Projects

Compound Projects

19th April, 2006

WE ARE CONNECTED!!

At last we have running water from the mains to the toilet! Jason and Rob from Wessex Water drew the short straw today and were despatched to connect us up. It took a bit of digging to locate the mains water pipe in Long Close, but once that was done the tapping in and connecting up went quickly and smoothly. All credit, though, to Jason who worked extremely hard this morning to dig a very deep hole, searching for the mains pipe, before Rob arrived with the mechanical digger.

The moment of turn-on came at lunch-time, but we discovered that there was a fault with the stop tap in the compound, so that needed to be removed and replaced. Many thanks to Rob for executing some difficult excavations by hand in very unpleasant conditions - smelly water from the old river course.

Anyway, by 2.00pm it was all done and dusted, and I witnessed running water in the Club compound. Target achieved! Thankyou, Jason and Rob!

(Once connected, we did find a couple of small drips/leaks in the system which need to be sorted out, so have turned off the water supply until tomorrow (Thursday 20th April), but these will be dealt with first thing and then we really will be up and running.)

We hope to build in the ramp to the toilet for disabled access on Thursday 27th April.

WATER & TOILET FACILITIES PROJECT

Wednesday 5th April

Wessex Water carried out a site inspection and survey and expressed satisfaction with our preparatory work. Approval has been granted for immediate connection.

Yippee!!!!

Saturday 18th March

VIRTUALLY FINISHED!

Once again, many thanks to Andy Bourn, who worked with Hamish Grigor on Saturday to fit the doors, and to Martin Blackmore-Dawes and Howard Windsor, who painted themselves and, incidentally, the Store Shed with protective preserver.

There are just a few odds and ends tasks to be finished off, but the Store Shed is now virtually complete, so the canoes and equipment have been ordered.

All that remains to do on this project is tidying up!

Well done, and thankyou very much again to all who have helped.

WATER SUPPLY & TOILET FACILITIES

We have dug the inspection pits and uncovered the pipe-end, ready for the Water Board to inspect and hopefully connect. All the fittings are now complete, so our application has been made to the Water Board for connection.

As soon as the ground is dry enough, we'll construct the ramp for disabled access to the toilet and fit the handrails etc.

Sunday 26th February

ROOF GOES ON!!

Fantastic progress today, thanks to Andy Bourn, Adam Wheadon, David Norfolk, Jeff Falkner with Simon, and Mary Masters. The corrugated roofing is now in place, supported by a layer of stirling board, so our next task is to fit the doors and make up the end wall.

Our next session is scheduled for Sunday 5th March, from 10.00am. If you're free and willing you'd be hugely welcome.

The order for the five Open Canoes, plus all the extra equipment, will be placed this week.

As soon as the canoes are safely installed, I'll write to the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Organisers at Sheldon, Hardenhuish and Abbeyfield Schools and invite them to come and see what we have to offer.

Saturday 18th February

OK, so this is a truly awful picture (quality, not content!) It was misty this morning up to a point, but my camera obviously had condensation on the lens - sorry! Anyway, through the murk you can see that we were putting the wall cladding in place this morning, and by the end of the afternoon we had completed that job and put the roof boards along the side as well. So, terrific progress, and many thanks to Andy and Sam Bourn, to Mary Masters and to Rodney Gingell who came along in the afternoon.

Next Sunday we're hoping to put the roof on, and then I'll place the order for the Open Canoes.

Sunday 5th February

A busy morning at the Club today, as several members came down to move their dinghies back into the correct Parking Bays, and progress was made with the new Open Canoe Storage Shed. We have aligned the metal frames and put in the corner posts. Our next task is to attach the horizontal battens to support the side cladding, and we hope to do this next Sunday morning.

Many thanks to Adam Wheadon, Rodney Gingell, the Osborne family and to Andy Bourn for all their hard work.

Sunday 29th January

CESSPOOL INSTALLED, AREA TIDIED UP AND MADE GOOD - BRILLIANT!!

If you had never visited our Club, you would not know that anything had happened!! The Contractors have done a fantastic job, so now we're ready to get the water and electricity connected up, passed as meeting standards etc, and turned on. And then we shall have a TOILET PARTY!!! (Ahem...)

THE OPEN CANOE SHED

Andy has made serious inroads already into the construction of the storage shed for our new Open Canoes. In essence, we're re-designing the metal storage rack, making it less tall, rotating it through 90 degrees and then cladding and roofing it. So far, Andy has cut the framework to size, and our next step is to position it ready for the wooden struts to support the cladding.

