Concrete Floor Installed Display Building Transformed
By Ted Kornweibel
As of this writing, half the concrete floor in the center of the Visitors Center has been laid. Soon the other half will be poured as well. How did this happen so suddenly, when for so long it seemed that improvements to the building were just too big a project for the Museum to afford?
Give credit to Restoration volunteer Joe Shelley for starting the ball rolling. As we talked about three months ago about how dusty the RPO and other exhibits got because of the dirt "floor" in the building, we knew that all there was in the kitty was $2,000 from a county TOT grant. But we needed $12,000 to do the entire center portion of the building. Joe nearly floored me (pun) when he offered, "I'll put up $1,000 for concrete." That evening I popped the question to my better half, and she agreed that we would put in $1,000 ourselves. OK, now we had $4,000, a third of the way there. But I didn't really know if I could raise $8,000.
But this possibility became a pretty good bet when I paid a visit to Museum Life Member and longtime generous contributor. Col. Bill Niedrich. Bill, too, had long wanted to see the building completed, and, soon wrote us a check for $5,000. Wow! Suddenly we were close. We only needed $3,000 more.
Only then did we alert the membership that we were getting close to a seemingly impossible goal. After only a few reminders, $3,000 in contributions rolled in from the following, in order received:
Herb Kehr; Bob & Sandy Schussler; Harold Whalen; Fred Carnathan; Roger Challberg; Brenda Bailey; Larry Williams; Corrine Gallagher; Dick & Ann Ruppert; Diana & Ron Hyatt; Barney Barnier; Dick Cupp; Larry & Tanya Rose; Rich and Sylvia Warner; George & Elizabeth Bramblett; Maurice Fennell; Tom Walker; Paul Lundquist; Brian Sampson; Mike Retz; Bruce Semelsberger; and one donor who wishes to remain anonymous. So we raised $10,000 from 25 donors. I can't tell you how much we appreciate each one of you.
Soon the second half of the center concrete will be in. What's next? Col. Bill is so pleased at the progress that he wrote another check for $2,000, for either more concrete or electrical service for the building. Would you like to see the building finished? Wouldn't we all. You can make it happen, by emulating Col. Bill's generosity. Send contributions of any size to the Museum address, with "Visitors Center improvements" on the memo line.
Finally, the concrete would not have been poured without the mighty labors and personal contributions of Rich Warner, Wally Barber and Don Getz. These guys are hard-working BOT members with at least 80 years of construction experience between them. Don Getz did the layout work and critical form setting. Rich Warner did the fine grading and sand filling with his tractor/loader. The electrical conduit was dug in and placed just under the slab bottom level by Larry Rose and Tom Meatzie. The conduit will connect five floor outlets that will be placed in the second pour at the center line of the two part slab. Special thanks to Randy Honk who rounded up the special order floor boxes and brass cover plates.
Wally Barber, who is a general engineering contractor, arranged for the skilled finishing labor and concrete delivery. Don and Wally supervised the pour and finish work. Don provided and set many rolls of ten gage wire mesh reinforcing that was installed in the six inch concrete floor to insure that we could still run the fork lift in the building without cracking the slab. These same guys also set the forms and poured the foundations for our battery storage building and heavy wheel lathe at the same time. Thanks, guys, for making it happen.
Industrial Strength Parts Washer Donated
The best addition to our machine shop in years has arrived in the form of a first class heavy duty parts washer. This unit is self cleaning and comes with a two year service agreement with the manufacturer who provides the solvent and cleans out the sludge tank including proper disposal of the dirt and grease waste. Larry & Tanya Rose purchased this tank for $4,100 after the mechanical department selected the desired model.
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