Renovations to Sisterhood’s guest house hit bump

In August, we were thrilled to announce that we had met our goal of $6.3 million for the renewal of our guest house, having raised even more than that ($6.4 million). That includes $2 million from the Sisterhood’s endowment fund.

We were sailing along on a river of joy and thanksgiving until we discovered in October that there was an urgent need to replace the guest house’s heating system, which we had planned only to upgrade.

The initial scope of work for the renovations included individual heating, ventilation and air conditioning units that guests could control themselves, as well as individual controls for the perimeter heating (radiators that are fed by the boiler in cold weather). It was determined that the boiler would be workable for several more years.

During the demolition phase, however, it was discovered that the pipes feeding the radiators were too old and rusted to be able to add valves for individual controls, and the radiators themselves were rusted out in many places and no longer efficient.

At the most recent owner-architect-contractor meeting, it was noted that if we are ever going to replace the 68-year-old heating pipes and radiators, it would have to be now before any further work is done in framing. Additional demolition will be necessary, as will additional asbestos abatement. We have received some indication that this is going to be a very expensive project that will likely involve several hundreds of thousands of dollars if we go ahead, but we cannot know the actual cost until architectural plans are drawn up for a new heating system and until the contractor has then priced the work.

At this point, our board of directors has authorized only the expenditure for the architectural plans. Once we have received the actual cost, we will then have to decide whether to go ahead.

However, not to go ahead with the heating system replacement means that the “new” guest house will not meet two of our major goals. One (which our guests bring up repeatedly) is to give our guests individual control over the heat in their rooms. The other is our need for a more efficient, economical and environmentally friendly system.

If we decide to go ahead, it will also mean a two- to three-month delay in opening the guest house (and the additional cost of the contractors for a longer period is part of what drives the cost up).

We will need to make a final decision before the end of the 2024, and we will keep you posted through our website and email news updates.

We thank you for the amazing generosity that has allowed us to get this far. We would love to hear from you if you think you could help with this additional major expense. If you, or others you know, could consider a further donation, please be in touch with me, Sr. Connie, at [email protected].

This article originally appeared in the SSJD’s fall publication.