Diary of the Dorm - 2006
Dorm Update: December 28th, 2006
Greetings All,
We are rocking and rolling on the sheet rock at Good Tidings. Last weekend we began with my sons John, James, Pete, Matt, and Tom with Dan Harding and started in on Friday night. Paul Owens had uncovered some mistakes we needed to rectify as he was wiring the building and bringing in the power supply to the circuit breaker box before we could continue with the sheet rock process. The headers above the windows were not completed and two walls needed moving to accommodate toilet clearance with the finished wall. What a headache. I would like to personally thank K James O’Reilly Jr. for making a special trip to Good Tidings and cleaning up both of these problems, one which was of my doing.
So
last Friday, me and the boys with Mr. Borman cleaned up the last of the
errors and managed to rock several ceilings and walls. We completed
again at 12:30 AM. We ran out of 12 foot sheetrock and called it a
night. I estimate we have half the building done.
Mr. Borman and Paul Owens have also been working with the local
building inspectors and have received approval for the wiring enabling
us to close up the rest of the walls as well. We expected power to be
turned on this week but I have not been able to confirm this at this
time. Bob has stated that the cooperation of the local officials has
been excellent and encouraging. They like the idea that this dorm is
for the benefit of young people to help mentor them in the ways of the
Lord and good citizenship as well.
We are staged for another big day on Saturday for any who would like to assist. BYOD (Bring your own drill). GNH lumber has delivered 44 pieces of 12 foot sheetrock, a box of screws, carpenters pencils and drill tips for sheet rock. My intent is to have these 44 pieces and a dozen 14/16 footers still remaining installed by end of day on Saturday. With the experienced gained by these young rockers and past errors cleaned up, we should make excellent time. That would leave only the two bathrooms and two hallway walls left. We need a big day Saturday while we have the college students home so keep us in prayer.
Finally, I have received a commitment for the first window donation by
one of the volunteers for $200, one down and 12 to go on the windows.
Blessed be the name of the Lord. Anyone interested in helping us
purchase windows, please send a check to Good Tidings for $200 and mark
it for the dorm building fund and window purchase. If we overshoot on
the window donations then we will put it towards the exterior doors,
tape, mud, primer, paint, carpeting etc. It will go to the dorm.
Thanks for all your assistance in prayer, finances and sweat equity. All work to this point, save only the concrete pad, have been with volunteer workers from mainly committed Christian’s, a recent convert and an agnostic person or two who want to help young people. The young Christian adults have clearly carried the day. They have been the major labor contributor and significant in their financial giving.
As an old song said it, "It is a time to take the kingdom, rise up ye strong and possess the land."
Kevin J O'Reilly
GTBC board secretary
Dorm Update: December 19, 2006
Greetings Beloved,
Since my last email we have had two huge weekends at Good Tidings. First of all, a donor and long time friend of Good Tiding covered the cost of the insulation and sheetrock. I was stunned that God had provided financial resource to us so quickly. Two weekends ago we had a team of insulators arrive to complete the insulation phase. Kevin Mackey brought his son and daughter Paul and Martha, Clay Magnusen from Saratoga brought his son and a friend, Keith Rousselle put in yet another day, and the indefatigable Luke OReilly delivered yet again. While the insulators were doing their thing, George Routis and Larry Myer prepped the hole for the septic. Nick McCarroll brought an additional load of stone just in case we needed more fill for the tank. We were ready for the sheetrock and the septic tank for the next weekend. The interior insulation (sound insulation) was 95% completed.
We had a major setback as Good Tiding's backhoe finally gave up the ghost after 40 years of service. After looking for an assist from backhoe owners and lacking transport mechanisms, we had to settle for a small Kabota backhoe (a Tonka Toy by George's standards) from a local supplier.
The next weekend began on Friday evening as Mr. Borman, Matt and Tom OReilly and myself began hauling the sheetrock into the building and began with a ceiling on a single room. We cleared the facility of clutter and staged what we hoped would be a big next day. We left at 12:30 AM dead tired. Saturday the work crew showed up including three teens around 16 years old, an army recruiter, several of my sons, and a local college young adult. Board member Keith Hvizdak welded the 16 year olds (all regular attendees of his Jr. High Bible study group on Tuesday nights) into a team focusing on the walls while Matt and Tom with guidance from Mr. Borman worked the ceilings. Dan Harding joined us later in the morning. We utilized Dan's 7 foot height to do ceilings. Mike Fratti Jr. joined us taking Keith's place. This can-do army recruiter started as a novice and ended the afternoon as a team leader on the walls. This team completed two rooms completely and three other ceilings. Not bad for a group of 16 to 25 year olds, most of whom never rocked before.
