Hello,

In December of 2006 we were asked to consult on the possibility of building a cordwood Educational Center for our local public school system.  The Cordwood Educational Center would be built at the 764 acre Merrill School Forest which has a lodge for overnight stays by students, a kitchen and a nature & logging museum. 

The School Forest is a unique concept in Wisconsin.  Here is the purpose and mission statement from the Merrill Area Public Schools website.

"The school forest is owned and operated by the Merrill Area Public School District. The forest includes 764 acres. Most of the land and most of the funds to build the present lodge was provided by William Evjue, an 1899 Merrill graduate who's father was a lumber scaler in Merrill. There are over 10 miles of maintained Logging trails which double as hiking and cross country ski trails. The forests are logged with the assistance of the DNR forester. The money earned helps purchase skis, snowshoes, and other major purchases. In 2000-2001 over 5015 students, 400 parents, 220 teachers and 150 guests visited the school forest. Many classes stay overnight with their teacher.

Mission Statement

The mission of environmental education is to help students become environmentally knowledgeable, skilled, dedicated citizens who are willing to work, individually and collectively, toward achieving and maintaining a dynamic equilibrium between the quality of life and the quality of the environment."

   To make a long story short, the assistant superintendent of schools suggested that we get an architect to drawn and approve the plans.  Then he requested that the building be approved by the state code officials for public buildings in Madison, Wisconsin.   During the winter of 2007 we accomplished all this and made a presentation to the Board of Education.  They unanimously approved the project and 20 cords of Tamarack were cut 100 feet from the building site.  The wood was then peeled, cut into posts, beams and cordwood in May of 2007.   The post and beam framework and roof were in place by the end of May 2008.  

    The Merrill community has become very involved.   Lincoln Wood Windows has donated all the windows, another business, F & M Enterprise has donated all the door and will install them.   The Merrill Rotary donated a Vermont Castings Encore stove (which has the lowest EPA emissions rating of any wood stove), which was then discounted $750 by Vermont Castings once they learned of the project.   Marathon Concrete donated all the block and mortar.   Many people have donated hours and hours of time to the project, which, by the way is being paid for by a private benefactor, and not by the local school district.   Can you say, Win/Win.

  I will post some more photos as this project continues

The Cordwood Educational Center will also serve as a warming house (it is on the 2 mile trail loop from the lodge and back and overlooks a 20 acre beaver marsh), a classroom, a meeting center, a silent teacher of alternative building techniques, a solar energy demonstration model, etc.

  The high school construction classes came out to work and learn in May.  Two seniors came out each day and helped with framing, post and beam placement and anchoring, truss placement, roofing, window box design and placement, etc.   While out there many of the students would remark "You know, a fellow could live in a place like this."

   The corner posts are 16" x 16" White Pine (damaged in a storm and from the site) the double posts are 7.5 inch Tamarack.  Each post has a damp proof ice and water shield on the underside.  A certified general contractor worked with us every step of the way. 

 The trusses are engineered to have an "energy heel" which will hold 14" of blown in insulation using the latest Energy Star specs.   The trusses were built 50 miles away in Marshfield, Wisconsin.   They are stamped and approved by the State of Wisconsin and feature a 6' overhang porch on the east side.

 The foundation is a Frank Lloyd Wright, rubble trench, insulated, frost protected shallow foundation (floating slab).   It has radiant in floor pex tubing (see right corner of 2nd picture).   The floor will be heated with solar panels.   Electricity will be provided by a photovoltaic array.  We are working with the MREA (Midwest Renewable Energy Association) on the solar portion of the building and the Solar Wise program from Wisconsin Public Service (our local utility). 

  Every student in the Merrill Public School System (3,000+) will visit several times each school year.  They will eat lunch, warm up, have classes and identify flora and fauna they have gathered on their hike, snowshoe or ski out to the Educational Center/Warming House and learn about alternative building styles and alternative energy.

Here are the latest pictures:

  The split face block is in, the posts have been cleaned and stained with a natural. light stain from Perma Chink called Lifeline Exterior.   The cordwood log ends have been treated while drying with 20 Mule Team Borax.   Like Sandy Clidaras, we will be treating the outside of the Tamarack log ends with the same stain.  It is breathable and soaks into the wood and does not affect the appearance. 

