Let's talk about the article Chris Carlson wrote yesterday on the renovation project. We have mostly ignored it up to now.
Here it is, in case you haven't read it yet:
Pete Sala provided an idea of what parts of the Carrier Dome renovation will come next and when we'll actually get to see a roof put on the building.
www.syracuse.com
Some thoughts on some of the major points Chris makes...
“Well, I think that we’re hoping, the way the schedule is laid out now, mid-July you should start seeing that next part of the roof going on, the actual structure,” Sala said. “That needs to go very quickly in order for us to start hanging lights and sound and video underneath it. That is really scheduled tight.”
I am very much surprised the actual structure is not expected to take shape until July. I have a great deal of trouble understanding the version of English Pete Sala speaks, and am not 100% sure what he is attempting to say here. I can't imagine nothing will go up until mid-July. I think based on his other attempts at providing insight later in the article, the plan is to get the cables that will form the backbone for the new roof up beforehand, get the framework for the roof in place first and hold off on actually building the roof until July.
“There will be a hard-deck roof that goes up a little over the first-third of the roof. It’ll look a little like the Manley Field House roof,” Sala said. “That will be a good example of that. Then there will be a fabric roof for the last two-thirds.”
It is disappointing that primary spokesperson for the project is so incapable of explaining what is goiung to happen with the project. I am not sure if he is just completely inarticulate or he just doesn't understand what he is being asked to explain. Either way, it is not good. Is it possible to get someone in front of the press who is capable of communicating in a clear and straghtforward fashion?
“What they should see soon, as early as mid-to-late (this) week, is they’ll see some of that rust-colored steel starting to come down,” Sala said. “Right now we’re working on the rest of the railing around the crown truss and the catwalk that goes all the way around that part of the structure. They’ll see some work on the inside through the webcam of the new cable starting to get laid out, maybe some of them getting hooked up to the old points of the building. You’ll see these blue boxes. People keep asking me what they are. That’s the scaffolding for Pfeifer FabriTec for the steelworkers to get in to connect the new cables to the new truss.”
I have been watching on the cameras and haven't seen any progress towards removing the back stays to date. Again, I am surprised at what looks like a distinct lack of urgency since the crown truss was completed. It looks like they are adding hand rails to the other side of the tops of the girders as a safety feature.
I keep seeing workers stationed at the end point of the back stays, where the cables are attached, for long periods. It looks like they are doing something and I have been hoping to see the cables get released but to date, I haven't seen any progress.
It is good to see that the purpose for the blue scaffolding has been confirmed.
“We aren’t planning on (a webcam) right now,” Sala said. “It’s not something we’ve done on any construction site at Syracuse University. We don’t put web cameras inside the buildings. Not a huge fan.”
I will give Pete credit for one thing. He is consistent. He has never cared what fans think and that has clearly not changed.