site. Devon happened to walk by and looked very good in his hard hat and vest. From what I could see, I would guess they will be very tan and very tired! Lots of hard work going on, but I thought that was pretty neat that two of our former students would be helping with the building process. They are an excellent example of giving even though you, yourself, have no direct benefit. They have moved on to college, but they are still giving back by working to build a school for others. Let's all take a lesson and learn from their example.

May 7, 2010: I'm Back!

Sorry to have not updated for so long. It is not because there is nothing to say or show. In fact, Junior Sines has supplied me with some great photos, however my life has been a bit distracted by the graduation of my oldest daughter, Ellen, from Andrews University. Ellen attended SAA for her entire elementary and high school education. I became the school board chair when she was in second grade and this project or the plans for it began soon after. Since then I moved on to Long Range Planning Chair and now Building Committee Chair. Through all those years, we've have talked, planned, raised funds. And Ellen steadily moved through the SAA experience and now she is a college graduate complete with honors. BUT at least now I can say we are actually building. Yeah!

I went to Andrews for her graduation and when I returned I was amazed at the progress that has been made. The basement ceiling has been put in place. The multipurpose room floor has been poured as has the stage. You will see a photo below of the multipurpose room floor. The cement block structure you see on the right is the elevator shaft coming from the basement. This will allow us to bring inventory, drama props, and other things from the basement storage up to the first floor level. Walls are going up on the gymnasium as well. Things are really moving faster now that the weather is so cooperative.

The sample split-face brick for the outside of the building has arrived and the mason has put up a sample wall. The stone samples have also arrived. You know selecting brick and stone for a building is worse than selecting paint for a wall or wallpaper. I don't know about you, but I am terrible at looking at a small paint chip, a small square of carpet, or a slice of wallpaper and imagining an entire room. Try doing that with a 2-inch brick piece and a 100,000 square foot building! So the building committee will be meeting soon to look over the sample walls and see if we're good with the colors.

So, enough from me. Look at the pictures and see what is happening. I'll try to be more prompt, but May is tough. Guess what? I have another graduation coming at the end of the month. My youngest, Lisa, graduates from SAA ending our time there--a total of 18 consecutive years! Unfortunately neither of them will see the inside of this school, but they very much have loved their experience at SAA. I'm so glad that we are fortunate enough to support a school with great academics and extracurricular options. Remember, while the new school is great, it isn't about the bricks and mortar--it's about the people, the curriculum, and most of the all the blessings and guidance of God.

 

April 19, 2010: How Time Flies

One year ago today we met on the property for our groundbreaking ceremony. Then there was nothing but grass and trees and now, one year later, there is an almost finished basement, footings for a gymnasium, a designed ballfield, and the steel form of a stage. Please take the time this week to praise God for His goodness and blessings. In spite of all the obstacles we are on our way to a brand new school.

Thank you so much for your support in this project. It has been such a long haul and it is hard to keep enthusiasm for a project when it takes so long to get off the ground. But you hung in there and your financial contributions have allowed us to pay our bills on time and not yet take out any loans. I would now ask you to show that same support for our current students in our current facility. They are putting on the musical "Meet Me In St. Louis" and would love to have you in the audience. What Jane Lanning is able to do in a building that is old without a stage is amazing. The talent and enthusiasm of the kids is great. I know you'll have a good time. Call the school today (301-421-9101, press #2) to reserve your tickets. It is a $10 and 3-hour investment that will make a difference in the life of our kids.

April 14, 2010: Good as My Word

So, I believe I promised you some pictures from the site. I went there today and before I tell you about that, let me just say that I am pretty sure I can tell you that May 11 it will be raining. How do I know that? I know that because whenever we have a meeting to walk the property and pay the monthly bill, it always rains (or snows). We've had a week plus of great weather. We have a whole week of sunshine except for today. Supposed to rain in the afternoon--it starts in the morning. Supposed to rain a few hours--it rains all day. Amazing. It has literally rained or snowed out each of our days for the last six months.

