Blizzard Had More Impact on Church Rebuild Than Originally Realized

This information was published in the Somers Congregational Church restoration news center on Feb. 20, 2013:

Rev. Dr. Barry Cass

The blizzard had more of an effect on us that we had realized.  We have received word that because of the difficult travel conditions, QSR Steel Corporation in Hartford, who is supplying all the steel for our job was unable to get some of the raw material needed in the manufacturing of the pieces we need.  This means that there will be a four or five day delay in the delivery of our steel.  Petra Construction has assured us that this brief delay will not influence the overall timetable of the project, but rather than steel rising March 1, there should be action on March 6 or 7.  We are hoping for no further delay with the steel.

This week the Restoration Committee had a walk through the Green Construction and Restoration to go through the final “punch list” and determine when the Bugbee and Office wings of the facility will be completed.  For the most part the issues to be addressed are minor, many taken care of the same day as the walk-through, and the rest will be cleared up as soon as needed materials have been delivered. 

The Verdin Company in Cincinnati has scheduled the casting of the bell for Friday, March 1 at 2 P.M.   Cheryl and David Anderson, from the church, are planning on being present at the foundry for the casting.  The Verdin Company will also provide a live webcast of the casting which will be available through their website, in addition to supplying us with a video of the casting once it is done.  All the necessary plans and drawings have been approved so we will be ready for the bell when it arrives mid-summer. 

Several bid packages recommended by Petra have been accepted by the Building Committee.  The elevator package has been awarded to Kone Inc. of Rocky Hill.  The Plumbing contract has been awarded to Michael Sheehy Plumbing and Heating LLC of Yalesville, and the same company was awarded the contract for Fire Protection and Sprinkler System.   The Building Committee is in the process of reviewing recommendations from Petra Construction for the contracts for Mortar, Unit Masonry and Cut Stone, Wood Windows (all windows except stained glass), Metal doors, frames, wood doors and finish hardware, and plastering.  Once these recommendations are reviewed and approved by the Building Committee contracts will be awarded in these areas as well.  Within the next several weeks we will have contracts signed for all the work needed to build the new Meeting House.

Next week we will be meeting with our acoustics expert and representatives of our Tech Committee to make final decisions about the audio-visual equipment to be installed.  We have made a commitment to install the complete package in the sanctuary and to make certain other rooms in the complex are ready for installation of audio-visual equipment that might not be included in the initial build but will be scheduled to be added at a future date.  This means that there may be an audio hook-up in the Care Room with the capacity for an added visual component at a later date.  Audio-Visual components will be more extensive in the Foundation Room, making it more usable for presentations and lectures.

We have heard nothing about our settlement with Utica since the meeting that took place on January 21.  All the material requested by Utica was provided to them within a couple days of that meeting, so we are waiting for their experts to review the materials and get back to us.  This seems like it should be the last step before a settlement is reached in terms of coverage for the building.  The contents settlement will be reached at the same time.

The next scheduled meeting of the Building Committee is 8 A.M. on Tuesday, February 26.