They are everywhere. Small projects done by independent people looking to make a better world. What most don’t realize is the amount of immense effort given by one or a small group of people to make that happen.
Hello, I’m Grant Anderson.
My senior project entails building an outdoor basketball court just outside my church for my youth group because I wanted to give back to my church and foster more outdoor activity in my youth group.
My research project was done on the importance of building codes in modern communities. In my research I came to conclude that building codes are prove to save lives and protect property.
I argued building codes should be updated frequently, preferably every two years, to make sure our communities remain up-to-date.
More importantly, building codes should be tailored to the individual state or region to cut costs and protect themselves from what affects them the most.
This connects to my project because as an independent builder, I have to go through Brevard county for building permits for my structure.
Building codes currently are spotty at best. While some regions have enacted building codes, there are a lot of states behind the curve and they suffer for it.
Mississippi > Katrina, $3.1 billion in property damages and 400,000 buildings
International Code Council have put out their standards, but they aren’t tailored to a specific state or region.
Building codes play a huge role in mitigating natural disaster. In the Japanese earthquake and tsunami of 2011, good building codes enforced earthquake foundations, leading to entire structures staying intact protecting the live of people inside.
There’s a big argument against building codes for the amount it adds to the cost of a building. While it does increase the price of a building, I argue that the small price paid in the beginning can save the entire investment in the end.
-So my project entailed building a basketball court in the parking lot just outside my youth building for my Youth groups that meet twice a week
-The court slab is 30’ long by 25’ wide, 6” deep
-Adjustable hoop
-The project implementation began in late January and was completed on March 11th
-He is an Elder Board Member in charge of improvement project
-Planning project and giving advice on construction
-Bridge between me and the leaders of the church.
-I would like to thank him for his time and support in making my project a reality.
-After doing an elevation survey we were ready to design. After coordinating estimates, the price came out to an estimated $4,625
-Many volunteers were needed to complete the extraneous jobs in an appropriate timeframe
-A huge fundraising campaign was needed
-door to door
-online campaign
-fliers and donation proposals to businesses
So I had a few obstacles to overcome:
Volunteers- I asked for help from my youth group and Boy Scout troop and got an amazing response. On clean-up day we had 15 volunteers come out to help clean up the construction area.
Design-
-cost effective but also playable, I did a lot of research and asked people about their experience with outdoor courts and determined the best design.
-Many factory hoop systems were too expensive for my budget, so my dad and I worked together to create a pole
Fundraising-
-$4,000 is a lot of money so a lot had to be done to overcome it.
-(Aluminum can donation)
-Pole was donated
-Concrete price reduced by ½ ($1,250)
-Online campaign raised $1,300
-All funds were raised in about a month
-82 hours
-$4,000
-Youth group gets outside
-After-youth b-ball games