With that said, I walked the property . . . in the rain . . . for you (and me), because we needed some new pictures on the site and there's been a lot of changes that you had to see. So as you look at the pictures consider the love and dedication put into them. :-)

Anyway, in spite of the rain, GREAT DAY! I stood INSIDE of the basement for the first time. Do you get how great that is? I mean standing inside of something with four walls and a floor? The pictures you see here are of the inside of the basement. I had some problems getting a good camera angle perspective so you'll have to try and figure some of this out for yourselves. There are walls inside the basement (I didn't realize that) and one side is being closed in with block walls creating separate storage spaces. There are also some on the other side as well. But note the floor as well as the "ceiling" deck above (still open, of course).














I also walked up onto the gym area today for the first time. They are pouring cement for the footers for the steel components that will make up the gym walls. It is a bit hard to tell, but you can see the shape of the "walls" where the steel will go by looking where the footers are. With a bit of good weather, we just might see a gym floor one of these days.















They've also backfilled around the basement. Remember when you could see "hills" of grass around the basement so it looked like this cubed sitting in the middle of a field? Well the dirt has slowly, but surely been pushed tightly into the walls of the basement. They are going a bit at a time because the dirt has been so damped. 

It was really pretty exciting to see the property today in spite of the cold and pouring rain. It was the first time it actually felt like a building. I hope you enjoy these pictures and maybe the next time, the sun will show up in them! 

April 9, 2010: It's All Good . . .

I actually came out here to correct an error that someone pointed out and noted that some of you are probably looking at your calendars and wondering what happened to me. This is a quick note to tell you that I left on a 10-day vacation over spring break (and a little beyond). And then came home sick and have just recently returned to the land of the living (sorta). I was hoping to get out to the property today and take some pictures, but I'm not quite up for that.

However, Junior Sines called me with a report this week and it's all good! They have been working hard and the weather has been good. Lots of concrete has been poured--the elevator shaft, footings, AND the basement floor! I've been getting all kinds of concrete reports from the third party reviewer so I knew something had to be going on. As soon as I'm able next week, I'll head out for some photos to update things, but I wanted you to know why the gap since March 24.

Enjoy your Sabbath!

March 24, 2010: Our New Address

I think this sign has been up for a couple weeks, but if you haven't seen it, I thought I'd share it with you. Since we are now receiving regular deliveries of supplies to our site, our "address" is posted. Don't send mail yet, but you can start memorizing it: 2502 Spencerville Road, Spencerville, MD 20868. Pretty cool, huh?

March 19, 2010: A Picture Is Worth a 1000 Words

Well, lookee here—another post just one week later! Hopefully this makes up for the gap a bit ago. The weather today was just so flat-out gorgeous I was compelled to head over to the property and take a few photos for myself. I have seven pictures showing pretty much the same thing but from some different angles. I take so many because I'm trying to show the sheer size of what is happening so you can grasp how cool it really is.

They have made great progress on the basement. They have poured the floor of the elevator shaft. They are pretty much ready to pour the slab, but decided to give it a few more sunny days to dry out. If we can avoid the deluges of snow or rain we've encountered recently, it will give us a chance to dry the site out. The sloppy mud is gone, but it still is quite soft--enough where you need to be careful where you walk.

You can see the outline of the stage for the performing arts center. If you recall this stage is unique in that it actually opens into two rooms. It has removable walls so that you can have the stage only as part of the auditorium or as part of the multi-purpose room. And if you have a really large audience you can remove both walls and have an audience on both sides. Out in front of the stage is the outline of the "apron" of the stage. The stage actually curves out to the front of the auditorium. If you use your imagination you can just see the orchestra tuning up for the beginning of the drama performance just below that apron. (Commercial: Buy your drama tickets! Last time to see it in the school gymnasium (I hope). If you want tickets, contact me through the church e-mail: office@spencervillesda.org.)

