News

Fr. Santo Arrigo, C.Ss.R.

Construction continues at St. Patrick’s “Monastery”. It is hard to believe that as we move into December, we reach the milestone of 4 months into construction. So much has happened, while so much more needs to be done. With all the abatement of the lead and asbestos completed, the crews have been hard at work framing, installing the rough ins for electrical, plumbing, and the mechanical systems that all need to come together. It has been a real sight to see the framing put in place that clearly marks where walls will be placed and how the overall picture of our new home will continue to be painted.

I thought it best to describe to you in point form all that has taken place on the property. Hopefully the photos will help you as well to appreciate the scope and magnitude of the progress to date.

Old garage removed

Foundation of new garage laid and preparations for installation of new electrical and mechanical services.

Asbestos and lead all removed!

2nd and 3rd floors have all been framed for new walls

New window mock ups have been installed (one on each floor)

(New windows should be installed by the new year)

Basement has been framed for Provincial Library, meeting rooms, laundry and facilities

Electrical sockets and service conduits are currently being installed throughout the building

Mechanical (heating/cooling) pipes have been well installed in the basement by mechanical room.

The 1st floor of the Monastery is still being prepared for framing

As I said, so much has happened….and there is so much more to be done.

Soon, we will see the new outdoor main staircase, accessibility ramp and garage take shape. Think of all that as our early Christmas present!

Being 4 months into the project, with asbestos and lead abatement always taking a bit longer than anticipated, the question in your minds must be, “Are we still on track?” The simple answer is, “Yes!” The abatement process, as it happened differently on the different floors, allowed the contractors and subtrades to do different work at different times. With the abatement completed, we can now anticipate that the work throughout the building will now be unified and the project timeline will return ontrack. Over the next month, we anticipate that we will have a clearer sense of the construction timeline. That being said, our team of contractors, architects, trades and of course, Marwan Al-Turk and myself see July 1st, 2013 as a realistic date for the community to begin to move in.

We appreciate your support and ongoing prayers as we see the work of the renovation of the residence at St. Patrick’s take shape.