TARC has struggled for more than a year with a need for costly repairs, as well as the lack of funds to make them and the inability to find local contractors interested in doing the work. Since 
We've been without a septic line for a while. Installation will require heavy equipment and a bit of expertise. The septic system itself is in fine shape, but the old line was cast iron and had collapsed underground. There's also a gray water drain that needs to be tied in, and there's simply no way that install can be done with a shovel. Most critical of all is the water line coming into the house that is currently lying on top of the ground and has been since last year. It needs to be buried alongside the sewer line, and there's no doing one without the other.
On my way back from Steemfest in Krakow, amid all the kerfluffle getting me home from the airport in Charlotte, I met a contractor who expressed interest in helping us with this project. He "moonlights" as a driver and helped with the last leg of my journey, so he was able to glimpse for himself the great need for manual labor at this facility. Daniel owns a backhoe and has the exact skill set (including concrete work) that's needed to install this septic line quickly and correctly. What's more, he's willing to bring his crew the hour's drive from Wythe County to do it, provided we have a job big enough to justify the mileage.
Well, Daniel, we have enough work to keep you guys busy for a long, long time. The problem will be funding it. And that's where our Steem community comes in. Daniel is willing to give us a quote on the labor, so what are the chances that Steemians around the globe can rally together and help us raise the money? Tazewell ARC is a 501c3 designated charity in the U.S., which means little in our crypto-world except offering a bit of credibility that we are not scammers. Several Steemians including @GMuxx, @Jayna, and @Sircork have visited the property in person, and I guarantee they would be the first to let you know if we aren't doing the work we claim we are doing.
It would make sense for this job to include not only septic line installation, but removal of the old bathtub upstairs, re-seating of the toilet on a new flange, and enough work to restore the bathroom to working order with a dog wash instead of a shower or tub. Also, since the backhoe would be on site, it also seems logical for Daniel to do some grading behind the house and relocate the wood chips in front of the property to the rear turnout areas, where they're supposed to go.
Daniel is not on Steem, but I'll be sharing this post with him as well as how likely I believe it is that we will be able to raise the funds. If it seems like we can move forward, we'll get him back out here for a quote on the job, and hopefully this winter life at TARC will be a lot easier on the volunteers who have to stay here with the dogs than it was last year. The property has to function. It just doesn't do for us not to have a working toilet, or have to worry about water lines freezing even in milder temperatures because the line is on top of the ground. So while none of the work we need to do affects the dogs as immediately as the construction of outdoor runs will, it's the kind of job that must be completed first before we can move on to the next project.
I thank all of you in advance for helping to make this happen!