The basement is absolutely enormous—I know I keep saying that, but I'm amazed at it each time I see it. I'm including three pictures (see below) which if this program works for me will put them side by side so you can see the left side, middle, and right side. The right side is directly under the stage and has an extra height to the ceiling which will allow for storage of scenary and props. The elevator is in the back portion of the basement (farthest from Route 198) and goes up to the multi-purpose room. This is for bringing things up from storage--drama props, scenery, textbooks, supplies, etc.



I hope you enjoy the pictures. This weather is glorious and the winter seems a distant past. As we continue to move forward I believe we will see more an more progress. It has still been more wet than I would like which is post-poning some of the concrete pours. They have wanted to start the gymnasium for a bit now, but the dirt is just too moist and will not support concrete trucks for pouring purpose. I'm super anxious to have you all come and see it with your own eyes, so let's continue to pray for dry weather.

By the way, on a monetary note--we will begin putting regular updates in the bulletin soon and then monthly to give you an idea of where we are as to the cost of the project and the giving. So far, we have yet to move into a need for a loan relying still on cash resources. Quick story--I ran into some Spencerville people in the grocery store who knew me, but I didn't know them. (That happens to me a lot since I get up front and speak, they know who I am, but I don't know them.) So, first I was happy to meet some new friends. They are actually not members yet, but attend fairly regularly. They asked me about the building program (of course) and I had a great opportunity to brag on you. They wanted to know the cost of the project and then asked about how much of a loan we would be taking out to pay it off. When I told them $4 M, they were pretty astounded at how low it was. "I've never worried about the money," I told them. "Spencerville church members are some of the most giving people I know." And, that's the truth. Thanks for everything you have done and will continue to do to get us through this project!

March 12, 2010: Gotta Love Good Weather

As I write this, again looking at my window at the rain beating against the window, wind, fog, etc., my title may seem a little strange. And you'd be right, TODAY isn't a good example. However, I'm thinking about all this fabulous weather we've had for the past two weeks. I mean building is just taking off. It is totally amazing what can happen when the sun shines, the temperatures are good, and the skies are blue.

You should be noticing some changes now as you drive by and as you look at photos. The past several months it probably was a bit hard to believe that anything was happening since all of it was taking place beyond what you can see from the road. But you can' say that anymore! :-) The decking for the first floor over the basement is being completed and the steel that goes above the stage is now in place. You can actually see the shape of the stage. Seems kind of appropriate since we are all gearing up for drama.

(By the way--brief commercial--you HAVE to support our students by buying a ticket to one of the drama performances. There are 8 to choose from, two great casts to choose from, and dessert included as part of your admission. What's not to love? If you don't know when the performances are or how to reserve your tickets, see me--I'll make sure it happens. As of the last two days, I've sold close to 50 tickets so the seats are going fast!)

Also new is the sign out front that Rod Kerbs, SAA marketing director, arranged. It is really nice. Rod told me he saw people slowing down to take a look at it. I think we may see an increase of inquiries with that sign showing people just what it happening in just a short year away. Rod also took a couple short videos. He's included those on the SAA blog site which you can see at spencervilleacademy.org, and click on SAA blog. You may need to scroll down to see it, but take the time to read some of the entries about school life. You can also click here to see one of his videos: http://www.spaac.net/clips/saaprogress1.mov.

In another week or two, the electricians and plumbers will begin their work. Dwayne told me they have been on the property already several times eager to go to work. They have worked on completing the basement and will be moving onto the gymnasium foundations/slab soon.

The building committee went on a field trip this week to look at stone on some new houses in a housing development in Clarksville. We're trying to match the stone on the church as close as we can. The stone on the church came from a quarry that is no longer yielding any stone, so it has been a bit difficult to find a similar stone. Nitz Development has been doing some calling, looking, and actually have come up with a quarry that is quite close. Next step will be to have a stone mason build a sample wall on the site so we can see how the color looks. I'm impressed with our committee and their expertise. I can assure you our project is in good hands. They are making sure that we don't settle for something we don't want AND not paying any more than we agreed.

As we move into the nice Spring weather, I think we will make up some of the time we lost in the winter months. It won't be long (maybe another month) before we'll be inviting you to have an up-close visit for yourself.

