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Building construction update

This week at the construction site...

Phase 1, Volume 33

Once again, life has intervened and it has been a few weeks.

The excellent news this week is that we have been granted an occupancy permit for the administration and classroom wings of the building. This means that the office can start moving back in as planned over the next few days.

Needless to say, this means that these two areas are essentially complete and I had the walk-through with the architect yesterday and there no major areas of problems. The punch-list has about 100 items on that should be easily taken care of.

The rest of the building is looking good as well.

The kitchens appliances are in place and are being hooked up. These kitchens are magnificent, you should take a tour a the building just to see them.

The stage area has been painted as well as the cloak room and closet. The temporary partition separating the stage has been taken down.

In the recent rains when we set a daily record for rain fall, there was nary a leak in the building. I hold out great hope for a dry, mildew free environment.

Go by and check the building out, it may be your last chance while construction is ongoing!

Past notes from the construction site...

Phase 1, Volume 32

Between Passover and work being crazed, I have missed a few weeks. I will try not and let it happen again.

The new classroom wing has the floors and ceilings installed. The marker and bulletin boards are up. Final touches are underway including door hardware and finishing of the extra bathroom in the Kindergarten classroom. The sliding partition in the big classroom is still to be installed.

The kitchens are really near complete, just awaiting stoves, sinks and dishwashers. The floor has been installed and the ceiling grid is in place. The new stage is ready to be painted next week.

The carpeting is in the administration wing and all painting and millwork are complete. Final touches are being done.

The old classroom wing is nearly complete with the floors installed. This includes the big storage closet and the faculty lounge. The marker boards and bulleting boards are up.

The women's room is virtually complete. There are few accent tiles we are still waiting for. The men's room is catching up.

All of the electricity is in and the new HVAC systems are operating in those areas of the building that is serviced by them. All of the vent fans are also operational. The low voltage wiring is in place for the computer network and telephone service.

Go by and check the building out, it may be your last chance while construction is ongoing!

Phase 1, Volume 31
The new classroom wing is having the finish coat of paint put on. The ceiling grids are all in. The access to the roof in the back storage closet has been cut in.

The old classroom wing is being primed and the amazing thing is that there has not been a hint of water inside after all of the melt that has gone on in the last week or so. We are going to wait until a heavy spring rain before declaring victory.

The Levy administration offices are being taped and spackled and continue to look good. The women's room is operational with stalls in place. The men's room is catching up, the rough plumbing is in and awaiting inspection.

The Temple administration area is looking like offices. The millwork is going in so the Rabbi has her bookshelves and there is a reception counter and three counter based work areas in the entrance to the office. You can really see what it is going to look like.

The commercial vent hoods have been received and the sheetrocking is almost complete in the kitchens. These are really going to be first class.

Phase 1, Volume 30
Things are really taking shape!

Most of the windows are in on the new classroom wing. Sheetrocking has started in the kitchen and the hood vents are being fabricated. The final paint coat is going on in the administration area. The floors have been treated for water seepage.

The classrooms are being primed. The Levy administrator and director offices are sheetrocked. These are very cool spaces, you should stop by and see them. The women's room is complete with working plumbing for the toilets and cold water at the sinks. There is no hot water or towel racks yet. The partitions should also be installed. The men's room is being sheetrocked and should catch up to the rest of the job shortly.

Phase 1, Volume 29
The brickwork on the classroom wing is complete. The windows are in on the Deering and Wadsworth sides of the building and it looks spectacular. If you haven't already, take a drive by and check it out.
The new stage is completely sheet rocked and the stage lights and ceiling grids are in. The windows behind the stage are in and the light that was coming in yesterday afternoon was heart and body warming.

All of the rough plumbing and electrical are in in the kitchens. Thge HVAC venting is also in place.
The cantor's office now has a whole in the wall where a window will be placed. It should make the room feel a lot roomier. All of the administration area has been primed and the ceiling grids are in place.
The classrooms are essentially completely sheet rocked. The handi-capped bathroom in the classroom wing is fully roughed in and has been tiled. It is towards the end of the hall near the kindergarten room. I can't wait for the plastic to be taken off the windows.

