FINAL CHAPTERS

Each day we are closer and closer to completion. The parking lot is now striped, the curb stops in place and the dumpster container has been built. As you recall, in the old parking lot, we had a lot of standing water when it rained and the edges had broken away over time. Additionally, the entrance to the parking lot was constrained by the flag pole and the dumpster placement. The new enclosure for the dumpster is located at the far end of the parking lot and the flag pole has been moved to a place of honor. The movement of the dumpster now allows the security cameras full view of the parking lot and creates a much safer driving environment.


The parking lot is now clean and organized. There is both an entrance and an exit which will allow for smooth movement into and out of the area.


The old driveway has been repaired, seal coated and the fire lane repainted. The front sidewalk now extends fully to the parking lot. It is now possible to move from cars to the building without walking in the driveway.


Rather than the standard single coat finish that most new VCT floors receive, we have treated the classrooms with four coats. The flooring is durable and beautiful. Jeff Everest, the office manager for The Ancon Group, visited the school today and commented "My school never looked like this! The sunlit rooms and handsome finishes will provide a great space for kids. The atmosphere is homey rather than institutional."


The work on the new fire hydrant made great headway today since the crew was able to work much longer hours. They are restricted to working between 9am and 2pm during the week due to the school zone. At the time I left MCHS this afternoon, the fire hydrant was being connected via 6" water lines to the City main. They will then pressure up the line and cover it in special gravel and sand, time permitting. The deadline for work today is 30 minutes prior to sunset. The trench is left unfilled and covered with the large steel plates. Monday, the crew will flush out the line and turn the project to the City of Dallas. The city will then open a valve and add concentrated cholrine to the line under pressure. This will allow to rest for one day. Tuesday is "blow out" where the line is allowed to run for about three hours via a hose into the storm sewer. The City should then collect a sample of the water from the hydrant and send it to a laboratory for testing. The new fire hydrant is a direct pathway to the drinking water supply and as such is treated with great care. Once the sample is tested and approved, the hydrant then becomes the responsiblity of another City department to approve. The approval will be noted by the painting of the hydrant. It is now red which indicates that it is 'not in service'. If everything were to go perfectly, we could have our Certificate of Occupancy by Friday. However, if a single thing were to go awry, we could be pushed back as much as a week. The work on the hiring of an engineer for the design of the new fire hydrant, the selection and hiring of the contrator for the work and the permitting of the hydrant, have all been far more complicated then the work on the actual building. The first step in the process began back in August.



I wanted to present one additional before and after set. At the time of previous post, I did not have a shot of the completed reception area. So without further ado...

Before:


And after...


We are eager to introduce each of you to the all new MCHS. The same wonderful education in a property to match.