March 4, 2010: A Quick Update

My apologies for being longer than my two weeks. This time my life (work, kids, home, family, etc.) has essentially collided with the building program and thus I just haven't had two seconds to do anything. In fact, I'm on the run now and will be out the door in about 10 minutes, but I'm choosing to spend my remaining minutes with you (feel loved!).

Work continues to progress. The last several 40-50 degree days have really helped (yeah!) and Dwayne Nitz told me today they are back on track finally (not caught up, but working steady). They've had to do some moving around of trailers, transferring items, etc. which has been a bit of a distraction, but they work each day that weather allows.

I'm attaching three pictures here taken by Junior Sines (thanks, Junior!) He's out a the site pretty regularly and he's taken some photos of the basement where you now see the dirt filled in some around the walls and the beginning of the deck of the first floor.

We've gotten back the concrete breaking reports from the longer time frames and everything is proving to sustain more than what is expected or required, so rest assured the snow and cold weather did not stand in our way. The Building Committee goes on a field trip next week to look at some stone and masonary work. The work moves on!

February 12, 2010: A Lesson in Construction (Sorta)

I hope this finds you warm, safe, and dry after our deluge of snow the past week. I sit here looking out my window and the walls of snow surrounding my street and driveway and am amazed! Obviously, the snow has meant that no real work has been happening this week, although the site was open today and they were at the task of digging out. I've included a few pictures of the snowy tundra also known as the new site of Spencerville Adventist Academy.

We did have our requisition meeting today, also known as application for payment. This meeting reflects the past month's work, most of which has been the arrival of steel on site. While it is yet to be actually put to use, the fact that it has been delivered means we have to pay the bill for supplies. This is expensive stuff! As these monthly meetings progress, we will naturally see fairly large invoices which means we must continue to be faithful in our giving. Please don't read that as more than it is--statement of fact. I continue to be blessed by the generosity of this congregation and our commitment to Christian education. My faith in you is strong. Thank you!

So, I know some of you are thinking, "How do we build a school with all this winter stuff going on?" Good question! You would think that rain, cold, wind, ice, and snow would all be ample reasons to pack up, go home, and just wait for the Spring to arrive. Not so! Nitz Development continues to work every day that they are able and work continues to progress. Now, obviously we had a set-back this week, but already today they were back at work--granted, they were moving snow this time, not dirt!

I would guess the next thing you might ask is, "OK, so they are working. But how good can this work be when it is so cold? Aren't they cutting a few corners just so they can be finished?" Well, let me give that the best answer I can. I hesitate to talk "construction" because I know some of you out there know way more than I do, but let me give it a layman's try to give you a lesson about concrete pours which is the type of the work they've being doing of late. As you know, our basement has four concrete walls, plus a number of concrete footings. These have all been poured during some of this really cold weather and it has been done without compromising the structure of the building. First, Nitz will not pour concrete without assessing the weather conditions to know if it will result in something that will be structurally sound. In addition, we, as the owners, have hired third-party reviewers (they do not work for Nitz Development) who are present at each pour representing our behalf to assure that it is done according to specifications. I receive reports from these reviewers each time they are there that tell me whether work has proceeded as it should. And, we also have Ernie and Junior Sines, our own members and experienced construction workers, who also review the work as well as these reports. Thus, we have a three-deep process to assure that things are done well--Nitz Development, third-party reviewers, and our own member-representatives.

When they do these concrete pours of the walls, they also pour test cylinders with the very same concrete that is poured into the walls. These cylinders are left on site overnight and exposed to the same elements (actually less protected) as the walls. The cylinders are then retrieved by our third-party reviewer who tests the concrete strength by putting stress on the concrete. These concrete cylinders are tested at periodic intervals to see how many pounds per square inch (psi) they can take before breaking. The first test was done seven days after the pour and significantly exceeded the design strength of 3,000 psi. This is excellent especially with a winter pour. They will make another test at 28 days and another at 56 days (full cure). As the concrete cures with time, the strength will even increase more. So, rest assured that a) even though it is winter, work progresses, and b) the work is not being rushed or done in a careless way just to keep to a schedule. We are in good hands!

