Building Committee Updates

2-22-2012 - Building Committee Update:
Our committee has been diligently meeting weekly since late August of 2011, meeting with staff, various ministries, and hosting informational congregation meetings to investigate, needs, generate feed back, and explore the growth and options our congregation has to expand our current facility. 

We have developed a preliminary space plan that:

1. Totally renovated the existing South Building to be used for youth education and youth ministries.  The space is laid out to be multi-functional and would include new HVAC and Electrical & Lighting upgrades, as well as new finishes ie: ceilings, carpet, tile and paint.
2. Expand the current North Building to include a larger fellowship space for gatherings, weddings, and funerals.
3. Connect or “link” the two buildings together to provide better use of the two buildings and allow for consolidating all administrative offices in one area.

This preliminary design and study offers many advantages, additional space and upgrades to what currently exists for youth education, fellowship gather space and functional administration offices.

The building committee is in the process of evaluating Design-Build General Contractors, and credentials, references and pricing to complete the project.

We have received planning commission approval from the City of Waconia and are very hopeful for a Spring Groundbreaking.

Should anyone have any questions feel free to contact Jack Shaw or Galen Tongen, Building Committee Co-Chairmen.

Thank you,
John N. (Jack) Shaw

12-11-2011 - BUILDING COMMITTEE INFORMATION: The building committee believes that it is important for the congregation to have an understanding of the reasons behind the proposed building project and the resulting benefits.  Following is a partial list of those benefits.

• The education building will be remodeled to 1)improve the classrooms and widen the hallways with a more functional floor plan 2)upgrade the mechanical systems and bring the building up to code 3)replace the worn out flat roof with a sloped roof 4)improve storage facilities in the building.
• A large fellowship hall will be added to the West end of the sanctuary building. This was part of the original plan when the sanctuary was built but was scrubbed due to cost overruns.
• A link will be built between the two existing buildings which will include an additional entrance to the facility. The link in combination with the fellowship hall addition will allow consolidation of church administration staff into one centralized location.
• Pick up and drop off congestion will be relieved by adding and improving building exits and entrances.
• The improvements to the overall facility will expand and improve the outreach capabilities of the congregation.
• As a side benefit, construction costs and interest rates are very favorable right now.

The committee is making every effort to track suggestions by the congregation and incorporate them into the plan.  To have your suggestions heard or to further your understanding of the project, plan to attend one or both of the planned informational meetings: Monday, December 12 at 6:00 p.m. in the sanctuary or Sunday January 8 at 9:30 a.m. in the North Conference Room.  You can also check out the Faith website under the “about us” tab or see the bulletin board in the vestibule.

12-4-2011 - BUILDING COMMITTEE UPDATE – Building Committee update: 
After seeking input from the ministry areas, staff, and church council, the committee has settled on a preliminary plan and design.  The next step is to develop specifications and then interview and select 3 or 4 design/build contractors to provide a firm cost estimate.  The committee hopes to have contractor bids by January 5th and make recommendations to the church council by January 17, 2012.  The design/build approach is a little different from the traditional method of building a church.  Instead of hiring an architect to develop firm plans and specifications, the committee hired an architect to develop the preliminary floor plan and exterior design for a minimal cost.  Bidding contractors will now be asked to put together more firm plans and specifications in conjunction with preparing their bids.  The expectation is that this will result in a significantly better finished product at a lower cost.

Input received from attendees at the congregational meeting last Sunday is being discussed and incorporated into the plan as much as is feasible within cost limitations. For more detailed information and the latest updates, plan to attend one or both of the following update meetings: Monday, December 12, at 6:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary and Sunday, January 8 at 9:30 a.m. in the North Conference Room. 

 11-27-2011 - BUILDING COMMITTEE UPDATE – Last Sunday, as part of the congregational meeting, the Building Committee presented a progress report on the three components of the building planning project they are working on.  For those who missed the meeting, the three components area: 1) Upgrade the south education building 2) Link the south building with the main sanctuary building 3) Add a fellowship hall onto the main sanctuary building.  For more detailed information and/or further updates, anyone interested is invited to attend one or both of the following update meetings Monday, December 12 at 6:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary and Sunday, January 8 at 9:30 a.m. in the North Conference Room.