The Week of March 30, 2020 — Lights, Camera, Action, and That’s a Wrap! BUT, THE PANDEMIC CONTINUES!
The featured image for this week depicts the Adult Hospital tower the morning after the all night GFRC install.
In reality, the week of March 30, 2020, began Saturday night March 28, 2020, when a large telescopic crane rolled into the east yard and parked below the Adult Hospital tower in line with the leave out bay. Not sure if the setup was in preparation for a job to begin early Sunday morning, I texted one of the assistant job superintendents, who quickly responded that work would begin Saturday night installing the GFRC in the leave out bay. By the time I returned to my computer, the crane operator had raised the Hydraulic boom halfway up the the hospital tower and was running the crane through various tests.
Pandemic Readiness
An example of how tenuous the times are at the moment — A health crises like none of us have seen before!
In the Shadow to Towers of Healing: Situated just north and parallel to the Emergency Room entrance (off of Campus Street) are two inflatable field hospitals standing at the ready to meet the needs of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. No doubt, such facilities can be expanded at a moments notice if and when needed. Sometime between Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, the tarps in the leave out bay were removed. I also noticed that the area around the bottom of the leave out bay was cleaned. I thought perhaps installation of the GFRC might begin either Sunday or Monday. Come Saturday night, I was in for a big surprise.A closeup of the heavy equipment including the hydraulic crane (inset) that were positioned directly under the leave out bay where the aerial lift was anchored to the side of the structure. This is the image that prompted me to text one of the assistant job superintendents. Note the moon and Venus hovering above the Adult Hospital tower.The hydraulic boom was raised about the same time as the moon slid behind the Adult Hospital tower. Venus is still prominent in the sky. later in the evening Venus for a time would be partly obscured by the low clouds.At 9:01 PM, with traffic stopped, a large flatbed loaded with GFRC panels backs into the Anderson Street site east entrance. The crane’s hydraulic boom is fully extended.9:22 PM: With a bright spotlight illuminating the work area, the first GFRC panel (arrow) is lifted off of the flatbed.9:57 PM: The second GFRC panel is lifted from the flatbed.1:06 AM, 03.29.29: Held upright by the cable a three-story panel (lower left ellipse) is steadied and positioned before it is hoisted to the left of the panel (upper right ellipse), which was installed to the steel frame of the structure. Two three-story panels are anchored side by side.7:30 AM, 03.29.20: The GFRC Install is completed. The aerial lift and the leave out bay are but a memory.
Next Comes the Window Install
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
7:23 AM, Natures Spotlight on the Windows That Are Filling In the Leave Out Bay: On Wednesday morning the window install continues on the 13th floor.A window panel hangs in the air as it is nears the 13th floor.
After graduate school Dennis accepted a position at Loma Linda University. He worked there for 42 years in the areas of administration and financial management, also teaching accounting and management to dietetic students at the School of Public Health. Through the years Dennis has chronicled the growth of the campus, including the construction of the Drayson Center and the Centennial Complex and the razing of Gentry Gym. He is the author of "The Mound City Chronicles: A Pictorial History of Loma Linda University, A Health Sciences Institution 1905 - 2005." dEp 09.30.2016 🔨
