by Jorn Dakin, Chair
Quite a bit of activity has been occurring on the B&G front this past few weeks. I would first like to thank Al Templeton for all of the work that he has been doing in connection with supervising the painting and other renovation work on the parsonage condominium apartment, as we prepare it for rental in the near future. It has not been in bad condition by any means, but like any space inhabited by human beings, it requires paintup and fixup from time to time. This work will be particularly beneficial to the church inasmuch as it should allow the church to rent the parsonage for a higher rental than it might otherwise receive. Al was also the person responsible for arranging the removal of the various junk items that had been collected into a single room during the church “field” day earlier this spring. Now that this material has been removed, it is clear that other items likely remain, and that more space could be freed by further removal efforts later this year.
On the lawn and gardens front, I want to thank all those who have been participating in mowing the lawn and other trimming, weeding, planting and soil improvement projects. A topic that has come up recently in connection with the lawn has been the problem of neighborhood residents who use the lawns as space to let their pets exercise. This has created some problems, but it is not clear what a perfect solution to these problems would be. There is park space about a block away at the intersection of 18th, S and New Hampshire, where there is a small triangular park that can be used, but folks from the neighborhood nevertheless do not necessarily go on over there, and instead use the church lawns for their pets. There is an understandable reluctance to have something like a sign with “NO DOGS” in big letters greeting people as they approach the church from 16th Street. A more feasible alternative might be combination locks of some sort on the gates [as well as repairing the gate on the S Street yard], so that anyone who wanted access to the yards would either need to climb over the fence or else be able to unlock the gates. We are open to suggestions!
The church has recently changed trash hauling companies, and we hope that this will result in more timely and effective trash removal. We continue to have problems with unknown people bringing their trash and leaving it in the alley in back of the church, either in the church dumpster or else on the pavement. This is bad because of the rats in the neighborhood. The residents of the immediate neighborhood are waging a constant and energetic battle against rats, and the District government has been helpful as well. Keeping trash off the ground is a major part of this effort, as is location of rat burrows and setting out poison in the alleys. Our church can help in this regard by doing everything that it can to keep garbage, especially food garbage, under control.
Several improvements in the internal physical plant of the church have recently been made. The water cooler in the first floor hallway has recently been resuscitated as a result of a replacement part kit applied by a gentleman by the name of “Brian” from Madden Plumbing. This water cooler dates from 1967, but with the replacement parts in place, it seems to be cranking along very nicely. We also investigated the water fountain in the basement hallway, but it appears that there is no immediate inexpensive means of getting this fountain working again. Russell Chapman tells me that he believes that this basement fountain was shut-off sometime in the late 1940s. The sink drain in the pantry off the Romaine-van Schaick room has also been routed, and seems to be doing better. The admonition that coffee grounds should not be dumped down this sink still applies, needless to say.
We had called in the folks from Madden initially as a result of water appearing on the floor in the downstairs kitchen, apparently coming from the wall that separates the kitchen from Perkins Hall. We were apprehensive that a pipe in that wall had started to leak, but Brian’s initial analysis was that there did not appear to be a leaking pipe in the wall, but rather that perhaps water was coming up from the subsoil underlying the basement floors, possibly along the columns or footings of the foundations in that part of the church. Short of perhaps some sort of resealing effort on the basement, there does not appear to be at this time an immediate, reasonably priced remedy for this situation, so long as it is not causing major problems. That is, we have not found a pipe gushing water out of the wall. However, we do reserve the right to establish a special “bailout” committee in the event that the water level reaches a point where it starts to empty out of the floor level windows and doors onto the lawns and sidewalks.
The next item on the agenda for the B&G group is preparation for the arrival of Reverend Mary Katherine Morn. She is planning to have her office in the room opposite the church office on the first floor. This room is currently where the church library is located, so that at some point in the near future a group effort to move books and furniture will take place. Please be prepared to join us on that occasion. Needless to say, you will be hearing further details.
Update: A book and furniture moving party was planned for the morning of Saturday, July 31. More details in September's Anchor.
Posted by Kimberly Durham Bates at August 2, 2004 10:27 AM