Myth Busted!

Project update by Blake Clark, Project Manager and Executive Director

My quote for the week comes from Dave Gauthier, president of Winter Panel in Brattleboro Vermont, “Myth Busted!” This was his spontaneous response to the floor panel tests at his facility last week. In true Mythbuster’s style, things ended with a concussive bang, but after putting nearly 10,000 pounds of force on the panel we had “busted” the test rig– the panel itself was still intact and usable! In some sense, Dave’s sentiment was the opposite of what happened. It should have been, “Myth Confirmed!” – It looks like you can actually use a 3.5 inch thick panel made mostly of foam to support the weight of an adult elephant – in case you were wondering.

Also this week marks the welcome of Marianne Nepsund, our new intern extraordinaire. Marianne comes to us via Dallas, Texas and will hopefully be joining us on the groundbreaking trip to Jalle before the end of the year. She received her degree in architecture from Texas Tech and is an active member of her local Architecture for Humanity chapter.

Speaking of groundbreaking, the rains continue to delay the start of the building season. The school site flooded this year and getting equipment in looks like its going to take more than a few sunny days to dry things out. If anyone has a crystal ball that can forecast weather patterns in East Africa, would you consider a donation?