First week of construction behind us!

The Square looks so different it's hard to believe we're only one week in to the reconstruction project.













So far the crew has:

• Removed all vertical elements, including light poles, trees, the clock, the stage armature, etc.
• removed the marble from the back side of the stage
• removed the brick from the top and steps of the stage
• began to dig the dirt out of the raised planting beds (extra difficult because there isn't a good record of where the pipes are laid in the bed - a little bit of hide and seek!)

You may have noticed the brick and marble being loaded onto palets (see the photo below). The brick will be stored and reused in Market Square to make the project as sustainable as possible and retain that mix of historic and modern that everyone loves so much about the Square.


















In the upcoming weeks the crew will be primarily focused on removing all the brick, gray belgian block and granite curbs by hand. We are taking a great deal of care in removal so we can reuse these materials in the renovated Square.

PS...

You may have noticed that the crew didn't do any work on the site last Friday. That's because during these first couple weeks of demolition work the crew is working what the construction business calls "40 in 4." This means that they are working a full week's hours, but they are working four 10-hour days, instead of five 8-hour days. This is a very helpful way to work during demo because it allows for greater efficiencies (for example, they only have to load and haul recycled materials to the warehouse 4 times a week instead of 5, conserving man-hours and fuel).


Once demolition is done they expect to switch to a 5-day work week in Market Square. But for now, you have some new vocab and can impress your friends. Whether you are an accountant or a cashier, as you walk past the Square with a friend, or chat at a dinner party about the many exciting construction projects Downtown, you can casually drop "40 in 4" like you've been saying it all your life and enjoy the opportunity to share you vast knowledge of the universe!