Hello David,

The concrete is in!!

If that's not exciting enough, we also have another bit of great news. We have this amazing new gift, a matching grant of $100,000! Our construction process is going very well and we've been able to bring down our costs such that we are in striking distance of completing this project debt free.

With this new grant, and with Chuck's leadership on the construction side, we are hoping to be able to have scholarship money for craftspeople AND a complete, debt-free building by the end of the year. That won't happen though unless we get this challenge grant matched.

I know we've asked for a lot, and indeed have accomplished a lot this year. This last push in funding our future will have transforming impacts on the lives of many craftspeople.

The donor wants the campaign to accommodate both end of the year giving and beginning of the year giving, so we are setting a deadline of December 31 which will include commitments for the first quarter of 2025 toward the match as well. If you have the ability to help, there's no better time to give than when your gift is doubled. The timing of your help is critical because the ideal time to get our new shop set up right is at the beginning.

There's just something about getting the floor poured that makes it all seem real. Perhaps it's the permanent nature of concrete, but for us the new floor represents a point in the construction process where things have really begun to roll. The heating, plumbing, dust collection, and electric lines are in the floor. The foundation is all shored, and the framing is complete. From here on in, every week will now bring visible and radical changes.

Quality Concrete showed up at 5:45 AM, and they didn't fool around. By 8:30, the concrete was in and the finish work began. They used a concrete pump to move the material in more quickly and reduce labor.

It was obvious the crew was used to working with each other and knew what they were doing.

Don Simpson owns Quality Concrete. He's lived in the area all his life and is well respected for the quality of his work. His brother is seen below running the power trowel.

Once sealed, the concrete looked like glass. It was sealed with a product called "Everclear."

By evening, they had cut the concrete for expansion and crack control.

Pouring concrete wasn't the only thing going on though. Electrical and flooring work were taking place as well. Dustin Young and Mark Neal were putting the sub-flooring down upstairs. The tongue and groove oak will go on top of this subfloor to provide a pleasant, organic floor, excellent when you're on your feet for a very long day. There's a barrier under the sub-floor between the original floor and the plywood.

Dustin did the carpentry for the HVAC ducts under each of the windows. Chuck is seen here getting or giving instructions - we'll never know which.

The windows have been framed in, and, hopefully, in the next week we'll begin to see them installed. The views are not bad either.

This window looks onto Altman's Mill. The green building is now a kayak rental. The mill is getting new siding at the moment as well.

Our gorgeous reverse painted glass signs came in too. They arrived too late to make the holder for them in Port Chester, but it will be among the first real jobs we do in Saltsburg once we're set up. The painting was done by Tom Moberg who is well known for the glass tablets he does for clocks.

Saltsburg is not the only place things are happening. The second semi truck load went out from Port Chester on August 29, and the crew back in Port Chester has been working frenetically to get everything packed up.

It's a tedious task as each piece must be cushioned by custom cutting padding to keep it safe. A good understanding of physics comes in handy as some pallets of boxes weigh over 3000 lbs.

The pallets are lined up in Port Chester waiting for the next truck.

In the meantime, the shop in Port Chester has become a chaotic sight.

Our time in Port Chester is rapidly coming to an end. By September 14, we will be out of the space we've called home for nearly five years. We'll be moving away from some dear friends and will miss them desperately. No matter how great the new place is, the warehouse in the "Premier Building" will always have a special place in our hearts, . We are so grateful to all who've made it such a special place too. So many contributed to helping us move in and with all sorts of help along the way.

Once more I need to mention we have been offered a matching grant of $100,000. A generous supporter will match your contribution dollar for dollar . If we can get his commitment matched, we will move in without debt and begin building a scholarship fund. Not having a mortgage would let us immediately begin our mission of having long term students. Please give if you are able. Your gift will help us create a bright future for ornamental turning as well as enhancing the lives of talented craftspeople and the crafts they pursue.

Support Ornamental Turning, Support Plumier. You can donate through the Join Us! page on our website, Donate Here.

We have also set up a Go Fund Me page which accepts donations of any size with more flexibility. It can be found here, Donate Through Go Fund Me.

A check sent to the address below is also a welcomed form of donation.

For more information on the location and building, have a look at the plan here: New Plumier Home!

If you have questions, give me a call at (570) 352-7137 or email me at david@plumier.org. I'm looking forward to sharing more information on our project with you as we progress.

Sincerely,

David Lindow