October 4, 2007

Where did August go? A lot of things have been happening at the school that aren't apparent from a picture. As you can see from the photo, the bathroom block has gone up and the roof joining the two classroom blocks is nearly completed. We should see the roofing going on by the end of the week.

The ceilings have been covered and plastered and the rooms are being painted. We are moving right along and still expect construction to end by the end of this month. I'm presently negotiating cabinetwork for various rooms and the office.

August 31, 2007

I just came back from a weekly meeting with the contractors. All is going well and the last purlins are being attached to the roof of Bank B. Purlins tie the trusses together and the roofing is attached to them.

We are in the middle of the South Pacific Games right now. There are athletes from 22 island nations here to participate in many different events. The country is all spruced up and it is quite an exciting time to be here.

With all of the construction going on around Samoa, we expected delays in our efforts on the school but to this point have not experienced any concerns with workers or materials. That should be behind us now and I expect that there may be a a shortage of work now for many people as I am sure that the government will be scaling back on new construction. A lot of money has been spent to complete the venues, roads and to beautify high traffic areas.

Bank A has most of the roofing steel attached.

The masonry subcontractors are busy on all walls. Here they are putting a fine cement topping on the bricks in Bank A in preparation for painting a sealer coat next week.

From the back, a view of the work on Bank B with the excavation for the bathroom block in the foreground. The roof is almost ready for sheeting. They will wait until Monday to begin sheeting and give the workers the day off tomorrow (Saturday) so that they can attend some of the various sporting events around the country.

August 29, 2007

The roof has been almost entirely covered with corrugated steel on Bank A. Bank B has all of the trusses up and should be covered with steel by the end of this week except for the last 30 feet or so on each bank.

The foundation for the washroom block across the back is started and we should see block walls going up shortly. They will then tie the three roofs together with new trusses and complete the "U" shape of the building.

Construction is on target for a November completion. Everyone here is getting excited and it will be ready for students and teachers in the new year.

Tomorrow I will try to add a picture with the roofing steel over much of Bank A.

These are very heavy trusses and it took about six very strong construction workers to lift and set them into place.

The man in the middle is Fonoti Felisi Brown. He and his partner Fiti own F&F quality Construction. With him are his construction Forman and the electrical contractor. As you can see the trusses are almost complete in this picture.

They made an interesting jig for constructing the trusses right on sight. One was built and nailed onto the jig/table and then each successive truss was built on top of it so that they were all identical. The gang nails were all hammered in by hand.

These pictures are only of Bank A of the school. Bank B is just about one week behind. The walls went up quickly and the window frames installed.

August 13, 2007

Happy Father's Day

Today is Father's Day holiday in Samoa. It is celebrated on Sunday but Monday is a national holiday. Regardless, the men are at work. In the last few days the foundation has been completed on Block B and the walls are starting to go up. Block A is well under way with window holes and doorways appearing. The trusses are under construction on-site and we are anticipating seeing some being erected on Block A on Friday of this week. All is going well!

Rear view of Block A with the walls getting higher and higher and a view of the window holes.

August 8, 2007

Another week or so of construction and the walls are starting to appear. These are all from the A Wing. The B Wing is just a few days behind. The slab on B Wing should be poured today.

First few courses of cement block are being set in place.

Interior walls are coming as well.

I don't remember equipment like this when I was here before.

The floor slab being poured.

The same.

And more.

July 25

Work is moving along. By the end of this week the two classroom wings should be ready for the pouring of the slab floors. The hole for the septic system has been excavated and a lot of rock and soil moved around to re-contour the land.

Everything is progressing well and is on schedule.

The following pictures give an idea of how things are doing.

A few courses of concrete block make up the foundation wall.


Footings being poured.


Apia Concrete supplied the concrete.

Completed footings prepared for the brickwork.


Working on the footings.

Covered workshop to keep the tools and supplies dry.

Forms being erected for the footings.

Paul Cox dropped in on the 13 of July just to make sure that there really is a building going up. As you can see, he is a true Samoan as he loves to have his picture taken. We even found a couple of the "au faigaluega" to join him.

July 5

Here are a few pictures as the land is cleared
and prepared for construction.

A new view with much of the land cleared of plants
and other debris.

Stake President Sapele Faalogo called a couple of priesthood
work days to clear the area and remove produce from the
family gardens that have been occupying the land.

Everyone who had a sapelu (machete) came to
help clear away the ground cover.

As usual in Samoa, most even found time to enjoy themselves.

A few sisters arrived as well just to keep the brethren working.

And make a few baskets to carry home the produce.

No job would be complete without the 'au tapua'i.
Sidewalk Superintendants.

June 19, 2007

This is a picture of the property where the Ah Mu Academy will be built. It is adjacent (i tai) to the lower teacher's village at Pesega on the Lepea Road across from the Catholic church.









This is a view of the property from the back yard of one of the houses in the teacher's village.









Another view of the property from the teachers village. It is presently being used by several families in the stake for small garden plots.

History and Need for Ah Mu Academy

In 2004 the Pesega Primary (elementary) School operated by the LDS church, which was located on the same campus as the Church College of Western Samoa, was determined to be inadequate and was torn down. The decision was reached when local officials submitted information to those in authority in Salt Lake City, Utah. The church has a policy to provide education only where the government can not adequately do so and it was determined that it should not be rebuilt. That same policy has prompted the announced closure of the Church College of New Zealand in 2009.

The government of Samoa was not able to absorb the children into the existing schools. Families who could afford it, have sent their students to other private schools in the Apia area but many children and families were without educational facilities.

Several teachers and other interested parties have developed 2 schools in the area which have persevered in the educating of these students. These schools have been valiant in their efforts but lacked the funds necessary to build a proper facility. They have a combined enrollment in excess of 300 students. They are accommodated in houses, fale and other inadequate structures.

At the time of the temple dedication in September of 2005, Dr. Nafanua Paul Cox, a former missionary to Samoa and prominent ethno-botanist visited the sites and was touched by the humble efforts to educate the children. He determined that something should be done. Through his efforts a lease has been acquired on church-owned property adjacent to the lower teacher's village in Pesega.

He has solicited donations from former missionaries and others to build a proper facility. The Ah Mu Foundation was formed to facilitate the building of the school. Dr. Cox joined forces with Dr. Namulau'ulu Gaugau Tavana of the National Tropical Botanical Gardens of the US and former Director of Education for the Church Schools in Samoa to negotiate a merger of the 2 schools and form a Board to operate the new school.

In late March they invited Roy Harker, another former Samoan missionary, to join the Foundation as the construction supervisor. All three traveled to Samoa in early April to make a formal announcement to the members of the school community. Afamasaga Dan Betham of Samoa, a prominent church leader and retired accountant, has also been appointed to the Foundation to oversee finances and disbursement of funds for construction of the school.

The Foundation members chose to name the school The Ah Mu Academy in honor of a chinese immigrant, Ah Mu, who settled in Samoa and was an early convert to the church. He donated much of the land to the church where Pesega is now located. Many prominent families in the church in Samoa have descended from this man.

Roy relocated to Samoa in early June with his wife Kathy to supervise construction. Construction contracts are underway and it is anticipated that clearing of the land and construction will begin soon.

Visit this blog frequently and we will post pictures and progress reports as construction gets underway.