Filling the Hollow Blocks

A concrete pump was set up on the Grace Church construction site on Thursday, July 31. A conventional transit mix concrete truck pours concrete into the pump truck, and it is then forced through the long yellow pipe to a flexible hose. In the photo above, the wet concrete is being pumped into all the holes in the concrete blocks. Since the holes line up vertically, the concrete fills the entire void from bottom to top to lock the blocks together. This is in addition to the installation of steel reinforcing rods, which are visible sticking out of the tops of the blocks. The end result is a masonry wall of tremendous strength.

Kit Cone

No Job for an Amateur

Excavating the former exit driveway on the east side of the church for the installation of water supply and drain lines requires operating heavy machinery in tight spaces. The arm of the shovel must be brought in close to the cab on each pass, as shown above, so it won't hit the side of Nieman Hall as the bucket turns.

Kit Cone

Testing Our New Water Main

An independent testing company was on the Grace Church job on July 31 to check the quality of water coming from the new six-inch main. This large pipe will supply the fire sprinkler system in part of the basement of the old building, as well as all of the new addition. Because the inside of the pipes could have become contaminated at the factory, in transportation, or in installation, a water quality test is required before the connection to the building is made. In the photo above, the test technician clears the pipe by letting it run for a few minutes; then the water had to be pumped out of the excavation and a sample taken from the new pipe for testing.

Kit Cone

Big Drainage Project

A big drainage project is going on, below the former exit driveway on the east side of the church. As part of the parish hall construction project, eight-inch PVC drainage pipe is being laid to carry away the storm water that has caused serious flooding in the past. How many parishioners (and especially Madison Day Care and Madison Co-Op Nursery School families) remember the "temporary" wooden dam that was erected in the exit door outside the Epiphany Chapel to keep the flood water out? The new flood control system includes huge concrete detention basins buried below the surface, and new pipes to carry the overflow to the Kings Road storm runoff system. The photograph above was taken on July 30 from the former exit driveway, looking toward the dumpsters, with the east end of Nieman Hall visible to the right.

Kit Cone

Out Go the Kitchen Windows!

On July 30, demolition company workers removed the door frame to what used to be the "main entrance" to the church, and the frame of the kitchen windows. Now on exterior walls, these openings will be part of the connecting wall between the existing church and the new parish hall. Above, the center panel of the kitchen window is removed; the open doorway is at left.

Kit Cone

The Walls Are Growing!

What a great sign of progress on the addition! The masons have reached as high as they can on the east wall, looking out over the municipal playing field. Today, July 29, the scaffolding crew set up their pipes and planks to raise the masons to the next level. Work on the west wall is already completed. The skid-steer loader is seen bringing up a big pile of planks, each one of which must be certified as a construction plank, to support the masons and their supply of blocks. The unfinished section of wall at the right is to allow access for the loader to bring in supplies and equipment.

Kit Cone

Another Load of Concrete Blocks

Another load of concrete blocks arrives at the construction site. With only limited storage space around the new building, the contractor depends on the block company arriving on schedule with the supplies. The flatbed truck has its own crane, so a big pallet of blocks can be lifted off the truck and placed on the ground in one unit, without handling the blocks individually.

Kit Cone

No more flooding?

This should take care of our long-standing rainwater flooding problem! This eight-inch pipe is part of the new drainage system to lead surface runoff from the back of the church out to the storm drain in Kings Road. Note the level to be sure that the pipe is sloping down. Flood water in the area of the Epiphany Chapel -- inside and outside the building -- has been a problem for many years, and this huge pipe should be the end of it!

Kit Cone

Progress as of July 26 (continued)

More photos and notes from Kit Cone on Saturday, July 26.

There is tremendous progress with the construction of the new addition at the rear of the church. Concrete block walls are going up at a great rate.

Blocks are stacked on scaffolding by laborers, so that masons can pick up the next block and set it in place with minimal "running around" for supplies.

A long-standing drainage problem at the back of the church should be remedied by the installation of a very generously designed storm water runoff system. In the photo above, new PVC drain pipes for the addition are visible prior to being buried, and at right are the visible parts of a new eight-inch drain system for the existing building. In the photo below, drain pipe is stacked at the ready to be installed from roof drains at the side of the old rectory, feeding directly into the new drain under the former exit driveway down to Kings Road. The remediation work, being done as part of the new construction project, should eliminate the frequent flooding of the courtyard outside the Chapel of the Epiphany and the Madison Day Care Center classrooms.

Progress as of July 26

Photos and notes from Kit Cone on Saturday, July 26.

Excellent progress! The former exit driveway has been excavated in recent weeks to lay new drain and water supply pipes. As this work nears its completion, the lower portion of the driveway has been restored to grade. The photo above is looking up the driveway from Kings Road; the photo below is taken from the top of the driveway looking toward Kings Road.

