The Dam & The House!

Things are really happening now!

In case you haven't heard, David & Grace made an offer on the Gumport house that was accepted! They are in process of the myriad of steps that will hopefully get them to their scheduled closing around the end of October. We're all wishing them well and helping when we can. We're pulling for you two!!

That piece of equipment in the foreground is Kenny Bell's. The picture was from September 16th and he was starting to stage some of his equipment in preparation to begin on the dam. And begin he did!! Kenny and his crew started moving stuff on Monday, the 25th. And Eric ran right up there to be part of it all ;)  Here's a picture from today, Tuesday, the 26th. Boy, I can't wait to see it this weekend!!

So, in a week's time we should have a much better idea of how things stand cost wise. Kenny thinks we'll be ok (we told him we had made our fundraising goal $15,000). We did come pretty close to our goal and some folks have indicated a willingness to add additional if need be. Our current bank balance is $13,750 and here's how we got there:

Date	Donation #	Name	Amount	Bank Balance
6/1/17	1	Eric & Cheryl	$1,000	$1,000
6/1	2	Andy & Beth	$1,000	$2,000
6/2	3	Joanna	$250	$2,250
6/3	4	Allison	$50	$2,300
6/7	5	Bruce	$50	$2,350
6/7	6	Mary	$100	$2,450
6/12	7	Sara	$100	$2,550
6/12	8	Dave & Dottie	$1,000	$3,550
6/12	9	Matt & Laura	$1,000	$4,550
6/12	10	Paul	$1,000	$5,550
6/12	11	Ellen & Earl	$200	$5,750
6/12	12	Vicky, Cathy & John	$500	$6,250
6/13	13	Eric & Cheryl	$1,000	$7,250
6/15	14	Jim & Ann	$1,000	$8,250
6/27	15	Jim & Lynn	$200	$8,450
6/27	16	Joe & Shelley	$1,000	$9,450
6/30	17	Carolyn	$100	$9,550
7/17	18	Bill & Paula	$200	$9,750
7/21	19	Eric & Cheryl	$1,000	$10,750
9/25	20	Doug & Deepa	$3,000	$13,750

And once again, thank you all for being so amazing and contributing so much to make this possible!!

I'll update again this weekend when I get to see it for myself.   TTFN  ;)

Gumport House Update

I just want to update you on the Gumport house. Karen's brother, Lee, mentioned to Matt that they're hoping for $150,000. I guess they've come to realize that the place does need a bit of work (before they were talking about a higher number).

Although some family members have expressed an interest, no one seems to be in a position or has the desire to do an outright purchase. The possibility of a joint purchase has come up. So, we thought we should broadcast one more time, would anyone be interested in joining together to purchase the house?

I believe they will be looking for a real estate agent soon, if no one from our clan steps up. If any one or any group is interested, please let me know. I do have Lee's phone number.

Beth
CompetitiveHVAC@gmail.com

Dam Update

We're proceeding!!!!

Kenny Bell tested the mound in a few places and we are going to be able to use the knoll at the front of Eric & Cheryl's lot for the new dam material! It doesn't have excessive amounts of shale, etc. so it is usable. However, it doesn't have enough clay material in it. Kenny plans to add loads of clay to the material on site to get the desired composition. He believes mixing the clay throughout the dam is better for the longevity of the dam (as opposed to facing with clay).

Kenny said our cost guesstimate is still pretty good. So, we'll see how it goes.

 

Our current goal is: $15,000.

Our balance to reach our goal is: $4,250

Date	Donation #	Name	Amount	Bank Balance
6/1/17	1	Eric & Cheryl	$1,000	$1,000
6/1	2	Andy & Beth	$1,000	$2,000
6/2	3	Joanna	$250	$2,250
6/3	4	Allison	$50	$2,300
6/7	5	Bruce	$50	$2,350
6/7	6	Mary	$100	$2,450
6/12	7	Sara	$100	$2,550
6/12	8	Dave & Dottie	$1,000	$3,550
6/12	9	Matt & Laura	$1,000	$4,550
6/12	10	Paul	$1,000	$5,550
6/12	11	Ellen & Earl	$200	$5,750
6/12	12	Vicky, Cathy & John	$500	$6,250
6/13	13	Eric & Cheryl	$1,000	$7,250
6/15	14	Jim & Ann	$1,000	$8,250
6/27	15	Jim & Lynn	$200	$8,450
6/27	16	Joe & Shelley	$1,000	$9,450
6/30	17	Carolyn	$100	$9,550
7/17	18	Bill & Paula	$200	$9,750
7/24	19	Eric & Cheryl	$1,000	$10,750

