|
Session 1: Purchases The first day of many work sessions to come, this session consisted of a drive to Niece Lumber in Lambertville, where we acquired the lumber needed to work on the project. The date was 7/12/14. The lumber purchased were cedar boards for the trim and a wood-like plastic material called Wolf White. The material will last longer than normal wood and will not rot. Driving to Lambertville with Dave and Ford. Jackson is the cameraman here. This is all lumber purchased in Lambertville. Approximately $1,000 of 8 Wolf White panels and 2 cedar planks Session 2: First Day of Panel Construction: The second session took place on 7/27/14, between 11:00 A.M. and 3:00 P.M. During this work session, we cut the Wolf White paneling into the appropriate shapes and began drilling pilot holes. While there was still work to do, almost half the paneling was sized and cut appropriately The group (Ford, Jackson, Nick, Zak, Nicholas, Sid, Uttam, Philip, and Jack), watching Dave demonstrate safe usage of the power saw The same group from a different angle. Session 3: Final Cuts and Paneling: The Group, finishing this particular panel. Last panel of the session! Cutting is complete!
Session 4: Demolition Day 1 The first day of construction of the Kiosk itself was 8/30/14, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Our first priority was demolition of the existing panels. To begin, we started by removing staples from the trim and irreplaceable parts of the woodwork. We also began working to uncover the screws holding the current paneling in place, which came out with some difficulty. The result was this: As it turned out, much of the surface paneling was mounted over even-older paneling dating back to the Kiosk’s original construction. It contained thirty-year-old staples, graffiti, and evidence of multiple paint jobs in the last 30 years. The lower trim was also damaged from rot, necessitating repair with wood putty. The view a passerby would have of the work site. Philip is examining the DO NOT TOUCH signs A hard day’s work. The discarded paneling is on the left-hand side of the photo, along the street.
Session 5: Demolition Day 2 The following Sunday of 8/31/14 saw our work session extend from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.. Like the previous day, we spent much of our time removing staples and applying wood putty. While normally this would seem like a trivial task, the sheer number of staples and their rusted condition meant getting them out was a time-consuming job, not to mention the sweltering heat. We used needle-nosed pliers, staple-removers, chisels, and flathead screwdrivers to pluck, snap, pull, and work out stapling from the interior panels. Nick and Aaron, removing staples with a pair of needlenose pliers in 95+degree heat Uttam (Team Ireland), demonstrating the practicalities of needlenose pliers in removing staples over Jackson’s wire-strippers Session Day 6: Demolition Day 3/Construction Day 1 This session on 9/1/14 ran from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The day was once again spent removing stapling from the kiosk’s interior paneling, as well as applying wood putty to the rotting portions of the trim. However, the final hours saw us completing the cleanup well enough to attach the new paneling. Due to a clerical snafu, we did have to recut new panels for the doors and one of the alcoves, but it worked out fine. The construction phase was almost entirely completed that day, save the painting. Aaron and Nick, back on the job. The discarded panels can be seen on the bottom right. Session 7: Construction Day 3 This session took place on 9/6/14, from 11:00 to 2:00. This was the first of the painting sessions, where we disassembled the kiosk to apply a new paint scheme. Originally, plans were made to simply paint the entire kiosk to its original color. As we uncovered the interior panels, however, we found that the kiosk had several “original colors”, ranging from a matte grey to an off-yellow. It was eventually decided that the kiosk needed a bit more visual flair than the battleship grey we had originally imagined. We settled on a paint aesthetic similar to the Hamilton Jewelers building across Witherspoon Street: black trim with white paneling. We also elected to add an orange stripe and ceiling just for a splash of color and an homage to both the Town and University that the Kiosk sits in immediate proximity to. First, however, we needed to sand some of the sharper edges of the new paneling, as well as the coarse wood putty. After this sanding, we removed the paneling for better access to the trim in and around the site of each panel. The bottom trim was first painted with an oil-based primer stain to prevent rot. The upper levels and trim then received a coat of their respective colors. We planned on applying more coats the following day. First coats of black and orange paint on the