Alice Ferguson Foundation

Things are in full swing at the PWSC construction site.  There are contractors on-site for concrete work, geothermal hookups, electric and plumbing hookups and fire protection piping.  At long last, our project superintendent, Matt Burwell of Facchina Construction, may be getting electrical power to the construction trailer.  As you can see in the attached photographs, you can now begin to see the day-use building take form!  The flour should be able to be poured next week after the three feet of rainwater (from this past weekend’s down pour) is pumped out of the trenches After that, the framing contractor will come in and we will see above ground progress.

Another exciting development is the construction and planting of the green retaining wall near the existing lodge.  It snakes along the base of a very steep hill and keeps the soil from eroding down into the lodge area.  It has been planted with about 500 native plants of three species – Christmas fern, Pennsylvania sedge and Virginia creeper.  When they fill in, the effect should be lovely, with sweeps of different textures and hues undulating along the more than one hundred foot wall.  There is a temporary pathway leading to the lodge deck that will be in use until final grading sometime in the spring of 2014.

We are working on getting an alternative gray water septic system to handle water that comes from faucets, showers and sinks in the buildings.  We have received permission from the Prince George’s County Health Department to conduct dry season percolation tests and they should be completed in the next couple of weeks.