Outstanding Pledges $3,100

Date	Name	Amount Pledged	Paid To Date	O/S Pledge Amount
6/1/17	Eric & Cheryl	$3,000	$3,000	$0
6/1	Doug & Deepa	$3,000		$3,000
6/2	Matt & Laura	$1,000	$1,000	$0
6/2	Joe & Shelley	$1,000	$1,000	$0
6/2	Paul	$1,000	$1,000	$0
6/3	Carolyn	$100	$100	$0
6/3	Vicky, Cathy & John	$500	$500	$0
6/4	Jim & Ann	$1,000	$1,000	$0
6/4	Mark & Chris	$100		$100
6/5	Dave & Dottie	$1,000	$1,000	$0
6/6	Ellen & Earl	$200	$200	$0
6/8	Jim & Lynn	$200	$200	$0

 

 

Anyone willing to chip in and help out can send a check or give cash to Cheryl or Beth. We have set up a joint bank account for this specific purpose.
Beth Wedell, 617 Eayrestown Road, Lumberton, NJ 08048
Cheryl Lemyre, 35 East Lake Boulevard, Medford, NJ 08055

Gumport's House for Sale

As you may have guessed, Roxy & Lee are looking to sell Karen's house.
I don't have too much info on it, but if someone is interested we'd be happy to get more info.

This is what I've heard through the grapevine: Tax assessed value is $149,000 and mortgage balance is $162,000. We were guessing it's value is closer to the $150 mark. Property is about 5 acres. It needs paint but doesn't show sagging. Rooms are smaller sizes and kitchen is outdated.

If anyone is interested, it would be good to let them know. They plan to list with a realtor in a week or two if no one has started a dialog (if no one shows interest). Lee's phone number is 607-281-8981.

Dam Time

Spring time at the pond can really stress the old dam. Looks like some beavers passed through and made things worse. Here’s a pic from April 22nd.

A lot of us have been discussing what should be done to ensure it continues to survive for decades to come. Last year’s guys’ weekend they cleared the trees off of the back side of the dam because trees draw water through the dam and cause damage. The next step will be a biggie, rebuild the dam.

April 29th Beth, Andy & Joe met with Ken Bell to discuss how he would suggest we proceed and what kind of costs are involved. Ideally, he told us, we use material close at hand. He suggested the small hill in Eric & Cheryl’s field because it’s the closest open ground. When the pond is low, he would start with pulling the tree stumps out of the dam. Next would be to scrape the top soil off of the field and move the material down onto the dam. Once done, the top soil could be placed back over field for seeding.

The ground which makes up the hill would have to be tested to see if its composition is suitable material. Eric & Cheryl have generously agreed to permit the testing and the framework of Ken’s suggestion.

Ken estimated that rebuilding the dam would take a few pieces of equipment (which I don’t remember the names of) that cost $2,000 a day (with the labor included). The work would take at least 5 days or more. The materials needed for a culvert/bridge (where the walkway currently is) would cost about $1,000. So all together, we’re probably looking at about $12,000 to $15,000.

Eric, Cheryl, Doug & Deepa, as pond owners, have been assessing the best way to proceed from here. At the urging of a number of us, they recognize that accepting donations from the rest of the family will allow this project to move forward a lot sooner. And given its condition, if we could manage to raise enough to do it this fall when the pond is low would be ideal. If we don’t make it close enough to our fundraising goal by then, we can wait until next year.

Anyone willing to chip in and make this happen can send a check or give cash to Cheryl or Beth. We have set up a joint bank account for this specific purpose.

Beth Wedell, 617 Eayrestown Road, Lumberton, NJ 08048

Cheryl Lemyre, 35 East Lake Boulevard, Medford, NJ 08055

The progress towards our goal will be tracked on this blog. If you’d like your name withheld, just let us know. We’d also be happy to note any pledges you’d like to make. Then you can work towards your own personal contribution goal.

Our current goal is: $15,000.

Our contribution tracking was moved to the Dam Update post above.