Thank you for your interest and prayers for our project. God is good. Don't worry about the winter or the slowness of construction. It will happen in His good time. Pray for sunny days, 40+^o weather, and God's blessings. And, remember, we are always in good (His) hands!

January 29, 2010: Still Thawing Out

I stopped by the school (the current one) today and ran into our principal, Brian Kittleson. "I know what you're doing," he said. "You do?" I responded. "It's Friday!" he answered back. It took me a second to absorb what he was referring to and then, I knew--the blog! And, he was right! I guess I've become a bit predictable. Since Fridays are my day off, they become the days to write to you. And nine times out of ten, I'm racing the sundown clock. Today is no different, so I best get writting.

Yesterday I left my cell phone at home. Ever done that? Totally annoying. But have you ever found that you can carry your phone with you 100% of the time everywhere and it won't ring, but the one time you turn it off, leave it in the car, or forget it was in your other pocket, you'll get that all-important call? Well, this one wasn't a really important one, but one I would have liked to receive. Dwayne Nitz called rather excitedly and said they were pouring the last wall to finish up the basement and expecting nine trucks of concrete on the site. He told me to come on over to watch and take pictures. Well, I would have if I'd gotten the call! They actually worked through until 9:00 p.m. last night to finish things up.

So, I called today to see if I could come by the property and see it after the fact. Here's where my title for today's blog comes in--I was on the site probably about 20-30 minutes. That was five hours ago and I'm still cold! It was 17^o outside! The kind of cold that brings tears to your eyes. I walked to the back of the property and took these pictures of the basement. You can see that it now has four complete walls--like a big black box at the moment. The forms are still on part of the walls, but if you look toward the back of the picture (front of the basement) you'll see the actual cement. They hope to take the forms down early next week.

Two trucks arrived with steel for the building today. They expect three more on Monday with several more to follow in the coming weeks. This particular steel is for the gymnasium and the multipurpose room. The gym will be the next to build. Those of you who are doubting that any work is going on because you can't see it from the road, will definitely be seeing the gym when it goes up. I took several pictures that you see here of the truck, off-loading of the steel, and steel beams. They were finishing off unloading the first truck and then a second truck arrived. Two forklifts would lift the beams from the truck and stack them on the site.


Dwayne Nitz was telling me that he has done construction through winters many times before, but this is the worst winter he's seen for icy cold weather. The temperatures have really caused issues with pouring concrete. He said what they really need is a set of straight consecutive days of good "warm" weather--40s and 50s to get moving on to the next phase. If you recall, we had a streak of those recently and they worked very hard to make sure they could get a lot done. I told him we would pray for such an event. I have already been doing some serious weather praying and those prayers have been answered. Have you noticed that all our rain and snow events have been on weekends lately? That's a direct answer to prayer! I know it doesn't work for the teachers and students since they don't get their snow days, but it is great for construction! So I'd ask you to remember our project in your prayers and pray specifically for a couple weeks of mild winter weather so work can advance. The Creator of the Universe is totally able to have July in January!

Lastly, but on a different note, I brought a small group of people together who are directly involved in the financing of this project. We met last night to review a spreadsheet of funding resources and expenses related to this project to get an up-to-date account. There is a plan to begin showing a simple update of school building project giving and expenses in the bulletin probably monthly. Look for it toward the end of February or early March.

I cannot end this entry without again reminding you of God's guidance and grace through this project. He is an awesome God who has everything under His timing and control. While the winter weather is not ideal, we are only about a week behind in our construction calendar and considering rain, snow, cold, that is amazing. SO, when you see the snow falling tomorow (another Sabbath event), smile, and send up a thank you prayer. God is truly at work on our behalf!

January 17, 2010: P.S.

I wrote the last entry just minutes before sundown and didn't have a chance to add a few details and the other two pictures. I'm putting this as a separate entry in the event some faithful followers wouldn't realize that I made a change to an entry they already read.

