Project Archive Page
This page contains the activities for March and April 2009.
Week Ending April 25th - The final grade of compacted gravel for the barn platform is complete and the table is now set for Morton to begin construction. We also installed a 2000 gallon septic tank and 1500 gallon pump chamber for the barn facilities. Our Indian Meadow farm sign is now in place next to the entry driveway on Garden Street.
Week Ending April 18th - In addition to the sub grade for the barn being completed the outdoor riding arena is shaping up as well. We installed a 1500 gallon septic tank and man hole that will join up with the septic drain from the barn. More details next week.
Week Ending April 11th - The new septic system is nearing completion and the Unit team have been very precise in their work. We have also completed the necessary rough grading for the barn area and we will be adding a compacted gravel base from which Morton will begin their work in May. The outdoor riding arena is taking shape as we are approaching the final grade for the arena; the view from the arena is going to be spectacular year round. Joe says "We're still ahead of schedule" and if the Morton construction team are as productive as the Unit team has been in their site preparation I'll be "pulling my schedule in".
Week Ending April 4th - The work week began and ended with rain but in between the "rain delays" the Unit construction team took the field and we had another productive week. We had a caravan of six trucks from Bentley Warren delivering the special septic sand and with the compacted base in front of the septic system and the partial implementation of the driveway to the riding facility the trucks were lined up in a pattern that the air traffic controllers could learn from. We also started cutting to the sub grade for the barn area. Joe says "We're still ahead of schedule".
Week Ending March 28th - We had four great days with significant progress but the rain on Thursday night made for messy working conditions on Friday. We removed all the loam from the areas that will be cut and filled to the specified elevations in our site plan. We now have a rather large pile of loam that will be screened and then reapplied to "beautify" the entire property after the construction is completed. I took a couple of photos of the septic, paddock area, and the outdoor arena location from on top of the loam pile. We had some wood chips left over so we'll spread them on the trail section along the stone walls. Jimmy and his crew have also done a great job building a stone wall and next week the masterpiece should be complete. With rain forecast for Sunday we'll have to see how next week starts off. The Unit Construction crew keep a clean and tidy work site and when the clay and soils are wet it's just counterproductive to cut grades. Joe says "We're still ahead of schedule".
Week Ending March 21st - We had another highly productive week with major progress on the site. Verrier logging has completed the tree clearing and all that remains for them is to transport the remaining wood chips to a Bio fuel plant in Maine. They did a great job and I would recommend this local family business.
Unit construction has removed most of the tree stumps and we have staked the barn location. They also cleaned up and graded an area behind a stone wall, next to what will be the outdoor arena, and we'll put 5 paddocks there and maintain an existing trail. The septic area continues to take shape with additional fill compacted around the perimeter of the septic field. Still "ahead of schedule" according the Site Superintendant.
Week Ending March 14th - Although the week began
with a snow storm followed by rain we accomplished a great deal due
the incredible power of the heavy equipment and skilled operators
running them. In fact, I even told Chris (who immediately told
Chelise and others) that I have declared the
project "ahead of schedule".
Shawn has been anxiously awaiting the day to initiate his first
major project of 2009. He calculated and plotted all the key points
and locations in the comfort of his office, and he was very excited
to now be on site to implement the site plan with great precision
due to his high tech transit. I had to include this picture of him
since I suspect most his staff have never seen him with a smile on
his face. Now they have the proof. We staked out the markers for the
driveway approaching the front of the barn and are well positioned
to locate the other critical points next week.
In order have easy access to the work area for the septic and outdoor arena we created a road and staging area. I found out what a twister bucket is and how easy it strips off the topsoil so we have a hard surface and can install and compact a good base material and gravel. We trucked in some additional fill and we now have a hard level work area to expand from. Quite a change from the week before when the log truck almost couldn't make it out due to mud and road condition.
Following behind the tree guys we have started to remove stumps from some of the cleared area. It's rather impressive to watch the excavator surgically remove the stumps. We'll also be relocating part of a farmers stone wall and will be rebuilding and expanding a beautiful wall along a trail. We cleaned out the area in the front of the wall and it will be improved and expanded upon. This great wall of Indian Meadow Farm will be clearly visible from the outdoor riding ring and will be a prominent feature of the property. Behind the wall we'll have a few paddocks.
Week Ending March 7th, 2009 - Bill Verrier and his
son Dave and friend Dale arrived on site with their Chipper and
Skidder and we have begun to remove trees.
Week Ending February 28th - The septic plans have been approved and in order to implement the design a large shed row has to be removed. We took advantage of the good weather and demolished and removed a large row shed. We also started clearing trees and the heavy equipment is on site to begin initial engineering and removing stumps. After four 30 yard dumpsters, and with the assistance of Jimmy and AJ, we have completed this back breaking task. Here are the before and after photos.
The site plan requires us to remove some trees and brush. We are making every effort to retain the glorious older trees but in some areas the overgrown forest will be cleared to accommodate the facility and outdoor arena. We hired Verrier Land Clearing and Bill and his son Dave are off to a great start with the window of mild weather we had in late February. I'm working on the web site as 12+ inches of new snow approaches later on Sunday - but it can't last long.
The overall engineering plan requires some significant site work (new septic for both the house and barn, comprehensive Massachusetts storm water management system, grading, compaction, etc). We hired Shawn Savage who owns Unit Construction as our site utility contractor. He did some great work for us in the past and has an outstanding reputation earned through numerous projects in the area. As you can see he has all the right equipment for any size job and there's a story behind each one.