The existing main room received a professional floor cleaning, with the aid of several volunteers. Damaged tiles were removed throughout the building in preparation for the new floor, as well as in spots that will sport an accent pattern.  Padding has been installed in the new rooms that are receiving carpet.  Interior painting is now complete – from the stained timbers, to the new and existing doors and frames, to all the walls, including the restrooms.  New can lights have been installed in the new lobby.  The exit signs have been installed.

The smell of fresh paint wafts through the air... The existing main room sports new bright colors, and the new spaces (offices, storage, conference/library/exhibit room) have received their first coat of paint in a darker accent color. Two new thermostat controls have been mounted. Ceiling tiles have been installed. The restrooms and new lobby are being prepped for paint. Tile and color selection for patching the existing floor and installing the new lobby floor has been accomplished. Outside, the sidewalk leading to Farley St. has finally been poured. A portion of the sidewalks at the corner of 79th & Farley has been redone to meet ADA requirements. A new concrete pad/patio has been poured on the north side of the building (leading out from the kitchen). This will give us much more usable outdoor space for cooking, tents, etc.

We're in the home stretch! Following today's progress meeting, there is less than a month to go to completion. On the exterior, construction and sitework continues – the fence that wraps around the existing west and north sides of the building has been installed. The fence continues the new expansion aesthetic as well as hiding mechanical and utility equipment. The remaining sidewalks are being poured, and the last ceiling boards underneath the timber frame are going into place. Inside, all ceiling boards have already been installed. The metal doors and door frames have been painted, and the translucent "grass" panel sidelights have been installed. Painting is underway on the new walls; the existing main space will be last. The ceiling grids in the offices and conference/library/exhibit room have been laid in along with the light fixtures. There will be an above-ceiling inspection by the city of Overland Park this week. Also, it was approved to pour a concrete pad on the north side of the building, adding a usable patio outside the kitchen and alleviating ponding problems during rain.

One of the last major visible changes to the exterior was installed, as the glass storefront windows and doors are now in place - truly a welcome improvement over our old "front doors." The sidewalks leading from the parking lot to the entry have been poured, save for the curb ramp ADA surface textures. The long sidewalk leading to Farley St. has yet to be poured. Vinyl siding was replaced on the existing west wall where portions were removed for new construction. The concrete columns and stem walls were sandblasted to have a rough finish. Two new air conditioning condenser units were set in place. Inside, virtually all new drywall is up, and paint color selection is under way. Work continued over the weekend to install the ceiling boards underneath the timber frame in the entry.

Exterior sitework is progressing with a concrete pad poured underneath the new timber entry and next to the new west office, which will be behind a new fence. Final layout for the sidewalks is also taking place. On the inside, mechanical and electrical rough-in has been inspected and passed by the City, giving the go-ahead to begin putting up insulation and drywall. All of the walls should be complete within 2 weeks. The exterior doors to the new storage room have been installed. New architectural and security lighting was discussed at the progress meeting. A second photo gallery has been posted to our Facebook page.

Activity abounds inside and out. On the exterior, the darker stucco trim accents have been applied; scuppers installed; and shingles installed on the new entry roof. Grading has begun for the new concrete sidewalks, including a lengthy path leading to Farley St. On the inside, the existing main room is being used to stage materials - drywall, insulation, doors and door hardware, etc. The wood ceiling boards that will form the underside to the new timber roof are being stained. HVAC equipment, ductwork, and electrical/communications lines have been run. More interior framing continues to define the new spaces, especially the ceiling and soffits.

Interior framing is now complete as the final walls and doorway leading into the existing main room have been erected. The timber frame has been stained, and the field stucco has been applied to the exterior walls. The trim accents await final color approval before stucco will be applied.

The expansion has taken major strides towards enclosing the building and connecting the new spaces to the old. The timber structure that frames the entrance is now mostly complete, minus ceiling boards. Interior demolition and framing now clearly defines the new foyer and the opening proceeding diagonally into the existing main room, and openings have been punched out for doors to the new storage room and library/exhibit/conference room (see the full photo gallery). Outside, roofing and barrier materials are being installed on the flat roof, and building wrap and wall boards are being installed in preparation for the stucco finish. Ductwork for the HVAC systems is also nearly complete. During this week's progress meeting, stains and colors were reviewed for the timber-frame, ceiling boards, and stucco.

The expansion continues to progress at breakneck pace. The heavy timber-frame entry began to take shape - a portion of the existing roof and vestibule walls were clipped to make room for the new construction (note how you can see the bathrooms and drinking fountains from outside!). Workers are scheduled to complete the timber framing over the weekend. The brass finial, or affectionately, the "salakut," was installed. Plywood sheathing has been installed on the roof deck, and the parapets have been framed as well. The contractor reported to police that 46 sheets of plywood were stolen last night, but that should not affect our schedule.

Framing continues; the roof trusses over the storage and multi-purpose areas have been installed. The brass finial, which will sit atop the roof peak, has been fabricated and will be installed later in the week. The existing "front doors" were removed, along with drywall, to expose the existing structure, which will be demolished/altered in preparation for the new entry.

With the debris cleared, the concrete footing was completed. Formwork and rebar for pouring the concrete slab (floor) is being installed, while steel dowels will tie the existing building and expansion together. A portion of the existing floor has been exposed to reveal elevation differences, which will be matched by the new floor. An area in the existing entry has been cut out of the existing floor in preparation for one of the entry columns that will frame the new entry.

Contractors completely excavated the area containing trash and debris. The contents were hauled off-site while the hole was backfilled with engineered material. Engineers from Terracon monitered and tested the fill at each layer to determine suitable load capacity.

The slab and tapered entry column bases were scheduled to be poured this week, but it was delayed due to rain. Materials for creating the foundation formwork were delivered on-site.

The existing gas line was terminated at the southwest corner near the fountain. It was rerouted to the gas meter so that it stays outside the new building footprint by 4' (see the arc of dirt in the photos).

No work planned due to weather and pending utilities issues. The architect and contractor have continued talks with Kansas Gas Service to approve relocation of the existing gas line.

No work planned due to weather, in what has been deemed as the "Blizzard of 2011." The following changes have been made to the project team: David Murphy replaces Andy Wallis at Crawford Architects; Randy Dean replaces Brandon Dean at Miller-Stauch Construction Company; and Chris Javillonar replaces Rico Kolster as our legal adviser at Bryan Cave, LLP. The first of regular progress meetings with the architect and contractor was held. Aside from weather issues, existing utility lines are the primary concern before construction can proceed. Water and sanitary services appear to run near, if not into, the new building footprint. The existing gas line was confirmed to run under the new foundation and has been recommended to be relocated. It was approved to pay for the location of the other service lines, upon which further recommendations can be made.

No work was planned as it was correctly predicted that another storm would drop 8-10" of snow on site. We are still in a holding pattern, waiting for a break in the weather to proceed with construction. A photo gallery has been posted to our Facebook page to accompany this blog.

A 6-8" snowfall ealier in the week will further delay work on the foundation and sitework. The ground must be unfrozen for work to proceed.

After a cold weather delay, excavation for the foundation and sitework has progressed. Crushed rock has been used to level the grade at the east end of the building addition. The existing walkways from the parking lot have been removed, as has a portion of the existing building siding. Steel rebar to be used in the foundation has been delivered onsite. It has been recommended that the existing gas line be moved so that it does not lie under the new office on the west side.