I have been surprised recently at what people have told me they have heard from others about the upcoming building projects. Half-truths, personal preferences, and doubts, are being passed around as gospel truth about the work to be done. I want to take this opportunity to set the record straight again about what the vestry and parish have agreed to, what is still being worked on, and a best estimate of a time-table.
The next project that will be started, probably mid-May, will be the new driveway and drop off area behind the church office building. The basic design for this was included in the original contract negotiations with Olympia over two and a half years ago, and the details have been worked out. This will include a gated entrance from the new Wetherell street between the church and the new parking garage, a drop-off area, several parking spaces, and handicapped entrance into the office building. Electrical conduit is being run to each parking space for the future charging of electric cars. A gated exit will be directly across from the entrance to the parking garage so that when the garage becomes our primary parking, it will be easy to cross the street and enter into it. We will be able to park in the garage starting in mid-April, but our current lot will continue to be available for our parking until Olympia starts building their new structure on it. They have not given us a date when that may happen.
Concurrent with the drop-off area in the back, Olympia will also be rebuilding our church narthex side entrance, in the southwest corner of the church. Our most used entrance will become handicapped accessible by the building of a porch, new steps, and a handicapped accessible ramp. The ramp will be faced to match the stonework on the church. Both the drop-off area and this newly rebuilt ramp will be paid for by Olympia as a part of our original lease negotiations with them.
The building committee, made up of members of the vestry and other members of the parish with both building expertise and/or long-time use of the space, have been meeting with the architects to develop the plans for reconstruction of the kitchen, undercroft, and parish office building. It was the consensus of both the Parish Town Hall Meeting, as well as the many meetings of the vestry, to be both forward looking in how the building can be used in the future, but prudent in the expenditure of money in order to avoid becoming indebted for the project.
When Google decided to move to a new building in Ann Arbor, two-year-old commercial grade kitchen equipment from their old building was donated to us. We have hired the architecture firm that built the old and new Google kitchens to help us with the design process that will both expand and make more efficient our kitchen space. The kitchen committee has agreed to a plan, and the vestry will consider it at the next meeting.
Although we had three general plans to consider in deciding at the Town Hall meeting the scale of work to be done with the undercroft and office building, the committee saw the first set of detailed plans for both spaces this past week. The committee is making suggestions to the architects for changes. Once a plan is decided upon, the vestry will also consider it for approval.
The time table is the tricky part. Once we come to a consensus we have to put it out for bid to several contractors, and also get permits from the City of Detroit. The Diocese will also be informed and will have to give approval for financing that the parish might need during the building process.
A most likely start date for undercroft/kitchen/office construction will not be until the end of July at the earliest. The trailer now in the back of the lot, being used by the company constructing the garage, will become the temporary parish office space during the rebuilding. When we decide on a timetable for when which part of the building will be reconstructed we will let everyone know.
Initial estimates for our portion of the work, not including the kitchen, is $1.5 million dollars. With the addition of the kitchen this will certainly rise. As of the end of July we will have approximately $850,000 in the bank from several years past payments on the lease and other deposits saved for this project. Another $500,000 of the pledged $1.2 million dollars from parishioners should be on deposit by then as well. Depending on final price and the pace of both construction and fulfillment of pledges for the project, we may be able to do all of this without any financing from the bank, or as little as possible.
