Archived News 2009

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December 21, 2009 -- Tom Spears installed two vent covers in the eaves of the south side of the building. This action corrected the second of fifteen discrepancies noted by the state Fire Marshal.

The officers of the seniors association met after the center Christmas party, deciding on the special program activities to schedule in the January Activity Schedule. The officers decided to schedule an Open House to introduce the new Senior Center to the community on the third Saturday and the first fund-raiser, the Country Music Jam Session on the last Friday. More details will be published soon.

December 14, 2009 -- A workman from All Sheetmetal in Oklahoma City corrected one discrepancy noted by the Fire Marshal. He installed a necessary fire-retardant blanket between the kitchen range exhaust hood and the wooden rafters above the stove.

December 10, 2009 -- Personnel from the Medicine Park Public Works Department worked to clear, level, and fill the parking lot area east of the building. Comanche County Commissioner, Susan Ulrich, committed county resources to assist in the building of the parking areas for the Community Center.

December 9, 2009 -- This area's Fire Marshall, a State Building Inspector, and a State Electrical Inspector arrived at the building at ten AM. Gordon Dye, town councilman, Paul Fisher, town grant writer/project lead, Charley Wright, building designer, Alon Williams, WMASCA vice president, and Tom Spears met the inspectors. While leaving a list of further discrepancies to be corrected, the Fire Marshal approved the building for occupancy.

December 7, 2009 -- Fire Marshal cancelled the inspection for today. A structure fire in Lawton on Sunday required him to investigate that occurrence. The Community Center building inspection was reset for Wednesday, December 9th.

November 24, 2009 -- Alon Williams, the association vice president, and Tom Spears met Medicine Park representatives Gordon "Buddy" Dye and Paul Fisher for a final building walk-through before the visit of the State Fire Marshal on December 7th. All of the items on the Fire Marshal "Must Do" list were to have been accomplished, and the town representatives expressed appreciation for the work the senior center volunteers have done. Tom pointed out the until the parking areas and side walks have been improved, a town's responsibility, the building cannot be used to its capacity. Gordon Dye assured the seniors that the work will be done in time for upcoming senior center fundraising events.

Alon discussed the other needs. He noted to make the building fully useful mirrors, shelves, paper towel and soap dispensers, toilet paper rollers, and trash containers must be procured and installed. Doors on the attic attic must be procured and installed. Additional tables and chairs are needed. Paul Fisher asked that the seniors give him a comprehensive list needed items, and he would ask for procurement funds at the next town council meeting.

November 23, 2009 -- Tom Spears and Alon Williams completed the installation of the outdoor floodlight and wired it into the building circuitry. It will come on at sundown and provide illumination for the parking areas and building main entrances. The members of the center met at 6:00 pm for their normal weekly building and kitchen orientation. They ate a potluck supper of roast pork, mashed potatoes, cranberry salad, and a wonderful cobbler. They played dominoes and pool and watched television. The lighted parking area was appreciated by all at the end of the evening.

Earlier in the day, building designer, Charley Wright gave to Tom copies of blue prints he had drafted for the specification and installation of the sidewalks, back patio, and storage building slab. He asked Tom to provide a copy to the town so their employees can accomplish that task. Tom reminded Charley that the sidewalks cannot be installed until the cobblestone is installed on the portion of the building where the sidewalks are. The masons have said that they need the sidewalk area to pile and sort their stones.

November 20, 2009 -- Alon Williams and his son James started installing an outdoor floodlight to illuminate the parking areas and trails near the building. With daylight savings time that area is pitch dark after 7 pm. They hope to have the installation finished by Monday night's meeting.

November 19, 2009 -- Tom Spears and Ed, from Medicine Park Outside Plant installed the ducts from the restroom fan housings to the building eave outlets. That is the last item on the State Fire Marshal's list of corrections. Charley Wright called the State Fire Marshal, and he scheduled his next inspection on the afternoon of December 7th. Tom, Eva and Alon Williams, Paul Fisher, and councilman Gordon Dye will perform a pre-inspection walk-through on Tuesday, November 24d.

November 6, 2009 -- This afternoon Jo Ann and Tom Spears finished installing the safety platform around the replacement air fan housing and the range hood vent fan housing on the building roof.

