Some bids discussed at the congregational meeting on June 11 are provided in the material that follows below.
Scope: Clean and paint the steeple
Robert Morgan Company of Errol, NH $8100 (gold paint option) $9900 (gold leaf option) (Two options for treatment of cross and globe, one with gold paint, one with gold leaf)
LFP Company of Boston, MA $4425 (quoted only gold paint option)
Jovet Pros of Fall River, MA $4050 (quoted only gold paint option)
Scope: Clean and re-stain the exposed stained wood structures around the soffit area of the sanctuary and around the main entrance to the church.
LFP Company of Boston, MA $3370 (see note 2)
Jovet Pros of Fall River, MA $5200 (see note 2)
Notes:
- Robert Morgan Company has been around since 1906 and specializes in church steeple and building restoration work. The bid is from October 2021 and would have to be updated. The bid is higher in part because their approach is to build a scaffold structure to gain access to the steeple. Correspondence with them indicates they plan the coming season's work early in the winter, so they may or may not be available to do this work in 2023. The other two bidders would use an aerial lift to get access to the steeple. These are smaller companies that do mostly smaller scale residential and commercial remodel and restoration. LFP has experience with church steeple work. Jovet is a new company with no specific church steeple experience, but the principal for this company has some church steeple experience in 13 years with a previous company. Review of these companies is continuing. Both LFP and Jovet are available to complete the work in the 2023 season.
- I asked both LFP and Jovet to quote the two scopes separately. Jovet initially provided a quote of $7200 to do both scopes. When I asked Jovet to break this total down into a quote for each scope, they provided $4050 or the steeple scope and $5200 for the soffit and entry staining scope, for a total of $9250. Jovet also confirmed that they would do both scopes for a total of $7200 (in other words, a volume discount of $2050). LFP has confirmed that their quotes apply to either one or both of the work scopes (total of $7795)
- After the congregational meeting, a member of the congregational suggested another potential bidder for consideration. I am attempting to get bids for the steeple and soffit scopes from this company as well.
There are other work scopes for which I will be seeking bids with a goal of getting some additional work done in 2023. The congregational meeting approved a total of $15,000 for unbudgeted 2023 property maintenance and repair work such as the refurbishment work on the steeple, the stained exterior work around the sanctuary, and others that I discussed. In accordance with the approval at the meeting, council will still have to approve the work for each identified scope as I receive bids, select a service provider, and propose the work to the council. My goal is to present bids for the following additonal work scopes:
- Replacement of the ceiling fan in the sanctuary
- Repair or replacement of the two skylight windows in the sanctuary
- Repair or replacement of up to three fire doors
The ceiling fan in the sanctuary is not functioning and is very dirty as can be observed from the floor. The operational problem could be the remote control receiver unit in the fan itself, but this is not certain. The fan has been in service for about thirty years, so it makes little sense to pay for an aerial lift and a service technician to diagnose, repair, and clean it. Given its age, it makes more sense to replace it.
I have previously advised the congregational that the skylight windows above the ceiling fan are not fully operable. These windows are motor operated by remote switch and closed either manually from a remote switch or automatically if a remote sensor detects rain. There is a malfunction of some sort in the overall window controls that causes the windows to close a few seconds after they are opened to either a partial or full-open positon. I have spoken to the manufacturer as well as two local service companies. They have no suggestions on a cause or corrective action. Given the age of the windows, parts availability and time in service, they recommend replacement. Because of the uncertainty for the controls, I have kept the windows closed and removed power from the windows. We do have a work-around if we decide to open the windows … for example, to get hot air out of the sanctuary during particulary warm periods. The windows can be powered, opened to any desired position, and then de-powered again before the controls spuriously close them. We would have to remember to power them again and close them after each use.
We have two, possibly three, exterior fire doors that are marginally functional in terms of Life Safety Code requirements. I have been successful in keeping these doors operable and they have periodic inspections by the Newington Fire Department, but it has been an ongoing challenge. A qualified door expert may or may not be able to repair them, so replacement may be in order for these doors.
With all of this having been said, I doubt if the just-approved $15,000 will be sufficient to address all five of these issues, so my plan will be to get the quotes for all five, make a recommendation on a service provider, take a position on priorities, and present the recommendations to council for their consideration. I know that some may apply the old razor, “Out of sight, out of mind” so there might be a tendency to push for resolution to the highly visible matters such as the steeple and the ceiling fan. That thinking may not serve us well. We don't typically see functionality issues with fire doors, but the ramifications are very important and consequential. I would tend to give the fire door issue highest priority and cosmetic issues lowest priority, but priorities are ultimately a council matter.
Dave Mercer, Property Team Leader (pro-tempore)