Monday, April 30, 2007

Grand Opening



So, we opened the hospital in grand fashion this weekend. And I say we but it was really a pair events organized and put on by the hospital - a VIP reception Friday night for the hospital doctors and staff, the Board members, the architects, and community leaders, and then the public ribbon cutting and open house on Saturday. The Friday night event included some speechmaking, some fireworks, awesome food, and seven, count 'em, seven, open bars set up around the atrium. A good time was had by all, if I recall correctly.

The Saturday event had a crowd that was estimated to be between 7,000 and 10,000 people. All wandering around in my building scuffing the floors, dinging the walls, flushing diapers down the toilets. Ahhh, serenity now..... Anyway, it was rewarding to me to see the excitement on people's faces as they walked around their new hospital, and the hospitaldoes seem to be serious about their message to the community that this is indeed intended to be their hospital. There was face-painting, free food and refreshments, and the local Nascar folks even brought a race car out for the kids to climb in. Cool stuff all around.Another thing that I think is cool is that the hospital didn't skimp on artwork for this place. The walls are lined with the works of local artists and photographers that depict scenes from this area and it really solidifies that idea of this being a community building.

Zeke and Judy came down for the weekend, and it was fun to hang out with them, although I kept getting pulled away to shake hands, visit, smile for pictures, etc. and didn't get to spend as much time with them Friday night as I had hoped, but we did get a chance to take a long, leisurely, and private behind the scenes tour on Saturday.

And Sunday we went sailing on Florida Bay under a beautiful clear blue sky with a nice breeze and a cooler of beer and sandwiches. Wish you could have been there.....



So, gotta run. Here's a link to a news story that one of the local stations ran last week right before the opening, and a couple more photos from Saturday. Including a nice one of Zeke & Judy.




Tuesday, April 24, 2007

TCO

Good news tonight from Homestead, brothers and sisters. We received the TCO from the City today. Tee See O'Hellyeah. That's what I'm talking about. I've never seen a more beautiful, official, bona fide beauracratically originated piece of paper. The freakin' Mona Lisa of construction documentation and that ain't much of an exaggeration, trust me on that my friends. We have overcome our ob stacles and seen many wonderous things along the way, too. This time of tribulations is coming to an end, and I know there's a glorious new day gonna come a-dawnin' soon. Praise the Lord pass the biscuits and damn!!!

And, of course, we got it at the last possible minute before not having it would have been a huge problem. The state hospital licensing folks are coming tomorrow morning (yeah, that's right, tomorrow 8 a.m.) for the last of the pre-occupancy inspections, and their mission is to make sure that there are sheets on the beds, pills in the drawers, supplies in the cabinets, etc. and that the hospital is all set up to be able to treat patients the minute the inspection is over. And, of course, having documentation from the City that the building is fit for habitation is one of the first items on their list of things to check. So, there I was, sitting at the building department at 4:29 p.m. this afternoon going over a computer printout with the chief building official showing where we stand with inspections and open permits one last time to make sure we had gotten all of the i's dotted and t's crossed. The office closes at 4:30 sharp, one of the few things down in this part of the world that does happen on a rigidly observed schedule. I saw the official glance at his watch a couple of times as he sifted through the stack of paper in front of him. An administrator came in and reminded him that it was time to close up and she was taking off. For a minute I flashed to a scene from some cheap action flick where the battered hero is struggling to defuse the bomb as the timer ticks down toward zero.....

But we all know how those stories end, and that I am no hero. We did get the piece of paper we needed, though. Today. In hand in time for tomorrow's last final inspection. Dadgum I wish I could bottle this feeling and sell it cause Coca Cola ain't got nothin' on this.

I've gotta scoot now. Time for bed and hopefully some rest tonight. Buenos noches mis amigos, y sueƱos felices.

Monday, April 16, 2007

Slow down and listen

I ran across ths story this morning. If this had been printed on April 1st I would have assumed it was a joke.

Saturday, April 07, 2007

Decompression


Today was another in a string of just achingly beautiful days here, friends. Wish you were here to experience this. Cool morning, bright blue sky, and the air just absolutely transparent. Everything had an almost too colorful glow in that early morning sun. I assed around the house for a while enjoying the morning before heading off to work, and the lure of the water as I crossed the bridge was just too powerful to resist. I did a quick run-through at the jobsite to make sure there weren't any disasters brewing, checked e-mail, shuffled piles of paper from my desk onto other people's desks, and high-tailed it back to my little island paradise.

A day on the boat is good and powerful medicine even on a gloomy weather day, but on a day like today the natural beauty of the bay and the peace and quiet are almost disorienting. There was a gentle breeze coming out of the northwest today, so Reprieve was facing out into Florida Bay, and sitting on the foredeck I enjoyed a couple of bloody marys and gazed out at squadrons of pelicans ghosting just inches off the surface against a backdrop of about three miles of placid water. Four hours passed before I knew it, and for the life of me I can't recall if I fell a sleep or just spaced out on the view and the gentle bobbing of the boat on the incoming swell. I'm pretty sure a man could get used to that feeling, though, awake or not.....

~~~ _/) ~~~~
~~ ~~~ ~~~
~~~ ~~~

Thursday, April 05, 2007

Hurdle cleared...



Hey friends....good news. We had the AHCA inspection team here today for a final final inspection, and at the end of the day they granted approval for occupancy. This isn't the end of the inspection process - we've still got the fire marshal inspections to finish as well as the local building department inspections, but getting AHCA behind us is HUGE. We're almost finished with the other inspections, and by the end of next week we should have the temporary certificate of occupancy, which is the document we need from the City that will allow the hospital to move into the building.

The grand opening is April 28th, and if you're reading this you're invited.

I think it's time for a cold beer. Cheers!