November 5, 2009 -- Alon Williams, his son James, and Tom Spears worked at the building today. James completed installing the last of the panic bars. He installed the lock cylinder on and door pull on the inside vestibule door. Then he installed the PVC extension to the restroom soil stack, taking the vent more than the ten feet from the replacement air intake vent, a building code requirement.

Tom and Alon installed most of the aluminum planks on the safety rails that surround the replacement air vent fan and the stove hood exhaust fan housing on the roof of the building. The dark of the evening interrupted the work, which has an hour or two remaining before completion.

October 27, 2009 -- On Monday, Tom Spears met the truck from Tower Extrusions and received the aluminum platform package. This morning he tested the fitting of the longer pieces and began the task of preparing the angle aluminum for installation.

Tom met with building designer Charley Wright and Town Council member Gordon Dye to discuss design of the patio and of the seniors' needed storage room. The room will store canned, packaged, and dry foods and kitchen and dining room expendables. Charley will produce plans for a new small building near the kitchen door.

October 21, 2009 -- Paul Fisher, the grant writer for Medicine Park today announced that he had cancelled the cobblestone contract awarded at Monday's town council meeting, because the grant being used requires competitive bidding for obligating of the money. Portions of the grant was also intended for the sidewalks, pavement, and storeroom slabs. That work is likely on hold.

October 19, 2009 -- The Medicine Park Town Council tonight approved a contract to put cobblestone on the outside of the building's west, south, and east sides. They approved the installation of the building sidewalk, the sidewalk to the parking area, the patio, and the slab for the two storerooms on the north side, as well as paving the access road and the building parking areas. Work on the two contracts will begin within the next two weeks.

October 16, 2009 -- After a week's delay Tom Spears confirmed the order for the platform aluminum from Tower Extrusion. He bought the screws and bolts for the installation of the aluminum planks. He purchased the vent duct and hardware to vent the ladies' and men's restroom fans to the outside. Installation of the ducting is expected next week. The installation of the platform is expected to be complete prior to the 7th of November. Upon completion of the platform installation, the state Fire Marshal will be called back for a final building inspection.

October 6, 2009 -- Alon and James Williams worked on the right patio door, completing the access to the area where the patio will be built. Tom Spears re-measured the area for the platform on the roof and sent the information to Tower Extrusions. He expects to complete the order for the platform material tomorrow.

October 5, 2009 -- Tom Spears contacted Tower Extrusion, Inc. in Olney, Texas, to see if the firm can provide aluminum grandstand seating planks for the roof fan platform. Chance Fite from Tower said he thought they could solve the platform problem and, using Tom's drawing and building photographs, will provide a cost estimate later this week.

October 2, 2009 -- Alon Williams and his son James finished adjusting the left patio door so that it closes and latches. That action leaves only the right patio door and the key lock cylinder on the interior foyer door to complete. When those two doors are done, the panic bar project will be complete. Remain projects before the re-inspection by the state officials: Fan Housing Platforms and Restroom Fan Ducts.

October 1, 2009 -- Alon Williams, his son James, and Tom Spears finished installing crash bars on the front door and one of the patio doors, although the patio door requires further adjustment. Tom climbed into the attic and installed air filters in the air handlers. Fire Pros, a fire safety company in Lawton, installed three fire extinguishers. a K-class extinguisher in the kitchen and two 10-pound multi-use extinguishers in the meeting room near the main exits. Fire extinguisher installation was one of the required actions for the activation of the building.

September 24, 2009 -- Alon Williams, his son James, and Tom Spears worked all day at the building. Hoping to finish installing panic bars on three doors (the east side entry, the front entrance, and the front foyer). They only finished the east door. Trouble drilling the lock cylinder holes in the metal doors slowed the progress. Alon traveled to the nearest hardware store to buy two additional hole-saw drill bits. The hardware store only had bits made to saw wooden doors. The two bits Alon bought were worn out after cutting holes for one and a half of the required three doors. The building now has two working lockable panic doors of the three required (the three double doors are only partially done). Alon and James intend to continue the work tomorrow.

September 12, 2009 -- With an eye toward working off one more of the State Inspectors' regulatory requirements, Tom bought two three-inch vent pipes and the joints to extent the sewage vent the required ten feet from the return-air fan housing intake. He left it in the building for installation after the rain stops.

