Dear Friends,
It’s time to send you an update on Ishwar’s construction projects in Bruce, Wisconsin.
Meeting Hall dome
The next step in the creation of the Meeting Hall is the biggest and most important in the entire project — constructing the steel and concrete foundation for the building. Due to the large size and round shape of the building, and the inclusion of a full basement, this is highly specialized work, and will, therefore, be done by a professional company at an estimated cost of over $800,000. The ISHA Building Fund currently contains $483,000, and so Ishwar has recommended that we wait until next year to pour the foundation.
Meeting Hall maintenance building
However, other work will be happening during the next few months, because Ishwar has also recommended the construction of a Maintenance Building on the ISHA land. This building will provide essential support for the Meeting Hall … before, during, and after its construction. It will also contain a small greenhouse that will be capable of growing the seedlings for the ISHA garden. All work will be performed by volunteers, and we currently have opportunities for sevadars on this project. If you are going to Mitti Seva and would like to volunteer, consider extending your visit to Wisconsin.
If you would like to volunteer to work on Ishwar’s maintenance building in September or October, please email Paul Bauer at paulbauer5@gmail.com. Volunteers will be provided with nearby housing and at least two daily meals. Construction skills are desired, but are not required.
Here’s a preliminary list of uses for the Maintenance Building:
- Storage space for donated Dodge 350 pickup truck
- Storage space for donated John Deere X350 lawn tractor
- Storage space for snowplow
- Storage space for tools and machinery
- Repair and service vehicles and machinery
- Contain a basic wood shop
- Contain a basic automotive shop
- Contain a basic machine shop
- Store garden equipment, tools, and supplies
- Contain the garden water well
- Contain the garden water storage tanks
Here’s a rough sketch of the front of the Maintenance Building. These are not the final colors. The metal roof will be gray, and the sides will charcoal-colored. The doors will be white, with gray trim.
The back side of the building will contain clerestory windows that will let natural light into the garage and a greenhouse on the south side.
Our design is based in what is known as “pole-barn construction,” which is a simple building technique that uses large poles buried in the ground to provide structural support. Pole barns are easier to build than structures using typical frame-construction methods and are commonly used to build barns and other large storage buildings.
Another view of our pole-barn design.
The Maintenance Building will be located south of the Meeting Hall parking lot, on the ISHA property in Bruce, Wisconsin. It is conveniently adjacent to the ISHA vegetable garden (visible just beyond the dirt pile), and measures about 32 feet wide by 45 feet long, as shown by the yellow tape.
In the next blog, work begins on the Maintenance Building!
If you would like to volunteer to work on Ishwar’s maintenance building in September or October, please email Paul Bauer at paulbauer5@gmail.com. Volunteers will be provided with nearby housing and at least two daily meals. Construction skills are desired, but are not required.
With warmest regards,
Paul Bauer
Chair of ISHA Building & Fund-Raising Committee
Paul Bauer
Chair of ISHA Building & Fund-Raising Committee