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Meetinghouse hit by heavy soot after furnace failure; board awaiting remediation and insurance estimates
Summary
Town staff reported a failed furnace heat exchanger that sent heavy soot through vents into the meetinghouse, coating curtains, pews and equipment; initial remediation quotes are pending and early estimates discussed at the meeting put restoration costs potentially in the low hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Julie, the town staff member who fielded the report, told the board she found heavy black smoke and soot inside the brick meetinghouse after a furnace failure and that a hole in the heat exchanger had forced soot into the building vents.
“The furnace had a hole in the heat exchanger… and instead of blowing all of this crap out the chimney, it blew it up the vents into the building,” Julie said, describing deep contamination to walls, curtains and the auditorium seating. She said the piano and some sound equipment may be irreparably damaged and that the large stage curtain will likely require replacement.
Julie said she has asked a remediation contractor and a furnace technician to prepare written estimates and that the town’s insurance adjuster has already inspected the site and described the damage as “massive.” Board members discussed grant funding timelines and insurance coverage; one estimate discussed during the meeting put total remediation and restoration in the range of “a couple $100,000” when factoring structure repairs, curtain replacement and contents restoration, though exact amounts were not yet available.
The board agreed to coordinate remediation work with the company handling planned grant-funded repairs and to follow up on whether insurance subrogation will apply to any contractors involved in the original furnace work. Officials said final restoration timelines will depend on contractor quotes and grant disbursement schedules.
