I meant to update this fall with some pictures of the new
dam, but just didn’t manage to find the time. As any of you who have visited
since September no doubt observed, it is big and wide and solid and everything
we asked for! Here’s a couple pictures:
We also had pebble put in for a beach area (holds up better
than sand) and Eric & Cheryl gave up part of their stone wall to replace
the old jetty (this one is perpendicular to the bank which we’re sure the
fishermen will appreciate).
I guess I should mention, Doug & Deepa also had some
work done on their side that they paid for separately. They had the path on the
other side of the pond widened so it’s easier to access and walk around.
The pond has filled back up considerably since the work was
done (and it’s low point in these pictures). The new dam is functioning
wonderfully well! Ken determined that although the knoll at Eric & Cheryl’s
was suitable fill (no excessive shale), it turned out it didn’t have as much
clay in it as he hoped for. So a good deal of clay was brought in and mixed
into the material from the mound as the dam was built. After his prep work (lowering
the pond a little further, clearing old dead wood from behind the dam, pulling
tree stumps from dam, etc.), Ken and his men added layers of the mixed
materials and compacted it after each layer. It is so solid, it feels like it’s
always been there!
The amount of time needed and the additional materials were
a bit more than originally anticipated. As a result, our final bill is slightly
higher than we had figured. We finally received our bill from Ken this Friday,
January 12th. He approached Joe last month once he had initially
figured it out. He felt bad about it coming in a bit higher. Joe assured him
that we would take care of it and we knew the original numbers were best
guesses. Ken decided to knock the bill down a bit anyway (as you can see on the
invoice). He’s a great guy and wants to make sure we’re happy with his work.
Personally, I think he did a fantastic job and went over and above by
discounting us more than half of the overage from our original guesses!
At any rate, as you can see on the bill above, the grand
total was $16,965. We have already paid Ken $10,000, so our outstanding balance
is $6,965. Since we have $3,823.23 in our account right now, that leaves us
with a shortage of $3,141.77. So we need to raise a little over $3,000. Joe
& Shelley and Andy & Beth have each pledged $500, so there’s $1,000. We
still need over $2,000 more. If any of
you could chip in, it would be greatly appreciated!
PS I would like to suggest that any extra monies
received be given to Doug & Deepa to reimburse them for the pond path.
(They paid about $2,000.)
