GNPVA closed out our 2019 speakers series with
“Rebuilding Sperry – A Builder’s Perspective”

March 25, 2019, a presentation by representatives of Dick Anderson Construction Co., was absolutely fascinating. We could all feel the respect and care they all had undertaking the rebuilding of our beloved Sperry Chalet. To say they took on a most challenging project is an understatement, between the location, the weather, wildlife encounters and human visitors, all was handled with the utmost professionalism and respect for the environment and the historic structure. We heard entertaining stories of living conditions, animal encounters, building new friendships and on the fly creative engineering solutions. Living in tents for many months with few comforts, but being very well fed by Kevin Warrington’s Staff. Dealing with the mountain goats and marmot who kept reminding them that this was their territory and they inspected everything brought into camp.

Few construction projects carry an emotional component but this one did for the workers, on site visitors, GNP staff, the extended GNP community and past Sperry Chalet visitors who cherished this historic structure. The workers felt the emotion of this project like no project before. It became a legacy project for them and it fostered a pride in ownership. Hikers would stop by with tears in their eyes thanking them for their work. No project has meant so much to so many people and they provided in this presentation a very personal and intimate view of working on the rebuild of the Sperry Chalet. The physical work was demanding and exhausting because this was done without the comforts of a forklift and other typical onsite construction equipment for a project of this magnitude.

GNPVA on behalf of its entire membership wish to extend a personal thank you to all the Dick Anderson crew members and their entire cast of supporting sub contractors and volunteers who accomplished this amazing task under extreme conditions.

We are so grateful that the Chalet is well on it’s way to being completely restored and we are all looking forward to the Re-opening of Sperry Chalet in the 2020 season.


Rob Terrio, Nick Delude, Tom Nelesen, Jeff Mow, Travis Neil

 


Mike Oshier GNPVA Board Member, Jeff Mow, GNP Superintendent, Tom Nelesen GNPVA Board President, Nancy Oshier GNPVA Board Member

 

At End of Last Year Work

 


Living Conditions at Sperry During Construction Last Year

 


Great Crowd – Nick, Travis, Rob – Dick Anderson Construction Co.

 


Great Crowd