Project Manager Report as of 12/31/2015  –

Work continued at GAIA habitat in Adirondacks. The yurt ensemble was completed by addition of an extension, housing the kitchen and a bathroom. The yurt was inspected by county officials and we were issued the Certificate of Occupancy.

We had our first guests – two families (4 adults and a child), staying at the yurt during Labor weekend holidays, producing a number of valuable suggestions and insights. Both families, reflected on the place and their experience with great praise expressing their wish to come again. In the late fall the camp had a few more visits by neurotypical, neurodivergent, and autistic travelers.

As a consequence of these visits it became clear that retreat would need and use more electric energy and more water than might be available from the rain collection. To deal with this, we have identified a good position for a small solar panel to recharge the batteries and to pump water from the brook. The water collection would need to be redesigned as well as it was plagued by pine needles clogging the tubing.  The size of the panel and all the required parts including the wiring and tubing to the brook, would need to be researched, purchased, and installed by the summer of 2016. This is a current plan for improvement of this site.

We also need to define how GAIA retreat will operate, and the arrangement with the landowner. These are the primary objectives for GAIA project. The work this winter was so far mainly in planning/programming for 2016 season.  I will report of this in Feb 2016.

The other follow up from the Labor weekend visits resulted in an Autistic-Allistic Debate arranged by a visiting friend with his friend in California – an enterpreuner working in ‘autistic field’.  [I’ve placed it on site after editing private information, as in my opinion it is Revealing in many ways].