A Star Lit Hill: April Work Party Review

Last Saturday turned out to be a breezy but pleasant day for a work party on the Hill. I arrived around 10 AM to find the only casualties from the "winter" to be the upturned latrines......

but thankfully no blue stuff, no other stuff, and soon all was right on the Hill.

Knowing it was a holiday weekend and turnout might be light, I brought along my tools and materials to finish the installation of the weather station mast for the components of said weather station that the Faits family donated to the Hill. Last year the thermometer, hygrometer, barometer, and rain gauge had been temporarily installed on the Gaertner building, while the anemometer found a home on the 2 meter radio mast on the club house. Wind swirling around the radio mast, a wind shadow from the stove pipe, and a south rain shadow from the Gaertner building made these locations less than ideal.....although useful in observing weather on the Hill while a permanent location was developed. Being the first one to arrive I set out on finding a suitable location.....ie one where a hole could be dug to set a 5 gallon bucket full of concrete, and one away from areas where people walk or setup a scope. The spot I found was directly south of the club house across the road and west of the observing pad. This location is usually not mowed, very uneven and provided a place to dig.......and so I started.

Shortly thereafter Ray arrived on the Hill and immediately started to lend a hand as I levelled the bucket in the ground and tamped dirt in around it.

As I continued to tamp Ray headed to the Gaertner to determine what was binding the roll-off. Upon inspection we found the wheels on both sides of the roll-off were, at some point during their travel, binding against the side portions of the rails. The roll-off was essentially "walking" to the northeast as it was pushed back. We decided to use my jack to raise the rear two wheels and re-center them with a lever; after another forward and back motion of the roll-off they found their uncentered position again....telling us the rails had settled out of level or similar. Back to the weather mast we went....raising the main folding post and securing it in place nice and level. Shortly thereafter Joe arrived to walk the road with me to determine the best plan of action for May. First however we all revisited the Gaertner and determined that the deck had also shifted to the east as evident by the gaps between it and the rails and noticeable contact of the wheel mounts with the deck boards. This shift will need to be corrected using the tractor at the May work party. I will be jacking up, removing, regreasing, and re-installing each wheel as this hasn't been done since their installation.

Joe and I then walked the road and determined the following for the next work party (or three!). A culvert just beyond the barn near the stone wall will need to be installed and ditching cleared along the south side of the road. Toward the lower parking lot we'll need to use hydraulic cement and a makeshift form from some extra corrugated culvert to repair the damaged concrete culvert. It will then have a load of stone layed over it to the proper depth for the right support. For maintenance purposes as the current fill has settled, a load of stone will be layed over the main culvert just past the lower lot. From there to the clearing all current culverts are clear from last season's efforts; however their approaches and existing ditches will need to be cleared and improved as best as possible. For location where bedrock prohibits culverts (where Joe installed rain berms to keep the gravel in place over the winter) we are researching trench/strip drains to help remove water from the road surface. The culvert at the clearing will be cleared and the approaching ditch near the Gaertner should be cleared and converted to a French drain for safety using materials found on the Hill. Lastly a load or so of gravel will be used to fill in any usual low spots along the road's length.