Construction Update
Week of September 21, 2009
Men of Gamma, Another week in the books and another series of remarkable photos. I have been assured that not every week will have such a drastically different view but these four weeks have been amazing. The biggest change of all has been the complete demolition of the 1969 Addition. It was a remarkable sight to see as each bit of concrete falling resulted in small tremors, reminding you just how sturdy our old house was. It is also amazing to see the original house sitting alone for the first time in forty years. It gives you an appreciation of the men who lived in only the house and how small things must have felt sleeping in their dorms. Now that the structure itself is down, attention turns to removing the debris and prepping the site for the foundation excavation. This work should begin in the next few weeks. Inside, work is turning to rounding out the demo with removing the thousands of nails that remain from the old wood lath under the plaster. Another interesting task has been the excavation of the crawl space under the chapter room (a place many of you have probably never been). This work will allow the duct work to be installed for the new heating and cooling system and will allow a vapor barrier to be installed to prevent moisture. Finally, we are in the closing days of our design work for the full construction permit. Our Architects, Contractor, HVAC rep, and myself have been pouring over the plans to make sure that every space works. Our work should be complete by weeks end. A few final reminders. If you are planning to visit us on Gamma day and take part in our official ground breaking ceremony please contact Chris Disher (847) 226-3917 or Kristin Williamson (217) 343-1594 to let them know how many to expect. Also, a reminder to reach out to your pledge brothers and think about giving a class gift. We are still working hard on fundraising and we can always use your help. Finally, if you are in Champaign, please remember to give me a call and I would be happy to set up a tour. All the Best,
T.J. Blakeman, Onsite Owner Representative Pledge Class of 1999 (217) 414-0630 or
[email protected]
2009 Illinois Lawn Party Schedule All Times Central Standard Time
October 3 - Penn State (TBD) - Gamma Day & Groundbreaking Ceremony October 10 - Michigan State (11AM) - Homecoming October 31 - Michigan (2:30PM) November 14 - Northwestern (TBD) - Dad’s Day December 5 - Fresno State (11:30AM) - Senior Day
Alpha Kappa Lambda
If you plan to be in the Champaign-Urbana area and would like to tour the house, please contact T.J. Blakeman at (217) 403-8800 and we will schedule a visit. Gamma Chapter est. 1921
View all of the construction photos (updated weekly) at www.aklgamma.com.
We Still Need Your Help! Although work is underway we have met 90% of our funding goals we must continue our fundraising efforts to complete the project. We are hoping that as you see work underway, that you will feel confident in our progress to continue or begin making generous contributions.
To complete this project we need
$300,000 in hand by December 5, 2009 Visit www.aklgamma.com to contribute
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Alpha Kappa Lambda
Gamma Chapter • 401 East Daniel Street Champaign, Illinois 61820