Church:

Now: Erecting of Scaffolding to be completed by Aug.16^th.

From Aug 15^th

Exterior:

Power: A 100amp panel will be run from the church and attached to the scaffolding for use by the abatement company. It will be mostly out of sight and certainly out of reach.

Wash room: A  6’x20’ plastic wrapped shed for the workers to clean themselves and their  clothing. This will be placed along the fence in the garden, the flowers and other plants will need to be moved to the Rectory Garden by Aug. 19^th. This shed will remain up for the abatement portion of the project.

Where the brick and brownstone has been painted: the scaffolding will be wrapped in netting all around to protect all areas from falling debris. Sections of the Church will be wrapped in plastic as abatement work progresses around. The paint will be removed, the brinks inspected and a scope of repairs finalized by the architect.

General Time Scheme for phase one:

• Paint removal: 4wks, Wed, 8/23/17 to Tues 9/19/17
• Exterior investigation: 3.4 wks, Mon 9/4 to Tuesday 9/26/17
• File drawings with Landmarks: 4wks, Wed. 9/27/17 to Tues 10/24/17

Interior: Some work needs to be done in the Church Boiler room, this may cause some noise but will not interrupt Mass.

Rectory:

Now: Fr Anselmus and I are able to use the kitchen and dining room. Msgr LoPinto’s room should be livable by the end of the week of August 7^th.

Next step: Having consulted with the electricians contracted for the job, Rocklyn realty (the Diocesan real estate group) and an independent electrical contracted retained by Rocklyn, it has been thought most prudent to completely rewire the rectory. There were three compelling reasons:

• Scope of work: It has been difficult to determine what needs to be done. Whenever a new section is opened more problems are discovered. If we decided to proceed on our present knowledge we could very easily be so inundated by change orders that more money would be spent than if we did the system over. It is possible that some areas may be better than we thought and we would receive a rebate but I am not counting on it.
• Previous water damage: The garden wall of the rectory leaked severely last winter and needed considerable repointing. The wall has since held but the wires were soaked. They may pass a test now but could deteriorate in the future. Fixing this now is a sensible option.
• Ability to plan: Completely rewiring the rectory keeps the variables to a minimum.
  1. The workers will be contracted in advance and a timetable maintained. This would allow enough work to be completed that the Rectory (living areas for the Priests) would be able to fully function by Labor Day. The workers would not finish completely however until the end of September.
  2. We could begin the efforts to be reimbursed for these expenses. This will be a long process and it would be good to begin it as soon as possible with as clear a set of figures as we can develop.

Once more I would like to thank and commend Fr Anselmus, Msgr LoPinto and Blanca Anchundia for their support, understanding and creativity during this time.

 

 

 

We wanted to provide an update on the time frames for construction work in the parish. We will update on a weekly basis.  – Fr. Smith

Church

Now: Erecting of Scaffolding.

From: Aug 15^th

Exterior:

Power line: One will be run from the church to the scaffolding. It will be mostly out of sight and certainly out of reach.

Shed: A facility for the workers to shower. This shed will remain up for several months. If it is placed along the fence in the garden, the flowers and other plants will need to be moved to the Rectory Garden by Aug. 19^th. If not it will be placed in the parking area with the loss of secure parking.

Repair work:

Where the church has been painted red: Sections of the Church will be wrapped in plastic. The paint will be removed, the brinks inspected and then repaired if necessary.

Where the brink was painted white: A net will be set on the scaffolding and the brick inspected and if necessary repaired.

Interior: Some work needs to be done in the Church Boiler room, this may cause some noise but will not interrupt Mass.

General Prognosis: The exterior of the church should be completed by Independence Day, 2018.

 

Parish Center/Rectory

Office: The Parish office has been returned to 31 Sidney Place.

Repairs:

Now: Sufficient power has been restored to the building that Fr Anselmus and I have been able to return to the living quarters of the Rectory. Msgr Lo Pino should return shortly. The damage directly caused by the electrical fire has been mostly repaired and will be covered by our insurance.

Upcoming:

• Problems with the workmanship in the most recent installation: The fire revealed that much of the actual work done in the renovation of the building was not what was ordered and reported. We are presently looking at the options which range from a complete rewiring to targeting the more serious lapses. Several plans have been designed and are being reviewed by an independent electrical engineer. How much of this will be covered by insurance will be a matter for negotiation and, possibly, litigation. In any event the building will not be reopened until safety can be assured,
• Items which were not part of the original renovation: While the building is being worked on we are looking at possible improvements. Most specifically we hope to install a fire alarm that will be connected to the general alarm system and a more efficient water heater.

General prognosis: The repair work should be completed by Labor Day but the negotiations for repayment will be ongoing.