It started 2 nights ago when I went to bed. A headache that Tylenol eventually took care of.
Yesterday morning, however, I had a headache all over again. I was like, well, I took tylenol around 3:00 am, so I'll wait.
Went to work, stopping by the property on the way, the machinery was out there and they were busy. Got to work and noticed I was increasingly feeling - worse. Got to the loading plant and was feeling much worse. By the time I got out of that plant, I had already contacted dispatch and told them I wouldn't be able to take the load to Oklahoma. There is no way I was driving an almost-80,000 pound truck down the highway, loaded with highly flammable cryogenic liquid, feeling like that.
My head was throbbing, sore throat and chest congestion, I could barely speak. It came on that fast. It was amazing how badly I felt in such a short period of time with all the symptoms that seemingly showed up on my doorstep so quickly.
I went home, stopping at the property yet again: this time there was not only a dozer and a dump truck, there was also a track hoe and 2 more dump trucks. The dozer was creating the pads out of the dirt that was being dumped, the dirt coming from the giant hole the track hoe was digging out. I suspect there will not be enough dirt in that mountain they created out of the "bad dirt" to fill it up. It's whatever to me right now, it's well out of the way and I don't need to deal with that immediately.
The cost of this project has increased substantially with phases that I didn't know about at the beginning. I was trying to get the contractor to give me costs for everything. I didn't have to have the pads done up the way they are doing it, but - the will not only be level, but they will be elevated so that rain water doesn't flood out the RV and wash away the gravel. Is it worth an extra 14k? I don't know. The contractor told me "You don't have to do this, but in a couple of years, the gravel is going to wash away and you will be starting all over again".
The problem is that my desire to do all of this initial stuff without taking out any more loans is now at stake. I really had decided that I wanted to get the park done in it's first phase - which is 14 spots, a doggy park and the walking trails - without any more loans. Well, and a building. That would be a loan in itself with a 12X16 building that will be made into a small office to put the wifi equipment in, probably a washer and dryer and hopefully at least one shower. Yes, I've downgraded my ambitions, but it's just to get the thing going initially and see if I can get some revenue coming in without having to have all the other stuff in place right up front.
I've asked the contractor how much it will cost to upgrade the septic system from a 750 tank to 1,000 gallons. This will afford me the option of having that laundry and bathroom and also create some more lots in the near future. It would allow for 4 more spaces. Nothing I would do right now, the cost of everything is out of control and would add more than I can afford. Just that it would allow for some more spots as I get some more money saved up.
Anyway, I haven't been over there since noon yesterday. Feeling like hell, I had no desire to go over there. But now? I need to just go take a look.
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Done deal. They created the lots and the driveway - and I really like how they did the driveway - and filled in the hole to the point there is just a small pile of good dirt sitting there. I assume they want that for finishing touches. Now, they have to "roll it". Same concept as with freshly laid asphalt, a roller comes along and compresses it, compacting it and making it firm. I doubt they will do that today, it just rained and tho a short rain, they probably want it nice and dry for that.
I now have another guy out there who is dragging the front portion of the property - it's not going to be used for anything right off the bat - but he's going to get all the small sticks and junk weeds out of the ground, smooth it and make it workable for planting grass. I have the grass seed, I just need the lot finished. Well, I take that back, I'm probably going to have to buy a lot more grass seed, I just wanted some to seed the front portion to start with. I imagine another 10 bags of that stuff at least. I don't want to look at a land full of weeds is the point and I don't want those trees to start growing back.
He's got his tractor with a rake attachment on the back. If nothing else, the land will be smooth enough to either brush hog it regularly or take a zero-turn over it. I don't want eternal brugh hogging expenses and there are already weeds and ferns growing up on portions of the trails in the back, I have to pull the trigger on some kind of machinery and soon. The rake attachment process is going to cost a wee smickens of money, but I have really no choice unless I just want a property full of giant weeds. I didn't pay all that money to have the land cleared of the trees only to have it replaced with weeds, thanks.
I don't know when they're coming back to steam roll it, but the contractor is sending me paperwork to fill out for the permits to install the septic system. Which means we are moving right along here. Finally.
Well, there goes everything. It's pouring rain. The forecast showed a small chance of rain which blew up to a full blown thunderstorm now. I am guessing the dude with the tractor went home out there, who knows, I'm not going back out there to find out. I also have been in contact with a local individual that creates hand painted signs. I want to get a sign up in front of the property now and get something showing what's going on there along with a "coming soon" sign hanging over the top of it. These people do excellent work, I've seen examples of their handiwork and the kind of product they are putting out is exactly what I want. I don't want sterile, generic, modern looking stuff. I want natural, nature themed stuff that compliments the theme of the park, which is, obviously, nature.
I guess I best start thinking about seeing a lawyer and an accountant about taxes, liability, rules for the park, etc. I'm not yet ready for the web design dude to do anything further with the website until we get to within a few months of an opening day. I want a page that shows the drone pic and footage of the property from the air. I haven't done that yet, I decided to wait until everything is done instead of a "temporary" thing that will just waste money in having to have him come back and do it all over again.
It may very well be that I'm going to have to have the electricity and water turned on soon. That's another thing I want to wait until the last minute for. The connections are made, they just have to turn it on - but turning it on means I start incurring a monthly service bill whether I'm using it or not. No point in that. The rain is an unwelcomed nuisance that will further delay this project since they aren't going to do the rolling/compaction until it dries up again.
Oh well.
