A New Gym for Jewart's Update from July 7,2008 The last update was April 6,2008. Boy! At that time I weas sure things would begin to look like a gym. To say I am naive in the world of construction is not even a question. What it clearly shows me is that in the world of business, people are human and personal problems in the service industry can bring things to a grinding halt. Babies, aging parents, weddings, vacations and illnesses can cause delays and missed deadlines. Then there are cumbersome government rules that need to be interpreted and regulated, ......... Long story short, with much excitement and clear optimism on our part we have recieved our building permits and we got the go ahead to start construction on the gym. The foundation and excavation of the pits are underway as phase 1 of the process. In the meantime,everyone is busy working hard to get ready for the 2008-2009 season. Our staff attended the USAG Congress and Olympic Trials in Philadelphia in June. The American women are amazing. The battle for the gold will definitely be between the US and China, the host team. 8.08.08. The opening dates for the Olympics. Keep an eye on this site for updates on our new Junior Olympic Training Center. Let's go Northstars! Let's Go USA!!! Update from April 6,2008 When the sun comes out things will not only be brighter but less muddy at the gym. As you know, construction is underway. "Temporary inconvenience ... permanent improvement" as the saying goes. We had a rough start with three solid days of rain after they peeled the asphalt and top soil off the site, but it will be closer to the end with each passing day. Progress-wise, we are working on the site, and I'm sure you can see our really cool retention pond as you pull into the parking lot. Approval of our engineered drawings for the building is the next big step. Regarding parking... please be patient. You have to keep your eyes on the prize. But I will say in all honestly, everyday will present a new set of challenges. With workers, deliveries, and construction the best I can guarantee is that my coaches are doing a great job with the kids and we will have the most beautiful gym in the region in just a few weeks. We have a new parking diagram that we will pass out to you so please do your best to help us get through this phase. I would also ask that you don't come in to the lot talking on a cell phone, as it makes it harder to give directions and for you to see any pattern of parking and drop off/pick up. It is really going to be awesome soon.... Mrs. J February 15, 2008 Finally, good news!!! Imagine a beautiful parking lot with all the amenities of a new facility: Landscaping and lights. NO more pot holes. NO more puddles. It’s a dream come true…soon to be underway. Now imagine the kids having more space to learn their cartwheels, more opportunities to work with their teachers on the apparatus, more fun time in the gym. I can see it now! It’s in full Technicolor. It’s got more room for everything. I can go on and on. But... we still have got work to do and a long way to go. I’ve been waiting to write this letter, and after a long year of meetings and planning, budgeting and waiting we finally signed our loan agreements with Nextier bank and the SBA last week. Although we have a few loose ends to clear up, we hope to get our site development permits from Hampton Township this week. The initial construction will make a huge impact on the gym parking lot from the get-go. I am meeting with the site development team tomorrow and as the actual construction gets underway, I will be sending memos on any changes that we need to make for drop off, pick up and parking. In the meantime, please help us recruit new kids… preschoolers, tumblers, possible rhythmic girls, boys, gymnasts or climbers. What are our goals for the new building? Our goal is to construct a new gymnasium adjacent to the existing gym on the rear of the property. The new gym will be 90' X 130' and will house the Pittsburgh Northstar competitive teams, artistic and rhythmic. The rhythmic program nwill have a separate floor mat with a hard surface and additional ceiling height. This transition will allow he "cheer / tumbling" program to have a separate space to grow and develop and will allow the Recreation program to have the main floor space they need to provide better opportunities for the children. The Jewels, Lucky Stars and Big Dippers will have use of the main gym and equipment for their classes and we will have additional space downstairs to run specialty classes for adults or kids. December 1st, 2007 It's been a while since I updated the site because there has been no progress on the building. We have been waiting for approval for our NPDS permit. You get this permit when the Department of Environmental Protection approves your storm water management plan. We were stymied because there was possibly a "rare trillium" in the vicinity of our building and we needed to hire an environmental specialist to survey the grounds and send in a report to Harrisburg. I've discovered that all of the approvals take up to 90 days to get reviewed and if there are "comments" you go back to the drawing board to reconfigure your plans and then wait again to see if you "pass." It is a very tedious process for someone like me who jumps into a project and attacks with vigor to play the waiting game. I am still excited to get final approval from Hampton township regarding all of the necessary details for a building permit. In the meantime, classes are doing great. The kids are getting better everyday and I thank you all for your patience. Please be careful in the parking lot until things are finally resolved. August 30,2007 Well classes are about to start and I'm really excited to get the gym up and running again. Unfortunately we are still playing the waiting game regarding the new addition. We finally made all the necessaary changes to the engineered drawings and hope we will get approval from Hampton Council at the September meeting. We have applied for permits to the Department of Environmental Protection and Penn Dot. With the flooding caused at Girty's Run during the last storm, I understand the need to protect the environment. This wee we also finalized the architecture drawings of the new gym and entry. Hopefully, I'll have a rendering for you all to see in the coming weeks. My only regret is that the parking lot didn't get finished this summer. But I'm sure when it's all said and done...it will be worth the wait. So, Happy Labor Day. See you in the gym. UPDATES August 1, 2007 The new parking lot is coming. When? I'm not sure...but please be patient. It will be worth the wait. What an education I'm getting: Storm water management, retention ponds, wetland deliniation, NES permit, DEP permit, Penndot permit, Hampton Township permit,...not as easy as I thought. We have meetings this week and applications to submit...I'll keep you posted. Meanwhile, enjoy the summer. Remember, we open the day after Labor Day. See you then. July 1, 2007 In March of 2007 the dream of building a new gym took its first steps to becoming a reality. For the last few years we have worked around existing conditions to provide great programs for our pre-schoolers, class students and team kids. But when the parking lot exploded into what I affectionately named "Baghdad," I knew the time had come to take the big step. The project has to balance three main conditions: Budget, codes and time constraints. We have been working on site development, fiancial approval and design for the new facility. We feel the additional space will allow every program to have more space, better class time choices and new opportunities. Where are we in the project? Drawings were submitted to Hampton Township for approval on June 13th. Engineering plans for regrading the parking lot and providing a storm water management plan will be reviewed for the next couple months. Hopefully, without a delay we can get a permit by the end of summer. Hampton Technical, the engineers and Susan Tusick and Associates, the architect are in charge of prelimanary plans for the approvals. July 16, 2007 Brand new info: We are now applyng for a PennDot permit to change the entrance and exit to the existing parking lot. When the lot is finished we will have a new traffic pattern to enter the lot and drop off. My goal was to have the upper lot and storm water lines in by the first of September but that will depend on how soon we can get permits. We also need to get permits from the Department of Environmental Protection approving our plan for tree removal and excavation. This sure is more work than I bargained for. The extra space will also allow us to inplememnt a USAG Tumbling and Trampoline program. Watch for more updates as details become available.