I'm still here n kick'n.

I have not written any posts here the last several days, which does not mean I have not written. E mails and notes to file up the ying yang, and my ear is swollen from telephone pressure fatigue.

Things are a little on the tense side between parties on the overseer of the construction of NMC, at least from the client perspective.
It’s nothing to do with the crew on the ground; any one who has ever been in construction knows that ‘issues’ arise. Why I have seen lots ‘of stuff’ in several counties over the years, but this is the first close up and personal look at the management of architects, project management, contractors. Maybe I’m old fashion, none the less I am shocked.

On the ground the construction proceeds, a little slow while the foreman was out on his break, I foresee a pick up in pace now he has returned. There is an awful lot of blocking work, strapping and little fiddly bits to do on a building of this size and type.
Outside; the bottom windows one side are in, the eaves and soffit have stated so the siding can start. So by next week some color will brighten up things.

While the siding type and color is what was ordered by the client, the application was changed from vertical to horizontal siding. It should end up looking alright, but some in the industry seem to thing the clients [the one with the money] have no say in these changes. We shall see about that next week. Still I don’t hold out much hope in changing the ‘industry standard’ in this province, some people are just too stunned and entrenched.

I had the experience of chasing up the code regulations for the instillation of fire and smoke alarms in institutional buildings. Whoo boy, not a good experience.
Thinking I was cleaver I called the fire Commissioners HQ in St. John’s. Not a smart move. I got diverted from there to volunteer fire fighters in Nain and Labrador City. I received helpful information both places. From Lab city I called Municipal Affairs in Goose Bay, more helpful information but still no cigar.
From there I was referred to FC HQ, "no bloody way" I said, so it was suggested I try the regional FC offices.
The memory hole kicked in then, I had received good information from there a few years back. I call Deer Lake, some good info but had to call Corner Brook as they handle Labrador files.
Left a message, chap called back, after some persistence by me and recollections by him I garnered the information I was after.

Actually I already had the information; in between phone calls I had accessed the FC web site. Clicking on what I was looking for sent me to the House of Assembly site. Darn said I, something’s wrong with the site. Me wrong, the helpful chap in Municipal Affairs in GB directed me through the maze and I found the relevant Legislation.

It’s incredulous to me that an office building of the size of the NMC, or of any size for that matter, is not REQUIRED to have any fire or smoke alarms installed. Silly me thought that by making all these phone calls that some one some place would say, “oh that’s a mistake, you have to have them”.

The building will have them, no thanks to the regulatory bodies or the consulting engineers.

It’s Election Day down under; actually it’s counting time down under, boy I hope that Howard takes the big dump, and his party.

Speaking of rat bags, how about this one. The author must have spent all his time in the company of navel gazing townie sycophants [hi Mr. Architect]. The upside is he seems to have not made it to Labrador, or even heard of the name, thank yee for small mercies.

Makes a lot of sense doesn’t it? Let’s shut down rural towns and regions, pump all the subsidies into mining and non renewable resources, every thing is honky dory. Until ya start dying off from tainted food from some off shore country, your rivers and lakes start drying up, you can’t eat the fish caught in the local fishing spot because it is contaminated from poisoned tailings or some such.

To finish off my rant; I could not agree m0re with the state of democracy statements in this article. The same lack is clearly evident in the Nunatsiavut Government, it’s very autocratic and top down too.