Everyone's Invited!!

Make Your Reservations Now!


Black & Gold Event
The Whole Daleview Pool Community is Invited
A New Feet Feat Tradition


Sunday, June 22, 6:30pm

It’s a Feet Barbeque.
International Menu, Drinks, and More
Adult Dinners: $9.00
Swimmers & Kids Dinners: $5.00

Black & Gold Meet Starts at 7:00


RSVP. Everyone is Invited.
Email: kannera@speakeasy.org
Or Sign-up for Dinners at the Pool by Saturday, June 20, 6:00pm.

The Denouement

The county inspector rolls down the drive somewhere around 8:30 on Saturday morning. He meets Paul from Bankstarr construction. The inspector looks around. The men exchange a few words. The inspector knows that Paul had asked for a pre-inspection inspection two weeks earlier. Paul easily addressed the issues that came up at that time. Everything else seems to be in order so..... 

The pool is officially open!

I celebrated with a dive off the board. Jim Preston, who has worked longer and harder than anybody on this project, had a stunned look of bliss on his face. Larry Fischel, who has also done work far above and beyond the call, probably went back to bed (he'd only had a few hours sleep the night before). Jeff Luker, who had lent his tremendous architectural talents to the project, shook hands all around. And we all wandered around with silly grins.

We did it.

These volunteers, and many more, will be suitably celebrated this season. But for now, we know that the permit is not the end.

We need to get the heater working. Georgetown Aquatics can't tackle that this weekend (they need plumbers and electricians), but they will get to it early next week. In the meantime, the pool is not for the faint of heart.

We need to finish the outdoor wiring. At the moment, the pool can't be open past dark because the lights aren't working, either in the pool or around the deck. That should be an easy one.

We need to get permission open the deck that runs above the pool house. Montgomery County won't let us do that yet because they aren't happy that the exit ramp leads to the lawn. They were expecting something more elaborate. 

We need to fix our gates. If the building catches on fire, it's easy to move away to safety. But the fire marshal says getting far away isn't good enough. We need to have some hardware that lets us pass through the gates in our fences without a key. Of course, that means people can fairly easily come in through our gates without a key, but that's not the fire marshal's problem.

So, there is no rest for the weary. But there is joy. And those of us still on our feet had a great day at Daleview, even as we noodled around to resolve the hundred little issues that were too picayune to bother the inspectors.

See you at the pool!

The Countdown Continues

Well, we didn't get our gas line installed today (Wednesday), though they say it will happen Thursday.

We do have progress on the new fence. The posts are in -- and the chain-link should follow on Thursday.

We do have a working phone line and internet connection.

We do have all the bathhouse partitions installed. Water is running in the facilities. Wiring is being strung. Shower curtains are on the way.

Inspections are now set for Friday. That means there's essentially no margin for error. Perfection would be lovely, but it's not a reasonable expectation for a project as large and as involved as this one. So we will hope for the best.

Preparations aren't simply confined to the pool house.  We're excited that Ethan Hutton will be our manager this year. He's meeting Thursday with our lifeguard crew, and we've talked about setting a welcoming tone for the pool this year. The guards, of course, are responsible for enforcing the rules that keep everyone safe at the pool. And we all need to help the guards do their jobs, and to be mindful of the rules. With courtesy on both sides of this equation, Daleview should be a place to relax and enjoy the summer.

Whether the pool is swimmable or not, all members are welcome at Daleview this weekend. We're planning a barbecue on Sunday and other activities throughout the weekend. We have a lot to celebrate! Watch for an email with the details.

Progress at the Pool

Things are moving along fairly well.

Washington Gas showed up first thing Monday morning (after giving us the runaround last week). Our constrcution crew is now digging a trench for the new gas line, which is supposed to be installed and hooked up on Wednesday.

The pools are full of limpid blue water.

The walkways to the building are now concrete instead of mud and gravel. The wayward bathroom partitions showed up Monday, so our contractors can install those. And most of the plumbing fixtures are hooked up.

Still no sign of the fence contractor we hired back in April. We hope we can pass inspection with the old fences.

The electricians are still wiring the place. They're also waiting on a special-order part that may not show up until quite late in the week. As a result, the contractor is now planning to call for his final inspection on Friday.

So talk about a cliffhanger!