September 10, 2009 -- Tom Spears and Alon Williams continued to work on installing crash bars on the building's outside doors, completing the West door. They covered the four-foot by six-foot opening into the attic with plastic, a recommendation made during the Cotton Electric energy audit. While they were in the attic, they surveyed the possible placement of an attic ladder in the men's restroom, determined the needs for eight-inch ducts from the restroom fans to the outside, and removed installation materials from the two lavatory vent tubes. While they were working at the building, a rock mason, intending to bid on plying cobblestone onto the South and East outside walls, surveyed the building and reviewed the building plans, taking notes of the measurements.

September 3, 2009 -- Cotton Electric Cooperative engineer Mike Stevens performed an energy audit on the building today. His findings are listed at <Sep09 Energy Audit>. The seniors intend to work off as many of the items as possible in order to keep electrical costs down.

August 28, 2009 -- Alon Williams and his son James finished installing the nine door closers and began to help Tom Spears with the single-door, lockable panic bars. Alon cut the lock-cylinder holes in the west door and discovered that the screws on the locks were too short to reach through the doors. The work day was curtailed, awaiting longer bolts and re-keying of the lock cylinders to a single key code.

August 26, 2009 -- The electricians installed the large volume air evacuation fans in the men's and women's restroom today. The fans are quiet and very effective. However, now there are two twelve inch by twelve inch holes in the ceiling that need to be patched. Alon and James Williams attacked the job of door closers today, installing all but two of the nine needed closers. Gordon Dye and Tom Spears continued to install panic bars on the outside doors, finishing up the double-door set started last Thursday and beginning the installation on two others.

August 20, 2009 -- Tom Spears and town councilman Gordon Dye began the installation of the panic bars on the outside doors. After a slow learning process and a trip to Lawton for additional parts, one bar was almost completed on one door. They intend to work on the other doors next week. Alon and James Williams installed cantilevered tables in both booths. The only thing left to do on the booths is to paint the raw wood and to bolt the two center benches together.

August 11, 2009 -- Using Community Center funds, Tom Spears bought lumber and hardware to mount the table tops and their cantilever supports in the two booths. The booth benches were donated to the Community Center several years ago by David Lott. Tom moved the two cartons of door panic bars from the Town Hall to the Center. He and Gordon Dye will install the door equipment next week. The panic bars are a building code requirement prior to the buildings official opening.

August 10, 2009 -- Evanna Betcher, owner of the Wichita Mountain Lodge, donated forty-four padded folding chairs. We will use the chairs for classroom type meetings, classes, and entertainment. A family donated a couch and recliner for the TV viewing area. Don Hall and Tom Spears picked up the donations and placed them in the building.

August 9, 2009 -- Tony Garcia and his wife, owners of The Master's Kitchen, refurnishing their restaurant, donated two four-person tables, one five-person round table, and twenty-two restaurant chairs to the center. We received them tonight.

August 5, 2009 -- At a standstill, it seems, waiting for the town of Medicine Park to make the building ready for the Fire Marshal's re-visit. Action needed: Door on the opening into the attic; Fire extinguishers; Ceiling evacuation fans for the restrooms; extension of the soil stack pipe too close to the replacement air intake fan housing; installation of a level flooring on the fan housing guard rails. Other building needs not on the fire marshal's list: Grade and surface the two parking areas away from the building and the handicap parking spaces at the building; install siding (rock, brick, or other.... anything!) on the building to stop the deterioration of the particle board that has been weathering for seven years.

July 30, 2009 -- Gordon (Buddy) Dye, Medicine Park Town Council, ordered the panic bars and door closers for the building, one more step working off the Fire Marshal's list for approval.

July 16, 2009 -- All Sheetmetal Company guys out of Oklahoma City arrived this morning and finished the work on the kitchen hood, making it compliant with state fire, safety, and building regulations. Roger finished installation of the cooling portion of the heat pump, connected the drain pan to the building drain system, and moved a kitchen air grate away from the kitchen hood. The building now has air conditioning.

July 15, 2009 -- The electricians finished upgrading the fluorescent lamp in the kitchen. They repaired the last of the five emergency lights.

