Summer break at St. Joseph’s Indian School is half over, which means St. Joseph’s Facilities Crew is full speed ahead! The facilities crew schedules most of their larger projects during the summer months, when most of the Lakota children are home with their families. Here are a few of the projects we are working on:
ü Phase II Drainage Project – Those of you who read the blog on a regular basis may remember that Phase I was completed last summer. There are three key areas on campus where new concrete will be laid to help with some of the drainage issues we have – around the Health Care Center, the school building, and Central Offices. The work began in mid-June and will be completed by the first part of August.
As we come to the home stretch of the Alumni and Historical Center addition to the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center, the grounds crew has begun landscaping around the building.
ü They have added some planters with flowers and some large river rocks as an accent to the base of the Medicine Wheel Garden of Healing. They continue to smooth out areas that were torn apart due to construction and will begin planting grass and more landscaping designs.
If you happen to be on campus, you may notice things are a little dusty around Central Offices!
ü We are doing some tuck-pointing on the building. This requires the seams in the brick to be ground out where there is cracking and then refilled with new mortar. Due to the dust floating in that area I think we should of offered a car wash service for our employees! J
The facilities crew has also started the last phasing of St. Joseph’s home renovations.
ü The Afra (first through third grade girls) and Raphael (first through third grade boys) Homes are the last to be worked on. These two homes are located in the Benedictine Building. Demolition work began at the end of the school year. The facilities staff has met with the home coordinators and the plans have been set in place for the home.
Some of you may also remember the school getting new carpet last summer. Again this year we have carpet projects taking place!
ü Tipi Press Printing and Central Offices received new carpet this summer. Both buildings are already completed, and the projects took approximately two weeks.
Another major project the crew has been working on is the renovation of our old thrift store building.
ü This building is now our Personal Care Center! The crew did some basic cosmetic work on the interior and now the building is ready to house some additional office space for St. Joseph’s Indian School. A ribbon cutting with the Chamberlain/Oacoma Area Chamber of Commerce will be held at the end of July.
Pilamaya – thank you – for helping us take care of our campus so we can provide the Lakota boys and girls a safe place to live and learn!
Wow…you certainly have been busy…good luck…keep cool and hydrated. Can’t wait to see the finished product. God Bless