The women's room has been tiled and the fixtures are being installed. The men's room has been framed out and the floor drains are being finalized.

Phase 1, Volume 28
Progress continues to be made on the masonry outside the new classroom wing. The new area is still under the tent but if you have not driven by you should check out the building from Deering Avenue.

Work is continuing on the sheetrock for the new stage, it is looking really good. The windows for the stage area is due to go in today, check back next week. The kitchens are moving along, all of the framing is complete.

The new HVAC units are on the roof and are being hooked up. Go the web site and look at the picture of the old boiler to see what these are replacing. Unfortunately, we will need to keep the old boiler until Phase II is complete to heat the sanctuary and the old part of the social hall.

The primer coat has been laid down in the administration area. A combination of yellow and green depending on the area. The Cantor's window is being broken through and should be complete today.

The classrooms are being taped and are looking good. There is an opportunity for someone to donate the eternal light over the Ark in the classroom area. This will be used for classroom study and as the family service area during High Holidays. Give Norm or Dave a call if you are interested. I would be happy to take you back there and show you what is required.

The women's bathroom will be the first room complete and has already had the tile applied. The appliances will go in next week and be functional. The partitions will be put in by mid_march so there will be some time with a functional bathroom without partitions.

Phase 1, Volumes 26 & 27
Sorry I have been out of touch for a week, things are a little overwhelming at my day job right now.
The masonry tent is down from the Deering and Wadsworth sides of the new classroom wing. The angled elevation really fits in nicely with the original building and the wing seems to fit great into the Deering Wadsworth corner. Take a drive down Deering and check it out for yourself.

The duct work is going in over the new stage and the framing is complete throughout the area.
The rough plumbing is being done in the kitchens and plans for the epoxy coat over the concrete are progressing.

The new HVAC units will be installed next week.
The sheet rock is almost complete in the administration area and paining is to start next week. Still waiting on the window in the Cantor's office.

The class rooms are fully sheet rocked and the electric, plumbing, sprinkler piping and duct work are essentially complete. The Levy administration area is fully framed and sheet rocking is starting. The women's bathroom will be tiled next week and then the new fixtures will be installed.

Phase 1, Volume 25
The brick work is now 'around the corner' onto Wadsworth street on the new classroom wing. The building is really taking shape!

The kitchen floors are complete and the sheet rocking is starting.The roof work is complete and the new HVAC units are being installed for the classroom, new area of the social hall and administration areas.

The last thing to do before the finish work starts in the class room wing is the window in the Cantor's office needs to be created from the currently solid cinder blocks. This should be done this week.
All of the classrooms have there sheetrock up and just the finishing touches need to be completed. The duct work for the HVAC is in the new classroom wing and is being installed in the old class rooms.

Phase 1, Volume 24
The brick work on the new classroom is proceeding, should be around the corner onto the Wadsworth street side by now. The masons are doing a fantastic job.

The new kitchen floors are being repoured with new drainage for the sinks. An industrial strength grease trap is also being installed. The roof work is complete and the new HVAC units are being installed for the classroom, new area of the social hall and administration areas.

The administration area is almost completely sheet rocked. The sheetrock is going up in the new classroom wing.

The old classroom has a new slab poured over the top of the old one with a vapor barrier. In addition, a sub-slab drainage system has been added for the area that used to be at the bottom of the steps. This should insure that that there are no more water infiltration problems in this area.

The old stairs to the classroom wing have been removed, this area will be the Levy administrator's office. Access to the old classroom area is via a handicapped ramp being installed between the new and old classroom sections.

Phase 1, Volume 23
Still astounding progress, if you haven't driven by in the last week I urge you to do so. Check out the new brick on the social hall...unless you look closely it will be hard to tell where the old brick on the kitchen leaves off and the new brick begins. Also, the radiused wall heading towards the entrance is stunning.