July 14, 2009 -- Bob's electrician journeyman arrived at 9 AM, before the rise of the day's temperature climbed to it's 107 degree high. He connected the heat pump compressors to the previously installed junction boxes. Then he converted the magnetic ballasts in the six kitchen florescent lights to electronic ballasts. The kitchen is finally lighted bright enough that future cooks and pan scrubbers will be able to do that work. Roger will be at the building on Thursday to complete his check of the heat pump system and finally turn it on. He is also scheduled to move the kitchen air vent further away from the range hood so the hood work can be completed. Wayne the hood guy said he will have his workers at the building on Thursday to bring the hood into state directive compliance.

July 10, 2009 -- Bob the electrician and Roger the heat pump guy are in communication. Bob's people will complete the electrical connection of the air system on Monday, and Roger will complete the checkout of the system soon after. The building will soon have an effective air conditioning system.

July 9, 2009 -- Tom attempted to contact the electricians yesterday and today. His telephone calls were not returned. With the outside temperature hovering around 105 degrees, the building is very uncomfortable to work in. Tom will try calling the electricians again tomorrow. The state fire marshal and building engineer will not approve the building for occupancy until the air conditioning questions are solved, the kitchen hood is brought into compliance with state code, and the restrooms have the proper size evacuation fans.

July 7, 2009 -- The heat pump contractor installed the compressors on the outside of the building and corrected some of the installation of the air handlers in the attic. The building will be air conditioned as soon as the electricians return to the building and wire in the equipment.

July 6, 2009 -- ARVEST Bank of Lawton donated twenty-five large coffee cups to the senior center for use in the building when it opens.

June 27, 2009 -- Alon, James, and Tom finished their volunteer labor installing the stalls and panels in both restrooms. They spent seven hours on Monday, eight-and-a-half on Thursday, and seven on Friday drilling holes in the tiled cement floors, taking critical measurements, lifting and hanging steel panels, and painstakingly placing doors and their hardware to ensure proper closing and latching.

-- Robert Dean finished building and installing of the large metal cage at the rear of the building to protect the heat pump compressors and copper tubing from theft. Councilman Otis Hennessey came by the building and told Tom Spears that the bars of the cage are too far apart and, with the top of the cage open, it still needs more work to be made suitable.

-- The contractor for the heat pump was supposed to have installed the compressors, connected them to the air handlers, reinforced the air handler supports, and complete the drainpipes from the air handler pans to the building drain. He did not show up Thursday, as scheduled, and did not do the work on Friday. The building is still without air cooling.

-- The State Structures Engineer is to visit the building tomorrow (Monday, 29th) to inspect the installation of the range hood (among other items) and tell Wayne, the hood guy, exactly what work must be accomplished to have the hood approved for use.

June 19, 2009 -- Tom and Alon and Alon's son, James, spent all day yesterday and today preparing the walls for installation of the restroom stalls. Tom picked up the television from Sears, and the three men installed the wall rack, the television set, and the sound panel. They expect to complete the restroom stalls next Thursday and Friday.

June 17, 2009 -- Eva and Alon purchased a storage cabinet, a stainless steel serving table, and food stuffs in preparation for full use of the building as soon as it is approved for occupancy.

June 15, 2009 -- Tom purchased lumber and paint (charged to the town) to prepare the restrooms for the instillation of the stall partitions and screens, since the restrooms were not built to hold the heavy panels during construction.

June 12, 2009 -- The equipment for the stalls and partitions in the restrooms arrived at the building. Tom and Alon (and any other volunteers from the town who want to help) will install them next Thursday.

June 10, 2009 -- Louretta Borsus, seniors treasurer, went to Sears and ordered a large LED television set, a wall mount, and an auxiliary speaker system to be mounted on the meeting room wall. It will be available on June 19th.

June 9, 2009 -- The building use agreement was considered at the Medicine Park Council meeting and, after significant discussion, was approved. The general feeling of the council and the few townspeople at the meeting is that the seniors are intending to use the building too much, and the town will not have it available to use for its own citizens nor as a revenue source.