We are working on these projects on Sundays, from 10.00am to about 3.00pm, and it would now be good to have some adult assistance. Canoeists - this is for your benefit, so could you make some time??

Thursday 19th January

Cesspool installed at last!!

The contractors started to dig the hole, but discovered the drainage pipe from Long Close to the river, so had to re-site the hole, and then in the second dig they came across the electric cable which runs over to the Mens' Changing Room so need to re-site the hole again. Third time lucky, however, and the cesspool is now safely concreted into the ground.

Next step will be to connect everything up, and then to clear up the mess in the compound. I think it's really little more than infilling a couple of surplus holes and raking over disturbed ground so that in the spring the grass will soon grow over. Quite a lot of work, nonetheless, but worth it in the end.

Monday 2nd January

Fitting the toilet suite

OK, hardly the most exhilarating news item of the New Year, but nonetheless indicative that we are actually making steady progress! The waste pipes are in place and the light and extractor fan are operational. More to do on the electrical front, but definite progress, thanks to Andy Bourn and Rodney Gingell. We are ready to paint the ceiling and walls now.

Thursday 29th December

I was hoping for a phone call this fine, frosty morning to say that the contractor would be coming today to sink the tank - but no....

I'm learning!

Thursday 22nd December

We're making headway! We've put in the wiring and wall insulation, plaster-boarded the ceiling and walls, and begun skimming the inside surfaces with plaster.

Our next task will be to fit the toilet suite and accessories, with the necessary piping and plumbing.

The ground is still much too soft to allow access for the contractor to sink the cesspool, so we'll just have to wait for a good frosty spell, but we are making progress.

Monday 5th December

Positive progress today, thanks to Andy. We fitted the door and partitioned off the toilet room. Our next step is to install the electrics, then plaster the ceiling and walls. Externally we're ready to construct the wheelchair ramp.

Mr Brown, the Contractor, visited the Club again and hopes to have the cesspool installed before Christmas. It's all down to the weather.

Thursday 1st December

Halleluia - Praise the Lord!

It arrived, departed and arrived again.....

Yep. Here it is, arrived at the gate 10.00am this morning. Hooray!

But oh dear, how are we going to get it off the truck without damaging it?? Ooh arr, hadn't thought o' thaaat. Wass to be dun???

10.30am - Cesspool taken away to Jewsons, who put it on a lorry with a crane. Sensible, eh?

11.30am - Lorry arrives in due course, but oh dear - tank now so high that it fouls thick overhanging branches. Ooh arr, hadn't thoort o'thaat. Wass to doo? Oi knows - we'll turn arouwnd an' come at 'n from t'other soid. See. Aah, good oideal.

Pheew!! That was close!!

Success at last! Touchdown!

Lift off! We've started work on converting the Ladies' Changing Room. The Buildings Inspector came this morning and approved our plans, confirming a few points and making some suggestions, and we spent the rest of the day putting insulation in the room which will be the Toilet.

On Monday 5th December we hope to cut and fix the new door and to install the partition. Also on Monday Mr Brown will come to finalise plans for installing the cesspool.

Wednesday 16th November

Ahem.....!

Well, they SAID Monday 14th, but when nothing had arrived by mid-afternoon I rang Clearwater and the nice lady said that delivery had always been scheduled for Wednesday 16th......

Today's THE DAY!! YES!!!!

It arrived!! Hooray!!!

but oh dear - they sent a septic tank instead of a sealed cesspool, so it had to go back.... sob, sob, hysteria....

Still, the GOOD NEWS is that they're now going to construct a cesspool for us and delivery should be within 7 to 10 days.

So, 26th November should be THE DAY!!!

and if you believe that...........

Saturday 12th November

Keep your fingers crossed! It's 'Clearwater', not Jewsons or Klargester, who should have delivered the cesspool, but after some fairly direct telephone conversations we are assured that the tank will be delivered on Monday 14th November. Third time lucky, hopefully, as they didn't deliver on Thursday 27th October either.

Unfortunately, with all the rain we've had, it may now not be possible to put the tank in the ground until we get another dry spell, but the contractor will come as soon as the tank is delivered to assess the situation.