Inside the new social hall addition, the new kitchens have been framed in. Every restaurant in town will be jealous. There are separate meat and dairy kitchens as well as a third location just for dish washing. The new kitchen fitments (stoves, etc.) are being fabricated now that the final measurements can be taken.

The outside of the new classroom wing is fully sheathed. The brickwork is started on the Deering Avenue side. I went into the masonry tent and the
masons are continuing their fine work.

The new roofing system is installed on both the new social hall and new classroom. Next week the roof over the existing classrooms will be started. Inside the new classrooms all of the framing is up. The ductwork is in and the electrical rough-in is starting.

Sheetrock is going up in the administration area and all of the electrical work is nearly complete. Still working on the wiring for the door buzzers and openers.

The area is fully prepped for pouring the new slab on the old classroom floor. This area has been completely reworked to prevent the kind of seepage that has been plaguing the classrooms since the original building. The slab will be poured next week and then the walls will be finished off.

The area over the Cantor's office has been completed. Also, CMP has begun the work of bringing in the new electric service we will need for both phases.

Phase 1, Volume 22First time back in a few weeks do to the holidays and the weather. The progress is astounding!!

The masonry is complete on the new social hall. On Friday the cloak under which it has been hiding is scheduled to be removed. Everyone should drive by and take a look. It looks spectacular, the masonry between the windows and the front door is radiuses and will get a lot of oohs and aahs!

The sheathing is up on the new classroom wing and the masons will be moving over to this area of the new construction next week. Also, the framing of the classrooms in the new wing has also started so things are starting to take shape in the interior.

The new roofing system is installed on both the new social hall and new classroom. Next week the roof over the existing classrooms will be started.

The framing is complete in the administration area and the sheetrock is starting to go up. The ductwork for the new heat has also been installed. You can really tell what it is going to be like.

The drainage system for the old classroom is complete and is being backfilled so that pouring the new slab over the top of it can done next week. The duct work for this area of the building is being installed. The top stair going down to the old classrooms has been removed so that the Levy administration area can be built. These old stairs will be removed as part of the construction, there will be a ramp in the new classroom area.

The new women's bathroom is ready to be hooked up to the new plumbing system that is being installed.

Phase 1, Volumes 20,21

For the past two weeks the holidays and the weather have conspired to cancel the construction meetings. I apologize but there has been nothing new to report.

Stay tuned for more great progress information next week!

Phase 1, Volume 19

More great progress!

The sheathing is up on the new social hall and the masonry is starting. The whole new area is tented off so the mason's can work at the proper temperatures and it is going to look great!

The sheathing is going up on the new classroom wing and it should be closed off to weather by early next week.

The administration area has all of the rough electrical and plumbing complete. The sheetrock is going up for all of the offices in this area.

There has been no change to the moisture control in the old classroom section but preparations are underway for pouring of the new slab after the holidays.

The plumbing is in in the new women's room and we are awaiting delivery of the new hot water system to begin closing that room up. It looks like the bathroom will be operational in mid-January.

That's it for this week!

Phase 1, Volume 18

The first thing you will notice if you walk around the site now is that the exterior partitions are up on the new social hall extension. The second thing you will notice is that the exterior framing is being added to the new classroom wing. All of the new roof decking is in place and the areas of the old building that needed the roof buttressed are complete.

The administration area has all of the rough electrical and plumbing complete. The window for the cantor's office will be added next week.

The classroom drainage system has been excavated and the piping will be added over the course of the next week. The vapor control system for the rest of the floor in the old classrooms is being designed and should be started by this time next week.

The new women's bathroom has the rough plumbing and electrical in and the finishing touches should be going in over the next several weeks. When that is complete we will start using that bathroom and get to work on the new men's bathroom.

Phase 1, Volume 17

It's been two weeks since my last tour of the site. Things are really starting to take shape.

The roof decking is completely installed on the social hall addition. The exterior framing is underway in this area as well. The roof decking has been started on the classroom addition. By this time next week the exterior of the additions should be going up.

On the interior of the building, all of the framing for the new administration wing is complete so it is easy to see how the new offices will be laid out. A drainage system for the area by the stairs going down to the classrooms has been designed and is being implemented. All of the water affected areas in that section of the building are being dealt with
and we should have a nice dry class room section!