I noted the size of the basement--7,200 square feet. Try and get your head wrapped around that. It is really big. We actually have Montgomery County to thank for all this storage space. Because they made us move the building, we gained the space. To be honest, the plans didn't call for much storage prior to this addition. (Why is it that no one plans for closets when they build?) I think there is so much room, the church could have a section of this for pathfinders, youth, etc. It would give them much needed relief as well and not take anything away from the school.

Also, note in the picture below that right in the middle of the basement are two steel beams. These are two supporting structures which they weren't planning on putting in, but just did to give them some hope for the future. Have to say it was kind of neat to see not just concrete, but steel sitting there waiting for the next part of the building. (Note: That's Junior Sines in the right corner of this photo.)

Once the basement walls are completed, they will move on to pouring the footings of the gymnasium. The gym will be the first to be built. Steel is set to arrive sometime in February (at this time). And they will pour the floor for the gym around this time. We hope to have a special day in early Spring to bring the congregation out to the site. Look for more information about this as to move toward better weather.
 

January 15, 2010: Walls of Biblical Proportions?

It seems as if this blog carries different themes. I talk and talk about dirt. Then it's sewer pipes. And now it's walls. Anybody agree that walls are more exciting! I do!

I was over at the property yesterday along with Ernie Sines, Junior Sines, Eugene Korff, and Pastor Lutz. We were there to hear the account of the last month, agree to the invoicing, and inspect what had been done. While the last month was fraught with weather issues, things are moving steadly onward. Dwayne Nitz tells us that they are only about a week and half behind which, to be honest, isn't bad. He's sure they'll be able to make that up. And, if we could have a few more days like yesterday and today, we will!

We walked down to the back of the property where they are building the walls for the basement. Three of the walls are poured and complete with a lot of the forms removed. They were putting the fourth wall in place and planning to pour cement today. Ernie and Junior went off with Dwayne to inspect the concrete pours leaving Pastor Lutz and I standing on a dry curb (if you'd saw the mud you'd know why!). And, it is almost indescribable how it felt at that moment standing there together in silence as we watched them work. This is a project that both of us have carried close to our hearts and I think standing there seeing walls was almost surreal. Have you ever planned for something like forever and when it finally happens, you just kinda don't believe it?

I got to thinking about walls today. The first ones that came to mind were the walls of Jericho--probably not the best example! And then the walls during Hezekiah's reign when Israel was under seige--also not the greatest. But then I remembered Nehemiah--if you haven't read that portion of Nehemiah (chapters 1-6) you should. These walls were important to Israel--they represented beginning again, living for God, and worshipping Him. They gave of their time, talents, and energy to make it happen. And they waited years and years before it ever happened. I think I have an idea of how Nehemiah must have felt as he surveyed what they had accomplished. We will have that too soon. 

Oh, and by the way, this basement is huge! It is about 7,200 square feet. Probably could drop your house inside (well, not all of you, but I could!). Can't wait to fill it!

January 9, 2010: Finally . . . Famous!

First you have an assignment. If you are not already a regular follower of this blog (and by my count, I think there are four of you who have openly confessed), you have to first scroll down and read the entry for October 23, 2009. This is important because is leads to what I'm about to tell you.

In short, October 23 dawned for me as a busy Friday with several things on my agenda. I ended up that day spending my whole morning at the property while they shot footage for a video for the Columbia Union. I went there to "supervise" and ended up being drafted as part of an impromptu inteview which they were excited about but I wasn't due to essentially rolling out of bed that morning and running over there totally unprepared to be in front of a camera.

So, I get my mail today and here we have the Columbia Union 2010 calendar (with a fabulous picture of OUR window on the cover) and a DVD. I popped it into the DVD player and there I am, our property, our kids (mine's in there, but I swear it was a total surprise!), our principal, our school--very cool (even if it was annoying four months ago)! You have to see it. But here's some instruction. To see our property and our union president talking about it and on it, you have to hit "Play All." There are three segments on our property--two intros and one closure, but you have to at least start watching the whole thing. To see the closure you either watch it all or fast forward. The closure doesn't just have Dave, it also has our kids again.

