We have been studying the Tender Documents in some depth. There are now two front runners, both of whom have suggested we could save quite a lot of money by changing the design slightly so that we do not need to have a Crane. You know, one of those massive things that dominate the Oxford skyline as seen from Wytham Woods. This doesn't affect the plans at all, just the method of construction. We are investigating this. In some ways it would draw attention to our site, if we had a massive great thing oversailing the Church, but the Oratory has always tried to avoid drawing attention to itself. Yes, we know, we do need world-wide attention to keep the donations flowing in...how to resolve that one? To the mere layman it seems that the sheer weight of stuff that would have to be got onto the playground site to build a Crane (foundations, ballast, the Crane tower and boom, the operators cabin...) would be more than the weight of stuff the Crane would then be able to lift onto the site. But then, some members of the Community had hoped to be allowed to climb up and see the site from above.
We shall know soon enough, and will pass on the news,
and incidentally, that's a Stork, not a Crane.