June 5, 2009 -- The hood guy from All Sheetmetal in Oklahoma City worked off one of the fire marshal's discrepancies on the hood: a lip on one of the cutouts that could retain and drip grease. He and his boss, Wayne Head, further questioned the hood discrepancies about its being over-sized and with insufficient distance from combustibles. The town, under the eye of its contractor, Robert Dean, for pouring blocks and fabricating cages for the heat-pumps, began draining and leveling the area near the building where the heat pump compressors will be placed. Representatives from the town met with a potential mason to put rock on the building.

June 4, 2009 -- The State Fire Marshal, having been diverted to a major fire in northern Oklahoma yesterday, arrived at the building this morning to inspect and approve the building for occupancy. Unfortunately there was a list of disqualifying discrepancies that the town must correct before the association can begin using the building to re-institute the seniors program. The list, among other things, includes: 1) exit doors need panic bar openers instead of the current door knob and dead lock. 2) range hood is installed too closely to the ceiling rafters, requiring a nine-inch air space (or equivalent fireproofing). 3) restrooms ventilation fans air-moving capacity is too small, requiring 225 CFM instead of the current 60 CFM. 4) An electrical circuit, routed through the hood duct system, must be moved. 5) Two of five exit doors do not have lighted "EXIT" signs in place. 6) Three emergency lights (two on either end of the meeting room and one in the kitchen) could not be activated.

-- Paul Fisher, for the town of Medicine Park, with a copy of the discrepancies, stated that all of the items will be corrected within 30 days and the inspection will be repeated.

May 27, 2009 -- 1) Charley Wright, building designer, called Tom Spears, telling him that the State Fire Marshal, the State Construction Engineer, and another inspection-type fellow will be at the building on June 3, for the final inspection and approval of the building's compliance with state fire and construction regulations. 2)Eva and Alon Williams went on the first shopping trip to ready the building for occupancy and use. They bought cleaning equipment and supplies, table utensils and busing bins, building expendables and energy-efficient light bulbs, and some preliminary canned and packaged food items. 3)Jo Ann and Tom Spears cleaned the kitchen, removed labels and packaging from the new posts and pans and food preparation item, washed down and sanitized the surfaces of the food prep tables and and stands, and tested the oven and burners on the range, and heated and oil-seasoned the removable four-burner griddle.

May 25, 2009 -- The Senior Citizens group met at the building, had a meal, and reviewed the procedures for opening the building, operating the equipment, closing down the equipment and securing the building. Some of the able bodied seniors volunteered to come to the building and clean the restrooms and common areas, remove labels from the new cooking pots and equipment, and prepare the fryer and griddle for their first use. Tom, Alon, and Eva agreed to meet on Wednesday to purchase expendables for the seniors to use in the building.

May 22, 2009 -- Tom finished the floor molding installation, installed the replacement fryer and put it in place and cleaned the floor and appliances in the kitchen of the rubble and waste of the installation activity of the past two months. He brought dishes from their eight-year storage, ran them through the new chemical dish washer, and placed them in the beverage cabinet, ready for use.

May 20, 2009 -- Electricians connected the water heater through a junction box that will allow the heater to be turned off when the building is to not be in use. While the electricians were in the building, Tom asked them to install a new electrical plug high on the wall of the meeting room. Louretta Borsos selected the location for a new 52-inch LED television set that she plans to purchase with funds from a Medicine Park cookbook sale she sponsored last summer.

May 19, 2009 -- At their regularly scheduled monthly meeting, the Medicine Park Town Council considered the building-use agreement that had been coordinated with and agreed to by the town's project officer. The council thought the agreement gave too much scheduling and control of the building to the seniors and wanted to further study the document. One of the few towns people at the meeting stated that "one or two days a week" should be sufficient for the seniors to use the building. The agreement will be considered again by the council at their June meeting. Until then, the highly restrictive use agreement the seniors signed with the town in 2003 will remain in effect.

May 18, 2009 -- The plumbers connected the water heater on the platform and filled it with water, where it waits for the electricians to apply power. Tom began the installation of wall molding, one of the last items the kitchen needs to meet the building inspectors requirements.

May 14, 2009 -- Eva, Alon, and Tom met with Paul to negotiate terms of the building-use agreement that will outline the way the Senior Citizen Center can use the Community Center building. Paul used a draft agreement that the seniors had written last fall, and recommended a few changes that were acceptable to the seniors. Paul will present the proposed agreement to the town council.

