Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help), May 3, 2022

Grange meeting for May, after a busy April!

New pellet bin and furnace!

For those who weren’t there…it was a big dance!

In the last Grange Notes, I spread the word about the resumption of the Montpelier Contra Dance on April 16th.   The dance was a very successful re-start, after over 2 years of hiatus due to the pandemic.  The final count of dancers, musicians, callers and the MCD organizing committee was 194 total people!  All had vaccine records checked and wore masks the entire time.  And no post-dance reports of anyone testing positive for COVID-19 have been received!
This dance series has historically been the most-attended events, and has been an important part of our rental income stream, as well as spreading word about the wonderful facilities of the Grange Hall, so we are very happy to have it happening again.   The MCD committee has been generously contributed (reduced) rent payments throughout the pandemic hiatus, which has helped the Grange to survive, and is much appreciated!

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help) April 14, 2022

Springtime brings new life–including a revived contra dance series

We’re pleased to report that the Montpelier Contra Dance series which has been happening at the Grange since about 1983 will be holding its first dance since March 7, 2020 on this Saturday, April 16th, from 8 to 11:00 PM!
With the close contact, aerobic exercise and continual exposure to new people that are part of this social dance, the Montpelier Contra Dance organizing committee has wanted to feel confident that it will be relatively safe to bring people back together.   In the words of the official announcement:  “Contra dancing is joyful and community oriented — and it always involves some risk. We are requiring that all dancers wear masks and be fully vaccinated to help keep our dance safer while COVID is still afoot. We ask for your help and cooperation with these extra safety measures.”
Those who plan to come are asked to pre-register online, using a simple form at:  forms.gle/W5psYUwPBCrjXLsHA.  This will allow a photo of your vaccine card to be uploaded, and will collect a phone number or email address to allow contact-tracing.   You can see all the information about the dance, how to pre-register and what to expect at:  https://capitalcitygrange.org/dancing/contradancing/.  Walk-ins will be welcome too, but it will be faster if you pre-register.
Calling and music will be provided by a sampling of Vermont’s many talented people:
Calling:  Mary Wesley, Adina Gordon, Luke Donforth, Will Mentor and Don Stratton!
Musicians:  Pete Sutherland, Oliver Scanlon and Friends, including Cedar Stanistreet, Tom Mackenzie, Rose Jackson and part of the Young Tradition VT touring group!
Sound by:  Oliver Scanlon and Cedar Stanistreet!
More dances are planned for May 7, May 21, June 4 and June 18.   The organizing committee will be evaluating how things went, and the public  health situation as time goes on, so please keep in touch via the contra dancing page linked above, and the Montpelier Contra Dance Facebook page.  I don’t usually announce the dance series in this newsletter; if you want regular reminders, please send an email to:  cdu.tim@gmail.com.

Prepping for the pellet bin!

Creating a flat spot for the outdoor pellet bin turned out to be a bit of a project. As seen in the pictures below, the flower bed to the left of the original entrance was too small, so I built a retaining wall with landscape timbers, and with the help of a couple of volunteers, filled it with sand and gravel from the piles scraped up by the snowplow, tamping it down between layers.

Spring is also bringing a new furnace to the Grange Hall!

Just as they promised, the crew from Bourne’s Energy began installation on Monday, April 11th.   As I write this on April 14th, the pellet bin is being assembled outside, and the furnace ductwork is being assembled inside.   Our old furnace and the emptied oil tank have been removed.  A new stainless steel chimney liner is about to be installed, and pellets are supposed to be delivered tomorrow morning.  See below for a few in-process pictures.
We understand clearly that the lack of a heating system other than half a dozen electric heaters has been hard on Hall users since the furnace was shut down on March 2nd.  We greatly appreciate the understanding shown by the people who use the Hall during this ordeal.   We look forward to getting past this difficult time, getting everyone used to being warm in the Grange Hall–and not getting any more $600 electric bills like the one we received recently.

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help) March 30, 2022

We’re getting off fossil-fuel heating! Installation starts April 11th!