A look into the "off limits" areas...

It has not been possible to make pictures inside the building during the removal of asbestos. This work continues, but the contractor has cleared the site of any asbestos, and Sunday services were held in the church as usual. The photo above is the familiar "old way" of entering the church, from the "main door" between the kitchen and the choir room. The asbestos floor tiles have been removed, and hall looks very stark and bare. The photo below shows the contrast between the original light green color of the floor in Nieman Hall and the present dark green; the difference was caused by 50 years of wax buildup.

Progress as of July 25

Photos and notes from Kit Cone:

A deep trench where the former exit driveway used to be is being backfilled today, following the installation of storm drains, sanitary sewer line, and a new six-inch water main to feed the new fire sprinklers. Sprinklers are being installed in the basement of the existing church, and throughout the new addition.

Masons are moving quickly with the construction of the basement walls in the new addition. In places where they join the existing part of the church, the concrete blocks must often be cut to fit; the cloud of dust at left center is churned up by a diamond-tip saw cutting a block. The open space at the back right of the foundation is a temporary access route for the skid-steer bucket loader, the small red vehicle at center right, so it can enter the "basement" to bring in more concrete blocks.

Two of the many masons on the job are shown placing concrete blocks adjacent to the existing building. The concrete blocks are built up on top of the poured concrete foundation, and locked together by reinforcing rods set into the footing.

Grace Church is now open for the weekend of July 25-27

Having passed the air quality tests, Grace Church is now open for the weekend. It closes again for continued Hazmat work on Monday, July 28.

Work in the front yard for the new water main

More photos and notes from Kit Cone:

These photos show the work in the front yard. Although most of the visible work at this time is in the back of the church, where the major construction is under way, there is also a lot of earth-moving going on in front.

An excavation for a six-inch water main has been completed, and the pipe put in place. It will feed the new fire sprinkler system in the basement of the present church and in the new addition.

Signs of progress: the Rector can park in her driveway again!

A photo and note sent by Kit Cone today:

This picture shows a very appreciated kind of progress: the rectory has its new driveway! After a long time tramping through the construction work to get to her house, Lauren can now park in the driveway just like a real suburbanite! Welcome home, Mother Lauren!

How tall do they think Grace parishioners are???

Some photos taken by Kit Cone yesterday, the first day of the Hazmat work, with his notes:

This is the asbestos warning sign in the back door of the church...

...which you would have to be 15-20 feet tall to even read!

The third picture shows the placement of a lot of concrete block today. The masons were really busy! And notice that the reinforcing rods have to poke up in precisely the right place to line up with the holes in the concrete blocks! Then they pack the hole in the block with concrete to make sure that this building will last longer than forever!

And on the first day of operations, the asbestos removal fellows set off the fire alarm. Fortunately Captain Ed was able to resolve the problem, which was in the alarm rather than any fire in the building. The inside of the building is absolute chaos, with doors covered by heavy plastic taped in place.

In response to some conjecture about whether anyone could go in the building during the asbestos removal: NO!

Signs of progress: the new parish hall foundation has been poured

The foundation for the new parish hall was poured yesterday.

Kit Cone, who took the above photo, wrote:

Today the concrete for all the footings under the new addition was poured in one day! The photo shows the concrete mixer putting the last load into the forms. (Earlier in the day a concrete pump had been used, but at that point I was on the road with the Recycling Ministry on a four-shift day!) The "fence" sticking out of the newly poured concrete footings is reinforcing rod which will bond the next layer of concrete to the footings. The footings themselves are also heavily reinforced with the same kind of steel rods.

Driveway & parking lot access this weekend, July 19-20

There are no issues with access to the main driveway and parking lot this weekend.

Remember that parking on the circle via the old exit driveway is no longer possible, while they work on the widening and drainage issues.

Grace Church closing for Hazmat work - UPDATED

All the facilities at Grace Church will be closed for Hazmat work Monday through Friday for three weeks beginning Monday, July 21 and ending Friday, August 8. At the end of each work week the air quality will be tested and the facilities will be opened for use on Saturday and Sunday.

Services, events and meetings will be relocated as follows:

• Weekday services will be held in a temporary chapel in the Rectory.
• Saturday and Sunday services will be held in the church as usual.
• The “Saving Jesus” Series on Wednesday evenings will be held at the home of Jim & Sue Van Leuven in Madison.
• The Finance Meeting on Monday, July 21 has been canceled. The next meeting will be Monday, August 18. In the interim, chair Elizabeth Vandeveer will email information to committee members as necessary.
• The Craft Guild which meets on Tuesday evenings will be held at the home of Joyce Alexander in Madison on July 22 and 29. No decision has been made yet about the August 5 meeting; please speak to Jaclyn Connell for more information.