May 14, 2009 -- Tom purchased the necessary pipes, flanges, lag bolts, and aluminum for the water heater platform and constructed and installed it. Tom continued with the installation of the floor molding.

May 13, 2009 -- The area in the attic where the water heater was plumbed to go does not have acceptable flooring for the device. With the plumber, Tom, and Charley Wright considering other locations on the ground floor, a location over the grease trap in the kitchen was selected. A platform must be built to hold the water heater high enough above the grease trap that it can be serviced. The plumbers installed the plumbing for the water heater, planning to return after the platform was in place. Charley Wright said he would build a strong, wooden, two-by-four table for the heater, but Tom asked that the platform conform to the design and appearance of the rest of the kitchen. With that in mind, Tom designed a platform with galvanized pipe legs and aluminum covered wood that will hold the water heater and fit with the look of the stainless steel commercial kitchen.

May 12, 2009 -- Tom Spears obtained bids from two other suppliers for the stalls and partitions for the restrooms. Both were significantly higher than that of AmeraProducts. Tom submitted the information to the project officer. Concerned about the need for a solution to obtaining hot water for the building, Tom learned of a rebate program from the local REA supplier for high-efficiency water heaters. He got approval from the project officer to purchase a $289.99 Energy Miser 6, 55-gallon water heater from Sears that qualified for a $200.00 rebate. Coordinating with the Town Treasurer, Judy Robertson, Tom picked up the water heater and began to arrange for its installation.

May 9, 2009 -- Tom Spears requested bids from additional companies (one from Internet sales and one from a local Lawton supplier) for stalls and partitions for the restrooms. Those bids are expected on Monday. Tom and Alon Williams have volunteered to install the restroom stalls. Tom priced the base strips that are required around the bottom of the walls of the kitchen. He will arrange for purchase of the base strips and adhesive on Monday.

May 8, 2009 -- Tom Spears received the bid for restroom stalls from AmeraProducts on Wednesday and forwarded the quote to the Community Center project officer. He rejected the bid as too expensive and requested Tom to search for more competitive bids. Tom contacted the building designer, requesting that an inspection date be set for the approval of the building for occupancy. The state building inspector, the state fire marshal, the building project officer, and the fire suppression installers are required to assemble for the inspection.

May 7, 2009 -- Alon Williams and Tom Spears met at the building and finished putting spackling to the wall repairs where the plumbing and electrical installations were completed. That done, they placed shelves over the triple sink and the beverage cabinet. They hung the pan and utensil rack over the center island. Tom Spears found that a substantial rebate is available with the purchase of a high-efficiency tank-type water heater. He is arranging for the purchase and installation of the appliance early next week.

May 5, 2009 -- Tom Spears ordered the replacement fryer from Amundsen Restaurant Supply, after getting assurance from Southwest Chemical that the association will get a full refund for the fryer that could not be wired into the building circuits.

May 1, 2009 -- The plumbers came back today to replace the original brittle and inferior restroom lavatory plungers and stoppers. We had called the electricians back out to replace two fault-detecting electric plugs (for the triple-sink disposal and the dishwasher) that did not work properly. As the plumbers tested the point-of-service water heater, we found that it would neither provide sufficient water to run more than one faucet nor keep the water hot enough to wash pots and pans or dishes (the dishwasher requires 140 degree water and 25 psi pressure, neither available from the heater). Plans are being made to procure a 40-gallon tank water heater for installation in the attic.

April 30, 2009 -- Plumbers returned to finish hooking up the kitchen sinks and installing the newly arrived (properly sized, this time) grease trap. Connecting the lavatories in the restrooms, they found that the plungers and plugs use to close the drains were plastic, of inferior quality, and brittle. The broke into pieces when they were used the first time.

April 27, 2009 -- We contacted AmeraProducts in Beaumont, Texas, to provide prices for the stalls and dividers for the restrooms. We expect to place an order for those next week.

April 23, 2009 -- The electricians bade farewell to the building Thursday, having finished all of their interior work. They connected the kitchen center island (through two vertical conduits to the ceiling), giving power to the disposal in the prep sink, the ice machine, and outlets for cooks' hand appliances. They will return to connect the outside outlets and area lighting after the rock exterior and been completed.

