Rev. Taryn joined us onsite this week to get a better understanding of how the project was coming along and to hear from Choate on our timeline for completion. We are still tracking toward a May 18th turn-over and certificate of occupancy with punch list completion by June 1.
Framing should be completely done by the end of this week. Choate is working toward spray foam insulation of the sanctuary being completed in the next two weeks, building toward a major milestone of the sanctuary ceiling being created and closed. Another major milestone on the horizon is the removal of a central column holding the second floor up center support beam of the admin building. Due to the elevator needing to hit three different levels and the ingress and egress of the building, the best place for the elevator is exactly where this column is. Over the last several weeks the Choate team worked to unearth the original footings and build a plan for supporting the 2nd floor so that this column can be removed. The new shoring should go in next week and will be reflected in the photo we take for next weeks weekly update. This has been a big challenge for this project but will be a major point in the construction. Once this new shoring is complete and the column is removed, noticeable work will progress even more quickly. The new shoring will be independently inspected by ECS. Once inspected, the elevator pit will be created which is expected to take about 1 month.
In the admin building, sheetmetal and overhead ductworks continues through next week, while plumbing and electrical is mostly complete. All perimeter walls in the admin wing have been furred out except for the Choate on-site office.
GoodUse Grant Helps UUCA Fund Green Measures for New Building
In March, UUCA was awarded a GoodUse grant from Southface Energy Institute to help fund green measures in our building renovation. This past summer, grant team members DeAnn Peterson, Bert Pearce, and Julie Simon met with Southface to assess the energy saving benefits of different potential green measures. We signed a grant agreement and on October 18th, UUCA received $60,000 in grant funds.
The major energy efficiency improvement these funds will support is a new Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) heating and cooling system that replaces the original 1960 air handling system and 1990s compressors. This all-electric system enables UUCA to control temperature settings in each room separately, bringing overall cost and energy savings. The grant funds will also contribute to upgrading to efficient LED lighting systems, which is taking place throughout the building.
In September, the grant team (which also includes Bryce Thomason) applied for a second grant from Southface. If awarded, that funding will help fund spray foam insulation for the attic, external wall insulation for the classroom building, and water fountains with bottle fill dispensers.
GoodUse provides technical assistance and funding in the form of matching grants to nonprofits to assist them with resource efficiency upgrades to their facilities. These upgrades save the nonprofit valuable funds on utility bills that can be reallocated into its mission. Information about GoodUse can be found here.
