In keeping with the mission statements of the Cotton Ginning Days / GAMTRA organization and Lucy Pennegar's historical preservation efforts, the club has long wanted to construct an early 1900's style machine shop on the show grounds, near where we constructed the blacksmith building several year ago. Devin wrote up and submitted the project to the Eagle Scout review board and received approval for the extensive project in early 2009. Most of 2009 has been devoted to the design of this building, the fund raising for construction of the building, and the permitting process. As we near the 4th quarter of the year, pieces are beginning to fall in place and construction is about to begin.
Early in the year Devin asked the group members to submit ideas on how the building might look. These plans were reviewed and Devin liked the layout submitted by club member Doug Kelley the best. This tentative layout was rendered in 3D SolidWorks as seen here.
In April, Doug volunteered his son, an architect in Raleigh, to prepare a set of plans to submit to the zoning and permit board of Gaston Co. In June Devin began the tedious process of acquiring a building permit. Many trips later and several modifications to the drawings, the permit was issued along with a zoning permit. Here is the finalized 2D drawing.
On August 6th Devin signed both the building permit and the zoning permit. A happy day for the young fellow. Here is a photo of the permit.
On Sunday August 9th Devin met State Senator Jim Jacumin at the show grounds to scope out the location for the building and to assess the grading work required. Jim has volunteered to do the grading work for Devin's project. The legislature is out now for summer break and it looks like just after Labor Day the grade work will begin. Lucy had said she has dirt available, which Devin will certainly need to bring the back edge up to level.