April 18, 2009 -- With the floor refinished, the electricians and the plumbers will complete their work next week. The slit in the wall (made to facilitate the electrical and plumbing work will be recovered and painted and the wall shelves installed.

April 16, 2009 -- Andy the floor guy finished resurfacing the meeting room floor, making it look much better. He had started on Monday afternoon removing the acrylic finish that had looked so bad when he finished it in January. He applied a dissolver to liquefy the old finish, scraped up the sludge, and cleaned the floor. Two coats of medium acrylic sealer was applied on Wednesday and two coats of final acrylic sealer applied today. This picture shows the result:

April 2, 2009 -- Alon Williams and Tom Spears worked on the center island table, adding strength supporting bars and the sinks to the table. Tom cut a splash shield for the cook's hand sink from the steel left excess from the holes cut in the table yesterday. After getting the form bent into shape, he will put the shield in place on the table and add an electrical box to the back of the shield to hold the switch for the disposal and electric plugs for food preparers. Paul Fisher, Community Center project lead, told us that the floor guy will be in the building on Monday to re-finish the concrete floor.

April 1, 2009 -- Robert Dean, an artisan and metal sculpture artist from Medicine Park, with Tom Spears providing lifting labor, modified one of the two stainless steel tables that will make up the center island in the kitchen. They cut two holes in the table to hold the prep sink and the cook's hand sink. The kitchen is taking shape and will soon be ready for the state fire marshal to approve the building for occupancy. That is the final step before the association can begin to use the building for its senior program.

March 31, 2009 -- Tom Spears met with Larry Gordon, from Gordon Plumbing, and two of his plumbers to detail the plumbing job to be done and get an estimate on the costs (see Plumbing).

March 28, 2009 -- We moved all equipment out of the meeting room into the foyer and restroom hallway, but the floor guy hasn't shown up to do the job. We are going ahead with wiring the electricity and arranging for the plumbing, tasks that we have delayed for a week waiting for the floor guy.

March 22, 2009 -- Apparently the guy who did the poor job on the dying and sealing of the concrete floor is going to try to improve his botched job.He said that he will get to the job, at no charge sometime this week. We will move the pool table to the restroom hallway along with the other equipment on the meeting room floor (desk, beverage cabinet, ice machine, and a wooden cabinet.

March 21, 2009 -- Finding a pool table advertised in the Lawton classifieds, Tom Spears, with our officers permission, had it delivered and set up in the meeting room of the building. It is a very inexpensive billiards table, but full size and in reasonable shape -- good felt, reflexive cushions, and sturdy. It came with balls and a rack, four cue sticks, a wall stick holder, chalk, and a cue stick repair kit. Tom found that sometimes a ball will get stuck in the ball-return system. He will work to repair that.

March 20, 2009 -- We ordered a stainless steel wheeled cart to be the cook's movable prep table and a table for the center island, today. The two items will be delivered by SW Chemical on Tuesday, 24th, along with the rest of the prep tables, sinks, the remaining wall shelves, and the grease trap. Today's purchase completes the purchases from January's McMahon Foundation grant. We will cut the top of the island table to accept the prep-table sink and a hand sink for the cook's end of the kitchen.

March 13, 2009 -- The electricians returned, rewired the ansul fire suppression unit to disconnect the hood fans when the fire retardant is released. They began rewiring the south wall so that each piece of equipment has its own circuit. They will return during the week of March 23d to connect the range and fryer and finish wiring the south wall. Tom and Alon put legs on the beverage service table and installed the keyless lock on the kitchen door.

March 11, 2009 -- Tom picked up the beverage service cabinet from Amundsen Restaurant Supply, bought new cabinet legs from RRR Restaurant Supply and delivered it to the building.

March 9, 2009 -- Southwest Chemical and Restaurant Supply Company delivered both refrigerators, both freezers, the ice machine, the dishwasher, the stove and fryer, and two of the wall shelves.

