Well, you just knew things were going too good…our phone system crashed. As you may recall, we just spent $1,100 in December on a new network card that enabled service to all our extensions. As various connections went bad, we disconnected other ones that were low in usage but finally ran out of available live links. People plugging PC’s into the phone-only plugs were the culprits in causing that problem as it would burn out the connection on the network card. We’ve since labeled all plugs as V for voice or D for data to ensure no repeat….well…our voice mail went out several times in the last couple of weeks and we were able to reset the system and keep it going until last week when it died completely. We rely on the voice mail system for emergency calls for those needing a Priest during non-business hours, so it was critical to get it back up and running. The central processing unit was bad and needed to be replaced. This hit us below the belt to the tune of $1,300; for some things there is no choice but to get it fixed as quickly as possible, this was one of them. We were without voice mail to all extensions from 1/21 to 1/24…if you left any staff people messages, they were lost so you may want to re-connect. I had one from an individual wanting to help with the audio-visual system – please call me back.
We had some heating system problems as well…not completely unexpected….a belt broke on one of our big roof top units and we had two control centers that were inoperable. I am a firm believer in keeping the thermostat as low as possible to save money, but also a firm believer that people have to be warm enough where they are not getting frostbite on their fingers while working on the computer. We had it all repaired and while we don’t have final a figure it will be around $800. We took advantage of the “heating Guy” being out here and had them inspect and approve our boilers for continued operation – required by the City of Troy.
We are moving ahead on the audio-visual replacement in the Davidson Center. It will not be installed by the Valentine event, but we’ve made arrangements for a rental unit, so we are covered. The total cost of replacement will be $3,900 which will give us a state of the art system in the Davidson Center. I’ve indicated in past articles how important I feel this is as an aid to Ministry and Religious Education in the techie world we live in. It should be installed, up and running by the end of February. We are donating the old unit to another Catholic Church for them to repair it and use it for whatever life it has left.
The staff has completed their Self-Evaluations and we’ve updated and are reviewing all job descriptions based on the changing requirements of some positions. The formal reviews will start on Monday, February 8th and our goal is to have them done by Monday, February 15th. Reviews are a good thing for both employee and administration if looked at in a positive manner. I think it’s important that employees know exactly what the expectations of them are as well as vice versa that administration knows what’s on the employees mind. I anticipate this to be a very positive activity for both.
Your support of the Haitian people through CRS (Catholic Relief Services) was nothing short of humbling at just over $14,000. The challenge for the fund administrators will be administering and allocating the money in an ethical and safe manner as the Haitian government does not have a good record of being forthcoming or honest. I’m convinced that safe guards are in place to ensure wise use of the money and that it will go to the areas of most immediate need.
That’s all for this article…God bless you all, Franz
