San Damiano Center for Sustainability: Framing in progress, Part I

San Damiano Center for Sustainability:
Framing in Progress, Part I

by Eric Fitts, Director

An update is overdue!

The Shelter-Kit framing kit arrived on a 54-foot truck and trailer with 33,000 lbs of materials. Since the truck could not get up our 1/2-mile driveway, it took all afternoon and the next morning to get the materials up the driveway and positioned near the site (thanks to Mark Solak, with help from Will, Grace, and Joey, fresh from the eastbound train).

The anchor bolts were being set as the materials arrived and framing was able to begin the next week. We are about 10 days in now and have framed out all four exterior walls, set the rim joists, set all interior posts and all four posts for the open-air educational area (left, west side of site), set a couple of floor headers for the left, and set a few floor joists in place for the loft.

Almost everyone has helped to at least raise a wall section and we have had a dedicated crew each week. So far, Cece, Lindsey, Kat, Gabby, Joey, Grace, Kevin, Leah, and others I am forgetting at this late hour have helped for at least one full day, if not much longer. Kevin Truong is our ETHOS intern from the University of Dayton Engineering Department’s service program, so he will see a huge chunk of the project over the course of a full summer, more on his story later.

Thanks for all the support. If you know anyone interested in helping this project come to fruition or who wants to come and help for a week, then send them our way! Donations can be made at bethlehemfarm.net/rmccc