May 1st - At last May has arrived, the month when the planning and talking stops and the work begins to build the new Christian Centre. The electricity company has finally given us a date when they will start work - 16th May. Until they had let us know their work programme to move the power cables over the site, we could not firm up any other dates. Now we can start the demolition of the old buildings on 30th May and hooray hooray the builders can move onto the site on 19th June. Most people can hardly believe that after all the years of planning something visible is about to happen.
But there is always the bungalow! Moving the Pre-School Nursery, Abbot House, out of their old premises before the power gets cut off is a race against time. It's all hands to the pumps if we are to have finished the work by 19th May. Will we do it? Watch this space.
May 3rd - Met up with the demolition contractor. The meeting was set for 10.30am and by 11am he still had not arrived. A questioning call to his mobile was answered by an expletive. He had forgotten all about the meeting! 11.45am and we have a meeting - its all about the filing of Section 80 notices and F10's, in the old days they just used to turn up and knock it down. Also because we have some low risk asbestos on site, we are going to have men in white suits carrying out the removal. Better get those information leaflets out to the neighbours before panic hits Seasalter!
May 8th - Chased up the joiner about a big new panel for the bungalow only to find the email containing the details had been sent to the wrong email address and now he says it will be an 8 to 10 week wait. But it's needed in 11 days! Some hurried phone calls locate another joinery company who think they can do it in time. Once again the power of prayer is demonstrated.
May 17th - Work continues apace on the bungalow with a decision on moving now put back to the Building Group meeting on the evening of the 19th. The main bungalow building should be about ready but the garage extension is a definite NOT ready. Staff and parents are getting impatient.
On the new building site a BT operative has been spotted along with a contractors employee digging a hole. When questioned, he said he was looking for water - you and most of the South East mate! Still no sign of the electrical company coming to divert the main supply.
May 18th - Big project meeting with the contractor, most of the discussion is about how to raise the roof - literally! We think the walls are going to be a bit low for the projection screens. And the solution after much huffing and puffing? Put another two layers of bricks round the top of the wall! Well, no wonder the professional fees are so high. But we do have a proposed end date - 26th January 2007 for the building works. A couple of weeks over-run (ever the realist), and some sound system and kitchen fitting out and we could be ready to go live around the end of February.
A call to the joinery company and yes!, they will be delivering the doors tomorrow.
May 19th - the day dawns! 0830, a call from the bungalow to say there are two joiners waiting there to fit the new doors which are not due to arrive until 0930. Placate the early risers. 0935 the doors arrive and everyone's happy. The bungalow is crawling with people finishing off tiling, painting, plumbing and laying pathways. A Highways Inspector pops in to say someone has complained that one of our gates opens outwards! It has to be changed so a call to the fencing company and a promise of a visit tomorrow.
2000 hrs A Building Group meeting decides that the main building is safe for the Nursery to occupy on Monday morning, cheers and tea all round !!
PS Its now Friday and no sign of the electricity people who were supposed to start work on Tuesday. So perhaps they won't be cutting off the electricity next week, which means that perhaps we could have moved the Nursery a week later. Best not tell anyone!
May 20th - In they go! It's like a stream of ants going from the old building to the new bungalow. Backwards and forwards, carrying boxes and furniture. Intermittent downpours fail to dampen any spirits and the week ends on a high.
May 27th - Arrive back from a weeks holiday away from it all and there is an answer phone message from the electricity company. They cut the power on Friday and we are ready to go with the demolition next week.
May 28th - Rumours have it that all was a bit stressful at the Nursery last week, so creep into Sunday Service and sit at the back trying to avoid making eye contact with any of the nursery staff. Fail miserably and I am soon up to date on what the outstanding work list is! Ho hum the holiday is fast disappearing into memories.
May 31st - The month ends with promises from the demolition company that they will definitely be starting work on site tomorrow, they should have started yesterday. As long as they finish when they said!! I offered them the keys to the buildings but they said they would make their own way in - I shudder to think what that might mean.
I also receive our first complaint from a neighbour - the contractor managed to cut his water off without realising it. A quick visit and all is well once more.