A Race to the Finish

Daleview members turned out in record numbers this weekend to prepare the pool for opening. They painted tables, mended fences, hacked away at kudzu, power-washed just about everything in sight, moved chairs, gussied up the woods, moved refrigerators, installed shelves, swept, raked, washed out refrigerators, trimmed hedges, whacked weeds, wrestled cinderblocks, pulled weeds, mended the lawn, hung signs.... well, the list goes on.

What a delightful and generous community. For the first time in a long time, we seemed to remember that Daleview is a co-op -- 300-plus member-families, who are co-owners as well as part of an extended family that has audacious summer-long reunions.

So what now? Well, our fate currently is in the hands of a single entity. Washington Gas said they would come to install our gas line on Friday. A worker showed up with a meter, but he was utterly unprepared to connect it to the line that had been dug up for construction. Again on Saturday Washington Gas was supposed to send a crew. It didn't. No gas means no hot water. No hot water means no working showers. No working showers means no permit to open the pool. (Anybody have a friend at Washington Gas?)

Our contractor still has his work cut out for him. Sunday, he watched as plumbers sliced into the cinderblock walls to move some pipes so they'd actually reach the plumbing fixtures. We're still waiting on some of the bathroom partitions.. And the electrician is still pulling wires. Verizon is supposed to show up Tuesday (let's hope they're better prepared than Washington Gas to do their job!).

Whew!

The pools are clean and filling rapidly with water. Our new building is beautiful. Our grounds haven't looked this good in ages. When we aren't biting our nails, we are marveling at Daleview's transformation.

So, will we open next Saturday? We don't know. But I remain hopeful. And I'll keep you posted.

Counting The Days

Thanks to all the volunteers who showed up on Saturday. We've made excellent progress in improving our unsightly fence-line. The grounds are getting gussied up. And other volunteers emptied out the shed, which needs to be moved temporarily in order for us to meet county requirements for storm-water management. The building itself is looking lovely, thanks to some very precise painters who were working Saturday. 

There are no major jobs left to be done, but many, many smaller ones for our contractor to complete. We are also at the mercy of county inspectors, utility schedulers and Lady Luck. We have 20 days to go!

Next weekend we'll be back at the pool starting at 9 a.m. Please stop by with your gloves and an hour or so to spare.

Thanks!

Looking for Help

Friends,
As most of you are aware, we are working very hard to make this Memorial Day the very best Daleview opening day since the very first opening fifty years ago. It would be very helpful if a few more of the members took a little more active interest in getting the pool ready for the season. There is quite a bit of work to do, and anyone who would like to help out can contact me anytime at jim_l_preston@yahoo.com, or at 301-675-0729. There are almost always one or two of us working at the pool between 9 AM and 2 PM on weekends, but we don't stay all day unless some volunteers show up to help. I know that we are all busy, but consider making at least a token contribution of labor to Daleview before the season starts.
thanks,
jim

Doors and Bridges

Our pool house now has doors. It has a lot of light fixtures. It has a new sand filter. It has a guard station. And it has the skeleton of a bridge off of the deck and onto the hill (you can see that in this photo). Four weeks to go! There's plenty of excitement (and just a little nail-biting).

We filled a dumpster with kudzu, poison ivy and other out-of-control plants.

There's still plenty to do around the pool -- drop by on the weekend if you get a chance!

The End Is Near!

The interior block is up and painted. Plumbing fixtures and doors are on the way early next week. The deck is mostly done. The lath (in place of siding) is going up this weekend. We'll get a new fence, farther from the pool, to bring our glorious hillside inside the pool grounds. That will be a dramatic improvement. 

There's still lots of stuff to do, but it's gratifying to see a real building standing next to the pool! 

-Richard Harris

A full week!

Our contractors made great progress this week. The interior block work is almost done (some is already being painted). The roof was getting nailed on today (Saturday 4/11). Skylights are in. The stairs are up to the deck, and the deck underpinnings are largely complete. There's still plenty to do but the contractors tell us they expect to finish construction by April 30. Of course that still leaves permits and other stuff to do. But we have a smidge of breathing room between now and our Memorial Day opening.

Volunteers are always welcome on weekends at the pool to help clean up the grounds and get everything ready for our grand opening. Stop by anytime between 9 and 3.

Richard Harris

Up on the Roof! 100 Proof!

This is the scene at Daleview on Friday, April 4th....

Spring is Here!!

Spring has arrived at Daleview!! We've got less than two months until Memorial Day and our new poolhouse is getting closer to completion by the minute. There is a great deal of work to do around the pool and grounds to get ready for the season, and we are hoping that many of the members will want to participate in the effort this special Spring.

