AIR CONDITIONING AND ELECTRIC WORK
Well! I’m sure glad to have the air conditioning working again. That’s a good thing for all of us.
Because of supply chain issues, it took several weeks to get all the AC parts needed. Both inside and outside components needed work. Soon, we’ll get a bill for the AC repair—for parts and for labor.
I learned in the course of the AC repair that one of our major church electric panels needs replacement. That panel is located in the boiler room, and it dates to the 1968-70 construction of the church. That panel is well past its expected service life!
Steve Kowal, our head of maintenance, has begun the complicated replacement process. In August, experts from Xcel will study the existing panel and begin the design/build process. As I understand it, that can take up to 30 weeks, for it’ll be a custom installation. Once the replacement panel is ready, it’ll take several days to install it. The power will have to be off during installation, so we’re most likely looking at a week next summer, when school’s not in session.
At this point, we have little idea how much the new panel is going to cost. I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re in the neighborhood of $50,000. (We’ll know more after the Xcel people report back.) That’s a big number. On the other hand, it’s less than a couple thousand a year.
As I wrote last week, we’re in good shape when it comes to funding our regular operations. This electric panel, along with needed roof work, will have to be funded differently. That is, with a capital outlay.
Our Facilities Committee members and I continue to seek bids on capital items. That information goes to our Finance Committee, to develop a Capital Improvement Plan (and budget) separate from our regular operations budget. I’ll keep you posted.
WELCOME DINNER – JULY 26
Have you recently joined or rejoined St. Matt’s?
I ask because we’re having our first post-pandemic Welcome Dinner on Tuesday, July 26. We’ve mailed out invitations to new and returning members, based on available information in our parish database.
It’s possible we missed people. If you’re new or have returned to St. Matt’s in the last 15 months or so—and you didn’t receive an invitation in the mail—please call the parish office at (651) 224-9793. Let Angela know, so she can update our records—and let her know if you want to come to the July 26 dinner. And welcome!
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