With great help from very low-interest financing offered by the VT State Grange, we have been able to place our order for an “Auto Pellet Air furnace”, distributed by Maine Energy Systems, and sold by Bourne’s Energy.
This advanced pellet-burning furnace will be quite different from pellet stoves that many people have.    Unlike them, no one will  have to lug bags of pellets to dump into the furnace.  Nor will anyone have to scrape out the ashes.   Pellets will be delivered by a bulk truck (like the one shown above).   Pellets will be blown into an outdoor bin, like the one in the top right photo above.   They will be fed automatically from the bin to the furnace (like the one in the top left photo) in the basement using airflow also.   And the ashes get pushed out of the bottom of the combustion chamber into the box at the lower right of the furnace.   It’s easy to dump the cold ashes into a trash bag for disposal every few weeks, with amazingly little dust.
The reason I can speak with some authority about the operation of the pellet furnace is that Merry and I have used one for heating our house for the last 9 years, and have found it very reliable, and requiring minimal care.
The pellet bin will be installed on pre-cast concrete pads, in the flower-bed to the left of the old entrance.   We are also having a stainless steel liner installed in the existing chimney, as required for this heating system.  The furnace will connect to the existing duct work, operating a 2-zone system for the two floors, similar to our existing system.  The same WiFi thermostats will control the system, too.
The earliest date we could get for Bourne’s to start the installation is April 11th.   We have had great understanding from the many folks who rent the Grange Hall for rehearsals, celebrations, meetings and more during this time with no heating system; only a few have canceled their events during this time.   We will be asking them to endure a little longer as we get the system installed.  But we can now expect our new heating system to last for decades!
We see many positives from this decision:

• Reducing our carbon-dioxide footprint, by heating with a renewable fuel.
• Purchasing a locally-grown product, rather than one imported from thousands of miles away.  Pellet production and transportation provides jobs for people in this region, too!
• Having a secure supply source, not affected by international disputes.
• Cheaper, and more stable fuel prices.  Wood pellets do not fluctuate in sync with oil prices.   Merry’s and my pellet costs have risen by only 18% since 2013, a lot less than oil!   The Grange expects to save at least $800 per year, based on the current price differential.
• And we will be getting a $6,000 rebate from Efficiency Vermont!

Next meeting April 2

Our meeting on April 2nd will be short–just from 4:30 to 5:00 PM.  I’m sure we’ll have quite a bit of discussion of the new system, the loan from the State Grange, plus plans for FCCGH projects coming up.  If you’re attending by Zoom, you’ll find the link on the Grange Calendar listing for this meeting at:  https://bit.ly/3Lu5rSU.  Note that this will be a different link than the one for our Program about Community Radio, from 5:00 to 6:00.
We do ask that any unvaccinated people that join us in person for the meeting or Program wear a well-fitting mask.   COVID numbers in Washington County are, unfortunately, rising these days.  We look forward to when we can open windows and have more fresh air!  For this meeting, we’ll be warming up the lower level with the electric heaters, but we suggest wearing an extra layer to the meeting.
Besides the meeting itself, we’ll have time to talk more at the Community Potluck Dinner which we’ll have following the program.   See below for a few details on the potluck!

Potluck time again! Join us at 6 PM on April 2nd.

We’ll have another Community Potluck dinner together in the lower level, following the Grange meeting and the Program.   As usual, we’ll have no idea what to expect for food–but as usual, we are confident we will have a variety of main courses, salads, soups, breads, beverages, desserts, and much more!  The 30 or so people who came to our March potluck shared lots of great food, so come and see what’s on the counters!
We do ask that only people who are vaccinated join us for this event, as we continue to be conservative about our group events–especially when we know we won’t be able to wear masks.

