They're still putting the finishing touches on the new parking garage and the other morning I enjoyed the protection from the rain while I got some fresh air and drank my coffee.

Today the workers from Galaxy Glass in Manchester are out there finishing up with the caulking in the sub-40s fall chill.




I for one will be glad when the project is done. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a beautiful building and it's a huge improvement over the vacant lot (although I had a nice bright apartment and a view before it went up. Not so now.).

The residents of the Endicott, especially the ones whose apartments face the construction site have put up with the noise that started daily at seven AM, and the fine dirt that clogged our air conditioners and covered our window sills with a fine powder. By the way, I had to buy a new air conditioner because the previous one which was only a couple of years old couldn't handle the dirt and died a squeaky death.

At the start of the construction when the piles were being driven to hold back the street, the vibration was so bad I had to open up all of my cupboards so that they wouldn't rattle all day long, and important pictures had to be taken off the walls for fear of them coming down. Even then it was like living inside an ultrasonic cleaner.
The construction company had seismic equipment to monitor the shaking and they had to inject some kind of material into the foundation of the Endicott to shore it up before starting.

Now all that disruption in our lives is over for the most part and all we're left with are memories, and speaking for myself a big crack in my bedroom wall next to the window. Prior to construction some people came in and videotaped the condition of the walls in our apartments. They said they'd be back to check things out after construction was done, but to date I haven't seen anyone.

So it's been a long noisy expensive experience for this resident.
At least the building didn't fall down. There were times when that seemed like a real possibility. Now lets hope some businesses fill the building and the theater is supported. It would certainly help the Red River Theaters if a successful restaurant moved into the space on the first floor next to their sign. There's plenty of parking now in the attached parking garage. Let's fill it up!