Here are a group of students and adults during a workday in late July.  They are preparing the log ends for mortaring.

   We are planning on have a Cordwood Workshop on September 20th (Saturday) to satifsy the demand for cordwood instruction.  In order to make this a model for other nature centers, camps, home builders and woodland owners, we are attempting to use Best Practices with cordwood and general building constrution, through every step of this project.                                   Alan will be posting more information on this workshop as the specifics get worked out.  If you are interested please contact me via phone or email to be placed on the mailing list.

Happy Trails,

Richard Flatau    flato@aol.com   

715-536-3195    7156-212-2870     www.daycreek.com/flatau

Hello Richard

What great way to inspire young minds. This will help the inquisitive to learn, and understand  "hands on"  21 century Cordwood practices. 

Congratulations on helping to bring Cordwood to those masses of thirsty minds. 

Hey Sandy & Gerry,

  Thank you for the kind compliments.  It has been a labor of love and when you consider that we have to consult with and answer to three committees (this is a school system after all), it helps to be patient and understanding.

   Anyhow, thank you for posting the link to the "school forest cordwood shelter scrapbook."  

   There is another link on that site (under Printable Forms)  that will take you to the 80 slide, Power Point Presentation we made to the Board of Education in June of 2008  http://www.maps.k12.wi.us/education/components/docmgr/default.php?sectiondetailid=3680&catfilter=232#showDoc .  The nice thing about this Power Point is that it has words describing what is going on (the scrapbook doesn't).    Two interesting things to note in the Power Point: 1.  The architect's final state approved blueprint is there in all its glory(although it is rather small on the screen).  2.  The boys from "Rawhide" (a group Home for wayward boys), came and helped us peel some of the Tamarack.   It is a credit to this organization that these young men were polite, well mannered and hard workers. 

  One of the real joys of this project has been all the volunteers that have come from all strata of society (from wealthy philanthropists to juvenile deliquents,  to fancy dressing socialites in high heels; from artists/artisans to hearty backwoodsman, to regular good ol' common folk, like yours truly) each has given a piece of himself/herself to this project.

Here are a few more photos that we took at a workday last week. 

 Also we are going to be having a Cordwood Workshop on Sept. 20th, 2008.   http://daycreek.com/flatau/Cordwood_Workshop_Sep20_2008.pdf

  The rounds (about 15% of the cordwood has been stained on one end with Lifeline Exterior stain--Light Natural #120 from Permachink--the posts also have the same exterior stain) are drying and checking up nicely.

Munchkins in the window!  (The kids helped sand the window boxes.) The window boxes are two 2 x 8" with a one inch dow extruded foam thermal break.  

Gerry,

  Can you contact me via private email?  Your email address is not listed in your profile.  I  have a couple in Victoria, BC who want to do a post and beam framing workshop and then a cordwood workshop on one of the islands near Vancouver Island.   I thought you might be an invaluable resource for them.

  Thank you,

Richard Flatau    flato@aol.com

09/01/08Thanks Gerry,  the networking is now started. 

Howdy,

  Here is a link to the Channel 7 news story that recently "ran" on the Cordwood Educational Center at the Merrill School Forest.   There was video when the story ran on TV, I am not sure if there is video on this link. 

http://www.wsaw.com/home/headlines/27634869.html

   This is the link to the story that ran in the local paper asking for cordwood volunteers. There is a new color picture in this one.

 http://www.merrillfotonews.com/main.asp?SectionID=130&SubSectionID=225&ArticleID=5729

Hello Richard!  I emailed you a few weeks back regarding a project I am doing for my senior research.  Do you have any updated photos of this building?  I am including this bulding as a reference in my project, as well as some of the great info your book provides.

Best wishes and keep up the great work!

Hi TD,

  Here is a link to the latest pictures from October.  http://daycreek.com/dc/asp/forum2002/display_topic_threads.asp?ForumID=2&TopicID=1901&PagePosition=1

  The building is all enclosed now and we are holding classes inside.  We are also still working on the inside and we just finished the ceiling and are working on the inside and outside gable ends.  I will send the urls to Alan and then post them as soon as he gets them back to me.  

Happy Trails,

Richard Flatau  www.daycreek.com/flatau