(June 20, 2011, Gettysburg) The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg began its first major construction project designed to make the campus greener and more efficient today.
The project will replace the heating and cooling systems (HVAC) of the Seminary’s chapel, the Church of the Abiding Presence, built in 1942 and fitted with steam heat from the central boiler facility. The chapel closed June 20th for construction and will remain closed until the interior work is done in late August, before the school year begins.
The work on the chapel’s heating and cooling systems are a part of larger plans held by the Seminary to refurbish all the worn finishes, make the building more accessible, and make the accommodations of the facility safer and more comfortable for users.
According to seminary staff members, the radiators of the steam heat were beginning to fail and proved to be at the end of their life cycle. But rather than replace it with a new version of the same system, Seminary officials studied HVAC systems appropriate for the future decades. Feasibility studies took place in 2007 and 2008.
Geothermal heat pump based HVAC systems turned out to be good for this application on several fronts. Seminary staff noted their particular efficiency, reduction of the seminary’s carbon footprint, and the ability to control both temperature and humidity. This is especially significant for the long term preservation of the Andover tracker organ, its concert piano and harpsichord, as well as all the wood in the chapel.
A test well drilled in 2007 revealed good thermal characteristics of shale that covered the full 400 feet of the well.
Approximately 25 wells will be drilled sometime in July, each roughly 400 feet deep to allow the system to utilize the relatively constant 50 degree temperature of the earth.
The last major renovation took place in 1979-1980 and Seminary leaders easily list features such as flooring and seating that look worn, faced and scuffed. Since that renovation, Music Gettysburg! has added thousands to the count of area residents who regularly attend events in the nearly 70 year old facility. The chapel is used daily on most weekdays for seminary worship, with other special lectures, concerts and worship services, preaching classes, music rehearsals rounding out a busy space.
The project is designed to take three months and the heating and cooling systems are scheduled to be fully operational in October. A second phase, awaiting full funding from friends and constituents, will add an elevator and new ADA compliant restroom facilities, a new ramp and motorized doors to assist those who use wheelchairs.