CMM 2019-01-13

Property Committee Report

January 11, 2019

CFM Property Committee Meeting

Present: Greg Heath (Clerk), JJ Smith, Chris Haigh, Lucy Nichols

Boiler Maintenance.  Hydronic system maintenance is generally deemed necessary every five years and our boiler has never had this maintenance.  Concerns are possible corrosion of pipes and/or lime scaling.  This is not an issue for the pipes in the floor due to the material they are made from (PEX).  The boiler, however, might have parts that corrode and/or need maintenance for lime scale.  Chris agreed to contact a contractor familiar with our system for advice.

Highlights of boiler maintenance were noted for future reference.  Meeting bought this boiler from Maine Energy Systems eight years ago, the last time they sold this brand of boiler. Initially, meeting didn’t understand the boiler fully and support was not sufficient; the boiler overheated several times.  Also, the heating contractor failed to install a couple of temperature sensors that help the system operate at optimal efficiency.  The heat shields were replaced under warranty and the replacements were much heavier.  Jon Hall made them easier to use.

JJ suggested Chris ask our contractor whether the boiler could run longer and hotter before it shuts down in order to reduce the amount of carbon in the ash.  The committee decided we should not return to our former practice of turning the heat down between uses due to the difficulty we experienced getting the building to the corrected temperature at the correct time.

Non-Quaker regular uses of the Meetinghouse.

The committee reviewed recent practice to have a body of experience against which to set future requests for regularly scheduled uses of the building that are not Quaker activities.  While we desire that the building be well used, we must balance that against its availability for Meeting purposes.  A women’s group with a political focus convened by Anna Carrigan, a recent attender at Meeting, may become regular users of the meetinghouse.  Anna’s group would meet once a month on a Wednesday evening.  The committee anticipates that they will make a proposal.

Our practice has been to inform groups of the arrangements we have made with other groups and to ask them for a proposal that would work for them.  The Property Committee receives the proposal and accepts it or makes a counter proposal and agreement is sought.  One time our counter proposal was declined.  All users are asked to clean up after themselves.

The Oxbow Zen Sangha uses the whole building most Monday evenings.  We ask for a rental contribution of $5/person up to a maximum of $30/night; they also maintain the meeting room floor and do other cleaning as needed to meet their standards.  James Farquhar’s men’s group associated with the Mankind Project uses the whole building every two weeks on Tuesday night for a rental contribution of $50/month, regardless of how many people attend.

Ad hoc uses (with a Meeting member sponsoring the event) have included Canterbury Citizens for Democracy (CC4D), American Friends Service Committee, NH Peace Action, two different Unitarian Universalist groups, and the Kent Street Coalition; these groups are asked to make a donation to the Meeting that they feel fits within their resources.

Insurance company report.  The installation of solar panels did not add to the insurance company’s valuation of the building in 2018 because the building was overvalued at the time.  The rate did increase for reasons independent of the solar installation.  At some point, the insurance company will revalue the building and our insurance cost may then go up because of the solar system.  When that happens, Oxbow LLC and the Meeting will need to come to an agreement about the fair value of the insurance; tangible measures exist from which to apportion shares of the eventual increased insurance cost.

Landscaping Plan.  The Property Committee welcomed the ad hoc Landscaping Committee’s plans for landscaping improvements in the Spring of 2019, which are estimated to cost $1,900.  Property Committee does not see a competing use for funds that would preclude action on the landscape plan, which is expected to be considered by business meeting this week.

Play Structure (referred from Meeting for Business).  The committee has agreed that the play structure is structurally sound.  The staking is adequate; it will receive more attention when the ground thaws; that is to say refinishing, another safety check, and any necessary actions to improve safety.  Given the old age of the play structure, Meeting members could keep an eye out for an inexpensive, second play structure that would last longer than the existing one.

Weedy parking lot edge (referred from Meeting for Business).  We expect that the landscaping committee’s plan to edge the driveway with railroad ties will provide a definition to the driveway edge.

