Walk through video of the B&B as of 9-29-09

I have done a walk through video of the Possum Holler Bed & Breakfast. This is not a professional production. This is just me and my Handycam walking through so that everyone can get a feel of the flow of the building. This week I will also get the Bingo Pavilion and Amphitheater video's edited and posted. I am really excited about how far along that this project is. ENJOY!

Amphitheater

Big progress at the amphitheater! The terraces are being put in and covered with sod and I was amazed how big the area is for being a 5000 seat amphitheater. But, for being so big all of the seats are going to be great and have a very good view of the stage. They are already working on the footers for the restrooms and concessions on the left hand side. December 1st is 60+ days away and can't get here soon enough for the grand opening concert.

Possum Holler gets some color and cabinets

I know that I have mentioned this before but, the Bed and Breakfast is going to be beautiful! As one pulls up now the main thing that pops is all of the copper highlights. On all of the lower roofs and above the windows is copper that is going to get more and more beautiful as it patinas and ages. Inside the tile work is about done in the bathrooms aroundall of the showers. The painters are painting all of the trim work and in the alcoves and areas where there is cabinetry is going they have painted the wall color so we can see all of the soothing earth tones that are going to be on the walls. I was suprized to see that the AMAZING cabinetry is in. The book cases that line the hallway along the upstairs room are wonderful. All if the wood and the warm earth tones on the walls are going to lend to a very cozy and comfortable stay at the Bed and Breakfast.

While I am down at the lower part of the Country Crossing property I have to mention the water tratment plant. An amazing amount of progress has taken place and the work, and the welding is really getting done. The massive main tank has risen from a slab last week to any enormis divided tank that stands about 25ft tall. They have also begun to prep another wall pour in the rear of the tank.

Jobs Jobs Jobs!!!!

As of 9-20-09 there are jobs being posted and filled at the Country Crossing site. Right now there are 36 different job titles available from Director of Operations to Bartender to Gift Shop Clerk and everything in between. If you are interested in a specific position, and even if you have already put in a resume, you must apply for the specific position. Here is the link to see what jobs are posted.
https://countrycrossingalabama.hua.talentxpress.com/ats/job_search.php?view_all=1&clear=1

Restaurants

I have been asked on a number of occasions which restaurants are going to be a part of phase 1 and will be opened by the December 1st Grand Opening. These are just the first of MANY themed attractions coming to Country Crossing.

Things are finally looking BLUE out at Country Crossing

After a week of almost constant clouds and rain everyone on site at Country Crossing was really glad to see the beautiful blue skies this morning.



But once again even with the weather not cooperating an amazing amount of progress has been done in the last few days. In the Bingo pavilion real progress has been made. I will start at the top and work my way down. On the roof the membrane roofing is going in on the flat sections and all of the slopes have been covers with the tar paper. In the ceiling the electrical is getting finished, the HVAC is about done, the sprinkler system is getting installed, the low voltage (phone, internet, etc.) is being put in place. All of the walls have been framed and are getting insulated and Sheetrocked. There is already a crew going behind the installers and mudding the joints of the drywall. On the floors all of the concrete work in the interior of the building is finished and they are already laying tile in the bathrooms. The interior walls are in that define where the restaurants are and in one of them a stage is already built and in place. It is already feeling like a building and there is no doubt that all of the work will be done in time for the December 1st Grand Opening.

Around the property the curbing continues to go in and the drainage system is being installed. It was really nice to see fire hydrants around the property. I also was very excited to see grass being put in and that there was blacktop in one of the parking lots. I noticed that they were doing a lot of final grading work on the main roadway and expect to see it paved very shortly.

9-15-09 progress update

So much is happening down at the Country Crossing project that it is hard to keep track of it all. Everything that needs to be done to get the project open is underway. We will start out with the infrastructure. The curbing is going in all over the property. It is really nice to be able to see all of the roadways coming together.

The waste water plant is starting to take shape. I know that this is not the most glamorous part of the project, but obviously crucial to the project. These are the unseen things that make a project of this magnitude happen.

The amphitheater is taking shape. It is very hard to see in the pictures but, it is all graded and will be a beautiful natural amphitheater with the forest as a backdrop.

On top of all of this the Bingo Pavilion is moving right along.

The Bed and Breakfast is already starting to look like a finished project. It will be very fun over the next few weeks to see it get finished and decorated. Soon the world will see what an amazing high class project this will be.

Progress 9-7-09

The custom carpet sample for the Bingo Pavilion has arrived. It is going to be very cool.



Tons of work has been completed around the property in the last couple of days. The roads have all been laid out. It is really neat to see how the traffic is going to flow. The curbing is going in all around the property and in the parking lots. As the curbing goes in and encloses each of the islands the grass and the irrigation will be put in. The first section of grass is expected to go in by this weekend. At the Bingo pavilion most of the interior walls are up. You can see the back hallway and you can see were the difference offices, break rooms, etc. will be located. You can also see where the different restaurant and the police annex will be. The front part of the floor was getting a final grade and getting ready to be poured. I again was amazed by the amount of underfloor electrical and networking that has been installed.

Down at the Holler the finish trim is going up in the interior, the doors are being painted, and the shower pans are being installed in the guest suites. The molding is looking fantastic. Its 3 and 5 piece crown molding and in the great room it is going to have 16 inch high base molding. The painters will start painting all of this trim in the next few days and then we will start to see some color on the walls.

86 DAYS UNTIL THE GRAND OPENING! Start the countdown!

Rain can't stop the work..but Randy Owen can!

Thanks to a fantastic lunch for 500 provided by The BBQ Shack, and a visit from Randy Owen, all of the workers had lunch and entertainment provided for them on Thursday. This was set up as a thank you for all of the hard work done so far and a chance for the media, and some local dignitaries, to see the progress of the project so far. The theme was great job and we are on schedule for the grand opening on December 1st. Many of the workers where very excited when they got a chance to shake hands with, and get an autograph from, a very gracious Randy Owen. While Randy spoke to the crowd he expressed the fact that he knows about the hard work that was going into the construction phase of the project and how he supports Country Crossing because of all of the good it will do to his home state of Alabama.

89 days until the grand opening!

So much has happened in the last few weeks I am amazed! I have been out of town for the last 4 weeks so I have had other people cover for me and take the pictures for me. While I have seen all of the pictures they do no justice for the amount of progress that has taken place. The dirt work has really been ramped up. As Joey, the project foreman, said, "this is the hardest working and most dedicated group of subs that I have ever worked with." While the skeptics say that they will not be opened by the December 1st date, all of those working with the project are very confident that they will get finished in time.

What makes the floors interesting in the bingo pavilion is they have to do it in to layers. They pour a sub-floor then they they lay out all of the underfloor power that will run all of the machines. Then they do a second pour to cover all of the power and make the finished surface. On the sections of floor that are finished, the internal walls are going in along with the power, HVAC, lighting and all other necessary items.

I once again have to say what a beautiful building the Possum Holler Bed and Breakfast is becoming. The B&B will be the first structure done and it is reported to be a little ahead of schedule. The Sheetrock is complete and the ceilings upstairs have been textured. The copper highlights on the exterior are going to go in over the next week. Inside we are going to see the finish trim start on Monday. Then it goes to paint and finish.