Event Pavilion for Alna Center - Official Reassembly Thread

[Mike Fox]

I have been stock piling items to continue the ground work. We are pouring our own pilings, which is a little crazy this time of year but we can do it. To have them made was just too expensive.

So, here is one of the sonotubes. There are 18 of them. I drilled 4 holes in them, marked them with the cross or an x, for a strand of wire to run through. The wire will hold 2 pieces of rebar vertically within the tube. Rebar is probably overkill, but we are only doing this once..



This next picture shows all 18 sonotubes, some are inside others, 36 pieces of rebar that I cut to specific lengths (out of 18-10 foot sections) and 15 out of 18 of the post bases. These post bases are the kind you place in wet cement, and then after bolting the post to the base the joint is very solid, rather than a single bolt down through a plate that may flex. This style was chosen for added strength.



Due in this week are bases for some of the sonotubes. These add to the amount of cement needed to bring the total to about 4.5 yards. All this adds up to one solid base for the pavilion, and strength enough to any possible changes it may go through over the next few years.

[Paul Uhland]

Looks like No.4 rebar, are doing the right thing.
Lucky the pilings are short.

[Jeff Schumaker]

I have probably missed an earlier post, but have the holes for the pilings been dug?

Jeff  S.

[Mike Fox]

Not yet Jeff. Did not want them dug too soon. Digging in mostly gravel that contractor Jeff brought in to build it up. Digging them and installing sonotubes Friday/Saturday this week. Hoping for a Saturday cement delivery on 12/7.

[Jeff Schumaker]

Thanks, Mike. I take it that there is reasonable access for the cement truck?

Jeff S.

[Mike Fox]

Yes. We will have to leave a post out for him (or her) to access, then put it in after the others are poured. Probably will not be done by truck. 4 bags of cement and a wheel barrow..

[Bill Baskerville]

Couldn't the last post be poured after passing on the way out?

[Mike Fox]

 I don't want to dig the hole and set the form until after the truck is out. That would make the ground soft and pot the tube in the way.  The posts are 10 ft center to center, which does not leave any room for an 8'6 wide truck to pass through, let alone have to turn to be within the building. As it is now, he will have to pour half, then turn around to pour the remainder.

 If the guy is willing to wait, I will dig it and put the tube in. But, I anticipate that after he has filled the other 17, that he won't want to wait.

[Jeff Schumaker]

I hope there will be photos when the pouring occurs.

Jeff S.

[Mike Fox]

I was starting to get nervous. I was having trouble finding a company still working Saturdays. Luckily, State Sand from Belfast is still available.

[Mike Fox]

And to add to the stack of stuff in ROWMOW World HQ shop, these arrived today.



They are bases that will go under some of the sonotubes, adding to the height. I plan on using these all on the south side where the fill is deepest, as well as 2 or 3 of the eastern most (trackside) of the north side.

Assembled look like this.



I decided to remove the excess top that we will not need. These are stepped out for 8" and 10" sonotubes, and the taper could have caught some cement and made a void.

[Bill Baskerville]

Mike,

You are so wise in the proper ways of construction.  Also, a good move to remove the excess top to avoid the possibility of voids (we always want to avoid voids). 

When at work we built our two story brick engineering building we used these bell footers on all the piers that supported the building which was built on 30 feet of un-compacted fill.  With the increased bottom foot weight spread we had no settling.  Of course they were also really deep in the ground.

[Mike Fox]

I showed up to AC this morning and found it looking like this. Very pleased. Well worth the money we pay Contractor Jeff.







Well, with help this morning from Fred squaring up the building, then from James and Dwight, I got 7 posts in. 5 of which have the big bases.

First hole.





Meanwhile, Fred got bored and went and got some saws.



I started putting in the second one and almost quit, but after some thought decided to keep going. Why almost quit? Well, this is why.



End of day. I put these blocks in place to serve 2 purposes. First will be to cover the holes for a week. I have rolls of plastic that will cover the holes. Next weekend they will support a 4x4 that will be holding up the post base.

[Bill Reidy]

Meanwhile, Fred got bored and went and got some saws.

We need to find some more trees for Fred to cut this winter or there'll be trouble, although he did keep a crew quite busy this past early spring splitting fallen hardwood for locomotive firing.  There's certainly plenty more hardwood to be split from the trees cut down this fall for the pavilion.

Great photos.  Thanks Mike.

[Mike the Choochoo Nix]

Why big bases on only some of the posts, did you hit some big rocks? The site looks great.
Mike N.