projects
The Remnant Trust Open House
The Remnant Trust Book Vault
The Remnant Trust in partnership with OrthoWorx held an Open House for their Winona Lake facility on December 3rd, 2010. (See previous entries on this project here and here.) Unfortunately I was unable to attend, but Will and Kathy Pearson attended as representatives for Easterday Construction Co., Inc. The Open House was attended by various members of the Warsaw and Winona Lake Community. Brian Bex, one of the founding members of The Remnant Trust, was there signing copies of his book Summa Liberte’: The Unchaining of Ideas.
Exterior view of the Winona Lake Remnant Trust facility
This project began with bidding in the early Spring of 2010 and culminated with this Open House the first week in December of 2010. Finalizing funding delayed construction until Summer. While mainly an interior remodel, the project also included some minor maintenance and upgrades to the exterior such as the repair of rotted wood and the addition of security lighting.
The Vault Room in the new finished Remnant Trust facility in Winona Lake during the Open House
For this project, we took an existing building owned by Grace College and remodeled it into a storage vault and research facility for preserved documents. The interior of the building was tongue and groove wood siding that we had to match and blend with new. The existing open framework was maintained except in the vault room where walls were deepened to accommodate additional insulation and to allow us to make the room less permeable. All of our joints were either caulked or otherwise sealed. The new acoustical ceiling tile system was installed with clips to hold the tile in place. Pressure tests were completed at the end of the vault construction to verify that it was appropriately sealed. A specialized fire suppression system was installed, designed to extinguish a fire in the early stages without introducing water or other chemicals that could harm the documents stored within. UV protective film was installed on the windows and sensitive HVAC and alarm systems were installed. Additional security lighting was installed around the perimeter.
This ends another project that we are proud to have in our portfolio. Congratulations to The Remnant Trust and Kris Bex, Director of this new facility, for this new addition to their library system.
The Remnant Trust in Winona Lake
LaPaz Garden Court Inc. Open House
- LaPaz Garden Court Inc. Open House announcement from the Pilot News November 6, 2010
Friday was the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the LaPaz Garden Court. It’s always a great thing to go back and see how the facilities have been decorated, see the residents that have taken rooms and hear from all of those involved. Dr. Ronald Liechty served as Master of Ceremony and as always, made everyone feel good about the work that it took to bring the project to completion.
We completed work on LaPaz Garden Court in mid-October and it is already 2/3rds full. There was actually another resident signing up while the open house was in progress!
We were pleased that the H.U.D. representative for this job attended the ceremony. This is the first time this has happened. We were all pleased that she also had the opportunity to see the good that Garden Court has been able to do. This would not be possible with out the grants from H.U.D.
LaPaz Garden Court is the 6th Garden Court project that Easterday Construction Co., Inc. has partnered with Garden Court, Inc. to complete. While we have also worked on several of their other projects, we have completed six projects from start to finish in Argos, Bourbon, Knox, Plymouth, Mentone and now LaPaz. We hope to be starting out 7th project with them, Culver Garden Court, within the next few weeks.
All of us at Easterday Construction are proud of our association with Garden Court, Inc. and we hope to continue our partnership into the future.
Grace Baptist Church Restroom Remodel
Existing Women's Restroom
The restrooms at Grace Baptist Church in Plymouth have been an issue for a number of years. They were small and the decor had become dated. Off and on for almost 10 years we have visited this subject with the Church, but we had been unable to find a suitable solution. The restrooms were block wall construction built between the Sanctuary and the classrooms and were surrounded by mechanical infrastructure. The quandary resurfaced last year when Pastor Elliott asked that we take a fresh look at the restrooms.
Existing Men's Room
The Church was also experiencing some mechanical problems with two of their five air handling units at that time. The two units in question were in the mechanical space between the restrooms. By including the replacement of those two units in the project, we were able to open up new possibilities.
Even with this, we went through 11 new floor plans before we found one that pleased the Church Building Committee. The final plan gutted both restrooms and the mechanical room between them. A second floor mechanical room was added allowing infrastructure to be moved up, freeing additional floor space. This also provided some additional storage for the Church.