Finally, this week the roof areas on the existing buildings that will have to be strengthened to accommodate the new roof top mounted HVAC systems will be completed.

That's it for this week!

Phase 1, Volume 16

If you haven't driven by the building in a while, now is the time to do it. The decking for the roof is being put on the social hall addition and the all of the steel skeleton for the new classroom is up. The new shape of the building is apparent and it looks great!!

On the interior, the mechanical room has been reconfigured and is ready for the sprinkler control system, the new electrical distribution panel and plumbing fittings. The framing for the classrooms in the existing building is almost complete with roughed in electrical wiring. The areas for the handicap accessible ramps have been dug and are almost ready for pouring the concrete.

A state-of-the-art drainage system is being installed under the stair to the old classroom wing. This will take the water that has been entering that area (which has been from the courtyard) and pipe out to the storm drainage system that empties out onto Deering Avenue. This should solve the water problems in that area of the building once and for all.

Work on reinforcing the roof in the areas where the new HVAC systems will be placed is to start next week. Have a Happy Thanksgiving and I will be back in two weeks as there is no meeting on the 28th.

That's it for this week!

Phase 1, Volume 15

We are starting to signs of the new parts of the building taking shape. The steel columns are all up for the social hall addition and the roof joists are being welded into place. The steel columns are being erected for the classroom wing.

Hard to see from the outside that the mechanical room is being completely rebuilt with new electrical, plumbing, heating and sprinkler control systems. This work is well underway.

The old classroom wing is actively being partitioned to the new rooms with the framing almost complete and the electric services is being roughed in.

Demolition and repair still continues on the roof sections of the old building. At the same time certain areas of the roof are being strengthened to handle the heavier load of the new heating and cooling systems.

Phase 1, Volumes 14

Unbelievable, the steel is actually up for the social hall addition. You can really start to see how it is going to be when finished. The steel for the classroom addition will be delivered Monday and erected next week. Things are really moving.

The framing has started in the old classroom area as well as the excavation for the various handicap ramps on that end of the building. This is starting to take shape as well.

Those are the big areas of accomplishments, once the steel is up and the decking is on the roof we should start to see things coming into shape very quickly.

Phase 1, Volume 13

Wow, the building is almost wholly unrecognizable, well at least the old administration and classroom areas where all of the demolition is complete. The social hall ceiling has been cut to allow the mechanicals to be brought over to the other side of the building and the sprinkler feed is already in.

Outside of the building the steel has arrived and at least one piece is in place to shore up the walls of the social hall due to the modifications that were done in 1985. The slab for the new class room has come out great and will do a great job as the sub-floor for that area of the new building.

Upcoming is the work on the roof over the Cantor and Ken's old offices. In addition, the full steel erection will start on Monday.

Phase 1, Volumes 11,12

A portion of the social hall ceiling has been cut away to allow plumbing, sprinklers, electricity, etc. to be brought over from the mechanical room (which is underneath the current stage) to the classroom and administrative area. This work will take approximately three weeks after which a temporary ceiling will be put in its place until phase II.

A temporary wall has been placed at the edge of the current stage to allow for the mechanicals that are coming up from the basement to be hidden from the general portion of the social hall. It also will keep the dust down on the current stage so that food can be handled easier. The wall will remain in place until Phase II as there will be a new stage at the completion of Phase I.

The slab under the social hall has been tested for water problems in preparation for Phase II construction.

The steel for the social hall addition has arrived and will be erected next week (go for a drive by to take a peek!). The foundation for the classroom wing has been poured.

A test run of 3,000 bricks will be available next week to determine how will the new bricks will match the existing brick areas.

During the week of November fourth the roof above Ken and the Cantor's offices will be shored up to hold the air handling system will to be installed. This will mean that these two rooms in the current building will not be accessible during that week.

The rest of the demolition is virtually complete and the clean-up phase from that is underway.

Phase 1, Volume 10

Hard to believe 10 weeks have gone by.

