News

Workers perch precariously on the wall to guide the grout into a special “funnel” and so channel it down into the wall. Photo: J. Galler.

Grout was poured into the bricks for the foundation of the north wall of the new Parish Hall on Monday, March 7, at the beginning of a week that saw record rainfall and flooding in Kilgore, but the rain apparently did not bother the setting of the grout. The steel rebar reinforcement, removed for the pouring of the grout, was put back into place before the grout set, and it will later be tied into the slab for the floor, providing further stability for the wall.

Rebar sticks up from some of the channels through the foundation of the north wall and its corners after workers finished laying the concrete blocks and began preparations for grout to be poured into the blocks. Photo: J. Galler.

The East Texas Brick Company delivered 600 concrete blocks for the foundation of the north wall of Pilgrim’s new Parish Hall on Tuesday, March 1, and workers began to lay them on Wednesday, March 2. That block-work was done by Thursday, March 3, and on Friday, March 4, workers put drains through the wall for groundwater and began preparations for the wall to be filled with grout. Once that grout is poured into the blocks, it will need to set for about five days. The weather for at least the weekend is expected to be nice, but rain forecast for the following week might delay further work.