SP's Eagle Project

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West Chicago Nursery served the local residents for decades.  After the owners closed up the business, a local team decided to buy the nursery.  It was converted to We Grow Dreams, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit training location for mentally retarded individuals.  The nursery aspect of the location continues for a variety of reasons.

Until now, there was no barrier to the entryway.  It is unfortunate, but in our society there are people who drive in late at night and load up their cars with products and drive off.  Steven's project is about constructing a fence and gates that would discourage such people from entering and taking what is not theirs.

In addition to three cement contractor volunteers and one volunteer from a local fencing business, six scouts and three troop leaders helped SP work on his project on May 20, 2006.  To make this day happen, much planning and behind the scenes work occurred.  Satellite photos and hand drawn sketches were used to decide the exact location of the fence.  JULIE was brought in to make sure there were no utility lines beneath the dig zone.  The fencing style needed to be chosen.  Fencing and a gating system needed to be acquired.  Cement needed to be there when all of this was happening.

Donuts were waiting for the scout team first thing in the morning.  Three pizzas were devoured at lunchtime.

By the end of the morning, most of the fence was up.

A few pieces of fence that were the wrong size needed exchanging.  They were installed at a later date.

The gates were hung after the concrete had time to fully cure.  While hanging the gates, it was discovered that some measuring miscalculations had been made by a vendor so Steven enlisted a local welder to extend the gates.  Additional alterations to the length needed to be made so another welder volunteered to extend another one of the gates.  It became clear that the gates needed to be tied to something when they were open during the day.  SP installed permanent posts that the gates would attach to.  It also became clear that the gates were not as visible as one would like.  SP found a vendor in the reflective tape business who was eager to donate some highly reflective tape.  That tape is now attached to all four gates.

The project was completed on Tuesday, 10/24/06 and was signed on Tuesday, 10/31/06

Please use the back arrow of your browser - This page last reviewed/updated 04/25/2007 09:45 PM