The name of the game is demolition, demolition, demolition. The Rabbi's Office and Chapel are no longer there. The classrooms are being gutted. Some of the windows from the classroom wing are being saved for reuse as part of the construction.

The asbestos abatement is complete and the air quality in the abated and adjacent areas has been tested by a state licensed lab and there is no danger of contamination.

That's about it for this week. Go check out the building if you haven't done so already.

Phase 1, Volume 9

We are underway in earnest. Jeff Parry from Benchmark (the contractors) says that at any one time there may be as many as 200 workers on the job site. Should be a sight to see!

Demolition is underway in the kitchen, Rabbi's office, chapel, mechanical room, and classrooms. The social hall windows have been removed. The building really looks different, it is worth a drive by if you are in the area.

The administration area and the men's room are having their asbestos floors removed. This process is being completed by a certified asbestos abatement contractor and all steps are being taken to keep the rest of the building safe. This process should be complete with air quality samples tested by the state on Monday.

On weekends when the social hall will be in use for a Bar/Bat Mitzvah the workers will finish up in the social hall, kitchen and social hall addition on Thursday leaving all day Friday for setup.

Upcoming activities include:

1) A three foot wide swath of the social hall ceiling will be removed to gain access for the sprinkler system and other mechanical systems on Monday.
This opening should be in place for three weeks. On weekends when the social hall is in use, the hole will be taped over with polyurethane.

2) The piers in the social hall window area that need repairing will be addressed.

3) The classroom section will cordoned off with polyethylene and the mastic from holding the rugs down will be removed prior to complete demolition.

4) During the third week in October a concrete floor specialist will take samples from six locations in the social hall to determine how best to handle the water problems that have been plaguing us since the building was built.

Until next week!
Fred Farber

Phase 1, Volume 8

Things are all in readiness for the big push starting next Tuesday. Specific accomplishments include:

1) The binder coat on the new parking lot has been poured. This is the level of tar that will be below the finish coat when the project is complete. This area will be used for a heating shack for the masonry work as well as staging for the steel when it arrives.

2) All foundations have been complete and ready for the steel.

3) Items that were marked as salvage have been removed prior to the demolition which begins on Tuesday.

Demolition of the mechanical room, kitchen and class room areas will begin on Tuesday. Also beginning on Tuesday is asbestos abatement in the corridor outside the bath rooms and the men's room as well as the Rabbi's current office. Finally, a third of the social hall ceiling will be removed to make way for mechanical systems to be run from the mechanical room to the classroom and office area of the building. There will be a movable hoist rolled into the social hall so that work can be done on the ceiling.

During construction the current oil fired heat will be used for the sanctuary and the offices behind the stage. The social hall be heated by a gas-fired forced hot air furnace that will be directed through the existing ducts. The furnace will be located in the corner of the social hall. The bathroom area will be heated by temporary propane-fired construction
heaters. Won't be the most comfortable but it will be warm!!!

Next week things really start popping!

Phase 1, Volume 7
It was a relatively slow week. Work continues on finishing up the foundations and the drainage for the social hall additions. Everything is being readied for the big push to begin on Oct. 1st. Steel orders are in place which will dominate work on the outside of the building and asbestos abatement will begin inside to get ready for the demolition portion of the project.

During the renovation there will always be two bathrooms available. The first bathroom to be renovated will be the women’s room. While it is closed, the current men’s room will be available for women and the men will use the bathroom behind the stage near the Cantor’s office.

Phase 1, Volumes 5/6
Sorry for being out of touch but preparations for the holidays kept me from my appointed rounds. I hope you all had an easy fast and will have a happy and joyous year.
This week the following activities have taken place:
1) All foundations for both additions have been poured!!
2) Work in the mechanical room continues so that heat will be restored by winter.
3) The air conditioners that were so obviously below par on Rosh Hashanah have been fixed. These will continue to be used when phase I is complete.
4) The drainage for the new social hall has been rerouted to Deering Avenue saving a street opening on Devonshire and will be tied in with the drainage for the class room wing.