kiosk. The white paint has not yet been applied in this picture, evidenced by the grey/faded portions on the top strip Aaron with the black paint, Nick with the orange Charles, unamused with the black paint Ashwin, arriving on-site Jackson, ensuring a clean seal on the orange paint Session 8: Construction Day 4: 9/7/14 was the final day of work on the kiosk, again from 11:00 to 2:00. We continued applying coats of paint to all pieces of the trim, as well as fixing whatever smears and splashes we had left from the day before. We also left a few graffiti scribbles on the interior paneling for posterity. As these boards would be covered up by the new Wolf White paneling, we wanted to leave behind a memento for any group in the future who would work on the kiosk. These scribbles boiled down to names and dates where we worked. By the end of the day, the kiosk was painted and dry, thanks to the sweltering heat. We reattached the panels, erased any pencil marks left over from cutting the boards, and walked away. Excluding light bulbs and a new doorknob, the kiosk was entirely complete. Jackson and Nick on paint duty, Phil helping Akil sign in, and Ford explaining the details to a passerby Charles and Nick, applying white coats to the stained base. Same angle from later in the day. The white coat on top is being completed The panels, reattached. Nick, Jackson (behind the kiosk), Sid (behind the kiosk) and Phil installing the door panel. The practically-complete kiosk from the view of a passing local The completed kiosk, with a group picture. From the left: Aidan, Philip, Jackson (Group Leader), Charles (ladder), Aaron, Sid, Dante (ladder), Nick, and Ford |
Anthony’s Compost Bins
Overview
In support of Sustainable Princeton’s initiative to make Princeton greener, I will be working on spreading information on composting as well as helping to recycle shipping pallets into compost bins. Based on a design by a Sustainable Princeton member and architect, Heidi Fichtenbaum, they will help to reduce the amount of trash and leaves that Princeton collects as well as create usable compost for gardening.
Composting
Benefits: Compost improves soil condition, providing nutrients, stabilizing pH, and providing soil structure, which supports plants better. In addition, it is a great way to reduce the amount of organic waste that is thrown out and helps reduce the amount of leaves that are left on the curbside.
Location
The locations of the sites will increase as I receive confirmation from the different groups that have committed to receiving the shipping pallets, however all of the build sites will be in the Princeton area, mostly behind the public schools, such as Littlebrook, Community Park, John Witherspoon, and Johnson Park.
Schedule
There will be two main parts to my project, namely gathering the shipping pallets and constructing the compost bins. As it takes time to locate the shipping pallets, I will continue to hold sessions from transporting them even as I begin the construction on different sites.
Transportation
There will be 2-3 workdays for transporting the shipping pallets which will require work gloves for heavier lifting. As it is relatively simple (it merely involves loading the shipping pallets onto a truck and unloading them back off at the work sites), it will not require more than 3-4 volunteers to carry out the work on each work day.
Construction
The construction phase of the project will require slightly more volunteers (around 4-5) and will involve a more complex process *please see attached build sheet file for more exact details on building instructions. Volunteers will be required to bring work gloves as the work sessions will involve digging and flattening the ground, lifting the shipping pallets, and screwing together the sides and hinges with a power drill. Work gloves will also be provided at the work sites.
Currently Planned Transportation Days:
September 29, 2012. *Update – We did more work than expected, and I probably will not need to schedule any further.
Currently Planned Construction Days:
October 6, 2012 (11:00 am), (3:00 pm)
October 8, 2012 (1:00 pm)
October 13, 2012 (11:00 am), (2:00 pm)
October 20, 2012 (1:00 pm)
Transportation Session – 9/29/12 Sam’s Club, John Witherspoon Middle School, Community Park Elementary, Littlebrook Elementary, and Butler Organic Community Garden
Participants: David Teng, Eric Collins, Enric Boix, Albert Dong, Anthony Teng
I was lucky to have Sam’s Club donate a huge 24 shipping pallets and to have John Witherspoon donate 15 shipping pallets towards the project, in addition to the 7 I found in the Princeton area, 4 of which went into a prototype I made on 8/19/12. With the help of Eagle Scout Eric Collins and his giant red short-bed truck, we were able to transfer 12 shipping pallets at a time, leaving shipping pallets at Community Park, the Butler Organic Community Garden, John Witherspoon, and Littlebrook.
