Construction Update Week of September 21, 2009

Men of Gamma,

Another week in the books and another series of remarkable photos. I have been assured that not
every week will have such a drastically different view but these four weeks have been amazing. The
biggest change of all has been the complete demolition of the 1969 Addition. It was a remarkable
sight to see as each bit of concrete falling resulted in small tremors, reminding you just how sturdy
our old house was. It is also amazing to see the original house sitting alone for the first time in
forty years. It gives you an appreciation of the men who lived in only the house and how small
things must have felt sleeping in their dorms.

Now that the structure itself is down, attention turns to removing the debris and prepping the
site for the foundation excavation. This work should begin in the next few weeks. Inside, work is
turning to rounding out the demo with removing the thousands of nails that remain from the old
wood lath under the plaster. Another interesting task has been the excavation of the crawl space
under the chapter room (a place many of you have probably never been). This work will allow the
duct work to be installed for the new heating and cooling system and will allow a vapor barrier to
be installed to prevent moisture.

Finally, we are in the closing days of our design work for the full construction permit. Our
Architects, Contractor, HVAC rep, and myself have been pouring over the plans to make
sure that every space works. Our work should be complete by weeks end.

A few final reminders. If you are planning to visit us on Gamma day and take part in our
official ground breaking ceremony please contact Chris Disher (847) 226-3917 or Kristin
Williamson (217) 343-1594 to let them know how many to expect. Also, a reminder to
reach out to your pledge brothers and think about giving a class gift. We are still working
hard on fundraising and we can always use your help. Finally, if you are in Champaign,
please remember to give me a call and I would be happy to set up a tour.

All the Best,

T.J. Blakeman, Onsite Owner Representative

Pledge Class of 1999
(217) 414-0630 or tblakeman14@hotmail.com

2009 Illinois Lawn Party Schedule

All Times Central Standard Time

October 3 - Penn State (TBD) - Gamma Day & Groundbreaking Ceremony

October 10 - Michigan State (11AM) - Homecoming
October 31 - Michigan (2:30PM)
November 14 - Northwestern (TBD) - Dad’s Day
December 5 - Fresno State (11:30AM) - Senior Day
 Alpha Kappa Lambda

If you plan to be in the Champaign-Urbana area and would like to tour the house, please contact
T.J. Blakeman at (217) 403-8800 and we will schedule a visit.
Gamma Chapter
est. 1921 View all of the construction photos (updated weekly) at www.aklgamma.com.
 We Still Need Your Help!
Although work is underway we have met 90% of our funding goals we must continue our

fundraising efforts to complete the project. We are hoping that as you see work underway, that
                                             

 


you will feel confident in our progress to continue or begin making generous contributions.

To complete this project we need

$300,000 in hand by December 5, 2009
Visit www.aklgamma.com to contribute

Connect with Alpha Kappa Lambda

AKL Gamma has create a number of ways for you to stay in touch with us. Please take time to
connect with us so we can keep you up to date with all of the changes at gamma.

www.aklgamma.com - Chapter website and Alumni Database

Alpha Kappa Lambda - Gamma Chapter - on facebook
@AKL_Gamma on Twitter
Klaxon - Newsletter
www.akl.org - National Fraternity Website

Alpha Kappa Lambda

Gamma Chapter • 401 East Daniel Street Champaign, Illinois 61820