Great progress has been made in preparing our building to be repaired. Demolition is about finished so that reconstruction can begin.
Meticulous care has gone into cleaning the bare wood that sat in the flood waters. The past few days the muck hiding between joints and under boards was blown out with a pressure washer and then vacuumed up. The boards were then disinfected again. So many people have labored long hours to make this possible.
Our wood is nearly the proper humidity level for us to begin dry-walling the bottom four feet of our building once again. One member said yesterday that it looks like “the church is wearing shorts.” True, the top looks normal, but the “legs” (boards) are showing at the bottom.
The wiring under the platform is all being replaced. The electrical outlet boxes have been replaced.
The duct work for the air-conditioning/heating units that sat in water has all been removed. We hope to decide soon if we will be replacing the A/C and heating units completely.
Amazing progress has also occurred outside. The north two-thirds of the parking lot has been cleaned repeatedly and is greatly improved. We now have about 16 inches (deep) of muck on the south end to clear out. We would also like to begin to tackle the landscape islands on the parking lot. There is a lot of muck and debris in each one. Since the interior of our building will soon be dry-walled, we can now turn more of our attention to the exterior.
Some of the lawns have been shoveled and pressure washed and look like they might survive. Much more work needs done on the lawns so they can get the needed sunlight.
On Thursday Brian Olsen ran the “bobcat” for hours moving muck and clearing the silt from our long front sidewalks. He moved a lot of dirt around for us. What a blessing Brian has been in coming up from Arizona to help us out right now!!
The folks at Faith Evangelical Church in Loveland have brought us meals for several days – amazing meals like: Prime Rib, baked potatoes, salad, rolls or burgers and brats, or lasagna. They also brought a table full of goodies and fruit to grab on the run. Good, hot food is such a treat to worn out bodies. May the Lord greatly reward all their loving care!
Many volunteers have continued to show up each day and lend a hand. The tremendous amount of work that has been done in 6 days is due to the kindness of these folks. To God be the Glory! Great things He has done!
