It was a soggy summer in our building. We’re talking serious humidity. And that’s not good for musical instruments. Too much humidity and they lose their ringing quality. (Too little, conversely, and they may crack.)

We took our own steps to reduce the wetness. We ran dehumidifiers, changed the fan speed, left the AC on at night, turned it off at night, made it warmer, made it cooler, closed some doors, opened others. Nothing worked.

That is until our friends at Pipe Wrench Plumbing, Heating & Cooling came to the rescue. After a call from Building Manager Ed Sublett, they diagnosed the problem (ironically, a new AC unit that was “too efficient”) and proposed a solution: an in-line dehumidifier. But it was going to cost $6,500!

Soon afterward, Pipe Wrench General Manager Whitney Mitchell toured JoMS at the invitation of Executive Director Frank Graffeo. He introduced her to staff , teachers, and students. He showed her the at-risk instruments as well.

Finally, Frank sat with her at the end of the tour and asked if her company would be willing to donate the solution to the moisture problem. Whitney’s reply? “I had my mind made up five minutes into the tour.”

The School now has a $6,500 in-line dehumidifier, and the air is Goldilocks all the way: Just right! The instruments are in the zone and sounding great. And, to top it off, Pipe Wrench Plumbing, Heating & Cooling is presenting sponsor of our Swing for Joy benefit golf tournament (see page 3). To all that goodness we say to Whitney and Pipe Wrench, Cool