Celebrating Connections and Achievement at the Alumni Summer Work Party ReCAP
- Dan Young
- Jun 17
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 18
Gamma Delta Building Association (GDBA) hosted the Fourth Annual Gamma Theta Alumni Work Week.
Each year, as the students depart for the summer, the alumni converge on Linden Street to bring our beautiful 100+ year-old home back to the highest standards it deserves.
This year's group enjoyed working together again, as they accomplished many projects. After a hard day's work, we honored the chapter’s alcohol-free policy by enjoying great stories, good conversations, and tasty adult libations across the street at the Chi-O’s parking lot!
Our expectations were met, if not exceeded, by the work and dedication of those who attended: Frank Cholaj, Tad Monroe, Jim Pappas, Rick Tupper, George Barrington, Mark Hussein, Todd Morton, Brian Ellsworth, Rob Monroe, Dan Young, Ryan Kirkpatrick, and Reid & Sherry Johnson.
Here’s a rundown of what was accomplished…
Old kitchen cutting board table, residing most recently in the dining room - removed
The front door was removed and delivered to Spokane for restoration. The front entrance was secured with plywood.
The small storage room on the 3rd floor, where the shower used to be, was drywalled and converted to usable storage.
The exterior window frames in the dining room were painted.
An electrician was hired to replace the non-working outlets in the dining room.
The dining room walls and ceiling were patched & primed. Then, the ceiling and all walls were repainted with contrasting colors. Reid Johnson’s wife, Sherry, was amazing at leading that project!
The pool cue rack was relocated to an alcove near the “side” house entrance.
New track light heads ordered for the north wall of the living room.
New towel dispenser on the 3rd floor.
The beat-up old blinds at the 3rd-floor head window were removed and replaced with privacy film on glass. Same with the East-facing window on the 2nd floor.
The storage room (between study/sleeping rooms 32 and 33) on the third floor was cleaned out. The file cabinet was relocated to room B-4 (President’s room) so the space could be converted into a 2-person Collaboration Study Room. Donated study tables were added along with a large magnetic whiteboard and new lighting.
The lawn was fertilized with a product to kill clover and weeds.
Overgrown arborvitae trees on either side of the walkway were cut down, and the stumps were removed by our determined Deisel Brothers, Tad Monroe, and Jim Pappas. Great effort by everyone who pitched in.
Drain pipes leading from the south- and west-side gutters to Linden Street were cleared.
Traced and mapped the service panel and many sub-panels to identify which breaker controls each light & outlet throughout the house.
Patched the torn insulation blanket on the hot water storage tank.
Confirmed the main water shut-off valve is marked with signage.
GDBA house rules were revised with a couple of new additions, and a copy with large type was mounted in the GDBA display case on the second floor.
A notice printed on bright paper was attached to each desk or locker, which states: “You are responsible for reading and understanding the GDBA house rules…” No more excuse “I didn’t know…”!
Security anti-fall chains were installed on the casement windows of the study/sleeping room.
A new smoke gasket was installed on the hallway door outside the chapter room.
Replaced the door latch on room B-2
Removed all the door locks installed in study rooms, which are not allowed! Some were attached with a very strong adhesive that will require a heat gun to remove. Any damage will be billed to the chapter.
Replaced the worn fan belt on the large exterior kitchen hood exhaust fan and painted the cover to match the house. The remaining fan shroud to be painted by members during the fall workweek.
Confirmed the number of mattresses that need to be replaced. New mattresses ordered from the local supplier are to be delivered.
Installed a new First Aid Kit in the kitchen with a label that says, “Kitchen Staff Only” and restocked with supplies.
Remove the exterior old spotlights from the north side of the house. Disconnected wiring in the attic.
Removed broken arms from desk chairs. Repaired some with available parts.
Installed room numbers (B-1 through B-4) on the basement study/sleeping room doors.
Sharpened the mower blade and provided an additional battery so LIA can mow the entire lawn in one shot.
Patched the doorknob hole in the sheetrock outside the chapter room and installed a wall-mounted door stopper to prevent it from happening again.
Installed new reflectors on the metal railing at the entrance to the driveway.
Replaced missing or damaged blinds in study/sleeping rooms.
Patched the damaged wall in the study/sleeping rooms. Chapter to be billed for damage
Purchased a new walk-off rug for the front entrance.
Following the Alumni Work Week, (2) alumni came back to the house to thoroughly clean 24 of the 25 study/sleeping rooms. The chapter has been billed for each room falling short of move-out cleaning requirements.
As you can read, a lot was accomplished over the past seven days, with alumni working hard to keep the house clean and ready for next year's students. This is all volunteer work; these men drive, fly, and gather at the house to plug in CPAPs and DeWalt drills. We talk about giving back. Nothing says thank you more than giving time, energy, and a little hard-earned love to an old house on Linden St.
If you are interested in helping out with time or money, reach out to Dan Young. He has been the lead organizer, getting things done around the house. Or click below and send a little KAI love to the general fund.
Dan Young
C 503.703.2555
Thanks for Reading!
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