It’s not raining, so we’ve been pouring! |
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Dear John,
One very positive benefit of this recent dry weather, is that we have been able to begin pouring the new, final concrete decking around Harbin’s mainside pools! Our finished pool structures, as well as our new retaining walls and drainage systems, pipes for water distribution and waste, and electrical, gas, and IT infrastructure, are all appropriately in place and buried. And now, one of the most visible and dramatic finishing touches has begun: creating the actual surfaces that you’ll be walking, sunning, and lounging on!
Oh, there’s still significant work to do – including all the woodworking for seating areas, trellises, and shade structures; plus tree planting and full landscaping; completion of the behind-the-scenes pump-room work; safety fencing to surround the whole pool area; and all the little and not-so-little artistic and beautifying details that help make Harbin special. But just this most recent and visible step – beginning to put these beautifully new and safely level concrete surfaces in place – makes it so much easier to visualize Harbin’s pools once again being enjoyed by you and all our guests. We are delighted!
In this Valentine’s Day issue of our newsletter you’ll find: our most-recent rebuild news; this year’s plan for tree planting; unburied treasure from Harbin’s past; a brief fund-raising report; current photos; and a few words about our anticipated opening. |
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Rebuild Update
Progress on Harbin’s rebuild continues, with Phase 1 (mainside pools and sundeck) approaching completion, and Phase 2 (Domes and meadow kitchen complex) and Phase 3 (new mainside buildings, and initial Resident housing) in varying stages of planning and development. For more specifics, and our latest rebuild report, please click here. |
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A newly unearthed page of Harbin history!
In late January, as our workers began disassembling the old, white retaining wall next to the former Health Services building, they found a genuine Harbin time capsule: a hand-written message in a bottle, left for posterity – which turned out to be us! It was placed there by Harbin’s then-owner and the workers who had just finished renovating the 3-story Capitol Hotel building, on the site where our Redwood building was before the recent fire, and where our new, expanded sundeck is currently nearing completion. A message from a Harbin rebuild 91 years ago, discovered during our rebuild today! Click here to read the story and see more photos. |
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Love and Gratitude
It’s Valentine’s Day and we’re grateful for so much, especially the tremendous support – both tangible and energetic – that we continue to receive from you, and all of our employees, residents, members, guests, and friends. Our year-end fundraising campaign, for example, brought Heart Consciousness Church deeply appreciated donations of almost $165,000! Half of that will go toward construction, half will go toward reforestation – and all of it will live in our hearts. Thank you so much! |
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And what about re-opening?
Since the fire, it has been Harbin Management’s practice to inform and include you as much as practical in the unfolding process of our rebuild. That has meant sharing both our optimism, and our frustrations. That’s not a typical business practice – but then, we’re hardly typical.
Our policy, when predicting the opening date, has been to reflect our own optimism and the enthusiasm of our guests, by announcing the earliest possible accurate date. But repeatedly, it turns out, we’ve underestimated the obstacles.
If all goes as we currently anticipate, we now expect to re-open Harbin’s pools sometime this summer. But, we must acknowledge, we have been wrong before.
As ever, we thank you for your patience, interest, understanding, and love for Harbin Hot Springs – and for the passion we all share to return as soon as possible to Harbin’s healing waters. |
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Harbin Hot Springs, P.O. Box 782, Middletown, CA 95461 |
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