When Fr. Marek Sobczak CM became a pastor of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in Brooklyn, NY on October 19, 2011 he wrote in the address to parishioners, ” three years ago when I was appointed pastor of this parish, the first request made of me by the PPC and many individual parishioners, was that air conditioning be installed in our church.” After some unexpected delays installation of new air conditioning system in the church could start in the summer this year.
These two video clips present the progress of installation works in the Lower Church between August 8 and September 8 .This is a powerful look. You may watch the video, or click the links to open the PDF presentation on line.
AUGUST 8, 2013
view as regular slideshow online [Slideshare]
SEPTEMBER 8, 2013
view as regular slideshow online [Slideshare]
In the already mentioned Fr. Sobczak’s 2011 address to parishioners we continue to read about the new air conditioning system, “please believe me, I took this request to heart and from that moment on, I have been investigating all our options regarding a cooling system in the church. During this period, there were meetings with many companies with expertise in installing these types of systems. Experts discussed which type of system would be most effective and functional, easy to maintain, economical yet would not destroy the magnificence of our church. There is a Polish saying, the deeper into the forest, the more trees. And thus describes this project.
Right from the start, we realized that our church did not have architectural plans. So one of our parishioners, an architect, had undertaken this tedious project. With great patience, he measured every nook and cranny of the church, every bend in the walls, and the thickness of the bricks and input all the information into his own computer.
The completed plans were then given to an engineering firm, to calculate the technical specifications required in the system. After many months we received the specs, unfortunately, the architectural team had doubts whether this would provide sufficient cooling in our church. We then turned to specialists for their analysis, but after many weeks (these) plans changed again, and we began investigating the possibility of using geothermal energy, that is, using water from underground to cool in the summer and heat in the winter.
Excavation was supposed to have been done by the end of June, however, this also moved at a snail’s pace. First we needed permits, and then it was hurricane Irene, and then other obstacles. Finally, a few weeks ago, and many witnessed this, equipment was brought in to drill between the church and rectory for groundwater. Unfortunately, the equipment was not strong enough, breaking the massive drill bits with each attempt, causing more delays while we waited for bigger equipment.
The next delay was caused by the sudden death of the lead architect of the project, Mr. Edvin Stromsten, who died of a massive heart attack at the beginning of September.
A year ago, I was convinced that the past summer would be easier to survive because there would be air conditioning; and now, my hope, even though waning, is that in June we will be starting up the cooling system.
In summary, plans to replace the boiler that heats the church, CCD building and annex, are still a reality. However, we are attempting to integrate the heating and cooling systems, and if we succeed in installing a combination system in the church, we will be able to install a smaller and more energy efficient boiler in the annex and the CCD building. I just want to reiterate, that the funds collected by Fr. Urbaniak for the boiler remain in a special account, and will be used for this purpose only.”
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