We continue reports from 8/19 to 8/26/11about installation of a new stove hood in the kitchen of the Crafts III cafe.

Stainless steel sheets have been adhered to the wall, here with protective coating still in place.

To move the new hood into the cafe took a lot of hands.
Here we see staff and workshop participants carrying the heavy load into the kitchen.

The hood had to be held suspended at an exact level.

Steel braces were installed to hold it in place.

More to follow.

Congratulations to the July 24. 2011 workshop participants upon their graduation:

[back from left]:
Flavio Borrelli from Italy stays on for a graphics internship,
Shane Renfro continues as a volunteer in construction,
Laura Mancini and Sara Giorgetti from Italy.

[middle from left]:
Keith Travis, Georgia Belliveau, and Costanza Greco from Italy.

[front from left]:
hiding behind his graduation certificate is Aaron Lumpe,
Kristalee Berger from Canada,
Zoe Middlebrooks stays on to work in the bronze foundry.

[not in the photo, also graduated]:
Devon Gastineau, who originally came for 2 weeks, continues as a volunteer in construction.

This continues our reports from 8/19 to 8/24/11 about the installation of a new hood over the stoves in the cafe kitchen in Crafts III.

The old 'over the stove' hood has been removed, leaving a bleak partial wall in the midst of surface removal and restoration.

We missed the photo opportunity of the 'taking down the hood' event, but here is part of the crew on the loading dock behind the Crafts III building, waiting for the truck to transport the hood into the recycling area.

The new, custom made 'over the stove protection hood' has arrived and sits on the east balcony of the cafe, waiting for the installation area to be prepared.

Looking at it from the front, we can see that it is much longer and wider than its predecessor.

This report continues next week.

This continues our reports from 8/19 and 8/22/11 about the installation of a new hood over the stoves in the cafe kitchen in Crafts III.

The stoves have been moved out of the way and we can see the old hood still in place.

Volunteer Todd Reibold is disconnecting some of the utility lines within the hood.

Construction staff Guy Flagg and volunteer Dominic Roselli are patching and repainting walls where shelving has been removed.

This report continues next week.

This continues our report from 8/19/11 about a major overhaul of the cafe kitchen in Crafts III.

To get the new prep area set up, the crew moved the stainless steel prep tables out of the kitchen, as well as the large two-door refrigerator.

All of the dry-goods, cans, ...

... condiments and spices were arranged in the temporary prep area.

People were giving everything an extra cleaning as it was being moved.

As you can see, the temporary area is much more spacious than the actual kitchen.

This report continues on Wednesday, August 24. 2011.

The cafe kitchen is receiving a major overhaul.
Here we see the old set-up. The hood over the stoves has to be replaced with an updated improvement to meet standards for the local fire department.

Kitchen counters have been moved and a crew of staff, volunteers and workshop participants are cleaning normally hidden surfaces.

The kitchen prep area is temporarily relocated into what is usually the serving area. The salad bar is in the dining room area.

Throughout all of the moving and upheaval meals still had to be prepared. Here is cafe manager and chef, Caterina, in her new prep and serving area.

This report continues on Monday, August 22. 2011

To continue our first and second report of expected construction at the Cordes Junction Interchange, posted on 8/12 and 8/15/11, here is the second part of the ADOT newsletter.

PHASE 2
from October 2011 - October 2012:

The map highlights areas impacted by Phase 2 construction activities.

A. New bridges constructed on SR 69.
New roundabout constructed.
New Arcosanti Road constructed.
Copper Star Road realigned.

B. New I-17 interchange constructed north of the existing interchange.

C. Stagecoach Trail realigned.
Intersection realigned.

D. Bridges and ramps built over I-17 to SR69.

E. Part of new northbound Big Bug Bridge on I-17 constructed.

Traffic will be rerouted at SR69 to southbound I-17 using temporary detours and I-17 crossovers built in Phase 1.

Traffic on I-17 will be restricted at times. Two lanes of traffic will be maintained in each direction.

New roadway lighting will be installed.

PHASE 3
May 2012 - January 2013

Complete Big Bug Bridge on I-17.

Construct east roundabout [at Cordes Lakes Road].

Demolish existing ramps and construct new ramps.

Reconstruct I-17 south of the existing interchange.

Open new roadway facilities and features to the public as soon as they become available during this phase.

PHASE 4
March 2013 - June 2013

Apply layer of rubberized asphalt and final striping on I-17 and SR 69.

We will post updates as they become available.

To continue our first report of expected construction at the Cordes Junction Interchange, posted on 8/12/11, here is part of the first ADOT newsletter.

PHASE 1
from August 2011 - October 2011:

A. No closures are anticipated during Phase 1. However, night time lane restrictions may occur to conduct shoulder work.

B. Temporary detours will be constructed on SR 69 and median crossovers on I-17. These features will be used in Phase 2.

C. Areas of I-17 and SR 69 will be widened to allow construction crews working space to safely build the new bridges and roadway alignments.

