Refs: A. Meeting Jeff Szumlanski/Alphonse Doyle (RMC NPF Account Manager) 25 Jan 07
B. Meeting Jeff Szumlanski/Steve France (RMC Foundation President) 26 Jan 07
This is an email to advise you that your Class Gift donation cheque was turned over to the RMC Foundation today and will be cashed in the near future. My apologizes for the short notice, however things moved quickly this week between the RMC Foundation and the NPF Account manager this week. The good news is that the 20% deposit cheque will be issued to Sandpiper Studios to commence work on our stained glass windows within two to three weeks.
Additional info:
Why was the project delayed past October 31, 2006?
There was a delay in the autumn following the 10-year reunion caused by a fire regulation that prevented the existing "fire-rated glass" to be removed from the six-pane window between the New Gym and the CMRC. The existing "georgian wired" ceramic glass is fire-rated to contain a fire in the New Gym for up to 60 mins, since there is no water sprinklers in the New Gym because of the age of the building. Working through this issue with the Base CE Chief Architect and the BCE Project Officer slightly delayed the approval of the window by Base Construction Engineering until a work-around was achieved. The stained glass windows will now be mounted on the side of the six-pane window facing in towards the circular atrium. A wooden trim will be used to hold the windows in place, which added an additional cost for materials and installation of $2000. Also, three panes of the existing fire glass are cracked. RMC Physical Plant must now replace the broken panes before final installation of the stained glass windows can proceed. However, Sandpiper Studios has estimated it will take between three to six months to contruct the six stained glass window panes.
What other issues had to be resolved in the fall before the project could proceed?
Because the stained glass windows were no longer being installed on the New Gym side into the existing window stops, an issue arose because of the safe work height requirement on the atrium side of the window, since there is a circular ledge on the inside of the atrium that would have prevented normal scaffolding from being used. Marc Rancourt was instrumental in locating specialized scaffolding available in the RMC CivEng department that enables the installation to be completed by enabling Sandpiper Studios to work forward of the scaffolding main structure. Prior to locating this specialized scaffolding we had been considering renting a hydraulic lift, however the rental cost and logistical problem of getting it up to the second floor of the New Gym were significant hurdles.
How were we able to afford the revised cost of $14,000 for the stained glass windows?
The RMC Foundation provided an additional $5,000 to assist us with our $9,400 of donations in order to meet the revised cost of the stained glass windows. In my view, this helps offset the original donations that were absorbed by the Foundation in the late nineties due to income tax changes. It has also helped us move to complete the stained glass window portion of the project. The orginal estimate was $12,000 for the windows and $3,000 for the cast bronze plaque (total of $15,000). The revised costs are $14,000 (windows) and $3,000 (plaque) for a total of $17,000. A small amount of additional fundraising awareness will need to be done to rally up money for the plaque.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at any time. If you are in contact with any fellow classmates, please pass this along. It would be nice to receive ten or twenty more donations in order to buy the bronze placque and have the entire thing finished this year. I am quite well aware how tired you are of being pestered for money. As I found out this week, you can contact the RMC Foundation and request to be identified as "do not solicit" in their database to reduce the amount of mailings asking for money. The newsletter is run by the Ex-Cadet Club, a different entity, however they may also have a similar option if you no longer want the newsletters and emails, etc.
I appreciate your patience and trust in providing a donation cheque in advance.
Jeff Szumlanski
engrn@cogeco.ca
jeff.szumlanski@rmc.ca
613-549-5648
www.rmc96gift.blogspot.com