We are still on or ahead of schedule for the main work to start on October first. The following items are scheduled to begin (among others):
1) Asbestos abatement in the office and class room areas of the current building.
2) Kitchen to be dismantled.
3) The steel will be delivered and begin to be set up.

In order for all of this to occur, all of the offices will be moving into a temporary trailer on the property by the first of October and can use some help in packing up the accumulation of fifty years of paraphernalia. Please contact Ken to volunteer if you have the time.

Phase 1, Volume 4
This week the following activities have taken place:
1) The foundation for the extension of the social hall has been poured. Very exciting, the first actual new piece of building is up!!
2) Work on the mechanical room has started.
3) The Fire Marshall toured the site and agreed that the doors to the courtyard and past the school wing will be adequate egress for the high holidays. PLEASE be aware that these are the only doors that will be available.

The meeting was very productive. Topics discussed included:
1) Snow fence to placed around the perimeter of the entire site by the end of business Friday to be in place for the ground breaking and the High Holidays. This will be in addition to the black silt fencing that is already in place. PLEASE, this fencing will be orange and should not be gone past. Children should be especially warned not to go beyond the orange snow fence.
2) The exit signs inside the synagogue will be changed to indicate the current directional information during the course of construction. These changes will be made before Rosh Hashanah.
3) The fire lighting and annunciator in the social hall will be tested and fixed if necessary before the High Holidays.
4) The kitchen will start being dismantled on the 1st of October. There will be no kitchen after that date until the new kitchen is completed.
5) Starting on October 1st there will be intermittent days without water service to the facility. However, in no case will water be shut off over the weekend. We will know about these days at least a week in advance so the staff can be adequately warned.
6) At no time during construction will both the main men’s and women’s room be unavailable simultaneously. However, there will be many times when only one of them will be available so care will need to be taken.

I think that is all for now. Please take a walk around the site and check out the progress over the holidays and come to the Minyan and groundbreaking on Monday. You will be amazed at the amount of work that has already been accomplished.

At the meeting appropriate safety measures were discussed for the high holidays. There will be a snow fence placed around the entire construction site and red (not yellow) warning tape will be used along the top of the fence to remind people to stop and not enter the construction site. I will personally tour the site on the Thursday before the Rosh Hashanah to ensure that the fencing is adequate.
That’s all for now. Stay tuned for next week.
Fred Farber

Phase 1, Volume 2
Well, the progress is visible to the casual observer. The ground is being cleared and the foundations are being dug. There is a lot of ledge on the grounds causing interesting routing of drain water from the roofs and foundations. The foundations will be fully excavated by the end of next week.
Not much else to report but stay tuned as more of the construction gets into full swing.

Phase 1, Volume 1
On Thursday the 9th of August the first on-site construction meeting was held for phase 1 of the Temple Beth-El expansion and remodeling. The purposes of these meetings is to keep the Temple informed of construction status and to raise any issues that need to be decided by the Temple leadership. As a member of the building committee, I am the owner’s representative to these meetings and will be attending on a weekly basis. I will also be jotting down these notes to keep all members of the synagogue community informed. If you have any questions, I can be contacted at fred-farber@idexx.com.
This opening meting was to lay out the ground rules of the construction process to the sub-contractors. The meting was led by Jeffrey Parry, the on-site representative of Benchmark Construction, the general contractor on the job. Topics discussed included:

• Safety: OSHA rules will be strictly enforced on the job site
• Parking: Local regulations will be strictly enforced and the area in front of the circular drive will be reserved for construction vehicles and deliveries
• Work hours: No working on Saturday or Jewish holidays and after the middle of the afternoon on Friday
• Kashruth: No eating of non-kosher food in the current building, office to provide a ‘cheat-sheet’
• Communication: Ken Levinsky will be the main conduit of information between the construction crew and the synagogue community, if you need to ask a question or make a comment, Ken is your man.
• Schedule: Phase one is scheduled for substantial completion the first week of April, 2003.

I am very excited that this project has finally gotten underway and I am sure all of you are as well.