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The first step was to clear all the trees from the building site and put up a protective fence. The site had once been a summer camp, so there were few large or significant trees over much of the site--the building had already been placed on the site so as to save the most large or significant trees as possible.
8-17-00 |
The area that was to become the sports field had already been levelled off, and as topsoil from around the site was taken away, it was put in a huge pile here. Eventually it grew to a great height, and was planted with grass to keep the Huge Pile of Dirt from turning into the Largest Mud Puddle in the World.
8-17-00 |
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In addition to clearing the areas where the building was to stand, the parking areas needed to be cleared and levelled as well. After a rough paving was put down, this became the place where all of the constuction site offices were parked.
8-17-00 |
By the middle of September 2000, the concrete trucks started their many, many visits to the site as the foundations began to be poured. The only area of the building that actually has large walls of concrete is around the Gym and BOCES wing--under most of the remainder of the building is a concrete slab.
9-14-00 |
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Here, we are looking at the back of the Gym wall and on past it to the Middle/High School in the background. In order for the concrete to be directed to wherever it needs to get to, it is pumped out of the truck, through the long gooseneck shown in the photo, and down into the forms for the foundation walls.
9-14-00 |
A week and a half later, they have turned the corner and are at work on the northern wall of the Gym wing. The metal forms are clearly seen in this photo. Two parallel walls of these steel plates are erected, then steel reinforcing bars are placed between them. The concrete is poured, given time to set up, then the forms are removed and re-erected further along the wall.
9-25-00 |
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The construction worker in this photo is standing where the kitchen will one day be--you can see the shallow digging for the concrete slab that will be underneath much of the building. In the background, down the hill, is where the blacktop playground will go, and further on, the Pepsico building--their property is adjacent to ours to the north.
9-25-00 |
By the end of October, the walls around the Gym are finished. The very low concrete pieces in the foreground are the concrete sills for the exterior walls; only the walls up against the slope of the land are poured concrete.
10-30-00 |
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Also at the same time, the concrete sills around the classroom wings and the main section of the building along the circular hallway are being poured, as well as the footings for major structural supports (what can be seen running down the center of the classroom wing seen here). The shape of the footprint of the building is now becoming clear on the site.
10-30-00 |
Around the beginning of November, while the concrete was being finished, and the wait for the steel framing began (it ended up being about 3 weeks behind schedule), the beginning of the landscaping work that could be done was underway--curbing, some grading and backfilling, and the stone wall along the north edge of the parking area, seen here about halfway completed.
11-00 |
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Now that the walls for the Gym were complete, the pouring of the floor was the next stage of the process. Think of a concrete sidewalk...a very, VERY big concrete sidewalk. (Unlike a sidewalk, which is outside and needs seams to deal with the expansion and contraction that comes with different temperatures, this interior floor can be one smooth surface.)
11-00 |
The Gym floor is almost done. Some sense of the great size of the Gym can begin to be gotten from this shot, comparing the expanse of floor with the vehicles and people in the photo.
11-00 |
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Early November is also when the walls, sills, etc. for the classroom wings were being readied for the slabs to be poured there. Depending on the contours of the land by each wing, varying combinations of concrete sills basically on grade and short foundation walls were used. Here, a greater slope of the land required short foundation walls.
11-00 |
A classroom wing just before the concrete slab is to be poured. Footings and sills are complete, the underlying gravel is in place, and the short pipes sticking up are drain pipes that will be connected later on to classroom sinks, water fountains, and bathroom fixtures.
11-00 |
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