June 20 Building Update

Update – June 18, 2013

Rev. Dr. Barry Cass

Things continue to move ahead, although we were not unaffected by the rain last week.  Progress has been made, but we may have to extend our schedule by several days.  In spite of the rain, the roof is 85% done as are the windows and the Ty-Vek installation.  Getting the building weather proof remains a priority.  Once that is done the permanent electrical system can be installed, allowing the installation of the air conditioning and then various finishing material can be brought in a stored safely.

Speaking of air conditioning, we are waiting for Green Construction and Restoration (GC&R) to come back and install the air conditioning in the office wing.  Although they removed the systems and compressors more than a year ago, they never put in the replacement units.  We informed them of the mistake and asked them to address it nearly two months ago and though they did partially install what is needed for the first floor, they have done nothing about the second floor and have not finished the first.  We have asked them to have the work done this week.  We have also discovered that some areas of the attic which should have been sealed as part of the clean-up and remediation effort were never sealed, so we are trying to address this with GC&R as well. 

There should be staging on site this week, which will make it possible for the work on the exterior of the steeple to be completed.  This should take about a week and a half.  The plan is to do everything for which the scaffolding will be needed once it is set up in order to make best use of it.  Finishing the steeple is an important part of getting the building weather-tight.  Rather than vinyl siding which the old Meeting House had, the new structure will be clad in Hardi Plank, which is a long lasting material.  It will need much less maintenance than either vinyl or more traditional clap boards.  There will be an example of what the siding will look like installed on the wall above the propane tanks to the south of the Main Entrance so everyone can week what it will look like.

The drawings for the pews have been approved and Lloyd’s should be beginning construction of them in the next week or two.  It will take nearly three month in the shop for the pews to be ready to be brought here and installed in the new Meeting House.  The Building Committee made a final choice of pew cushions this week.  There will be eleven rows of pews, just as in the former Meeting House.  Lloyd’s will also be crafting the aisle candles that will be used for some weddings and other candlelight services. 

The Building Committee has finished defining the scope of the security and fire alarm system to be installed.  The new system will be integrated with the system previously installed in the Bugbee and Office wings. 

There has been an issue with water in one of the first floor rooms.  The source of the water has not yet been determined, though it seems to be coming up through the floor.  We hope to get this addressed very quickly so it can be repaired and things can get back to normal. 

In working with the beams salvaged from the Meeting House it has been determined that there are no hickory beams: everything seems to be various species of pine.  While it may still be possible to use some of the salvaged wood for the sanctuary cross and communion table top, the soft wood is not as attractive as hard wood. 

There have been more pictures of construction progress uploaded to our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/SomersCongUCC and as always, you can check us our at our website www.somercongregaional.org  We will also be posting our Updates as part of our Blog on the Somers/Ellington Patch.com.