Sand Brigade for Building Project

The recently purchased AMI dump truck and Pastor Kelly with his CDL license have been put to work hauling 13 loads of sand to level the building site in preparation for the intense sand brigade next week. The first few days on the job site were a bit “exciting” as over six inches of melted snow left the field quite muddy. The powerful little dozer proved its worth by pulling the weighty dump truck out of the rut it had sunk into overnight on the thawed driveway. But the crew found their rhythm and work is underway. A trench has been dug on what will be the north side of the Multipurpose Building. Next, a concrete footer will be poured in the trench. A retaining wall built of rebar and poured concrete will go up to hold back the five-foot wall of sand which will ensure a level building site. Wednesday and Thursday of next week, the property will feel the rumblings of four to five dump trucks as 120 loads of sand are brought in. That is 2,730 tons of sand! The schedule is tight: 124 tons dumped per hour. The gravel yard, which is closed for the winter, has agreed to open especially for AMI. As the sand is being dumped, the bulldozer will spread it out, and two vibratory compactors will settle it down, going over the entire area five times. This will create a very solid foundation and will prevent settling and the potential to have low spots or shifts in grade with weather changes. The compacted foundational material will create a base for the concrete floor of the pole barn, which the Amish are coming to erect toward the end of February. Last night we had over a foot of snow with additional inches in the forecast. In fact, there are white-out blizzard conditions at the time of this writing. This is to be expected in Michigan in the winter, but we hope and pray for breaks in the weather in which to continue our work. Please keep the January 21 and 22 sand brigade in your prayers!