This information was published in the Somers Congregational Church restoration news center on March 13, 2013:
Rev. Dr. Barry Cass
The steel began arriving on site Tuesday morning. A crane was here to unload the first load of steel, but then left and was replaced by a larger crane which is erecting the rest of the steel. Already some of the beams have been placed on the foundation. The progress will be noticeable as the structure rises fairly quickly.
At the March 12 meeting of the Building Committee a couple more bid packages were approved so contracts can be signed. The “custom” window package is all set, including all the windows in the Meeting House and the sanctuary. The package for kitchen equipment was reviewed and some items were switched out to reduce cost without reducing the effectiveness of the kitchen. The insulation package is being reviewed and we discussed the extent of insulation needed between the foundation room and the sanctuary. The flooring contract has been awarded to the same firm that has installed the flooring in the Bugbee and Office wings during their restoration.
The Building Committee had a teleconference with Dan Clayton, our acoustician. Tyler Cass, chair of the church Technology Committee was also present for the teleconference. Mr. Clayton had sent drawings of plans for the various telephone, data and audio/visual components that will be included in the Meeting House which were reviewed. A top notch system will be installed in the sanctuary and a very good system in the Foundation Room. There will be some allowance made for equipment to be installed at a later time linking the Care Center and meeting rooms to the sanctuary. Everything installed in the Meeting House will be compatible with what has already been installed in the Bugbee and Office wings and much of the installation will be completed by the same company we used in those wings.
Work has not yet been done to get electrical service from the pole in front of the bank to the transformer on the church site. We continue to hope to receive the necessary response from the management company that owns the property. While this has not held up the progress of the project yet, we would really like to get this taken care of. The site work will continue to be done on the west side of the building.
There will be a meeting this week between Rick Skodinski of our Insurance Committee and a representative of Utica Insurance Company to move us on toward a final settlement of the insurance claim. Although we have received some communication from Utica we have not yet determined what the settlement will be.
The Capital Campaign Committee and several of its sub-committees have met during the past week and planning for the Campaign is progressing nicely. Members of the Campaign Committee will be recognized during a Dedication Service on Palm Sunday. Campaign materials are being put together and soon we will be sharing the vision for the future church with a wide audience. We hope to invite everyone who has shown an interest in our rebuilding to be a part of this exciting project.
