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After seven months of glitch-free
construction, I was surprised to hear Scott Jacobs,
our on-site manager, suddenly announce "We've struck
oil." In some parts of the country, that would
have been cause for rejoicing. Images of the Beverly
Hillbillies began dancing in my head and, for a moment,
I even heard myself saying "We're home free."
But this wasn't any ordinary
oil. This was heating oil buried under our parking lot.
But lest I get ahead of myself, let me back up and tell
you "the rest of the story." Several years
ago, our present building was warmed by oil heat. At
a point no one seems able to remember, systems were
changed. So what happened to the tank which held the
oil reserves? It was paved over. We're talking asphalt
here. Which was promptly forgotten until a few weeks
ago. Perhaps you will remember my telling you of a water
conduit connecting the new Christian Life Center to
the line on Pleasant Street. The contractor was trenching
the route quite nicely until he heard a large "thunk."
He had struck an obstacle. Fortunately, he didn't penetrate
the obstacle.
Further examination revealed
the submerged tank (just a few feet south of where we
store the trash cans from the kitchen). More careful
digging unearthed the parameters of our problem. Would
you believe, we were staring at a tank that measured
eight feet by thirty feet, holding twelve thousand gallons?
What's more, it was full. Not all of the contents were
oil. There was water as well. But it was a very good
thing that the tank was not empty. "Empty"
might have signified a leak. And a leak might have signified
a major environmental problem. After no small amount
of consultation, it appears that we do not have a hazard
on our hands. But we still have a problem.
Initially, we thought we
could bend the water line around the tank, using what
are sometimes called "elbows" in the plumbing
business. Upon receiving an explanation that would exhaust
this space (while taxing my comprehension), this alternative
was deemed impractical and expensive. Truth be told,
removing the tank isn't cheap. It's not something that
Tony, Chito and Gary could do on a weekday afternoon.
In fact, one has to hire experts. They come and drain
the contents before excavating the container. All of
which will take place between July 28-30. So if you
enter the parking lot on those days and see a pond-sized
crater, don't be surprised. And don't fall in. It will
be covered over by the weekend. Then we can complete
the water line, fill the hole and repave the gash. And,
in answer to multiple questions "No, we can't sell
the oil."
From
the July 27 issue of Steeple Notes
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