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.

FINAL CHAPTERS

They say you never want to see how sausage or political deals are made but hopefully you have enjoyed seeing how the work has progressed at MCHS. We present some 'before' and 'after' images for your enjoyment...

The West wall of Miss Jeanne's Classroom before:


And today.



The BAC Kitchen area before:


And after.


The computer desk in the old rear office:


The computer desk in the new Guide Resource Center. Notice the dedicated adult restroom. No longer is a trip through the laundry room required.


The old nap area under the stairs:


The new Nap Room which will be outfitted with blackout shades and has a sound reducing wall dividing it from the Enrichment Classroom. When needed the wall can be folded flat and allows for one large space to accommodate Adult Education and meetings.


The former library space was shared by Enrichment Classes, the laminating machine and served as an overflow cloak room. It was the old rear office.


The Library now will provide ample storage for an expanded book collection and cultivates the proper respect for books and how a library works.


The old rear office had a small amount of storage and little working counter space. This is the extent of storage previously.


Now, ample storage and a dedicated work area for the Guides. They will no longer be waiting to prepare materials while other meetings are being held or Enrichment Classes taught.


The new standard in storage and kitchens for the Classrooms.


Hand washing and drinking fountain is located between the large and well lit restrooms that are inside each class. No longer is a trip out into the hall required.


The BAC now has a covered walkway and a private entrance for easy arrival and departure for those students that are in the program. The porch ceiling was just recently completed with two tone paint accenting the steel structure which supports the roof.


We have begun the placement of the bricks which acknowledge the donations to a specific MCHS program. This is at the base of the flag pole which now occupies a place of honor across from the Entry Porch


And finally, while we had nothing to do with it, I wanted to share this photo of a really lovely tulip tree that is now visible in the Nature Area now that the large windows on the west side have been added.

FINAL CHAPTERS

This is a very different campus than the one we left at the end of term last year. When the trees leaf out again, it will be really beautiful.



The interior and exterior paint touch up is almost finalized and we are installing the final touches like the washroom signage and the handsome building numbers you see above our new front entrance.


Self reliance is a key element of the Montessori way and these child sized cabinets make that a simpler process. Project Manager Dale Buchanan reluctantly posed next to one of the children's sinks in Miss Lynne's class to give the image a sense of scale.


More soon!

FINAL CHAPTERS

As we continue toward our completion, we wanted to update you on our progress. We signed an agreement for the wax finishing of the classroom and BAC floors today so that they will be shiny and clean with an incredibly durable new finish.

The painting detailing is moving along as well as they touch up the areas where hardware was installed and the shoe moulding that was installed after the floors were completed. We have had the driveway cleaned today and it is set to have the seal coating placed on Friday so that the driveway will be clean and black (like the new parking lot) with stripes and fire lane markers all replaced.

The work on the fire hydrant for the school continues. It turns out that the depth of the water main was almost double that which was indicated on the charts so they have had to dig a substantial distance. The gigantic valves are assembled and ready to be installed. We are awaiting an inspection today to confirm that the sides of the hole are safe enough to allow workmen to enter and cut into the water main. This is done in conjunction with insuring that the valve which controls this main is functioning properly. Once that is insured, they will cut into the city water supply and install the new valve which directs water into the new line which will supply the fire hydrant. This line is lined with high density chlorine which will be left to dissolve prior to turning on the water which will mix the city water with the water in the new hydrant line. Once tested to confirm that it is at the proper level, the line will be made active and filled with city water with no fear of contamination. Once this test is completed, they hydrant pressure is tested and the water is left to run clear via a hose into the storm drain. The hydrant is then painted by the city and considered complete.

The valves with control the flow of water underground to the new hydrant. The scale is hard to discern in the photo but they are quite large.


Again the scale is an issue, but this hole is about 14 feet deep. The water main is visible in the bottom.


This image makes it a bit easier to tell exactly where the giant valves you saw in the first image are to be installed. At this junction, the valve is installed and the new water line moves up toward the surface until it reaches four feet below grade. It then turns and heads over toward the school.


As move in day approaches we are almost there! While the beauty of the new building is that which most notice immediately, we can not overstate the importance of the new safety and energy conservation features that are now a part of Montessori Childrens House and School