Job Done, Plus Job Begun

By Michael Bromka

Carlsbad Heights Lion (and ramp foreman) Tom Dugger is pleased to have finished a job in Loving last Saturday. And he’s glad to have begun a deck (plus soon a ramp) in Carlsbad on the same morning.

On 4th Street in Loving, Tom and others had crewed for foreman Danny Palmer of nmramp.org on Saturday, January 10. For homeowner Moses Palomino, they’d built a long ramp off a high deck. However, there was no railing to finish off.

“My funding and duty are to build the ramp, not rail off a deck,” said Danny. “That’s the homeowner’s responsibility.” Later that same day, Heights Lions Bernie Sanchez and Michael Bromka showed photos to their club President Bill Deringer (convalescing from a shoulder injury).

“It’s a job not done,” said Bernie, “and a safety hazard.” Bill agreed. In their subsequent business meeting, Heights Lions voted to fund and finish the job.

Three surgeries plus out-of-town obligations depleted Tom Dugger’s workforce. But last Saturday, in just over an hour, he got the railing built and sanded. Khushroo Ghadiali and Downtown Lion Vishal Kholwadwala helped as “ringers” (not Heights members). Tom is grateful for all capable adult volunteers, men and women.

Rounding out the aforementioned help were Jay Francis and Rick Wiedenmann. All proceeded from Loving to Patrick Street, south of Center Street, and east of Walmart. There, Señora Olga has tumbled several times down a makeshift ramp that is too steep for safety.

Olga’s outdoor roofing mitigated late-morning heat in the 90s (°F). This morning left time enough just to build and rail in a deck. But that challenge called for ingenuity. Foreman Tom and right-hand man Jay were up to the task.

The conundrum was to marry half a deck and planking to a semicircular brick-and-mortar stoop. Tom envisioned the understructure of horizontal 2”x4” plus vertical 4”x4” supports.

Jay drilled bolt holes into masonry. As well, Jay used a jigsaw to cut curves into planking. Others used a measuring tape plus a chop saw to prep specific pieces.

On the deck’s backside, where the pending ADA-compliant new ramp is due, they installed temporary 2”x4” rails. Olga’s preexisting steep ramp will suffice for one more week.

Tom’s ramp-building endeavors are abetted by the modular designs of nmramp.org. These allow for prebuilt 2”x4” understructures built offsite, then transported on a tagalong trailer. Half days or shorter can accommodate volunteers who assemble in force in discrete time slots.

Raw recruits, helpful neighbors, and savvy craftsmen and craftswomen are welcome to team up with Heights Lions building nearly every Saturday throughout tolerable weather to come.