We will post periodic updates on this.

After many years of planning preliminary work on the new Cordes Junction Interchange is finally about to begin.

Excerpts from Heidi Dahms Foster's report in the local paper BIG BUG NEWS July 27. 2011 edition:
"The Arizona Dept. of Transportation on July 15. accepted a bid of $50.9 million from Vastco of Chino Valley and Sundt Construction of Tempe to complete the approximately 2 year project. Construction will begin on August 1. 2011.

The Cordes Interchange is a joint venture between Vastco and Sundt. Companies already have begun to relocate utilities at the construction site and Vastco-Sundt has put up a construction trailer and stated amassing needed equipment and materials.

ADOT community relations project manager Bill Pederson said that initial construction will not impact travelers for the first couple of month of the project. "In Phase I the contractor constructs a temporary detour, where SR69 comes from Prescott and drivers turn southbound to Phoenix, so they can work on the ramp and area south of I-17 and SR69 to allow crews working space to build the bridge and roadway alignment. That will take place for the first couple of month."

Pederson said ADOT is currently working on a newsletter it will distribute throughout the project to keep the public abreast of traffic news and new developements as they occur.

The increase in traffic on Interstate 17 and State Route 69 made reconstruction of the interchange, originally built in the 1960's, necessary.

More than 27,500 vehicles daily use the interchange, ADOT officials said. The ADOT website predicts that traffic will more than double by 2020.

Plans for the new interchange include removal of two outdated loop ramps, new structures to carry Prescott-bound traffic over I-17, and construction of a new diamond interchange about a mile north of the existing interchange.

The project also will separate high-speed traffic from slower, local Cordes Lakes traffic, Pederson said. "The Interchange will look very different when we're through", he said. "The new configuration will be much safer and more functional.""

We will post periodic updates on this.

These photos just came in over the last few days, from our good friend and awesome photographer James Horecka, AIA Architect from Winchester, California.

The following shots are from the Flam Chen performance on July 23. 2011.

James has visited Arcosanti many times. He took the main group photo of Arcosanti alumni in the amphitheater during the 2009 Paolo's 90th birthday and alumni reunion.
And he returned for the 2010 Different Skies festival and again shared his wonderful photos with the archives.

You can view his slideshow of Arcosanti images at tinyurl.

Thank you very much, James for your continued support.

Here are a few more action photos from the concrete pour during the first week of the July 24. 2011 workshop [see reports from 8/3 and 8/5/11].

Zoe Middlebrooks with the wheel barrow, and Costanza Greco.

Architect Ladislau Kerekes attended two weeks of the workshop with his son, Laszlo.

Amidst all of the activity, in the foreground we see Laura Mancini and Traci Bryant carrying a 100 pound bag of cement.

Traci's father Michael Bryant [with wheel barrow] attended the seminar week. Traci is here for the complete five week workshop.

This continues our report from 8/3 about the extension of the metal shop wall.

Workshop participant Laszlo Kerekes pours a wheelbarrow of concrete into the wall form.
From left we have construction crew David Tollas and Guy Flagg, planning intern Julie Pedtke and construction volunteer Paolo Van Erp.

Steady activity from all of the workshoppers, volunteers and crew members, feeding buckets of sand and gravel into two concrete mixers, kept a continuous flow of wheel barrows supplied.

Here is the worksite seen from another angle. New workshop participant from Italy, Sara Giorgetti, brings another wheelbarrow.

The ground to the left of this wall extension will be filled in, leveled and packed hard. This is in preparation for the installation of an additional water tank.

This report continues on 8/8/11 with more photos of construction activities.
You can view construction of the first part of the wall in reports from 7/19 to 7/26/2010.

The new workshop received a taste of construction during the first week of the workshop, the seminar week.
Construction crew and the previous workshop participants prepared the formwork, lined up cement mixers, sand and gravel and tools.

Workshop participant Shane Renfro with a wheel barrow, and workshop participant from the previous workshop, Dominic Roselli.

This is a equal opportunity crew, and Sara Giorgetti and Costanza Greco, new workshop participants from Italy, are moving a heavy wheelbarrow full of concrete.

Under construction is an extension of the back wall of the metalshop. Workshop participant Flavio Borrelli empties a wheel barrow into the wall form.

You can view construction of the first part of the wall in reports from 7/19 to 7/26/2010.

We will continue this report on 8/5/2011.

Welcome to the July 24. 2011 workshop participants:

[back from left]:
Ladislau Kerekes from Canada [2 weeks], Aaron Lumpe, Devon Gastineau [2 weeks], behind Devon is Michael Bryant [seminar week], Shane Renfro, Flavio Borrelli from Italy [scholarship and graphics internship], and Costanza Greco from Italy.

[front from left]:
Laszlo Kerekes from Canada [2 weeks], Georgia Belliveau and Kristalee Berger from Canada, Zoe Middlebrooks [scholarship], Keith Travis, Traci Bryant [4 weeks], Sara Giorgetti and Laura Mancini from Italy.