We got Rick Laplante from Vimy to do the excavation work for the foundation of the site. Here is the photo of work officially starting by breaking ground.
Normally in our area, we have around a foot or more of topsoil. The observatory location is, however, at the top of a small rise so there was only 6-8 inches of topsoil before hitting clay. The clay is, however, quite rock hard so it will provide a good base for the footings.
The excavation was dug out with just a tiny backhoe and skid steer.
The excavation was dug about 6 feet below the existing ground level. Later landscaping will add 2 feet above the existing grade so the footings will be about 8 feet below ground level. This will put them at a sufficient depth to avoid frost, even with the building being unheated.
In the center of the image are the 5 stakes that designate where the piles beneath the telescope pier will be drilled.
Finally, we drilled the piles at the bottom of the pit that will help support the telescope pad and pier. 5 piles were drilled that were each 10 feet deep. The one in the middle went straight down, and the 4 ones in the corners were drilled at an angle, to form a structure like a tripod that will help resist the pier tilting over time. Being drilled at the bottom of the excavation, the bottom of the piles will end up 18 feet below grade.
