With great gusto, the hammering that will make manifest our Trojan Horse has commenced! And all in an unexpected place, under the hand of an unexpected leader.
We have sadly said goodbye to Joel as our head builder (he had to exit for personal reasons), and quickly confirmed a new construction lead, staying on our build schedule. Chris Webb has stepped into the project with grace and the confident commitment to build the beast (along with an incredible team of volunteers) in just six weeks. We chose a new, more convenient site to build the horse so bid Treasure Island a fond farewell. The Horse and crew have been welcomed by NIMBY with open arms. This fabulous facility in East Oakland is a magnet for creativity.
Chris, who was born in Bakersfield, California, describes himself as “pretty well traveled for a blue collar kind of guy.” Bringing a stunning list of credentials to the project, he recently served as Manager for Engineering Operations, Utilities Engineer, and Master Mechanic for the biomedical firm, Chiron and its successors This year will be his fourth Burn in the last five years.
The team of builders has already begun assembling those long, long legs, and started on the platform and floor sections July 16. They plan to tackle the head and tail support next week, as well as a trial assembly of the frame. By July 25, the team hopes to be fitting panels and building our Horse’s head.
“I have never felt as confident as I do now about building the beast,” says Dan Fox, Construction Coordinator and the well-organized, creative guy whose fellow workers venerate him as a quick-witted hero. “We have an incredibly strong, dedicated, and enthusiastic team in place, volunteers who have stepped up and committed ta a construction schedule that is demanding and self-sacrificing, yet realistic. With this group’s absolute professionalism and sense of purpose, I know we will erect a work of art true to Douglas’ grand vision indeed.”