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help) March 26, 2022

April Program at the Grange!
Central Vermont Community Radio–the story of starting a brand-new, 49-year old radio station

For almost 50 years, these stations were Goddard College Radio–until last year.   The curious chicken (see below) has adorned their schedules and fundraising “merch”.  The staff (also pictured below) has been an eclectic mix of community members for years, with nearly 30 volunteer programmers producing the extremely diverse mix of free-form music shows and locally made program on local, national and international topics, combined with “curated national programming” like “Democracy Now”.   You can check out the whole schedule on their website:  WGDR Schedule.
At our program on Saturday April 2nd, from 5:00 to 6:00 pm, we’ll hear from Llu Mulvaney-Stanak, station manager since fall of 2021.   Community ownership has meant dealing with all the issues of a start-up non-profit, while maintaining a nearly 50-year old radio station.
Llu joined WGDR/WGDH during the community ownership transition, becoming station manager in the fall of 2021.    During their talk at the Grange, Lllu will share:   how the station has turned a number of challenges into celebrations, explain how community radio is more important than ever for our communities, and provide a larger context on the state of this vital media format here in Vermont.
Llu started in community radio with their own WGDR show at the age of 13, co-founded a low-power community radio station in Burlington (99.3 FM, WBTV-LP), and has been a weekly programmer on WRUV, the UVM college/community station since 2004.   With over 20 years of non-profit and public sector leadership, Llu brings a great mix of perspective and experience to CVCR as they embark on this important next step for the station.

All Grange programs are free and open to the public!
Zoom link information:

To join the Zoom meeting starting at 5:00 from your computer or smart-phone, use this link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87507923076?pwd=Wi94N29LY25hVFdIZjZ4Nmxwd2htdz09

To join the meeting, audio only from your phone, dial this number:  646 558 8656

Furnaces aren’t supposed to be cool…

But ours is, right now.   Regular readers will remember that when our annual furnace service happened on March 2nd, the heat exchanger was found to have holes in it.   This shut it down, of course–neither we, nor our oil burner service company will mess around with the chance of carbon monoxide getting into  our Hall.  Since our furnace is probably 50 years old, there are no parts available to repair the heat exchanger.
Our renters have been extremely understanding during this somewhat chilly time.   The 6 electric heaters which we got from the service company have been deployed upstairs or in the lower level, to take the chill off.  We’ve encouraged groups to meet downstairs, if possible, to take advantage of the great insulation we installed in our big 2020 project–we’ve been extra glad to have that!
Meanwhile, we (primarily me, Patty and Kurt Giavara) started doing some fast, but thorough research into our choices for a new heating system.  We did not assume that we would just install another oil furnace.   We decided that we would check out all the options, but would make our decision based on both the installed costs and long-term fuel cost  We also wanted to consider ways to reduce our carbon dioxide emissions.   We expect the next furnace to last for decades, so we have to think long-term.
We ended up getting quotes for:  regular oil furnaces, propane furnaces, electric heat pumps, oil furnaces that burn B99 bio-fuel, and wood-pellet furnaces.  We spoke with Efficiency Vermont engineers, and found out what rebates are available for energy-efficient heating systems.   We did calculations for the heating load of our building, as it is now insulated.  We are speaking with the VT State Grange, to find out if they can help us out with this major purchase.  We’ve spoken with a good number of our Capital City Grange members, to make sure that we have consensus on our choices.
By the time we meet on April 2nd, we expect to have placed an order for a heating system–because we’re waiting for some final information about how we can finance the purchase.   I’m reluctant to promise something before I’m sure that we can deliver it!
Our meeting on April 2nd will be short–just from 4:30 to 5:00 PM.  Besides the meeting itself, we’ll have time to talk more at the Community Potluck Dinner which we’ll have following the program.   See below for a few details on the potluck!

Potluck time again! Join us at 6 PM on April 2nd.

We’ll have another Community Potluck dinner together in the lower level, following the Grange meeting and the Program.   As usual, we’ll have no idea what to expect for food–but as usual, we are confident we will have a variety of main courses, salads, soups, breads, beverages, desserts, and much more!  The 30 or so people who came to our March potluck shared lots of great food, so come and see what’s on the counters!
We do ask that only people who are vaccinated join us for this event, as we continue to be conservative about our group events–especially when we know we won’t be able to wear masks.