February 01, 2008 Progress Report
Our first month of 2008 picked up right where 2007 left off – fast and hectic. Even while losing several work days this month due to weather, when we look back at where we started the New Year, it’s amazing how much has happened. There once was a time when winter in the Flathead Valley meant a slowdown of construction, more days for skiing and snowmobiling, and yearning for the spring and summer months so you could get back to work. No longer. We’ve now gotten used to snow shovels, ice scrapers, ice melt, plow trucks, snow shovels, propane heaters, scaffolding tents, forklift and skid-steer chains, extra clothing layers and snow shovels to just keep on going. Did we mention snow shovels? Sometimes, though, no matter what we do, we’re reminded that we’re only human, and God’s winter season can still put us in our place. We lost three consecutive days in mid-January due to subzero temperatures, then another day the following week because of blizzard conditions and emergency travel restrictions.
But workers are hungry, and progress continued. More than that, the excitement and pride of working on such a unique project continues to motivate as well. Flathead Masonry is fully involved with the stone veneer on the Yellowstone Unit, and the finished product (in progress) looks fantastic. The stone is averaging 10 inches of thickness, and in most places, you’ll be able to look through a window from the inside and get the feeling that the wall is more than 2 feet thick! The stone is complemented by walls that have brick veneer (appropriately titled “Old English Pub”) and cast concrete window surrounds The
Old World theme is definitely coming through on this one.
We’ve also completed our extensive steel structure to support the Gallatin (bridge) Unit, and the two sides of the five-plex are connected over the driveway. This was one of the final steps needed to get the framing crew back on site to finish up the five-plex. We had to let the crew of G.T. Builders take another job during the Christmas season because their efficiency and pace was so aggressively exceeding all the other contractors – easy to do when you outnumber all the other crews five- or six-to-one!
The other item necessary for G.T. Builders to return was the suspended concrete slab on either side of the south end of the five-plex. These slabs serve as the driveway and upper garage floors for Missouri, Madison, Big Horn and Ruby; and at the same time, they’re the ceilings of the parking garages and boiler/storage areas of the five-plex. These slabs were finished in the early part of January, and with that, Gembala Concrete finished more than seven straight months of work on Bear Dance! It’s not often that the concrete and foundation portion of a job gets noticed around town, but this job has even attracted attention in that area, and we’ve been fortunate to have such a quality member involved in this process.
With such high-profile portions of the project garnering so much attention, not enough credit has gone to the steady, dedicated pace being kept by all the other contractors. We’ve had specialty stair contractors on site (Skyline Stairs), plumbers completing the rough plumbing on two buildings (Touris Plumbing), central vacuum being installed in two buildings (Gran Central Vac), and electricians (JK Electric) getting things ready to run power in all our lower buildings.
We’ve also had a crew staying busy installing the infrastructure for our air-conditioning, but even with the air-conditioning, as the saying goes, “This is not your father’s A/C.” The guys from Arctic Heat are yet another example of how Bear Dance isn’t just going to be another pretty development. Not only are we ensuring that we provide a design and overall look that stands out from everything else on the market, we’re also working hard to make sure the latest technologies are implemented in healthy, energy efficient, environmentally-friendly construction. A home’s indoor air quality is something that has been overlooked for years, but the system that will supply our air-conditioning takes advantage of new strides in the market by mechanically ventilating the air inside. It doesn’t just cool the air, it’s a ventilation system, creating cleaner air, controlling moisture, recapturing energy, and reducing carbon dioxide concentrations. Although there is a higher up-front cost, the long-term benefit of lower energy costs and healthier circulation is yet another way these homes won’t compare to the surrounding market.
2007 was a fantastic year at Bear Dance for everyone involved, and the way things have begun, it looks like 2008 won’t disappoint either. Ron and John Mark are attending the International Builders’ Show in Orlando in February, and there is little doubt that even more great ideas will be applied to this unique project. Keep checking on the progress – we can’t wait to see what’s next.