Chapel Window

Last Saturday morning (August 6), one of the large clear windows in the UUC chapel spontaneously shattered in place. UUC pianist Dwight Beckmeyer had his back to the window while practicing, but the accompanying “boom” certainly got his attention!

Our weekend custodians (Alberto Sandoval and Jorge del Valle) immediately jumped into action, removing a couple rows of chairs, vacuuming a small amount of tiny glass bits, setting up a safety barrier, and collecting supplies for a temporary window cover. They and our Director of Operations, Byron Krystad, were able to quickly install a temporary cover on the window, and Saturday and Sunday events in the chapel proceeded without a hitch.

The glass vendor and contractor for the recent building remodel are investigating. At this time, it appears it was an impact issue for the one pane of glass involved, not a structural issue with the materials or building that could involve the remaining undamaged panes. The glass vendor has installed a special film to reinforce the broken window as it stands. While we are waiting for the replacement of this window, we ask that members and visitors look but do not touch the filmed glass that remains in place, for everyone’s safety. Thank you.

We expect the glass replacement to take four to six months, as lead times for manufacturing such a large piece of tempered safety glass are long. In addition, the equipment and necessary shoring of the building to allow the replacement work will take some time.