I once wrote a song that starts, "I know there is a reason, a time for every season, every year the summer turns to fall. October from September, then will come November, won't be long before the winter calls." And isn't that the truth! It is easy to forget those hot, sticky days of summer when some of us give some thought to what it might take to air condition our Sanctuary! Then come those crisp nights and not-so-warm days when thoughts swing around to the cold and the heating system. There is an old New England saying which is, more or less ... "On January's last day, if you have half your wood and half your hay, you can make it safely through to May". We don't have to worry about wood heat or hay for animal feed, but there is wisdom in getting ready for what is to come. This year we had reason to keep the heating system in mind. First, we (by "we" I mean our ubiquitous heating system super-volunteer, Jim McKenna) discovered there was an electrical issue with our new fire alarm system that caused our heating system to shut down anytime the thermostat in the Sanctuary called for heat. That probably sounds like a strange interconnection between these two seemingly unrelated systems, but fact is, the fire safety code requires the heating system boilers to be shut down in some situations, so some interconnection between systems is normal. Jim worked with our fire alarm contractor to get this issue resolved and it has been fixed. I have mentioned before that we had another fire alarm issue impacting our heating system. During the installation of the new system, a drilling operation accidentally punctured one of our heating system water lines, and we had to take half of the heating system capacity for the Sanctuary out of service until the line could be repaired. Again, Jim to the rescue! He was able to retain the services of the contractor who installed these heating lines and worked with them to repair the line and put it back into service. The next time you see Jim, give him a big thank-you-well-done. We are so fortunate to have him and his abilities. At this point, all is well. As I said, the heat is on!
On the subject of Property Team volunteers, we have two more members. Roberta (Bobby) Febbo is our newest member, and June Slipp, a charter member of the Thursday Morning Group who served on the group for many years, has returned again. Welcome to Bobby and welcome back June. It is great to have you both!
You probably have noticed that the tent is gone. Recent wind and rain activity took it down in a disorganized and disheveled manner, but nothing was broken or damaged. We gathered it up and put it away for the winter. It will be back in the spring and ready to go again.
The window air conditioners have been removed and put into storage, a seasonal ritual for the Thursday Group. Another seasonal ritual, window washing, is in progress. We try to get this done spring and fall. We hope to get the outside windows done as well before the seasonal cold forces us inside.
We have also been actively working on the autumn leaves ( .."as they tumble from the trees" as my song goes on to say) and doing some other cleanup work on the grounds. Because of the many different varieties of trees, our leaves tend to fall over a period of several weeks, so we are cleaning up some while we are actively mowing grass and continue to pick up leaves into the colder days when the grass no longer needs to be cut. The good side of all of this is we get to spread out the work on leaves over a long period of time, so it stays within the capabilities of our relative small number of volunteers. Typically, it is not practical to hold off picking up leaves until most or all have fallen, so it can be tough to try to schedule a one-day, large group leaf cleanup event.
We recently experienced another case of water on the basement floor. The problem occurs only when we have had substantial rainfall for a long period of time. Several years ago, we removed some winter ice-damaged rain gutters from the area to the right of the main entrance to the building. In periods of heavy rain fall, water builds up along the foundation in that area and eventually finds its way into the basement. I am aware of the entry point and am seeking a resolution. The first step will be to replace the missing rain gutters so we can minimize the water buildup along the foundation. A resolution to the water entry point may be more difficult and potentially expensive. The problem does not typically involve a lot of water (perhaps 5 or 10 gallons for a given episode), but it is enough to damage items stored on the floor and can present a slip hazard to those who are unaware of casual water on the floor. Please be aware of this possibility when we have periods of heavy rain.
Dave Mercer, Property Team Leader
