Josh's Blog

Sunday, March 25th

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As I write, it's now 7:30pm, and I just got in from a visit to the WANO site. Just two hours from now will mark the one-week anniversary of the fire. A couple of hours ago, I rode over with the intention of walking the property line. Believe it or not, I had never done so even though I've owned the property for over a year now. What I discovered is that I actually have a beautiful piece of property. I'd never walked any further than the base of the tower, even though the tract is a little over 7 acres. My line extends all the way to the river, although you cannot see the river from the parking lot. Past the field where the tower stands, there's a beautiful patch of woods. It was a nice place to have a walk this afternoon. I discovered years of misuse and abuse, though. Beer cans were littered throughout the woods, and I found the remnants of a power transformer stripped of its copper. I look forward to cleaning the place up over the next few months, and I'm glad I discovered just how beautiful my own property is.

Enough about my afternoon, though...let's talk about what's happening with WANO! As you'll see below, the walls are close to being finished. Thanks to Jack of L & P Masonry, who came out on Sunday to get started. We sincerely appreciate it, guys. The building is shaping up well, and Jack and his helper are doing a fantastic job.

This afternoon, Brian and I started on another project. We are working to secure the property, in many different ways. The most obvious addition today are the "No Trespassing" signs located in many places on the property. We also started working on cabling the entrance to a four-wheeler trail which cuts through the middle of the property, near the base of the tower, then branches off in three different directions. Unfortunately, due to the actions of a few, we have no choice but to restrict access to the property for everyone. We would have had the cable up at the main entrance today, except that Brian argued with me when I told him we needed 35 feet of cable. He insisted even 20 was too much. Turns out, we were two feet short. Told you so :) At any rate, that project will be finished tomorrow. We also spent some time planning the security system we'll install next week.

All in all, I'm absolutely amazed at the pace the project is moving. Who would have imagined that one week after the fire, we'd be this far along? Not me. Enjoy the pictures, and be sure to check in every day for updates!