Why "The Gander"?

Why "The Gander"?

Most people are familiar with the mythology of St. Martin's cloak. Less familiar may be the myth of St. Martin's goose. It is told that Martin the priest was wanted as bishop. He didn't want the job, and so hid (here the accounts are fuzzy) in a goose pen, barn, or bush and was revealed by the honking of the goose. A gander is a male goose - much like a drake is a male duck. To "take a gander" means to take a peek, a look. We hope to use this space to take a deeper look at things happening at St. Martin's, and share more thoughts and information with you.

Thursday, September 13, 2018

Boiler Replacement Work to Begin!

As many of you know, one of the church's two boilers in the basement of the Parish House, which provides heating to the Parish House and the sanctuary, broke down irreparably last winter. There are two boilers so that the second can be relied upon if the first one fails. And, indeed, this is how heat was provided for the remainder of the winter. Yet, the absence of a functioning back-up boiler was a source of stress to the rector and staff last winter.

On behalf of the vestry, the properties committee initiated a process to have design documents prepared for replacing the boiler that was down, taking the opportunity to provide new equipment that is significantly more energy-efficient than the boiler which is being replaced. The scope includes additional work to improve the effectiveness and control of the steam distribution system.

The project was bid, and awarded to Trefz Mechanical, Inc., which firm will begin the replacement work next week - the week of September 17, 2018. The process begins with demolition of the old boiler, which is anticipated to take about two weeks. This will entail removal of the old boiler's components (out the basement door leading onto the Cricket Club driveway) into a dumpster to be located on Willow Grove Avenue. NOTE: please respect that this dumpster is not a public convenience to which you may bring in old junk from your basement; it is for metals only, and disposing of other items into it will increase the cost by contaminating the dumpster contents, which are to be recycled. The work area will be protected with plastic sheeting to contain dust.

Thanks for your patience regarding the potential inconvenience of noise and commotion during this demolition work, and the subsequent installation of the new boiler system. We anticipate having the new boiler functioning by Thanksgiving. If you have any questions, please contact Dave Harrower, chair of the properties committee (DaveHarrower@gmail.com)