[Please forgive us for the long time between blog posts. ISHA has been migrating its ishanews.org website to a new web host. Stay tuned for lots of new blogs!]
This is the first installment of part of a long letter to Ishwar Puri from the General Superintendent of the ISHA Meeting Hall construction project, Gilbert Garrett. The letter was written after completing a two-week campaign of earthwork activities from June 7 to June 17.
THE FIRST CAMPAIGN
“In the first campaign, we experienced the miraculous. With only a few individuals, we were able to do much! Although there were only a few who witnessed, in the physical, all that was accomplished, it was miraculous!
Listed below you will see how much was accomplished by Grace – so much more in 10 days than a few men and women could have completed without Grace. I offer this list of work that was completed as proof to verify that which has been told.
Clearing and grubbing of the entire work site, which included the following:
• Entrances and drives
• Future dining hall site
• Parking lots
• Retention ponds
• Roundabout
• Dome site foot print
• Dome site parking
Earthwork which included on-site cut and fill area to rough grade:
• Dome site foot print – 100%
• Parking for dome site – 100%
• Drive and entrance – 100%
• Roundabout -100%
• Parking lot – 60%
All of the above-listed areas have not been fine graded. This work will take 3 days to complete.
The earthwork in the retention ponds will take 2 days to complete.
We received competitive pricing for the work listed above, which exceeded $65,000. This pricing did not include the erosion control measures, layout and staking.
All of this work was completed in less time and for very little money from the existing ISHA building fund. With donated labor, fuel and equipment. ISHA’s only out-of-pocket expenses were for erosion control products, engineering layout and staking. Therefore the total expense for ISHA to date is less than $20,000.
In summary, work valued at over $100,000 was completed for less than $20,000. Per Ishwar’s instructions, we are to push on! In order to push on, we must now focus on our foundation drawings. Our team will meet with the engineers and architects to discuss releasing the drawings and obtaining the necessary permits to proceed. Once we have received these permits and plans, our second campaign will begin.”
