DIOCESE OF AITAPE CHURCH BUILDING PROGRAM

	Project report No. 48 March 2006 Diocese of Aitape P O Box 179 Aitape Sandaun Province Papua New Guinea Ph +675 8572046 fax +675 8572056
Aitape Haus Lotu Projects

Introduction:

Welcome to the third report for 2006.
This is the forty eighth report on the Church Building Program for the month of March.
In 2002, we established agreements with all of the sub parishes, and work started at Amu.
In 2003, we collected gravel for Arop1, Arop2 and Pou; began site work at Arop1 and Pou, and the welding of the steel frames for Arop2; at Amu we completed the roof and the concrete floor; at Barapu completed ground works; and began the design of Barapu and Sissano.
October 2005 was the opening of the Amu church in Malol. Followed by the beginning of work on another church in Malol at Areki.

This month of March at Areki, from 1st to 9th March, sorted out the purlins, due to heavy rain that followed work had to stop for 2 days and building materials shifted to dry area. "F1's" on one side of the building was complete, with work continuing on laying of ground sheets (plastic) and ARC mesh on the remaining floor slabs. Work on formworks continued, with checking of posts to get trusses to sit flush on them, while marking out the overhangs. Overhangs of both sides were also cut off and we moved to shaping of the posts for the Tabernacle area joining the main sanctuary area.

From 10th to 16th March, cemented the "H" section of the sanctuary area and also got the "F1's" boxed in for the last three floor slabs. The main floor slabs wer then also cemented and is not complete. Two carpentars then worked on preparing the roof purlins, while others drilled holes on the "F1's" and the posts and bolted them together.

From 17th to 21st March, boxed and cemented posts for the Tabernacle area and started the boxing for floor slabs for sections "J, K & I" of the sanctuary area. Work on the F1's is also complete. Ground sheets (plastic), ARC mesh and holding down bolts were put in on the "J, K & I" sections of the main sanctuary. Scafoldings were also put under each truss for the "B9 Braces" and holes were drilled and then bolted together. The two floor slabs of sections "I & J" were also cemented, with the formworks for section "I" and "J" stripped, and profiles put up at the end of the main building and the sanctuary for the ground beams on the formation for the floor slab of the Tabernacle floor area.

The "B9" braces are now complete on both sides of the building, and work is ready to be done on the roof purlins.

From 24th to 30th March, work continued with purlin blocks being cut, formworks for altar stand were constructed using reinforcement bars (D10 & D12). The final slab of the "K" section of the sanctuary has been cemented with the completion of the internal formworks for the altar stand.