Of pump houses and other things…
Things change at times, and sometimes they change quickly. As I joined Dave Marstall, Matt Dooley and Jim O’ Donnell on Saturday morning, cleaning up the broken bricks and discarded ceiling materials from the first stage of the deconstruction of the damage structure, it looked like the pump house was going to become history. The plan was to level the area with some dirt and fill to create a level surface so we could move the recycling dumpsters over, and thus regain a few of the parking spaces for that side of the lot. The lawnmower equipment would be stored in the white bus garage for the bulk of the summer, and then moved over to the parish garages during Sprenke.
However, the pump house walls were much more solid than we thought. By the time the ceiling was gone, and the damage bricks removed, we had 3 ½ solid, structurally sound walls. So with a little talking with some construction people, a new plan took shape including a simpler roof than the one originally on the building, a set of double doors and a finely packed rock base for flooring. Throw in a vent or two and we’ll have a very usable storage space for the Kubota AND the push mowers used for the cemetery. That’s the good news.
The bad news is – if you were looking for a chance to swing a sledge hammer or work through your ‘mother issues’ or your ‘children issues’ – you will have to find another outlet to do so. Thanks to all who helped strip the pump house to its current, re-purpose-able structure. And to those who returned the bricks that they had already taken home for garden projects. If we need volunteers for the construction part of this project, we’ll let you know.
Thanks to your generous donations to the dinner dance and auction, we plan to continue the ongoing renovations to the school and parish plant over the summer. Of the many projects we’ll undertake, one involves making our parish center up to date for audio/visual presentations with a dedicated projector and wi-fi connectivity. In addition, we also hope to replace the antiquated stage lighting and dimmer controls with something that is less a fire hazard and able to be controlled for stage productions from the hall itself, instead of from behind the curtain. (FYI – Msgr. Telthorst built the black box that still controls a lot of the forward stage lighting. I’ll give him a good deal on it if he wants it back…) I’ll keep you abreast of other changes as the summer progresses…