"The Fish Pond Project"
–
Phase 1A: Revealing the Hidden Feature
 Saturday,
September 12, 2009 – The week had been quite wet. It was questionable
whether or not Society volunteers would be able
to begin removing the shrubbery and dig out the
dirt that totally obscured the fountain/pond
(top right).
 The team members were
pleasantly suprised to find that, not only was
the ground dry enough to work with, but also Leo
Massiate, Thomas Jeffrerson's Groundskeeper had
taken the time during the week prior to the
Society's planned workday to remove the
shrubbery that filled both the middle and outer
hexagons of the fountain/pond. Only the soil
remained between the anxious group and the
beautifully tiled architectural feature the
Society is seeking to restore (bottom right).
This saved a considerable amount of time, and
allowed the team to immediatley begin the
"digout."
Phase 1A
Milestones
Milestone #1 (8:00 – 8:40 a.m.): The workforce
arrives
The following workers were present:
- Tom Murrah - Society Board President
- Patsy Skeels - Society Board Treasurer
- Susan Frost-Toomey - Society Advisory Board
member
- Don Moore - Society Board member (web
manager)
- Charles Bartlett - volunteer
- Albert Del Rio - volunteer
- Joe Wofford - volunteer
- Barbara Wofford - Society Board
Vice-President
- Christine Mendiola - Society Board member
and Jefferson Principal
- Juan Saucedo - volunteer and Head of
Jefferson Maintenance Staff
- John Huron - Society Board Recording
Secretary
Let the record show that, except for our youngest
member who arrived after family business was taken
care of at about 11:30, the bulk of the work was
carried out by a team of dedicated individuals with
ages ranging from the youngest at 58 to the oldest
at 82. Now what kind of individuals does Jefferson
turn out into the world? (The answer is not "older
ones")
Milestone #2: Time put into project
Between this group and Mr. Massiate, Jefferson
Groundskeeper, a total of 54.25 man-hours of work
were put into the project by the Board and its
supporters. This kind of dedication is what makes a
service-oriented nonprofit succesful. Thanks to all
who took part.
Milestone #3 (8:45 a.m.): The "middle hexagon"
is revealed
 The
photo to the right shows Patsy Skeels and
Charles Bartlett sweeping and shoveling the last
bit of soil out of the middle of the two
hexagons that make up the fountain/pond. Being
the most shallow part of the architectrual
feature and filled only with a good
topsoil/mukch mix, the digging was somewhat
easier, and it was able to be revealed within the
first hour of the project.
 A
major part of the inner hexagon is the plaque on
its outer wall marking the fountain/pond as a
gift from the first Senior/graduating Class at
Jefferson in 1932, the year the school
opened. Note the damage to the tiles on this
outer wall of the inner hexagon (left).
Milestone #4: The deep hexgonal pool
 The first 3-1/2 feet of the outer nexagon were
also filled with the topsoil/mulch mix, but beyond
that, the team began to encounter the thick black
clay-like soil that did not give easily to the
shovel but hung onto the shovel's nose until it was
scraped off by hand. This really slowed down
progress. But with the shining blue tiles that lined
the tope 2-3 feet of the inner hexagon showing, the
team was inspired to carry on until well after the
high-noon Sun began beating down on them.
Milestone #5: Closing the project for the day
 At
1:30, the Sun letting everyone know that it was time
to be inside, the team completed a visual barrier
with the hopes that no one would cross it to try to
jump into the newly dug trenches. Board member, John
Huron, made a run to a building supply store to
secure posts and construction mesh that was erected
around the outer hexagon of the foutain/pond.
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