Please note that parish clergy and staff will be able to check their church voicemail and email from home.

Exit driveway and circle closed

What was formerly the exit driveway onto Kings Road was closed today. It is being widened so that it can become the service driveway, with ample room for garbage trucks, fire trucks and the like. Work will also be done to resolve the drainage problems we've had in that area.

Needless to say, parking on the "circle" is no longer possible. Luckily, the main driveway and parking lot are fully accessible.

Signs of progress: preparing to pour foundation

Today they started building wooden forms for the pouring of the foundation of the new parish hall.

Photo by Kit Cone.

Grace Church closed for Hazmat work starting Monday, July 21

All the facilities at Grace Church will be closed for Hazmat work Monday through Friday for three weeks beginning Monday, July 21 and ending Friday, August 8. At the end of each work week the air quality will be tested and the facilities will be opened for use on Saturday and Sunday.

Services, events and meetings will be relocated as follows:

• Weekday services will be held in the living room of the Rectory, which will be converted into a temporary chapel.
• Saturday and Sunday services will be held in the church as usual.
• The “Saving Jesus” Series on Wednesday evenings will be held at the home of Jim & Sue Van Leuven in Madison.
• The Finance Meeting on Monday, July 21 will be held in an alternate location to be announced. Please speak to Mother Lauren or Elizabeth Vandeveer for more information.
• The Craft Guild which meets on Tuesday evenings will either relocate or go on hiatus. Please speak to Jaclyn Connell for more information.

Now it's a REALLY HUMONGOUS hole!

Kit Cone demonstrating the size of the really humongous hole.

Please observe the orange fencing and yellow caution tape, and keep a safe distance.

Driveway & parking lot access this weekend, July 12-13

There should be no issues with driveway or parking lot access this weekend.

Kit Cone, who took this photo, writes:

A very nice touch: Visbeen Construction has placed a row of hay bales around the dirt piled temporarily at the back of the parking lot. Knowing that we need to keep the parking lot accessible and tidy for church services, Visbeen wanted to keep any mud from running off the piles onto the pavement in a rainstorm. So they went the extra mile and put the hay bales in place.

Signs of progress

Photos and notes from Kit Cone:

Fire sprinklers are being installed in the classroom area of the church basement as part of the construction project. A new six-inch water main will be installed from the street to the building to supply the fire sprinklers. An automatic alarm will summon the Fire Department in the event that the sprinkler system is activated.

The installation of paving blocks in the area under the port cochere has been completed. Because the driveway is curved, the installation involved a lot of cutting and fitting of the stone blocks.

That's a BIG hole!

Warden Dave Gates demonstrates the depth of the new parish hall excavation after two days of digging:

And that's a BIG pile of dirt, too!

Artifacts from the past, unearthed

Kit Cone, who took this photo, writes:

Some of the many very old bottles found by Jim Alden in one of the piles of dirt dug up in preparation for the construction. These bottles were just sticking out of the pile. Very likely a search would disclose hundreds more! Many are old milk bottles from local dairies, and some appear to have held liquor, but we don't yet know why they were buried on the church grounds.

Excavation begins for new parish hall foundation

Excavation began today, July 7, for the foundation of the new parish hall. The driveway continues to be accessible - just watch out for heavy machinery.

Watch that first step - it's a doozy! (This is why we can no longer use the back door.)

And this is why there's no Mass on the Grass this summer.

(Thanks to Kit Cone for the 3rd and 4th photos in this post.)

Additional parking behind Grace Counseling Center

The church driveway is currently open, but remember that if necessary you can always use the new, additional parking behind Grace Counseling Center, next door to Grace Church. (Shown below; thanks to Judy Jurgensen for the photo.)

Driveway & parking lot access this weekend, July 4-6

The driveway entrance is open and is now being used as both an entrance and an exit, as the old exit is blocked off. Please be aware that there is now two-way traffic at this entrance, and exercise caution.

The back parking lot can be used. Just be aware that the lines delineating parking spots are somewhat obscured by dirt.

The side lot for staff/handicapped parking (across from the side door) can also be used. In order to allow enough room for two-way traffic, please park parallel to the retaining wall (as the truck below is doing), NOT head-in. There should be room for three cars in this area.


Remember that you can always use the new, additional parking lot behind Grace Counseling Center, next door to Grace Church.

CAUTION: Back Entrance Closed

The back entrance to the church (between the kitchen and the choir room) is now boarded up. Please enter the church via the side entrance (across from the Rectory).


This is what it looks like outside the back door, and why you don't want to use it: