Self-cleaning Drain Pipe
PermaFLOW Trap
Happy New Year, 2009!
Happy New Year to everyone! We all have high hopes for what the new year will bring, despite the somewhat depressing news brought to us by the national media. Personally I want to take a positive attitude and look at last year’s slow down as producing some pent up demand for some growth! I can’t say that my crystal ball is any better than yours, but keeping a positive attitude can’t hurt.
2009 is a bit of a milestone for Easterday Construction Co., Inc. too. The early history of our company is bit sketchy, but our earliest record of completed work is the dedication stone on the south side of the Culver Elementary School Gym which says the gym was built in 1929 by Russell L. Easterday Construction and Supply Company. That would have to be one of the earliest incarnations of our company which puts us at 80 years old this year!
Proposed Culver Elementary School Gym Addition
At the time of construction, the gym was the High School Gym. Through changes over the years, it has served as a Jr. High School Gym and now the Elementary School Gym. The Adminstration is currently considering renovations including roof work, changing the interior floor plan, installing new bleachers and building an addition on the west side to correct problems with the existing locker room. The gym is located across the street from our office in Culver. We look forward to the opportunity to participate in this project if it moves forward.
I met Judge Wendall C. Tombaugh late last year to discuss a project at his home. It was interesting talking to him as he is a former Culver resident (moving away in 1929) and knew of our company from those days until today. It’s always interesting to hear history of our Company from the perspective of those on the outside. It’s also interesting that his recollections back date our beginnings even further. First hand accounts are getting harder and harder to come by.
I’ve kind of rambled here, but here’s wishing everyone a Happy, Healthy, Prosperous New Year!
Kevin
Key West
Key West, Florida Map
As mentioned in a previous post, Becky and I took some time off after Thanksgiving to travel south. We didn’t find the best weather, but we still had a good time. We spent the weekend after Thankgiving in Atlanta and then drove down to Key West, FL on Monday. We basically had three days at Key West (Tues, Wed, Thurs) before driving back to Atlanta on Friday.
Key West East Martello Museum
This is our second trip to Key West in two years. We went there last year at this time and enjoyed it as well. This year we had somewhat of a heads up on what we had seen and liked and knew a little more about where to go. Last year we visited the Key West Garden Club in the West Martello, Hemingway’s Home, Truman’s Little White House and Fort Zachery Taylor. This year we visited East Martello Fort Museum, the Butterfly Conservatory as well as returning to Fort Zachary Taylor and doing some additional neighborhood exploration. We enjoyed the live blues music at the Sunset Pier and enjoyed the <warning!> raunchy songs and humor by Pete & Wayne at Sloppy Joes.
Former ECC employee Leroy Bean honored by Culver Chamber of Commerce
From the Pilot News:
Awarded Volunteer of the Year was Leroy Bean, whom Stallings (Culver Chamber President) said “epitomizes what a volunteer is.”
Born in Chicago in 1941, Bean was in Culver by 1942 and has lived here 66 years since, marrying Margaret Poor in 1961 and having two daughters, Kimberly and Cheryl, besides three grandchildren, three step grandchildren, and five great grandsons. Bean retired from Easterday Construction after 42 years in Nov., 2004 joining the Lions Club along the way in July, 2001. Bean became “Station Master” in 2002 at the Club’s headquarters, the former Culver train station-depot in the town park. “If Leroy asks you to take that job over,” quipped Stallings with a smile, “you have to say ‘no.’ He basically runs that place. Everything that happens there, Leroy’s involved in it.”
Bean has been in charge of rental of the station since 2003, and over recent years has volunteered at the Kiwanis Club’s Twin Lakes camp, helped with Christmas in April several times, worked with Culver’s food pantry, removed snow from sidewalks of neighbors and residents; put up Christmas decorations on Main St. and Lakeshore Drive, and held seats on the park board and Lakefest Committee.
Bean, expressing his appreciation and surprise at the award, said simply he’d “rather be out volunteering somewhere!”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
As stated in the above article, Leroy was an employee of Easterday Construction Co., Inc. for over 40 years, much of that time serving as a Project Superintendent. He started as a truck driver and worked his way up, developing his skills as a carpenter and supervisor along the way. We still count him as a friend and are proud of his continuing accomplishments since leaving us. We wish him the best and hope to nominate him for this award again in the future. – Kevin
Sandhill Farm – Suwanee Town Center
Last week Becky and I took a week and went to Georgia and Florida. We drove down to Atlanta on Thanksgiving Day and spent that weekend with one of my best friends, Kim Whitten, who was also my secretary at my previous employer. We spent the weekend with her family before going on to Florida and Key West. We came back and stayed with them for the weekend on the return leg of our trip as well. Even when I lived there, I referred to the area as Atlanta, but in reality, Kim lives in Suwanee, Georgia. (Yeah, like the song.)
In touring around our old stomping grounds, we went to see Suwanee Town Center. Rather than trying to revive the old downtown, Suwanee chose to create a new town center. It is a P.U.D. in its truest sense, combining public service space, park space, commercial space and a range of residential types. Read more about it here and here.
The Suwanee Town Center states their vision as “live…work…play…shop.” This is something I would like to emulate in my proposed Sand Hill Farm development. There are differences. The Sand Hill Farm property is approximately 2/3rds the size and I have no vision for Sand Hill Farm to take the place of Downtown Culver. Also, in keeping with the vision presented by the Culver Redevelopment Commission, I would like to keep an option open for a light industrial aspect to the development.
