East of Africa Update - A Sharp House Damaged In Wind Storm
Cold, Wet Weather Continues To Slow Construction
Sporadic progress continues at the East Africa development project as the Ohio winter pattern makes promises and then breaks them, causing work crews to spend only parts of the time making progress on sections of the work.
Last week, a crew started installing stanchions at the new intersection of Polaris Parkway and began the first excavation for sidewalks. Eventually, weather permitting, the new interchange will have traffic signals and pedestrian crosswalks.
Work continues inside the Sharp House on Africa Road, where the contractor will soon start tuck-pointing the brick on the historic building after selecting the best mortar mixture, coloring, and sand to match the original mortar. Work is ongoing inside the home as well, replacing damaged or collapsing lintels above many doors and windows.
Outdoors, despite the unpredictable weather, carpenters keep installing the boardwalk over a new holding pond behind the Sharp House.
The project is expected to be finished this summer, weather permitting.
Yarnell’s Sharp Home Damaged In Windstorm
The more modern front porch of Joseph Sharp’s home was destroyed Sunday when the maple tree in the yard fell after a weekend windstorm. The tree also broke windows, damaged part of the roof, and a gutter when it fell, narrowly missing the main building.
The tree's age is unknown, but it has been a fixture since the Yarnell family started farming the land along Africa Road.
The 1843 house, characteristic of mid-19th-century rural architecture, has stayed the same as when it was built, with only a modern addition of a front porch or a rear entry.
Yarnell’s farm is about 54 acres of land, just south of Westar and the East of Africa Road development project.
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