Entrance to Garage Is Underway

From my perch on the Nu Skin garage, I could see the entrance to the underground parking lot being dug from the right of the center of the picture.  An Okland contractor confirmed that's what's happening.  You can see one car in the post office lot on the right.  Usually it's pretty full.  Rumors still abound about the fate of the post office.

A truck driver told me that Nu Skin and the Church are working together on this west lot.  I believe the Church owns the footprint where the former Nu Skin garage stood in the upper right hand side of the photo.  Nu Skin owns the rest.  I believe a large, shared, underground parking garage will be built here, which will continue to the south lot.  See the crane on the left side of this photo?  It is standing on First South.  The new garage entrance is on the right hand side of this picture.  If you are thinking the garage where I'm standing doesn't look finished, you would be correct.  It's in use, and the stairway I'm on is very safe, but thanks for worrying about me.

I took this photo while standing on First West, facing north.  This is how we will enter the underground parking lot.  Someday.

I turned around to take this picture of the truck runway.  This is where the trucks line up to take their turn entering the south lot.

You might have wondered if I ever exaggerate when I talk about the constant stream of trucks entering and exiting.

While I have been known not to let the truth get in the way of a good story, there is no need to exaggerate here.  Often trucks appear in my photos as they come...

and go.

The reason I went to the site today was because the construction cam indicated pipes were being laid in the north lot.  My engineer husband thought it might be a French drain system.

I've actually put in drainage systems in a couple of yards.  I knew there would be holes in the pipes if these were French drains.  And what did my camera find?  Voila!

This explains the gravel I saw on Monday.  There is a black liner involved, too.

On a roll, my camera looked at the green pipes involved in this north lot system and also in the basement.  More French drains!

This cardboard hole with the green rod looks exactly like the micropiles in the basement.  Information from the five articles which came out last week says the engineers are working hard not only to keep the water out of the site, but to keep the pressure from pushing the tabernacle up.  This is one of the purposes of the micropiles.  I know that some of the contractors have come from all over the US to work on this project -- experts in their field. 

This is a view of the northeast lot from the Nu Skin garage.  The green pipe is easy to see there.

This shot came from the construction cam yesterday morning.  After I left the site on Monday, black liner was placed over one of the gravel spots.

Yesterday afternoon the top of the grout wall was trimmed off.  The powder room is standing where the wall used to be.  

I also noticed a dashing new track hoe at the site.

I associate these green rods with the micropiles, so I'm assuming work on that project is continuing at the west end of the basement.

This view from the construction cam today shows a drilling machine in place there, too.

I took a lot of pictures of the basement today.  There are several levels.

I will guess that this is all part of the drainage system.

And it's probably a safe guess.

Here's a glimpse of the pool in the northeast corner, still unresolved.

And here's a good look at the southwest corner.  I think this basement work is called Operation Keep Out Lake Bonneville.

The orange and red rockets are gone from the south and north lots.  This popcorn machine in the west lot is likely supplying the grout for the micropiles. 

It was a beautiful day to walk around the block.  This machine was drilling, not driving piles.

Monday he was drilling up mud.  Today he's just drilling, and he's probably happy about that.

An east barrier wall is topped-off with a white pipe, just like what is along the north lot barrier wall. 

There are two of these culverts on this truck bed.  Mr. Track Hoe eventually lifted them down in the west lot.

This pit along Second South was being dug this morning.

Beautiful day, beautiful site.

And spring in Provo.  It's hard to get better than this!

Garage Is Almost Demolished

My nephew Chris went to the site for me again today, although his pictures make that pretty obvious.

The NuSkin garage has been almost completely demolished.  The south end remained and can be seen in this wide shot made possible by Chris's nice camera.

So we don't have to squint, he took this photo from the south.

It's been a busy week for a lot of machinery.

Work on the new piers in the basement continues, which has some mysterious connection to these pools.

It appears that cement is coming from this area in the south lot.

Since the new piers are below the slab, I'm not sure what to look for.

But as long as men are working, I am certain stuff is happening.

If you can imagine, at some point everything we can see in the bottom half of this photo will be buried forever.

Chris told me he enjoyed himself.  That's because the tabernacle is such a wonderful photo op. 

He can make anything look good.

Can you see the mountains reflected in the NuSkin building?

I hope I don't need a better camera.

Hopefully I'm learning a lot studying his pictures.

Please, please notice the birds in this photo.

Basement Studies in the Late Afternoon

The late sun made for some fun pictures this afternoon.

I can't wait to show you what I saw at the site today.

I know you've been wondering about the pools on the north lot.  Well, nothing's been going on there for a week.  It appears the plan for the grout pools is to have them disappear by evaporation.  And since Provo is in a desert, that's not a bad idea.  Another week should do it.

The south lot is definitely disappearing.  Evaporation had nothing to do with this, I'm sure.

Track hoes were working in the basement, even though I had arrived close to quitting time.
And I could see some pots in the southeast corner.  What are those?

I was still on University Avenue when I took this picture.  I wanted to get a good look inside the basement.

There are several things to see in this photo.  The framework around the basement is progressing, and there are those pots again.  Of course, there's always a track hoe or two.

I took this photo from the west side.  Not much was happening in the southeast corner.  It's deep, but dry.  

This is a view of the east end from the west.  I could see new framework there.  I'm not sure it goes completely around the basement yet.  I got distracted.

I watched Daddy Track Hoe approach the basement.  I wondered if he had to knock before he went in.  If we played Where's Waldo, you could look for me in this picture.

I'm in love with the track hoes, in case you haven't noticed.  This one was being so careful, slowly reaching in for a scoop of dirt, and then backing up into the south lot.  One scoop at a time.

Look how close he got to the piers.

Obviously the goal is to get the dirt, and nothing but the dirt.

There are several things to see in this picture, too.  Sometimes I don't see it all until I get home, but today, with the sun cooperating, I knew what I was aiming at -- like the trench.  Why is there a trench?  More framework along the basement edges.  There are two track hoes at work, and of course, there is always a red ladder somewhere in the basement.

This workman was scraping the floor, perhaps leveling it.  I could see a transit and had watched him use the shovel, too.  It was a cold day.  I had to wear my coat and I needed my gloves, except I didn't have them.

What's with the pots?  They are arranged nicely on the southwest corner.  I'm pretty sure they are filled with dirt, not cement.

These pots are along the north face -- I'm on the west side.

Two workmen placed these pots in the center of the north side.  Why isn't the framework in a straight line?

You are thinking, "Maybe she could ask her engineer husband what's going on."  Ya, I thought of that.  His suggestions weren't very helpful since I didn't see any cement-making machines in the basement.

And there are a lot more pots, too.

My best guess is that since spring is coming, these are flower pots.

And the trench will bring water for the flowers.

Although I don't think this is just one big greenhouse.

But it is big.