I would like to provide you with an update on the church boiler. About a month ago, a company conducted an inspection of the boiler in preparation for a major and costly repair. After examining it twice within two weeks, they informed me that repairing the boiler would not be possible and that it would need to be replaced entirely.
On the same day, with the help of parishioners, I began the process of securing a new boiler. We requested proposals from three companies and received two of them by December 19. That same day, we contacted the Archdiocese of Washington, and St James was granted funds for the new boiler. However, work has not yet begun due to the Christmas break. This type of installation typically takes 8 to 10 weeks.
In the meantime, it was suggested that we rent a temporary heater for both the church and, if possible, part of the school. The heater was installed on December 24, but we encountered some issues. It did not work properly on December 25, but thankfully, the company resolved the problems, and the temporary heater is now operational for the church. Unfortunately, we discovered another issue: the heater’s power exceeds the capacity of our electrical system, causing fuses to trip. We have managed to find electrical connections that work for now, but it’s not a permanent solution. Last Friday, I met with an electrician to discuss installing more powerful electrical lines, which should allow us to connect the units reliably.
As you can see, there are many important details involved, and this project is extremely costly. The temporary heater costs $29,000 for two months, and if we need to refill the fuel, the cost could rise to $39,000. Installing new electrical connections will be less expensive but is still expected to cost a few thousand dollars.
In the coming weeks, we will be asking for your support. God willing, I will announce a special collection for this purpose next week.