GBC Restroom Remodel
Over the years, the original galvanized water pipe from the street had become corroded and water pressure was insufficient to serve multiple fixtures simultaneously, so new water lines were installed from the street to correct this problem. We updated the electrical circuits in this portion of the building and we installed a new in-line water heater to increase capacity while reducing energy consumption.
New Men's Room
The men’s room was widened slightly to allow ADA standards to be met. There is now a full 5′ turning radius in the room. It was also lengthened, closing an existing exterior door and allowing room for a larger sink and an additional urinal.
New Women's Room
The women’s room benefited the most, not only gaining additional space to meet ADA standards, but by taking most of the former mechanical room space into the women’s room, there is now generous floor space, full size stalls and a larger counter with two sinks. There was even room to put a small table and a couple of chairs.
New Women's Room Chairs
Pam Clay of Clay’s Flooring & Interiors, Inc. in Rochester helped with the tile design. She provided color boards that included different tile, tile patterns and tile borders for each room. Using that as a basis, the Church chose colors for walls and toilet partitions. A last minute upgrade to solid surface sinks and countertops was made. The Church found a source for designer faucets which allowed them to upgrade those fixtures at no additional cost. They also found baby changing stations which we installed.
Exterior View from South
To create the second floor space without detracting from the existing building, a shed roof was employed using a 1/2:12 slope and standing seam roof. This allowed the second floor addition to remain hidden behind the existing trusses and invisible from the front entrance on the north side of the building. Butler Manufacturing Company metal wall panels were used to match those used on the Grace Baptist School just across the creek. This was an economical solution that blended well with the existing brick and emphasizes the ties between the Church and School. An access door was included at the second floor for equipment maintenance.
Men's Room Sinks & Counter
The final kicker to this was that we had a two month window in which to work as there was a wedding scheduled in the Church and we had to be substantially complete in time for that event. Sometimes the smaller projects are the most difficult under these conditions. There were many trades required to work over the top of each other to meet this schedule, some of which were interdependent, requiring a portion of one contract to be completed before the next could begin. Through it all the team we assembled worked well together and while we were not 100% complete for the wedding, we were substantially complete and the restrooms, including the plumbing and HVAC were operational for that day. Thanks to Espich Siddall Plumbing, Matt Peregrine Heating & Air Conditioning, Michiana Contracting, McKinley Painting, Inc. and H&D Creamer.
A Big Week for Culver Garden Court
Real Estate Management Flyer describing Culver Garden Court Amenities
The week of 8/16/10 was a big week for the planned Culver Garden Court project. On Tuesday, August 17th, I presented the Minor Subdivision plan for the Wade & Claudia McGee Subdivision to the Culver Plan Commission for approval. Culver allows Minor Subdivisions of property consisting of three or less parcels to be completed with a single presentation. This presentation went smoothly and was accepted by unanimous vote. All members of the Plan Commission seemed pleased that the project was moving forward.
On Thursday, August 19th, Brent Martin, Project Architect, and I presented the Special Use Permit request to to the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA). The BZA had a full schedule and we were fifth of five on the agenda. Brent had the opportunity, whether he wanted it or not, to observe the Culver BZA in action on several things before we presented.
The Special Use Permit covered several items: 1) We applied for the Culver Garden Court project as Apartments which are allowed, but require a Special Use Permit under the existing S-1, Suburban Residential, Zoning District. 2) The 535 sf units are smaller than is generally allowed under Culver’s multi-family housing requirements. Since this is a HUD project and the 535 sf size is a HUD maximum square footage under 202 projects, the BZA agreed to this change and allowed the project to move forward. 3) Culver’s parking space standards require 2 spaces per unit. We were granted a change from the required 26 spaces to 16 spaces. This has proven to be an adequate ratio on previous Garden Court projects.
Culver’s Board of Zoning Appeals is operating with one vacant seat. Fortunately this wasn’t an issue and the Special Use Permit was granted unanimously, 4-0.
Dr. Ronald Liechty and Brent Martin presenting highlights of the Culver Garden Court Plan
On Friday, August 20th, there was a press conference at the Culver Union Township Public Library officially announcing the planned Culver Garden Court. Dr. Ronald Liechty, President of Garden Court, Inc., gave a speech congratulating all involved. Congressman Joe Donnelly spoke as well, giving accolades to Garden Court, Inc. and his assurances that he did all he could to make this project possible and that he knew that it would be a positive addition to the Culver Community.
