The school now has heat and water!
Trip Start
Aug 25, 2007
1
12
Trip End
Sep 03, 2007
Creel,
Mexico
Thursday, January 3, 2008
The Creel project is finished.
In addition to the funds collected and given to Cesar during the trip, RailsNW subsequently sent an additional donation of $3000. I know the new water lines have been installed, the tank repaired and, there is hot water.
We were hoping to install solar but that did not work so they installed a bigger gas tank and a better boiler. Now we just have to keep the gas tank filled.
Forwarding are emails from Analhy and Cesar.
Juan Rodriquez, Analhy's father and owner of Mexico Adventures, is also now involved. Juan donated a small used motor home (value about $3000) for the school to sell. Proceeds will go towards support of the water project.
So, it seems we have been wildly successful.
Kim, it would not have happened without you starting the process with your donation of cash and it would not have been completed with Cesar's dedication to the project.
Cesar Castellanos Nuñez wrote:
Dear Tom
Hello I hope you are doing well, and also to let you know how the project is going, I'm sorry I'm not sending the fotos but I think Analhy was going to send the pictures to you yesterday or the day before, I forgot the camera at home and I'm in a trip right now, but the situation has changed a little.
The water line has been laid and is ready, the cistern is receiving the water, the only problem that we had was with the solar water heater, it doesn't work in the sierras
Water source
. It doesn't keep the water hot enough time for the kids to shower so I returned it to the vendor and instead I got a stationary gas tank, and a more efficient water boiler and this will be installed next week, the problem with this is that we had to go and take the solar boiler installed it and tried it for a about 12 days, then we found out that it was not going to work due mainly to the low temperatures that they get at night there, the vendor said that it would work but when I probed it didn't.I talked to him about it and we agreed in the exchange and now it is done, he changed the solar boiler for the tank and the new boiler and then with the rest of the money I will fill it up maybe two times it has a capacity of 1000 liters of gas, which if they are used only with the boiler it should last about two months, depending on the use of course, later maybe we can figure out how to continue with this.
As a matter of fact I have collected another 300 dollars for the next part of the water line to be finished, at this point we have done two kilometers of line (2") and the rest (2km) is a 3/4" line with this they have supply of water but still in order to get the 2" line all the way to the school they still need 2km more, this way the water supply is garantied.
The cost right now of the 2" water line is 1800 dollars for 1000 meters plus the installation which is around 400 dollars this means that more or less we are spending 2200 dollars per kilometer(1000 mts), also during this time we bought gas for the boiler.
Right now we have spent:
$1500 2" water line
$400 workers for excavating and laying of water line
$400 1000 liters gas tank
$300 gas boiler
$250 transportation of water line and tank
$200 cistern repaired
$250 gas supply for the last 2 months
A total up to now of 3300 dollars.
Analhy and I will fill up the tank for the first time and then I will see that it gets filled up again.
Also I will continue with the project for the other 2km of 2" line with the funding of other people that know already about the project.
Cesar
Dear Cesar and Analhy,
Fantastic! Whatever is left of our water budget could still be used for gas to back up the solar water heater, and for the stove
First step for water
. Sincerely,
Tom
Analhy Rodiguez wrote:
Hola Sue and Tom
This is an e-mail that I just got from Cesar.
Enviado el: Miércoles, 07 de Noviembre de 2007 10:17 a.m.
Para: Analhy Rodiguez
Asunto: RE:School hot water project
Analhy
I just came back from the store and got the final payment for the line is 1000meters of 2" line wich will get us enough water for the bathrooms and also I had the solar water heater ordered and will be delivered in 2 weeks so as soon as I get off the trip I will go and get it installed, the idea right now is to be able to get this done by the end of the month, the professor has a regular camera that he is taking pictures I think that if we want digital I'll have to wait until I'm there, also this next week on wednesday I will be paying the workers for the digging and laying of the line which will be 10usd per day per person and we have 6 of them working right now so the payment will be around 300 hundred dollars, the receipt will be added to all the paperwork.
Gracias
Cesar
Cesar Castellanos Nuñez wrote:
Hello Tom
I'm right now just getting ready to go to Creel on Monday and will
supervise the project we already are digging out the area to set the
line in and the teacher is preparing the community to help us with
everything.
Thank you for all your efforts to make this happen, and for trusting me
so much.
Cesar
Thomas Horstmann Jr wrote:
Dear Cesar,
Thank you for helping make this project a reality
Heres "THE LINE"
. RailsNW iswilling to commit $3000 in additional support to help bring water to the
school and hot water to the kids. Furthermore, anything else could go towards providing the gas they need for cooking, as using wood to cook on isn't terribly effective. Perhaps by the time the dust settles, RailsNW
will be providing water for the school, hot water for showers, and gas for
cooking.
From Cesar
I`m working with the project and I have a proposal for you and
Tom, I have been out on trips since I saw you but the profesor
Miguel in charge of the boarding section of the school mentioned
that the solar heating system will be useless if they don`t have
enough water to use, so he made a proposal that include the idea
of bringing water and we went ahead and repared the water tank
that will hold enough water for the school and even for the use on
the dining room, I have talked to the parents there.
