Some of you have asked about progress on the new fire alarm system. I have to say progress has been more meager than I had anticipated. Many of the new components (I am not sure of the percentage) have arrived and are in the basement work room, but very little equipment installation has been completed. Fortunately for the schedule, building use continues to be minimal, and we have not been pressed to get the new equipment installed for the Christmas season. I contacted our contractor to request information on their schedule for our work. Their reply stated that they were being impacted by COVID matters and were working to complete a couple of smaller jobs so they could turn their attention to our job. Hopefully, they will be getting to us soon and this work will not impact our eventual return to full building use. For now, I have no significant progress to report.
We experienced a loss of the heating system for a short time (probably less than a day)due to an electrical issue in a panel in the boiler room. Fortunately, Jim McKenna, our competent and conscientious heating system volunteer, resolved the problem quickly. In an unrelated matter, if you were in the building in November, you may have heard a regular, periodic "chirping" from the boiler room. Many of us quickly assume that this means a battery needs replaced. In this case it was our carbon monoxide detector telling us it had reached the end of its life (perhaps seven years or so) and Jim McKenna replaced this detector as well. It is interesting to note that the boiler room currently has a heat sensor which would normally be operational through the first floor portion of the fire alarm system which is not functional at this time. The new system will replace this sensor with a combination heat, smoke, carbon monoxide detector, but until then, the existing carbon monoxide detector is the only functional detector, so we did not have the luxury of waiting for the new equipment. As we say, there is always something!
The Thursday Group continues to serve in limited numbers. Recent efforts have included installation of the Advent Wreath and candles, the garlands and blue bows, and the Chrismon Tree in the Sanctuary. The last hurrah for normal grounds work, de-gassing the mowers and removing batteries, has also been completed, and some late season work on leaves, including leaf removal from gutters, has been completed. Equipment in the barn has been rearranged to suit the winter season and snow blower use as needed. It seems no matter how late we work on leaves, some remain here and there waiting for spring. As always, some normal inside cleaning work has been done as time has permitted.