Congressman Joe Donnelly speaking at the Culver Garden Court press conference
There was a fair turnout for the event. Culver Town Council board members Ed Pinder, Lynn Overmyer and Ralph Winters all attended. Greg Fassett was there representing both Miller’s Merry Manor and also wearing his hat as Culver Chamber of Commerce President. Representatives from the Garden Court, Inc. Board were there as well as several representatives from Real Estate Management Corp. Jeff Kenney, Editor of the Culver Citizen, was there reporting for the Culver Citizen/Pilot News. We ended up with a front page picture and article in the Pilot News, but it didn’t make the website, so I can’t provide a link. There were citizens there as well and Dr. Liechty fielded several questions from the audience regarding this project specifically and Garden Court in general.
We are currently waiting on plans from B.A. Martin Archtects, P.C. in order to begin pricing. We hope to have things together for a closing on this project prior to September 30, 2010 which is HUD’s year end. Unfortunately, we are also waiting on release of the 501(c)3 designation for this project. We cannot close without that. Despite all the talk about efforts to expedite projects, Washington still moves slowly on most of these things… We will be breaking ground on this project as soon as we can get the release.
Century Weekend
This weekend there were a couple of Century Celebrations in our community. Saturday afternoon was the dedication of the Boy Scout Headquarters at the Culver Academies Woodcraft Camp. Easterday Construction Co., Inc. was pleased to have the opportunity to build this new structure.
The Headquarters is a slightly smaller version of the camp’s existing cabins. It is cedar post and beam construction with a shingle roof. The building foundation consists of concrete piers. The original cabin design was such that the units could be moved to new locations as necessary. The project was completed on a tight budget and with an aggressive schedule. Initial discussions about building the cabin began in mid May followed by design, permitting and construction which were completed on Wednesday of last week, July 21, 2010. There are previous entries showing some of the construction and background information here and here.
The ceremony at Culver Academies coincided with a Jamboree being held in Washington, D.C. celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America. I learned this weekend that Scouting was started by Lord Baden-Powell, a Lieutenant in the British Army, upon his return from the Boer War in 1908. The Boy Scouts of America was formed by W. D. Boyce in 1910 and that is the anniversary that was celebrated this past weekend. Culver Academies’ legend is that the actual birthplace of the Boy Scouts of America was at the then Culver Military Academy in 1910.
Nearly 100 people attended the ceremony. Julius W. Hegeler II was presented a plaque thanking him for his donation through his charitable arm, the Julius W. Hegeler II Foundation, which made the facility possible. Several representatives of Culver Academies as well as local and regional representatives of the Boy Scouts of America spoke.
Also celebrating 1oo years this weekend was the First National Bank of Monterey(FNBM). It took $25,000 in 1910 to establish a National Bank. From those small beginnings in 1910, FNBM has grown to a 280 million dollarbank serving Monterey and the surrounding area through branches in Winamac, Culver and North Judson. Several hundred people helped celebrate at an Open House held at the Monterey School on Sunday afternoon.
Joe DeHaven, President and CEO of the Indiana Bankers Association, was guest speaker and awarded the Board of Directors of FNBM a plaque commemorating the occasion. Bank President Claiborn (Clip) Wamsley spoke relating some of his personal experiences from his 60 years with the bank.
Kelly Field spoke relating some of the bank’s history. Notable highlights included FNBM’s move to insure deposits long before the FDIC was created, FNBM’s issuance of their own currency and FNBM’s collaboration with 5 other small banks to change State Law in 1981 to allow a bank branch to be established in a town where another bank already exists.
Easterday Construction Co., Inc. has had a long history of affiliation with the First National Bank of Monterey. We have expanded the Monterey facility several times including most recently in 2009. We remodeled and expanded the Winamac facility, built the Culver facility and have completed several projects at the North Judson facility. Larry Berger, past president of Easterday Construction, has served on the Bank’s board of directors for more than a decade.
$10 bill issued by The First National Bank of Monterey signed by Charles B. Kietzer, Cashier and V.E. Follmar, President issued 1929
