Thursday, April 19, 2012

Postscript

Here are a couple pictures to complete the entire blog series.

The library entryway looks inviting  in the evenings, too.

It took an unusually long time for the right partitions to be delivered, but finally they did and Tony was able to install them.



These are the main people responsible for the construction aspects of the new wing to the Sahyun Library (l-r):  Art Sylvester, project manager; Tony Suhrer, contractor;  Cheryl Jensen, landscape architect; Jim Friestad, project co-manager; and Gary Jensen, project architect.



That's All Folks . . . . . .

One of the final tasks in any construction project is to repair the truck damage to streets and parking lots, and that's just what we did to conclude the construction of the new wing of the Sahyun Library and the renovation of its old wing.   

The first task is to dig out roots that have bulged up and broken the old asphalt.

Broken areas and places that always accumulate puddles have to be cut out and patched with new asphalt.

To conform with the provisions of our building permit, we had to create an additional parking slot, and that needed a half a truck load of new asphalt.

All the asphalt patches have to be rolled.

And then a coat of hot tar slurry is applied to the old and patched asphalt.





The entire lot all the way to the street was slurry coated, and the next day the only blemish was some tracks by a wayward raccoon.

Rudy and his helper came the next day to stripe the parking slots.

Rudy's last stripe was in front of the entry gate.  When it dries, we can open the gate and we'll be open for business!

Friday, March 2, 2012

Time for Rain Gutters and a Fence to Keep it All Together

With the completion of the hookup of the fire suppression system to the City water main, we were able to hook up the rainwater drainage to the pipe that were laid beneath the new concrete sidewalk, install rain gutters and downspouts, and replace the chain link fence across the front of the property where the driveway used to be. 


Each rain gutter is one piece, no seams, extruded by the green machine in the back of the truck from a sheet of aluminum.



That is one long, single piece of aluminum sheeting, extruded into the shape of the gutter.  Here two men are putting it up, but only one man was able to put most of the others.






And here is the result.  Now let it rain!




With everything inside the fence almost completely completed, it is time to fence.



Friday, February 24, 2012

Fire Suppression System Hookup Finally Happens!


It took nearly eight months, but it finally happened:  Our fire suppression system was hooked up to the City water main in Castillo Street.  It took that long to obtain the necessary permits from the City and from Caltrans.  Scheduling the actual work took only a week.  The work itself was spread out over 5 days, but now the last remaining major project is completed, so that a number of things can be done:  activate our fire alarm, install a security system throughout the remainder of the library, install rain gutters and hook them up to our drainage system, which was installed throughout the property but the drainage pipes out to the street had to wait until the fire system hookup work was done.



The first step was to cut the pavement and sidewalk with a big saw.


The second step was to break up the sidewalk and pavement, and then a ditch was dug from the edge of our property to the water pipe line.  The concrete was excessively thick, necessitating an extra half day for its demolition.





A City Water Department work got down in the trench to cut the water main and place a tee and valve in it.




It isn't especially impressive, but here are the results of his work.



At our end of the water pipe, a back flow preventing valve has to be installed, and here it is.






And here the crew is installing it.



Putting it all back together again is the final step.


While we had asphalt and a crew on hand, we had them finish the area around the trash enclosure..

Now We Have a Nice Storeroom!

The last room in the old wing of the Sahyun Library to be renovated was the old periodical room.  All the periodicals were taken out and stored in one of our storage units, the steel shelves were taken out and stored in the back yard, the walls were patched, painted, and the floor was carpeted.  A small meeting had to be held in the room, and a couple members said that room is too nice to be a storeroom.  A crack crew of volunteers reassembled the shelves and attached them to the walls.  So now we have a nice storeroom.  

Mac cleans the new shelves in the new storeroom which was once the periodical room.

And Jim Friestad wasted no time in stocking those shelves!

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

We're Almost Done, Except for . . . . . . .



Yes, the extension to, and the renovation of, the Sahyun Library is almost completed - except for connection of our fire suppression system to the City's water main.  We have no idea when that will happen.  Oh yes, we have ordered new partitions of the correct color for the Women's Room and are hopeful they will be delivered "soon."  
In the meantime, the interior and exterior of the old wing have been painted, and everything looks quite beautiful.  Do stop by the library to have a look, and keep your fingers crossed that all else will happen "soon."

The painters had to touch up shrinkage cracks that opened up between the tongue and groove of the ceiling planks.  They and our contractor avered that they had never seen the like with wood that was supposedly kiln dried.
Here is the old wing with its "eyebrows" and new coat of paint.
The entry patio really looks good with the new paint job, the new eyebrow, and the new bricks around the orange tree.

The old wing simply sparkles now with its new roof, new windows, new awning, and new paint job.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Seismic Bracing

The seismic bracing for the bookcases is completed, thanks to volunteers Martin Peterson, Stan Zalatel, Mac McMillin, Jim Friestad, and Art Sylvester.  We'll paint the exposed nuts and L-brackets, then we'll hope for an earthquake to see if the system works!

Martin attaches one of the braces to the wall.

Stan and Martin attach a brace to the top of one of the bookcases with Jim Friestad inspecting their previous work.

A wind storm stripped all these fronds from one or out tall palm trees, saving us, therefore a tree-trimming expenditure.