DIOCESE OF AITAPE CHURCH BUILDING PROGRAM

	News report No. 19 October 2003 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 tenth report for 2003. This is the nineteenth report in the Church Building program for the month of October 2003. progress throughout 2002 established agreements with all of the sub parishes, and saw work started at Amu, and plans in progress for the other nine buildings to be built. This year we collected gravel fro Arop1, Arop2, and Pou and began work at Arop1, and Pou. At Amu this month, we continued work and have the roofing iron fixed to the purlins, at Arop, the collection of th cut timber is complete, and the walkabout saw is now cutting at Pou.

Photo1 New Amu church roof. This photo shows the Amu church, with all of the posts, rafters and purlins in place, and half of the roof on. Providing there are no more hold ups due to torrential rain, the roof should be competed I the next two days. Preparations are now being made now for the next stage after the roof, which is the concrete slab floor.

Photo2 Pou church site: At the start of this month, we began work on the Pou church. The walkabout saw was shifted here to cut timber for the foundation boxing and a tool shed that is soon to be erected on the site. These timber planks are now being shifted to the church site. The site has been cleared of trees, and a well put down (located to the right of the clump of grass at the toe of the gravel stockpile). There have been some breakdowns with the saw this month that has slowed the timber cutting progress. Back at Aitape, the foundation steel is being made read by the welders, and more plans drawn up for the connecting plates. Cement bags have arrived ready for transport to site when the shed is ready, and the bolts have been tendered out.

Other Churches: At Arop1 there is a dispute with one of the local timber owners, so work with the tractor was halted just before it was due to be completed. We have entered into discussions with the affected parties, and it is hoped that it can be soon resovled. The steel posts and brackets are completed, and only the bracing rods need to be done now, and then the whole lot can be transported to the site. The access road for the Arop2 church was surveyed this month. The road will be over 2.2km long requiring tow log bridges and traversing 350metres of swamp. Planning work will continue into next month to prepare a proposal for the Local Government together with an estimate of costs. There are limited Tsunami funds available through the local government for the road works. It is hoped that the work can begin before the end of this year. A brief site visit was made to Teles Lampu this month, and discussions held with the parish priest for Barapu church about the site works there.