March 3, 2009 -- A group of seniors traveled to Warren, OK, last night, and watched their "Country Jam" session -- a gathering of guitar, banjo, and fiddle players and singers from the southwest Oklahoma area (We had seen many of the same players at Tipton, OK, in February, where they meet on the first Monday of each month. The group expressed enthusiasm about adding the Wichita Mountains Area Senior Center to the "Country Jam" circuit with the first and the last Friday of each month available to schedule.

February 26, 2009 -- The team that botched the job of dying and sealing the cement floor (see Feb 9) has said that they will not attempt to correct their previous work. The town uses inmates from the Walters Confinement facility, and has assigned the floor work to them. Don Moses, a very talented and energetic inmate, has taken the ugly cement floor as his own project, trying to correct the mistakes with wax, wood stain, and elbow grease.

February 25, 2009 -- Dillard Electric wired the range hood (hood, exhaust air fan, and replacement air fan), the central heating system, and the septic sump pump. Automatic Fire Control, Inc. installed the kitchen range fire suppression unit. The kitchen is ready for equipment delivery. Shawn at Southwest Chemical said the range will arrive by this weekend. The refrigerators, freezers, fryer, ice machine, dishwasher, and some of the shelves are ready for delivery.

February 14, 2009 -- Medicine Park Public Works has cleared brush from the area for general parking and from an area nearer the building to make way for handicap parking. Two loads of chat was delivered and spread along the access road near the building.

February 10, 2009 -- All Sheet-Metal Company, Oklahoma City has installed the kitchen hood with ventilation air and replacement air. Electricity to the hood will be connected on Monday, 23 February. The installation included a full back-splash of stainless steel. The ansil fire suppression system will be installed soon.

February 9, 2009 -- After the acrylic sealer on the floor of the building had cured, a flaw in the process was apparent. The sealer was applied while moisture from the previous process -- etching and dying -- was still in the cracks and surface areas, leaving white/gray edges along all cracks. Several coats of wax have been applied to the floor, but there is not a uniform shine. The floor work continues.

January 25, 2009 -- The final acrylic coating for the entire floor was applied yesterday and is now "curing." or hardening. That is a four day process, so Wednesday, January 28, we will be back in the building, painting the kitchen and returning a few items back into the building. With the recent DEQ approval of their plans, Lawton Septic Company will begin installation of the buildings aerobic septic system next Wednesday and expect to complete their work on Friday, January 30.

January 24, 2009 -- The officers of the association agreed to sell excess old equipment from the old facility. The equipment includes the propane range, the ice machine, and the commercial double-door refrigerator. Proceeds from the sale will be applied toward the "island worktable and sink" in the kitchen

January 22, 2009 -- The officers of the association reviewed the bids of five suppliers for most of the kitchen equipment and selected the Southwest Chemical Company bid as offering the most value for the money. They notified the company and the Mc Mahon foundation of the award. The equipment (listed in "The Kitchen Plan") will be ordered on Tuesday for delivery mid-February

January 14, 2009 -- A crew is working to clean, prepare, and coat the floor in the kitchen, the meeting room, and the hallway. That work should be completed by the 21st. McMahon Foundation has awarded a grant to the seniors to complete the purchase the kitchen appliances and equipment (A second refrigerator and freezer set (for unlocked use), an electric range and fryer, scrub sinks, and prep tables. Requests for bids have been sent to local suppliers and offers are expected by next Tuesday.

January 1, 2009 -- Water is connected to the building, but the line is not purged and water turned on yet.... waiting for the septic system to be installed. Lawton Septic called on December 28th saying that Oklahoma DEQ has approved the septic plans for the building (with one minor revision that will simplify and shorten the installation period, and make the project a little less costly!). Lawton Septic will call on the 2nd or the 5th with their costs proposal. We have submitted a request for a grant to completely equip the building's kitchen and meeting room for senior center activities (and most of the community center needs). The foundation's directors meet on Monday, January 5th to decide if they will award the funds. We obtained bids for acrylic paint to finish the walls and ceiling of the kitchen. As soon as we clear the building of items stored there (the old gas range and refrigerator, the piano, the heat-pump compressors, the 8-ft range hood, etc), the contractor is ready to etch, seal, and finish the floors in the kitchen, hallway, and meeting room.August 7, 2008, Association officers meet with board members from Medicine Park (Meeting minutes are attached below)