YMCA article’s facts questioned
Published 12:39 pm Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Editor:
The article (“YMCA loan withheld”, Friday, Sept. 11 edition) about the YMCA and the costs of repairing the HVAC system may have misled your readers. It implies (or does it state?) that Putney Mechanical had been in charge of maintaining and repairing the system that serves the swimming pool, that it was paid $5,749 for that maintenance, that it failed to maintain the system properly, and that, as a result, the YMCA was saddled with many thousands of dollars in unexpected expenses because of the negligent maintenance by Putney Mechanical.
The correct facts are these:
1. Putney Mechanical has never been responsible for the HVAC system that serves the pool area. It has never maintained, repaired or serviced that system and in no way contributed to the expenses faced by the YMCA for its repair. This system is extremely complex and is specifically designed for natatoriums to heat and cool the area, control humidity and heat the pool water.
2. Putney Mechanical is currently maintaining other HVAC systems at the YMCA. But again, your figures are incorrect and they include not only the repair work on the HVAC systems but also plumbing repair unrelated to the HVAC system.
While we have been very pleased with the new format and coverage of The Herald, we do believe that your reporters should be more thorough in researching their stories.
Joseph M. Zehner
President
Putney Mechanical Co., Inc.
W. Parker Terry
Secretary/Treasurer
Putney Mechanical Co. Inc.
Editor’s note: The referenced news story contained only one mention of Putney Mechanical. Quoting verbatim from a county report, the article said that after the YMCA determined an HVAC system was not being properly maintained, it contracted with Putney Mechanical and paid the firm $5,749 from October 2014 to May 2015. The story mentioned nothing about a swimming pool, Putney’s maintaining a system, or a maintenance failure on the firm’s part.