For those of us who still speak of “our new facility,” here’s a shocker: The new Bath Area Family YMCA opened its doors in April 2001. That was 14 years ago. Fourteen years, or twice the lifespan of spandex. The building and the systems within it are no longer “new.”

The Y has been plagued over the years with a variety of glitches in its HVAC system. Members have complained, especially during transition months in the spring and fall, that the temperature (or more precisely, the temperatures) are either too hot or too cold. The primary reason for the difficulty is that the building operates using several different systems. For example, portions of the first floor have radiant heat in the floor and a system of air exchange in the ceiling. Problems occur when the two systems fail to communicate.

That is the bad news. The good news is that help is underway. The Y has received a loan of $1.1 million from the Community Facilities Direct Loan Program of USDA Rural Development. This is a federal agency that in Maine alone has provided more than $430 million through the areas of homeownership, business assistance, energy and renewable energy development, water and wastewater and community facilities. The loan will allow the Y to address these problems once and for all by, among other things, ripping out the control systems in their entirety and replacing them with a completely new system that will enable all systems to communicate.

Sabrina Murphy, Executive Director of the Y, said, “We are fortunate to have such a beautiful facility to offer services which provide youth development, healthy living and social responsibility for all members of our communities. Taking preventative steps to support this asset is part of our long range plan.”

According to Murphy, the loan has several positive outcomes.

“One half of the $1,1 million is being used on important building upgrades. These building changes address obsolescence, compliance, comfort and efficiencies. The building efficiencies will save $56,000 a year. The second half of the loan is to consolidate our exisiting debt structure with low interest rates. The combination of energy savings and lower interest rates will cover the payments of the loan. We also plan to create a sinking fund to shorten the payback of the loan.”

Murphy acknowledged the help of the staff at the USDA Rural Development office in this process.

“Our community is considered rural and this eligibility opened the door for us to address much needed issues in a timely manner,“ Murphy said.

W.H. Demmons of Portland is overseeing the project, which began last month and will be completed by March, according to construction manager Jeff Bard. In a recent conversation Bard summarized the work Demmons will be doing during the next two months:

. Install new ultraviolet filtering system for the swimming pool which will require less chlorine and result in a more environmentally favorable impact.

. Replace existing motors with variable frequency drive (vfd) motors on pumps to allow the pumps to run more efficiently and economically.

. Install a more efficient boiler system that will have the capacity to operate on LP or natural gas should that become an option.

. Replace the current zone valves.

. Completely replace the control panels with direct digital control panels that will allow a subsidiary company of Demmons to monitor the Y’s systems from its offices in Portland as well as at the Y facility.

. Replace the Large Pool Air HVAC unit

Doug Martin, president of W.H. Demmons, explained that the new Direct Digital Control system allows the company’s control division to monitor all the systems at the Y remotely. Thus when something goes awry, the control monitor at the Portland office of Demmons can troubleshoot without being present on site.

“With this system we can fix problems without the necessity of a house call,” Martin said. “We believe the savings will pay for itself in four years or so.”

Upcoming Events

. Festival of Trees, Dec. 9 and 10 at the Long Reach Room of the Maine Maritime Museum.

. The Y will be closed on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.