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The Fire 4: Rebuilding Begins
JULY 2003
Ground-Breaking Ceremonies
Click the outlined pictures for larger versions
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Groundbreaking begins with prayer, Perry (L), Asgar Hamid (center
left), Rudy Poettcker (center right), Perry's assistant (R).
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 The symbolic first
shovel is put forth and the work begins.
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 A
small tree that survived the fire is moved to another location.
Asgar Hamid supervises this process. |
Building Foundations Laid Out, Dug and Poured.
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The foundations for the
new building are laid out. Elementary school buildings in the
background. |
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 The digging of footers
begins with the school and Rev. Poettcker (pictured in the
foreground) providing much of the labor to save on costs. Asgar
Hamid's house and high school building in the background. |
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The digging continues. |
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 Foundations dug, final
awaiting for a series of dry days in order to tie the steel and pour
the cement. To the right in the picture is the construction
trailer/container, that was loaned by the contractor for the school
administration to use during the building process. |
AUGUST, 2003
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In the pictures below, a base floor is laid for the foundations upon which steel
will then be set and tied. To save money, this was done manually with a cement
truck dumping into a cue of wheelbarrows.
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Rev. Asgar Hamid (foreground) is not only the pastor of the church
and administrator of the school but, in this particular case, is
directing the foundation floor pouring with the assistance of Harry
Lewis (above Rev. Hamid, a volunteer from the U.S.), a local
volunteer from the school (to the right), and the workers from the
construction company in the background. |
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 With the steel now
having been formed on top of the foundation workfloor, all is ready
for pouring of the foundations. |
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Suriname has come a
long way in construction practices since the first buildings were
built for the school. Now a cement pump truck is used to pump cement
from a bin into which it is poured by the cement truck and then up
through the boom to the exact location for the foundations. In the
old days we mixed cement manually, and wheelbarrowed it to the place
it was needed. |
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Workers aim the cement
into the foundations. |
Pouring The Ground-Level Floor
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 Throughout the building process, not unlike in North America, we are
subject to spot and unannounced inspections. This is the primary
inspection team, popping up almost daily to be sure the work is done
correctly. Pictured here are Mrs. Sharilyn Poettcker (back), wife of
Rev. Poettcker, and Miss Fareza Kahn, a teacher at the school from
the neighboring country of Guyana, who lives with the Poettckers. |
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 After the foundations
are poured, preparation begins for pouring the main floor. Heavy
plastic sheeting must be placed first on the ground to prevent
ground-water seepage into the cement floor.
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 After
the plastic is secured, heavy steel is laid across the floor of the
entire building to hold everything together. This is increasingly
important given the fact that the second story of the building will
also be made of cement block construction and must have a solid
structure below. Pipes in center are for sewer and water lines. |
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The steel is then tied
to the foundations and crisscrossed with additional steel in a
woven fashion. |
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 Given
the soft soil in Suriname, and especially our proximity to a busy
road with trucktraffic, it is important that this floor be very
solid to avoid cracking and soil shifting. Consequently, the whole
structure is secured through this strongly steel structure to avoid
damage from vibration from the neighboring road. With the old
building, it is very common to feel the house shake from any big
trucks that pass by on the road, especially heavy army vehicles
(Panzer wagons, street tanks). A wood structure is a little more
forgiving to such vibration than is a cement structure. But a wood
structure is a much greater fire hazard than a cement structure. |
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 The final preparations
for pouring the floor amidst the play of children in school.
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> The pouring
beginneth, with a better cement pump capable of pouring at
a faster rate. |
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Meanwhile, back
at school. |
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 While all this
construction is going on, school continues on as usual. Note the
construction trailer that serves as our temporary administrative
offices. Pray for our staff with the turmoil of conducting school
and overseeing construction.
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 In
the construction trailer is a salvaged room air-conditioner from the
old school, carrying on administering its gifts. |
To continue, click here to go to the next stage of the building process. While
you are waiting for the new page, please pray for God to provide the finances
needed to complete the rebuilding process.
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