Now that we’ve had our summer hiatus, we’ll begin our usual 1st Saturday meetings on Sept. 6th. We’ll be reviewing the busy summer of sign and furnace work, and looking ahead to the Friends basement projects, recent recipients of a grant. We’ll also be welcoming a new member with a short “initiation” ceremony.
Furnace news–Grangers have options!
At a special Grange meeting on Aug. 2nd, we got a report from a new member of our Grange community, Bill Chidsey, on his investigations into our heating system. Bill has 40 years of experience in HVAC (heating/ventilating/air conditioning), with a specialization in increasing energy efficiency. He has surveyed the existing furnace and burner, the ductwork and heating distribution system, and the construction and insulation levels of our Grange Hall.
We have lots of things to do to improve our heating efficiency, but we don’t have to start with a new furnace. Bill has a couple of immediate recommendations for making improvements: replace the burner (not the whole furnace) with a more modern, more efficient one (85 % compared to 76%), and install a programmable, digital thermostat. The new thermostat will automatically warm up the Hall before renters arrive, and turn it down when they leave. There will be provisions for short-term changes, but the basic schedule will be maintained–and the thermostat will never be left turned up. He expects that with these two improvements, we will save about a tank of oil every year–which is about $900 or $1000.
Over the longer term, we need to keep making improvements. We have some obvious needs, like sealing the visible gaps around the entrance doors on the south end, the older entrance. We also have less obvious needs–like improving the heating ducts that bring the heat around the building, and return the cooled off air to the furnace to be heated. We can improve overall air-sealing, and improve insulation–especially around the poured-concrete foundation. All of these will improve the efficiency of the whole building, and will reduce the size of the furnace we need–when we finally are ready to do so.
We are grateful that Bill has joined us in this effort, and have agreed to hire him to install the new burner and thermostat. He is confident that the furnace, with a new burner installed and correctly adjusted, will work for us while we make the other improvements. He started on Monday, Aug. 11th, and we’ll have a noticeably improved furnace and control system well before the heating season starts. Once again, the Grange thrives when people pitch in, and we all benefit.
I’d like to do more on Sunday, August 17th
Who is there who can join me to finish digging the trench (about 90 feet) and laying conduit? Give me a call or send an email! –Tim
Digging for the Grange sign
Great progress has been made on the trench and conduit needed to bring power from the building to the site of our new sign. A crew of volunteers joined me on Sunday, August 3rd to get started, and indefatigable Lewis Neill continued the work during last week.
We’ve got 2 runs of conduit buried at least 18″ deep, from the corner of the building, across the driveway next to the building, and down the slope to the driveway from the road. Our crew on Sunday accomplished this much–many thanks to Alison and Andy Forrest, Stephen Wright and Kevin Taft! Then over the next couple of days, Lewis continued the trench and conduit across the lower driveway and began coming down the west side.
We are still working on the design and planning for the new sign, but this work gives us a big step forward. And it’s affordable–I did get a quote from a dance community member with a Kubota tractor with a trenching bucket–but it would cost about $600 just to complete the run to the new sign location, money we don’t have. We’ll rely on “sweat equity” to get this project done–see my invitation in the adjoining column.
How can we afford all these projects? (editors comment) 7/23/14
The question for me is not whether we can afford to make the improvements we’re discussing, but whether we can afford not to. Some things, like the replacement furnace seem unavoidable, and the question is only whether we should invest in the most efficient choice, even if it’s more expensive. Other projects, like the bathroom improvements, may seem more “optional”, since we have bathrooms that work. The problem is that we also need to increase our number and quality of rentals–at this point the Grange is not covering the expenses of running the Hall. Improving amenities like the bathrooms will make a significant difference in making our facility appealing to renters, as well as easier to clean. Our design offers flexibility as well as increased numbers of toilets, so tenants will find shorter bathroom lines, as well. The sign for the Grange is another opportunity for improvement of our image and visibility–we would like to take the need for a new sign as a chance to display our availability more visibly.
The bottom line for me is that we may have to take some chances in investing in our Hall, if we want to survive as a Grange with a Hall to rent out for the community. Many of us believe that providing our Hall is a major part of our service to the area, and it’s time to bring it more up to date.
What do you think? We’ll be having meetings to discuss all of these questions–like the furnace meeting announced in this issue of Grange Notes. We’d love to have your input!
What do you think? We’ll be having meetings to discuss all of these questions–like the furnace meeting announced in this issue of Grange Notes. We’d love to have your input!