Recently our west coast team participated in a community project for Miller Woods, a public woodland park located near our McMinnville, Oregon shop.
For the project New Energy Works in partnership with Solid Carbon and Elk Creek Forest Products provided a new timber frame pavilion for Miller Woods, which was raised by hand on a sunny Saturday by a group of community volunteers, partners, and many of our New Energy Works co-workers.
“We are always on the lookout for small community projects like this, so that we can help folks out and be good citizens in our local community,” explained New Energy Works Founder & CEO Jonathan Orpin. “John Mead, our friend from Solid Carbon, called us up and said: ‘I know New Energy Works is always looking for interesting projects, and we are pouring a carbon sequestering concrete slab for this great woodland park near your shop in McMinnville called Miller Woods, would you like to be part of it and put up a timber frame pavilion?’ and I told him you bet!”
Located just three miles west of McMinnville, Oregon and available to the public for hiking and other activities, Miller Woods is an educational venue that provides a wide array of outdoor experiences for people of all ages. Owned and operated by the Yamhill Soil & Water Conservation District, the 130 acres of forest and grass land that make up Miller Woods were generously bequeathed to the District by Frieda Miller in 2004.
“When I look at community hand raisings, I try to think of something that can be done in a reasonable size, so that ten to twenty people can come together and raise it in one day,” Jonathan said. “As part of that, I always like to design a gable look for hand raisings, because there is something really compelling about a group of people lifting up a gable by hand.”
“In the case of Miller Woods pavilion, the logical design would have been two gables, but I added in a third so that we would have enough work for everyone who attended the raising, and because we wanted the front of the pavilion to be very welcoming when it was completed,” Jonathan continued. “When you come into a pavilion, you want it to have a very clear front opening, and the third gable really serves that purpose. So, what we came up with was a three-gable structure with two valleys, which is not typical for a hand raising project because valleys are complex, but it was not a big project, so that made it fun.”
“Solid Carbon and their team poured the slab prior to the raising, and we came and set up for the posts,” Jonathan concluded. “Then we all showed up on a Saturday morning with a truck load of timbers. We split up into three teams to assemble the three bents, and then raised them as a group, which went quite well. At the end, the folks from Yamhill Soil & Water had lunch and cake for us and we all had a great time celebrating.”
Big thanks to Solid Carbon who provided the carbon sequestering concrete slab, Elk Creek Forest Products who donated the timbers, and our New Energy Works co-workers who not only worked late to prepare the timbers the night before, but also gave up a portion of their Saturday to volunteer at the raising.
About Miller Woods:
Located three miles west of McMinnville, Oregon and available for public hiking and activities, Miller Woods is an educational venue that provides a wide array of outdoor experiences for people of all ages. The diverse property has ecosystems that include hayfield, oak savannah, timber stands, ponds, and streams which are home to a variety of native plants, birds, and other wildlife.
Learn more: Miller Woods - Yamhill Soil & Water Conservation District (yamhillswcd.org)
About Solid Carbon:
Solid Carbon provides concrete admixtures for durable carbon sequestration in the built environment for industry-leading low-carbon concrete. We believe the capture and storage of carbon is as an essential pathway towards reducing the Global Warming Potential of concrete and transforming this strong and resilient material from a leading source of carbon emissions into a climate solution.
Learn more: Solid Carbon: Carbon Sequestering Concrete Admixture (solid-carbon.com)
About Elk Creek Forest Products:
From structural construction lumber to high-end exposed timbers, you are going to love our unique product mix and timely customer service. Located in Oregon’s beautiful Willamette Valley, between the Cascades and Coast Range, Elk Creek Forest Products is a full-service distribution and re-manufacturing business.
Learn more: Elk Creek Forest Products
