by Mike Brosky, Building Committee Chair, and Allen Freund, Board member
The Building Committee has had a relatively quiet winter, all of us staying cozy by our wood stoves; but late in the fall, after having addressed the majority of the findings in the recent Fire Marshal’s inspection, attention turned to addressing the leaks in the roof above the grocery section. As mentioned in the last newsletter, the Co-op staff has begun noticing leaks from various points in the grocery store ceiling, especially during thermally challenging periods, such as spring thaws where ice dams have developed on the eve. As the Committee considered next steps after having performed a preliminary inspection of the roof, it was decided that a temporary solution was needed.
The roof over the grocery section of the Co-op is unique from the rest of the building as it is an older style with exterior fasteners with neoprene seals, which tend to degrade and leak over time. In late November, Committee members Joe John and Jeremy Matt sealed each fastener with silicone caulk in the hopes of reducing some of the leaking. This was marginally successful, but didn’t completely address the issue. Following these first attempts to resolve the leaking, we were fortunate to get valuable and much needed technical assistance from Chris Miksic, contractor and friend of the Co-op. Chris concluded that the roof was leaking from the screw-down exterior fasteners, which couldn’t be effectively replaced or repaired. Additionally we discovered no vapor barrier was ever installed, causing significant heat and moisture loss through the Co-op ceiling which formed condensation when it hit the cold metal roof. The condensation dripped back into the store and has ruined the fiberglass insulation placed between the truss chords.
We now have plans for very secure, very energy efficient roof, vapor barrier and insulation packages that will serve the Co-op well for many years and accommodate future growth. Sandra Vitzthum, architect, and Bob Neeld, structural engineer, have been involved to assure our new roof is safe and code compliant. Contractors are being contacted and we are getting estimates.
Another significant issue we are facing is the cooler components, which fail frequently and are way past repairable. A total failure is likely in the coming months. To avoid the catastrophe of operating in the heat of summer and suffering through a “surprise” cooler failure, we are working with our refrigeration contractor, Alpine Refrigeration, to purchase new components and schedule the replacement at a time which will to allow us to manage any disruption of business.
Clearly the staff at the Co-op and Co-op Board are experiencing some unfortunate unexpected surprises. They are working with the Building Committee to prioritize addressing the most serious issues. There is some money in our Capital Budget which will be augmented by a fundraising campaign. The Co-op Board is currently working on a fundraising strategy to be implemented, as soon as possible. The Building Committee and Co-op Board are resilient and committed to effectively resolving these and other building issues.
Besides considerations and planning regarding the roof and cooler, the Building Committee has also assisted with smaller projects as needed.
Committee member Barry Walz has been very responsive when asked by the Co-op staff for help with various projects, large and small. For example, installation of another handrail and installation of the furnace fire door to ensure fire-code compliance, as well as helping with the recent shelving re-set by relocating bulletin boards and the bulk bag station. Thank you, Barry!!
Long-time Committee member Jason Mallery and his son Ben volunteered to take on the not so small project of repairing the loading dock at the back of the building. In Late February a delivery driver accidentally damaged the retaining wall next to the dock edge, causing the ramp to partially collapse (see before and after photos). Jason and Ben removed the old timbers, which were rotten, replaced them with fresh pressure treated timbers as well as built a pressure treated ramp adjacent to the wall to ensure a smooth movement of hand trucks. Thank you Jason and Ben!!
The members of the Building Committee are
- Mike Brosky
- Barry Walz
- Joe John
- David Ertel
- Kyle Cheney
