Post Blog Post

We have to enclose our dumpsters as part of our zoning approval. This past week, the posts for the enclosure were installed. I was picturing 4x4 pressure treated posts and was concerned about how sturdy they would be. But what we got were HEAVY DUTY metal posts that will probably still be standing in 200 years. As long as they can take trash truck abuse! Next up:fencing.

The Three Birds of the Thorax

One of my veterinary professors who taught cardiology had this corny but memorable joke:

Q: What are the three birds of the thorax?

A: The vagoose, the esophagoose and the thoracic duck! (a play on vagus, esophagus and thoracic duct)

Anyway, that's my segway into the state of construction. Here is the current view from the entrance (I'll try to be consistent with this view so you can see the progress from the "front door".)

Piles of dirt, drain pipes, pieces of duct work and construction equipment cover the floor as Bad Company pours over the boom box in the corner. The electrician arrived while I was taking these pictures. Soon they will run their lines and the concrete pourers will fill in the cuts to the floor.

Some of the ducts are already in place in preparation for the new HVAC unit.

This final picture shows the floor cut for the trench drain that will be in front of the dog runs in the kennel. We can't wait to give our first tour!

Concrete Cuts

The past several days have seen additional demolition and the cutting of the concrete slab to allow the plumbers to lay new drains. Some of the cuts are just through the slab, but most involve 4-5 foot trenches to get to the main building drain pipes. Yesterday the space was a huge cloud of dust as the concrete saws, jackhammers and heavy equipment broke up the slab. This morning a sole worker stood chest deep in a hole digging the final foot of dirt around the main drain.

Meanwhile central vacuum and anesthetic scavenging (removing waste gas from the building) parts and pendant lights are starting to fill up our office as we stockpile supplies for later stages of construction.

After months of drawings, it is exciting to see real physical changes taking place!

In Memory of Lexy

This is Lexy. Fifteen years old and all of 3.4 pounds, she is a beloved pet of one of our long time clients. We didn't know her when she was a youngster, but she has been a patient here for 5 years and over that time has surprised us with her resilience. Her most recent illness involved a bad kidney infection that almost took her life. Although she appeared quite fragile and was guarded at best in her prognosis, she rallied and recovered. And while even a younger, stronger dog would have needed intensive care for several days to pull through, she did so through the loving comfort of her "mom's" arms and outpatient visits at Towne.

Every visit brought more encouragement as her kidney values came down and her health improved. Yesterday her values were almost normal, she had gained back her weight, and her mom and I talked about long term followup. We said "see you in a month" and both went about our days, mine at church with my son's boy's club, and her at her daughter's Girl Scout meeting.

At home Lexy walked up stairs, curled up in her bed, and peacefully left this life. I'd like to think that she had conquered her illness and was ready to leave on her own terms. Perhaps we should just be thankful for the gentleness that characterized the substance and end of her life.

Demolition Derby

Demolition of the new clinic space began today. As you can see, the walls are coming down and the ceiling tiles have been removed.

Althought this is a dirty job, you've got to admit that this worker has found a good way to relieve construction headaches:
Next up: Concrete cuts for the plumbing!

This is why I haven't blogged since February

Earlier this year, Dr. Bollenbeck and I finally found a permanent home for Towne Animal Clinic. Although our current space at 338 E Market has served us well, "this old bank" is not the ideal clinic setting. We're also outgrowing the facility and needed to make a decision before our lease came up for renewal. So we've purchased 64 Plaza Street and are about to begin demolition next week!


Getting to this point has involved many hours of study, planning, and debate, quite a few meetings with the Town of Leesburg, and making hundreds of decisions from "Do we move?" to "What style of pendant light?", but we are very excited to finally be breaking ground. It will take about 4 months to complete the project with a tentative move in date of February 1, 2011.


The new clinic is directly across from the new Town Fire and Safety Station, very close to our current location. Upgrades to our current space will include:


Indoor dog runs
Handicap Accessible Entrance
Mens and Womens Bathrooms off the lobby!
Dedicated imaging center for X-ray and Ultrasound
Two Table Surgery Suite
Four Exam Rooms
A Break Room for our Staff
Cat Condos


I'll try to post regular photos of the construction as the various stages are completed. Here are some pre-demo pictures.