We have completed the first step of the new observatory project. The driveway at Osage Court has been re-routed and re-graveled, and a parking area has been added near the observatory site. Here is a view looking down the drive to the south. (Click-through requires a login.)

We hope that this re-routing will prevent the problems we have had with erosion. The pipes are the temporary irrigation until the observatory building is completed. The new building will have an equipment room so we can move the pump equipment inside. At that time we’ll also re-do the irrigation so that it is more effective, more reliable, and, most importantly, requires less maintenance.

There was a small problem with the temporary irrigation. An open pipe created a flood, washing down dirt over the lower drive. This was caused because the order of the valves did not match the circuit number on controller. The 2nd, 7th, and 9th valves were used, but the circuits are the 2nd, 6th, and 8th. Yet another slap-dash job by the prior residents here. This caused a bit of anguish, but it is all fixed now.