November 26, 2011
Hard as a rock
- Imagine Mike Dorsher’s surprise when a medium-size rock tumbled from outside the building and grazed his shoulder. Mike was removing insulation near an opening in the roof when he was hit. He wasn’t injured, but it was a good warning to all of us about safety on this worksite.
Stone Bank volunteer Mike Dorsher demonstrated how a stone falling from outside grazed his shoulder inside the Stone Bank.
Mike was on a ladder removing the last of the insulation in the ceiling joists when the stone fell.
“There were some small stones falling — like gravel,” he said. “So, I put my head down so the stones would hit the brim of my cap and I wouldn’t get dust in my eyes.”
Now, it’s clear that was a good choice. Because then a much larger stone fell and hit the back side of his right shoulder.
“It was kind of a glancing blow,” Dorsher said. “It kind of hurt, but what was really scary was when it hit the floor and made a thud.”
Not one to be deterred, Dorsher was back in the building on Saturday removing the insulation along the north wall.
That means the “volunteer” portion of the this stage of the dismantling is done. Now, the contractors will do the dangerous work in the dismantling project.
The next big step is to drop and remove the 20 feet of roof at the back of the building, so the stone mason can continue his work. We’ll keep you posted.
From inside the Stone Bank, it doesn't seem to be much of an opening, but it's enough for a one-stone avalanche.
November 17, 2011
Brrring it on
Front window on the Stone Bank in Bottineau, ND
It was 3 below this morning in Bottineau, N.D. At this hour it’s 0 degrees. With wintry weather upon us, it’s amazing that our stone mason says he is ready to go tomorrow (Friday, Nov. 18) on removing stones from the back of the building. (But with some of the stones weighing in at 300 pounds, I guess he will stay warm.) It’s time for this — and it’s the best way to fix what’s wrong the building’s substructure.
We have the money to do this work, but we’ll need your support to help rebuild it. Hit the “donate now” button on http://www.StoneBank.org. Or buy one of our cool T-shirts — all profits go to the Stone Bank project.
And watch the progress as the back of the building comes down. We’ll post daily updates. Joe, the stone mason said it will take him less than two weeks to get ‘er done.
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