Day 87: When Everything Clicks: Courts Ready for Asphalt & Building Erection Just Days Away
Last week was nothing short of spectacular—one of those weeks where every moving piece fell perfectly into place like a well-orchestrated symphony. From outdoor courts to utilities to final building preparations, we tackled multiple fronts simultaneously, and I'm thrilled to share how it all came together.
The Art of Coordination: When Teamwork Makes Magic Happen
The three outdoor pickleball courts on the north side are now ready for their first layer of asphalt—a milestone that required precise choreography between multiple teams. Here's how we made it look effortless:
Our site team started by digging pits and installing light pole bases (because evening play is non-negotiable!), then created trenches for electrical conduits. The very next day, my electrical contractor laid all conduits and necessary wiring. The following morning brought the town inspection, and after getting the green light, our site team immediately backfilled all trenches and graded everything for asphalt installation.
This whole process was so smooth it felt like clockwork. Every day, the next piece of the puzzle fell exactly where it belonged, and by week's end, we landed precisely where we planned to be.
When Perfect Isn't Necessary: A Lesson in Practical Decision-Making
Well... almost perfectly. When I saw the light pole base locations (positioned exactly on each court's net line for even light distribution), something felt off about the court closest to the building. It didn't look quite parallel to the nearby retaining wall.
We called in our surveyor to mark each court's corners, and sure enough—the retaining wall was erected at a slight angle. My first instinct was concern: would players feel that visceral discomfort of something being "off"?
But when I actually stepped onto the future court and imagined playing on it, I realized I wouldn't even notice the difference, because the court edge is separated from the wall by at least 5 feet of crushed stone creating a buffer between the court and the wall. The silver lining? Players will actually have a bit more space than originally designed!
Sometimes perfect alignment isn't worth the delay. I told my team the wall stays as-is—I'd rather make progress in other critical areas than spend time achieving unnecessary perfection.
Plumbing Success: Ready for Monday's Big Test
While the electrical work was completing flawlessly, our plumbing team achieved a complete success story of their own. All required plumbing for the building has been roughed in and tested this week. We're 100% ready for Monday morning's inspection.
Fingers crossed that the plumbing inspection goes as smoothly as our electrical inspection did just days ago!
Building Erection Team: The Final Pre-Flight Check
The building erection team visited to examine concrete quality, anchor bolt locations, and all door openings. They uncovered a few minor items—one door opening that's 6 inches wider than planned and some spots where the wall isn't perfectly level. Nothing major, and all easily fixable this week.
An Unexpected Collaboration Goldmine
At week's end, we welcomed visitors from Berkshire Bank (now Beacon Bank), our financing partner, along with Newbanks, the bank's preferred construction consultant. What I expected to be a standard inspection meeting transformed into an incredible brainstorming and collaboration session!
Obadiah Dart, Newbanks' owner, dove deep into solving specific technical challenges around our mezzanine design and installation. His innovative solution could potentially save us tens of thousands in material and labor costs! Sometimes the best solutions come from fresh perspectives and collaborative thinking.
Coming Up This Week: Major Milestones Ahead
Asphalt installation begins on the top three pickleball courts
Water connection to the main line and fire hydrant installation (our water permit is approved!)
Final building prep after (hopefully successful) plumbing inspection, including backfilling and surface preparation
Building erection scheduled for September 29th—we're almost there!
Spreading the Word: 10,000 Daily Impressions
We also installed our "Coming Soon" sign this week, positioned to catch the attention of over 10,000 cars that pass our site daily. There's nothing quite like seeing your vision start to announce itself to the community!
Looking Ahead:
It's wonderful to see how all these moving parts are coming together. Every challenge we've faced has led to creative solutions, every coordination effort has paid off, and every milestone brings us closer to opening day.
The energy on-site is palpable—we can almost taste the sound of pickleball paddles and the excitement of our first players. Stay tuned as we enter what promises to be the most visually dramatic phase yet: watching our building literally rise from the ground!
P.S. Special thanks to our neighboring retirement community for their patience as we coordinate utility connections. Community partnership makes all the difference.