Construction Session – 10/6/12 Community Park (11:00), Littlebrook (3:00)
Participants: David T, David R, Ellen D, Jamie H, Tom R, Philip T, Anthony T, Paul D, Michael R
The work done at CP involved a lot of changes to the build plan, as the shipping pallets used were a much heavier, sturdier variety than the standard shipping pallet. The orientation of the shipping pallets was also changed, and added a foot to the length of the compost bin. In addition, these changes took more time than expected to put into place, however the finished result was much better than the old build template overall. Due to the extra time required in rethinking the construction of the compost bins in terms of the different materials, the second work session was postponed to Monday, and no work was done at Littlebrook, although the materials were put in place. This first work session was a great learning experience in rethinking strategies and putting them into effect.
Construction Session – 10/8/12 Littlebrook (1:00)
Participants: David T, Mary S, Jamie H, Aaron G, Daniel G, Jackson G, Chris D, Jonothan P, Will S, Jack S, Anthony T
The Littlebrook work session took much less time than expected, partly due to the fact that the new design was already understood, and did not necessitate any further changes over the ones made at CP. The work session was also quite efficient, as the scouts did their jobs admirably and did not need more than one explanation of what they were doing. In addition, they worked well in teams, as different teams worked on different bins simultaneously. In addition, there were just enough volunteers to have 2-3 working on each bin, either digging/placing the bricks, constructing the back and sides, or installing the door. This also sped up the construction process, and allowed us to finish an hour ahead of schedule. The scouts demonstrated proper handling of tools and materials and, overall, this work session went by quickly.
Construction Session – 10/13/12 Johnson Park (11:00)
Participants: Jamie H, David T, Daniel G, Jackson G, Anthony T
The work session at JP went very smoothly, as both of the volunteers had already had experience with the bin construction. In addition, it was much easier to simply make a single compost bin than to make multiple as there was more space for drilling and we did not have to fasten any inner walls together. This work session took slightly longer than normal as the pallets had to first be fixed (some had broken slats), then transported about 100 meters to the work site before the construction could be begun. On an interesting note, there was ice on the ground during the beginning of the work session, so cold was the morning and the night before, but by the time the work session was completed, it would around 70 degrees.
Construction Session – 10/13/12 John Witherspoon Middle School (2:00)
Participants: Jamie H, David T, Steve C, Daniel G, Zohaib S, Afnaan S, Elizabeth T
The JW bins were built extremely well as we were able to utilize the flat paved surface of the walkway around the school to build the compost bins. Instead of having to level the ground, place the bricks, adjust the level of the bricks, and place the shipping pallets, we simply placed the pallets on the walkway, making them flush and saving a lot of time. This also made fastening the doors much simpler. After the bins were built, they were simply picked up and moved to the final location. As there was no exact confirmation of where in the garden the bins were supposed to be placed, I will be returning on Tuesday to JW to meet with the garden club, explain composting, and help relocate the bins if necessary. JW had donated 7 pallets to the project in addition to the 8 used to build their 2 compost bins. They also happened to have extra bricks from construction, so we did not have to bring any for their work session.
Construction Session – 10/20/12 Butler Organic Community Garden (1:00)
Participants: Waiyee C, Jamie H, David T, Leo L, Philip T, Elizabeth T, Sidhant S, Anthony T
The Butler bins took more time than normal as they required much more digging. This was because the bin sites were situated on a small hill of land that was covered in vegetation. In addition, as the shipping pallets were slightly damp from the rain the day before, it was harder to drill in the screws. More effort was expended to drill them, however they still came out well in the end. Overall, the last work session went well, albeit slightly slow. The scouts were more interested in talking about video games, however this did not detract from their work, and they were able to work efficiently, given the challenges that we were presented with. It was quite a relief to finish my last work session, and I am glad that I built the bins.
Princeton Troop 43 