Well, some ground to be made up here as the past couple of weeks have been silent with updates.

Lots of changes in the past couple of weeks including losing carpet, gaining carpet, losing lighting, gaining lighting, and general organized chaos.  The push is on to finish so we’re seeing multiple crews overlapping as they all work hard to complete all of the various tasks.  At one point I counted five lifts in the air at once. – the whole place looked as if Dr Suess had drawn some of his whacky contraptions in 3D.  As far as what has been done over the past couple of weeks, my best explanation is “everything.”  The A/V guys are installing the new audio visual systems, electricians are working feverishly, roofers on the roof, carpenters working, painters, drywallers; you name it they’ve been working non-stop.  Not much longer now!

After a couple of weeks of behind-the-scenes work, we finally get to see some dramatic visual changes. The acoustic treatment panels have been installed on the walls changing the look and the sound of the room, and trim work is in progress giving the room a more finished look. The room is getting darker before it gets brighter as existing lights are removed in preparation for new lights. Temporary stage lighting is has been installed so that we can see the stage and carry on with our worship services in the midst of the chaos. Only a few weeks left until we return to some form of normalcy!

The story of the week this week has to be the start of work on the roof.  Workers are making repairs and replacement in sections while the electricians run needed conduit runs and place holes for new house lighting.  Inside the building the backstage area of the Worship Center looks like it’s been attacked by concrete moles.  Trenches stretch from one end to the other for electrical conduit runs.  Finish work continues with painting and some trim going up in several places.  The old wallpaper in the West Foyer is being removed and replaced updated with fresh plaster and paint.

There’s not much to report this week from a visual standpoint. Drywall workers did do some finish work as well as a few surfaces have received a coat of paint. Other than that most of the work was behind the scenes in the form of finishing the projection rooms, continuing conduit runs, and lots of continuing electrical work. Next week the roofing workers plan to start on the roof and electrical work will continue.

Work this week consisted of a bit of carpentry, some messy trench digging, and lots of drywall hanging and finishing.  Carpentry was less dramatic this week but several necessary projects were completed including construction of the rear projection rooms.  One of the toughest jobs of this renovation has to be the trenching: cutting through concrete, digging dirt, and hauling wheelbarrows of rock.  A single worker has been responsible for most of this backbreaking work since the start of the project;  someone needs to bring this dude some cookies!

This week the project turned the corner from mostly destruction to construction.  Work consisted of framing the stage wall, building media booths, running conduit, and framing the window facades.  The most dramatic visual change from last week is the framing of the stage wall and the addition of A/V/Lighting control booths.   Several unfinished items from last week will show progress; including the brickwork on the under-balcony west wall, the new doorway through the brick of the south wall, and the partially sheetrocked window surrounds.

Week one started off with a bang – complete with sledgehammers, crowbars, and the constant buzz of a reciprocating saw ripping through layers of wood and drywall.  The stage platform was methodically disassembled down to the concrete, the facing on the rear of the stage was removed, and the wall separating the under-balcony foyer from the main space disappeared.  The surprise on faces upon initial entry Sunday should be interesting.  Overall an exciting, and dusty week!