By: Jonathan Davis
The new First Aid building is progressing very close to scheduled plans. We assembled a team of fourteen to represent patrol’s interests and to guide us, each with their own areas of expertise. The team is Karen Binns, Scott Chitwood, John Corrigan, Dennis Courter, Al Czarnecki, Rose Dejarnette, Kim Garrett, Sandy Hammons, Alex Herrmann, Joe Jacob, Kim Krippenfort, James Lawless, Mike Reed, Albert Weisbrot. Thank you all for your time and dedication to really dialing in the function and flow of this new building.
Through this process, the plans have actually grown and the footprint of the building is 44 feet wide by 190 feet long. This does not include the additional 10 foot walkway around the perimeter. We believe all will be pleased with the additional beds, two private rooms, chairs for non-serious injuries, extra space to move around, and additional storage. Automatic doors for toboggan offloads will be an improvement, as will a dedicated space for re-supplying packs. Eight foot wide hallways throughout will facilitate people movement as well as the unfortunate times that a EMT gurney must visit. You’ll like that each patroller can be assigned their own locker, and that it is indoors. You’ll love the expanded break room that can double as a meeting space, large enough to host weekend events with no impact to our skiing public. HVAC throughout will make it more comfortable in the winter and the summer; especially important as this will house OEC classes. We have four single-use bathrooms planned, as well as two changing rooms and space for a washer and dryer. All-in-all, while not extravagant, we think this is an excellent space.
As of July 1st, the plans are still with our architect. We’re hammering through some details like ceiling and flooring surfaces. We hope to get stamped drawings to submit for permitting next week. It may take a few weeks for full permitting, but we’ll be ready to break ground as soon as we get approval for the foundation. Hopefully by August 1st, we’ll be able to report on the progress of the foundation and we’ll be looking forward to framing.
Even though a lot of preparation has gotten us to this point, there is still al of of heavy lifting to go. We’re still on track to get into this building for use by December 1st, but a lot of things need to go right to keep us on track. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t see us dismantling the current aid room; we’re just waiting to be able to see the finish line to be prudent. In the meantime, feel free to submit your thoughts to Mike or anyone on the planning team.