We will be starting work 9 AM on Saturday, April 5 by cleaning up some of the pool deck and the woods at the deep end of the pool. Bring saws, rakes, gloves, etc. The weather may not be perfect, but I am sure that we can accomplish something.

Community service hours will be available for students.

Members who are interested in contributing to specific projects should come on Saturday if they can, and should contact Jim Preston at jim_l_preston@yahoo.com to clarify their interests.

...And next, the roof!

The exterior walls are up. Most of the interior walls are coming along well, too. The roof trusses are on site and will go up this week, followed in short order by the roof itself. So this place is starting to look like a pool house! OK, right now it also looks like a construction site. But if you can look past the barrels and tarps, you can see real progress. Our contractor was working today (a Sunday), and is very confident he will finish on schedule.

There's lots of stuff to do around the site for pool members, so keep your eyes open for invitations (ok, pleas) to join us at Daleview before the pool opens.

Richard Harris

Walls!

The slab is cured. The walls are rising fast. The roof trusses are on the way. Soon this place is going to look like a pool house!

Thanks for the photo, Hap!

-RH

Floor It, Dude!!!

The corners have already been built. It was very exciting to watch 50 cubic yards of concrete (that's five giant cement mixer trucks worth) flow in to the new building. Much care was taken with the floor drains, levels and textures. After a couple days to cure, sand and plywood will be laid down inside the walls to prevent any damage to the new floor. Then, masons will raise the remainder of the walls.

After the walls come the roof trusses and the roof system.

Pouring this slab was a major milestone, coming only after much thinking and hard work, and many county inspections of the foundation, plumbing and electrical work underneath. Of course hurdles still remain, but we are all very happy with the progress this week.

Larry Fischel

Planning for Spring

On this snowy, icy, day in February, as we wait for rapid (and visible) progress on our new pool house, I am thinking about an exciting Spring of getting Daleview Pool ready for the first year of the "New Daleview". WOW!! We will have landscaping to do, cabinets to design, build, and install, an office to furnish, a pump room to outfit, locker rooms to organize, along with the usual massive cleanup, table refurbishing, rope installation, etc. Sounds like a pretty major community service project to me! I think that we will be down there just about every weekend from April 1 until May 28, and there will be plenty of work to go around, as well as lots to learn about the pool, the grounds, the building, and the community. There aren't many people who own large acreages inside the beltway, but each of us is a part owner of a beautiful piece of property that we can make as inviting and productive as we want to, and get to know and love each other better in the process. There aren't many things as pretty as a quiet Spring morning down at Daleview with a nice, productive outlet for all of our positive energy. I hope that everybody will want to try it out. We will get the grill working early this year, I promise!!

If there are specific projects that members would like to "take ownership" of, which would be really great, please contact me at jim_l_preston@yahoo.com and I will let the Daleview Board know so we can try to coordinate some of this activity in ADVANCE!! Our budget is small, but there are probably some projects that some members might want to 'just take care of', if you know what I mean.

On this Maryland primary election day, I think that it is worth thinking about M. Ghandi, who said "Be the change you want to see in the world." Please forgive me if I have misquoted, or misattributed this message, I still want to pass it on :)

Things have changed

Unfortunately, the outer appearance of the poolhouse project has not changed much over the last 2-3 weeks. The good news is that quite a few things have happened, and progress will be very fast in the near future. The concrete slab will be going in soon, and then the block walls will go up quickly. along with the deck. Then we can show some pictures!!!

We could have poured the slab a while ago, and then dug it up again (twice) to put in the plumbing and electrical stuff, but Larry wouldn't go for that technique. Some people are just ornery, I guess.

Flows Downhill?

I sure hope so. Take a look at your new plumbing! I hope all the eight year olds take a good look, because your grandchildren might want to know what's under the floor someday.

January 12

Work continues even on Saturday. You can see the first row of colored block has been laid.

And building begins!

Construction Photos

Here are photos that Hap Passman and I took of pool demolition.... and as of a few days ago .... construction! As of the first week of January, the builders are actually starting to build. They've poured the footings and are starting to build with cinder block. Once they get above ground, they'll switch to block that has an appealing, textured face. We'll do our best to keep you posted on the progress.

Richard Harris

Welcome to the Daleview Blog!!

Hey, why don't we have a blog where we can post pictures of the new poolhouse and notices about upcoming activities? Wait! We do! Cool! I had better go take some pictures when it gets light out. As Christopher Robin blogged so long ago:
Gon Out
Bakson