Driveway ice and water collection (referred from Meeting for Business).  Steve Glines, who plows the Meeting’s parking lot, has cleared snow where water needs to drain out of the driveway, preventing the buildup of an ice dam. Steve knows when to sand.  The committee is not presently recommending any further work, but will keep an eye on the issue.

Cleaning schedule.  Greg Heath will organize cleaning on February 3^rd, Lucy Nichols will organize April 7^th, and Chris Haigh will organize June 2^nd.

Coat closet, slippers and storage.  JJ will research closet storage systems that will accommodate indoor footwear.  We are open to making purchases to satisfy this need.  We want to make sure some room is reserved for long coats.

Loose trim board:  Greg will use an adhesive to tighten the loose trim board on the right side of the mechanical room door.  Nailing there is problematic.

Pending issues:

• Water quality/routine testing
• Expanded parking
• A second exit from the parking lot
• Tree cutting for solar gain or other reasons
• Green burial

Landscape Design Committee (ad hoc) Report

CFM – ad hoc Landscape Committee Report 1/3/2019

Attendance: Pat Wallace, Faith Sillars, Greg Heath

The ad hoc Landscape Committee met and discussed general needs and specific recommendations to the Meeting.

Specific Miscellaneous Plans.

1. We intend to ask the Property Committee to sell, give away, restack elsewhere or otherwise dispose of the lumber under the black plastic to the south west of the building.
2. We intend to prune the tall arbor vitae shrub to the right of the main entrance so that its top is formed into a single cone (3 are forming) and to slow it’s growth.
3. We intend to feed the arbor vitae to the left of the entrance to help achieve a better balance among the two.
4. We plan to plant blue morning glories on the four columns on the front of the building this spring.
5. If the azalea in front of the two arbor vitae do not come back to life this spring we will replant there with other azalea, mock orange, or another appropriate shrub that will not require regular pruning.
6. We intend to leave the area to the west of the building undeveloped for the coming 2 growing seasons for a future meditation garden choosing to focus our priority on the south side of the building.
7. We will make a proposal to the Meeting for a significant upgrade to the south side of the building from the playground fence corner all the way to the west edge of the cleared lot to be implemented this spring or in following spring seasons when funds are made available. The proposal follows.

South Side Landscape Plan – a proposal to the Meeting.

The committee asks the Meeting to endorse the following plan empowering the ad hoc Landscape Committee to implement the plan as way opens, further, directing Budget Committee to see if it can find a way to fund the implementation with a budget of $1,900 in the budget year June 2019 to May 2020.

The plan limits activity to the front area from the east edge of the building to the west edge of cleared space. We are recommending deferring action on the west end of the building to the north of the line of five low arbor vitae shrubs until the currently proposed work is completed.

Description:

We plan to add six inches of loam to provide sufficient base for good growth of ground covers.  At the edge of the blacktop surface we plan to install railroad ties to contain the earth and provide a separation from the necessary winter sanding.  Space will be left in front of the children’s room on the right side of front of the building for possible vegetable gardening in the future by children or adults.  The focus in year 1 (this spring) will be the center portion between the two walkways.  A diagram is attached that shows the planned use of a creeping sedum in an arc behind a space mostly filled with a creeping pink thyme.  After the bloom there will be a contrast between a deep green of the thyme and the yellow-green of the sedum.  We are planning a curved wooden bench to be situated to the left of the left walkway.  This compliments the curve of the plantings and continues the “softening” of the building’s angularity.  The particular ground covers were selected for their beauty and appropriateness to the solar and drainage characteristics of the area as well as their relative affordability.

The budget we recommend would come from regular operating funds and $476 that is left over from construction in the Building and Grounds Fund.  The cost of providing a full ground cover for the rest of the area on the left in year 1 would be prohibitive without the receipt of earmarked contributions.  Loam sufficient to cover the remainder of the front area on the west (that is to say, the left) and railroad ties sufficient to line the parking lot edge can be purchased with funds from year 1.  We plan to leave the loam in one or two piles until year 2.  This will allow us to avoid unnecessary trucking costs.