NOW if you just want to see Brian, me, and our kids, as well as work on the property, select the CURF video (it's included in the play all). Oh, and by the way, if you haven't received your calendar yet, you can at least see the CURF video here: http://columbiaunion.org/article.php?id=455. Watch the whole thing because Spencerville is scattered throughout it including ending with our academy choir.

I can't say that I look or sound great, but I can say I'm immensely proud of our church and this project. The Lord has really blessed us with so much. AND the whole Columbia Union gets to see it. Yeah!
 

January 6, 2010: Let There be Light

Yesterday we had another building committee meeting. We have not met since November choosing to take a break in a busy December. And, in fact, this was a bit early for us in January, but we had a couple decisions that couldn't wait and we wanted to meet one more time before Ernie takes his "snow break" in Florida. [While Ernie is in Florida, we're not abandoned. While we'll miss him, Junior Sines, also an experienced builder, will be stepping in. He's on our committee and is totally up-to-date on everything with the project.]

Now that we are actually building . . . and by the way, we are building. A lot of you have expressed sympathy to me for all the rain and snow that keeps us from moving forward, but you are actually incorrect. Except for active raining and snowing, building continues. They are busy pouring cement--mostly footers in the basement, but two or three walls in the basement are also poured. Anyway, since building is actually happening it means making decisions about things that are to go into the building. This particular decision involves the type of light fixtures.

The electrical designer had supplied us with a fairly thick book of all the light fixtures that will be included in our building. We had to go through and find an alphabetical letter on the building plans, find that fixture in the book, and then decide if it was the type of light fixture we wanted. At first finding the letters was not easy. All five of us were pouring over plans looking for small "Hs" or "Js" and it seemed that whatever letter you were not looking for you'd find first. It was actually kind of fun as we matched fixtures to places. We spent quite a bit of time in the auditorium examining house lighting as well as those for the stage. I continue to learn a lot about building in general. It's fun for me to listen to Ernie or Junior--they know so much. And, Pastor Lutz, is right there with them. If he wasn't pastoring, I think you might be able to get him to do some major work on your house!

I thought I'd pass on a neat piece of information that came in just this week. Last May, I got the "estimates" on the utility work for our project. These involve BG&E, Verizon, Comcast, and Washington Gas. We had to pay $144,706 to Verizon for the relocation of poles and relocation of fiberoptic cables. In October (see October 21 below) Verizon came to do their work. They evaluated the work involved in relocating the fiberoptic cables and decided they didn't need to do the work to the extent they thought they would so only moved the poles. Dwayne Nitz contacted them and said, "If you haven't done the work, don't you think you owe the owner (that would be us) the difference in the cost?" After some debate, they agreed and said they'd calculate the difference and send a refund.

This past Sabbath, Pastor Lutz told me a refund check had arrived at the church from Verizon for $89,232.54. I knew it was coming so I wasn't totally surprised. But on Tuesday as I prepared for the building committee I pulled out a set of our last minutes. One of the things we have been tasked with is to review several additional options that were not included in the contractual price. These fall into two categories--nice, but not necessary or upgrades. Part of my job as chair of the committee is to keep track of what we have agreed to as well as to watch the expenses because anything we decide is added to the contracted price. It is something that I have great concern for because we want a nice building that functions well, but we also want to keep costs down, so it is a balance that I'm constantly striving for along with the general contractor and committee.

Anyway, as I pulled out the minutes, my eyes immediately fell on to the list of options we have already decided to move ahead with--totalling $89,680! I had to smile--God is good! I've been praying for wisdom and discernment as well as good management through this project. I knew we had a good committee who were making good solid decisions, but the money aspect was worrying me a bit. And here the Verizon refund had almost completely covered all the options. So the expanded sports package (safety locks on baskets, mats on walls), expanded drape package for the stage, stain-resistant grout, three flag poles, better courtyard path, exterior trashcans (the nice kind), extra windows in gymnasium, tablet arms and aisle/seat numbers in the auditorium were completely covered! God is good! Don't ever forget it!