This is what the building looked like the last time Madhu, our architect, came for a visit. A muddy ground, a busy work crew and a buzz of progress in the air. Madhu’s inspections are minute – he looks at the quality of the work, the faithfulness to design and whether there is strict adherence to the Building Code. He’s a tough taskmaster and we were delighted when he gave the project full marks.
On his latest visit, much had changed. The muddy ground is now almost completely paved and the entire civil structure is complete. The ramp is 90% done and the stairs have beautiful railings (we’re still debating the colors we want). We have a selfie point and our first vertical garden. Trees have been planted and the lawn is green and vibrant.
As beautiful as it all was, however, Madhu commented specifically on two things: the paved entrance road and the firefighting equipment. “It’s this kind of thing that sets the building – and Latika – apart: it’s the attention to detail, to safety and to investing in the future.”
So here’s to long paved roads:
This already beautiful road will get one more coat of paving to make it perfectly smooth. There will be drainage covers on either side. The road does a complete circle around the building so that children and adults can be dropped off in one direction and picked up in the other.
Indeed, getting into the building will be half the fun. After 30 years of awkward access – gravel driveways, no protection from the rain during drop offs and pickups, long waits due to the way in being the same as the way out – we are so excited to have this deluxe paved road. But it’s not just for cars! The footpath will also be smooth and even, with ramps at either end. So if you are arriving in a wheelchair, pushing a pram or wheeling a suitcase, your progress will be stress-free. And because we control the traffic, there be the chance to block vehicles altogether and use the road for tricycles, badminton and races.
Madhu was equally impressed by our firefighting equipment!
My uncle was a volunteer fireman in a small town in Connecticut. When he died, the town’s two firetrucks led the funeral procession and then performed a dramatic salute by raising both ladders to create an arch under which his coffin was carried. Though he had long been retired, the town still wanted to honor Uncle John for his years of selfless, unpaid service. We are not alone in revering firefighters! Most of us rush away from danger. People who rush into it deserve not only our gratitude and respect but the best possible equipment to work with.
That’s one reason we have invested in safety: wide access roads with no overhead obstructions so firetrucks can get through, earthquake safe construction, emergency warning alarms which will both sound and flash, broad stairs, proper ramps.
The other reason is that every person who enters our campus has the right to be safe while they are there. Every person. It’s that simple.