While the rockers were rocking, George, Mr. Borman and I worked the hole. The septic tank arrived on time. The truck slipped on the grade trying to backup to the hole on the side of the dorm. This might have cost us much time and dollars had it not been for the load of stone Nick McCarroll dropped off earlier in the week. George spread it out on the approach so the 18 wheeled flatbed could traction on the mud and get his hydraulic lift close enough to lower the tank in the hole. Then George went to work backfilling the hole and began digging the line for the brown water to tie into the septic field, a 250 foot run.
At
Saturday's end we had our tank installed and the sheet rocking a
quarter way to completion. All things went well. Young adults again
carried a heavy load in volunteer labor hauling and hanging 14 and 16
foot 5/8th inch fire code sheetrock. These amateurs did an amazing job.
Mr. Borman could not believe his eyes, not one butt joint in the five
rooms we worked (great news for the tapers).
Then George Routis stepped to the plate yet again. He is a professional
backhoe operator who works for the town of Yorktown water department.
He wanted the job complete but we are 230 feet from completion of the
septic system. Since the backhoe was rented and had to go back on
Monday, George and I came back Sunday to dig a long ditch through a
gravel road, through a stone wall and down a field to tie the septic in
to the existing lines. From 9 AM till 5 PM we worked until the job was
complete. The pipe was laid and the ditch covered. Then George cleared
the electrical ditch for the electrician who is volunteering this week
to get power to the facility.
We are staged for completion of the sheetrock phase as Paul Owen, the electrician completes his work as I type. Please pray that we can complete the sheetrock in the next week and a half. We have the materials. We need the volunteers to hang in a little longer. Matt and Tom are there now prepping the ceiling with furring strips. I will most likely have my six son's at the site some time this week to continue rocking. We look to be in good shape but as the good book says, "Unless the Lord build the house, we labor in vein."
The next phase is the siding, windows and doors. After that, taping, painting, carpeting, whew! Let's take this one day at a time. We got the septic in, YESSSSSSSS !!!!!!
Please pray for us and if you have time to volunteer or can assist with the finances, please help. Good Tidings is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization.
Thanks,
Kevin OReilly Network Engineer - CCNP, CCDP, MCSE
GTBC board secretary
UPDATE: The New Dorm 11/29/2006
We are very close to having the septic tank in the ground. The weather has cooperated wonderfully. Larry Myer, a volunteer and fellow Sunday school teacher dug half a hole big enough to bury a Volkswagen. Will, the maintenance person at the camp, finished the hole last night and this morning is prepping it for the gravel we expect delivered today. Larry Myer has taken charge of the tank's installation and saved us several hundred dollars using his local contacts to deliver the gravel. Larry also took a trip to Hudson to get the schematics of the septic tank to insure we are locating the hole correctly. Larry has been a huge help. Will is an absolute God-send. He is at the camp in the days, is a great servant and does everything well. Bob kept him on to assist him since his recent conversion to Christ 10 weeks ago. He has reciprocated in many ways. We would have been dead in the water without him.
While Will was digging yesterday I took half my Sunday school class up to camp and Jeremy Babcock (18), Josh Henderson (18), and Luke OReilly (16) insulated 80% of the walls. Jeremy was the foreman and the boys worked quickly. I am hoping Nick McCarroll (who has been on this project in every stage) will have another team up there this week to finish the job insulating the ceiling and remaining wall sections. Then we can begin sheet rocking when a plethora of college men and women come home for Christmas vacation. Matt, Tom and James OReilly have already said to count them in.
Special thanks to Ann OReilly who fetched hydraulic fluid ( a forty mile round trip) on her Sunday off to keep us moving. Our backhoe leaks fluid like a sieve. Pray it holds out till the end before we set it aside for overdue repairs.
Beloved, we are building this dorm with an all volunteer force, the bulk of whom are under 25 years old. They have also provided significant financing with donations up to $1000. I have other Sunday school and Bible study kids who are chomping at the bit to roll their sleeves up. Please keep us supplied in building materials. Our sheet rock costs will be $2-2.5 thousand dollars. I would ask the board of directors to shake the bushes at this time of year for donations. We are a 501(c)3 tax deductible charity. Use our web page for a great brochure.. We need this dorm online for this summer's outreach.
I am looking forward to hearing of Mr. Borman’s jaw hitting the ground when he sees the progress done on the dorm while he takes the battle to the enemy in India with the Gospel of our glorious savior Jesus the Messiah.
Thanks,
Kevin OReilly
GTBC Board member and secretary