Construction On Track!
May, 2016 – Construction continues at the Historic Oliver Kelley Farm. We are looking forward to occupying at least some of our new facilities before the snow flies.
The Word From the Top…
November, 2015- The Ivory Tower at the Kelley Farm is a bit closer to the ground than it used to be, mainly because the old Visitor Center has long since been torn down and the staff is living, so to speak, in a trailer that’s a mite small, a mite cramped, and a bit underwhelming. The “pinched” circumstances, however, haven’t dampened the spirits of the folks running the show. In a brief interview with the Leader of the Pack, to quote an old ‘50s song, I learned that there is definite progress being made at the Kelley Farm as construction is moving ahead and is actually beginning to show itself to the point where one can actually see that progress is being made and being made in a BIG way. The parade of dump trucks through the Kelley Farm has finally passed by. There were an average of 30 trucks a day and over 800 trucks in all, hauling dirt and soil (aren’t they the same thing, more or less?) out of the farm to Brooklyn Park where it is being used in a construction project. Concrete footings for two of the five planned buildings have been poured. The multi-purpose building and the maintenance building are on their way with the multi-purpose building looking to be finished first sometime in the spring. That’s a good thing because with its completion, the staff will be able to move to it and the temporary Visitors Center now in use will be a thing of the past. As you may recall, there are plans for five buildings in all. There will be the aforementioned multi-purpose building, a maintenance building and maintenance barn, as well as a Visitors Center and a guest animal shelter (something every house could use when your neighbor brings over their dog for the weekend!). The wells have yet to be drilled, the 96 wells for the geo-thermal system. That’s coming, though a lot of this – and the construction in general, depends on the weather. Things are looking good right now. The contractors and sub-contractors are easy to work with, said Bob Quist (Site Manager) and they’re working hard and things are falling into place. Look to spring, Bob said, for a chance to see, perhaps at a Friends of the Kelley Farm Open House, all the progress being made. We’ll see you then!