As soon as the cesspool is installed and the dinghies returned to their proper parking bays, we're going to dismantle the storage rack by the Members' Workshop and construct a new storage shed for some Open Canoes - I'll be asking for volunteers to help with this, so be warned.

Saturday 22nd October

The 10,000 litre cesspool was to have been delivered yesterday so that the contractors could put it in place on Monday, which meant that the dinghies needed to be shifted to make way for the digging machinery. Sadly, Jewsons failed to deliver the cesspool on Friday, so our plans are delayed. Nonetheless we went ahead and cleared the pathway so that when the contractors are able to start work, they can get through.

Saturday 16th October

We are absolutely delighted that our application for a grant towards the cost of connecting a mains water supply to a toilet and hand-basin has been approved. Because of our location by the river and the problems of discharge and flooding, this will be a major project and cause a degree of disruption for a while, but it will definitely be well worth it in the end.

Our first step will be to excavate a hole large enough to accommodate a 10,000 litre cesspool, and to dig out trenches for the pipes. We have ordered the cesspool and are waiting for confirmation of the date when digging will start.

Dinghies parked along the central line in the compound will need to be moved temporarily to enable the machinery to get down to the cesspool site. Owners will be contacted as soon as the commencement date is confirmed.

Sunday 11th September

Mains Water Project

After much thought and many enquiries we have finally managed to submit an application to the North Wiltshire Community Awards Scheme for a grant to help the Club towards the installation of a mains water supply leading to one toilet and one hand-basin. We intend to sink a sealed cesspool beside the Canoe Shed and to partition the Female Changing Room to install a toilet and hand-basin, with disabled access.

We estimate that it will cost around £8,000 to complete this stage. A future development, when funds permit, will be to install a toilet and hand-basin in the Male Changing Room.

If our application for a grant is successful, we intend to start work on the project in the early spring.

Projects recently achieved

Sunday 6th February

How to be a Supervisor.... by Tom

Today these tasks were successfully achieved by Mary Masters, Andy Bourn, Richard Smith and Steve Barry, with Tom Perry standing by, drinking coffee and offering encouragement:

1: Four new dry mooring posts installed

2: The Men's Changing Room door painted green

3: The gate to the Sea Cadets' compound creosoted

4: The inside of the Engine Shed door creosoted

5: Wooden and metal dry mooring posts painted white

6: Race finish-line river-marker cleared and taped (Richard Smith)

The slipway gate has been replaced and painted green, and a new walk-plank along the slipway has been fitted. The west hedge has been trimmed right back and the brambles burnt.

All in all, it's looking pretty smart down at the Club now.

Many thanks to everyone who has helped!

Members' Workshop

We moved Geoff Ritchens' old Enterprise, cleared out that area of the compound, and reconstructed Ron's shed as a Workshop.

22nd December, a.m.

22nd December, p.m.

23rd December, p.m.

29th December, p.m.

30th December, p.m.

Golden Workshop Awards to date

Ron Lake - for supplying the shed

Alan Sharp - for supplying the wood

Andy Bourn - for doing the fixing

David Norfolk - for using up all the nails

Dave Badminton - for installing the electric cable

Phil & Carey Morrison - for painting everything in sight, including themselves

Mary Masters - for painting the bits that Tom missed - most of the side panel

Peter Roberts - for applying Decorative Preserver

Tom Perry - for being helpful?

December, 2004

Rebuilding the Ramp Wall

12th December

The wall on the Club house side had been developing a lean, and was causing concern as a safety issue. Work started on 14th December to demolish and re-build it.

14th December

17th December

All finished and tidied up! What a terrific job - many thanks to Steve Barry, Andy Bourn and Sean the lad!

Storage Rack by the Men's Changing Room

26th November

We cleared away the stuff by the old Changing Room, then constructed a rack along the wall to store spare metal and wood.

November, 2004

Moving derelict dinghies and constructing extra storage and workshop facilities

Work has now begun on removing Geoff's old Solo and Enterprise, with the assorted pile of 'stuff' behind them, from outside the Boat Shed, to make way for a storage rack, shown above, and a Dinghy Maintenance Workshop. Long Open Canoes will be securely stored on this rack, which will free-up space inside the Canoe Shed.

Huge thanks to Alan Sharp and Andy Bourn, without whom....

Future Projects

Installation of a mains water supply!

Renovation of the Patio Roof supports

Construction of a secure Storage Shed for Open Canoes

Re-lay the patio in front of the Club-house

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