Building Evaluation Update
Last September, the Board authorized the Property Committee to work with the Disciples Church Extension Fund to conduct a Building Evaluation.
At this time I wish to give an update to our congregation.
This Building Evaluation began with a site visit on January 27
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by Rev. Jim Michel, DCEF, and included a top to bottom review of our facilities. At the end of that day, Jim commented that our facilities were in very good shape and condition for their age. He found no area where the foundation was in urgent need of attention. This demonstrates that our Property Committee has been very good stewards of our facilities over the past 175 plus years. Jim also commented that the Boiler Room is one of the cleanest that he has ever seen in a facility of our age and size; it is apparent that our boilers are very well maintained. The Building Evaluation also included a review of how our ministries use the facilities, looking for ways to better utilize the space we have for the ministries that we have or may wish to have.
A few weeks after the on-site walk through, the members of the team convened again to see if they had any new observations after looking at our facility and ministries with "new eyes" for a few Sundays.
A summary of our observations and findings has been sent to Jim Michel.
There will be another conference with Jim and the team before he issues his final report to the Church.
Note that his report will provide guidance but it up to us, the congregation, to decide upon whatever follow-up actions are needed.
His report will provide some input into our New Beginnings process.
So as you participate in New Beginnings, you will have opportunity to make you own comments on our facility and ministries.
Some of you may have heard about some of the ideas that have been suggested for changes to the facility or how our ministries use it.
And some of these ideas may be may be very exciting for you and you cannot wait for them to happen; but you must wait, because at this time they are only ideas that were suggested and need to be discussed and studied to see if they are possible or worthwhile.
And some may have heard ideas that you do not like; these too are only ideas that were suggested and need to be discussed and studied to see if they are possible or worthwhile.
Please understand that any ideas that were suggested will be reviewed and discussed by the Property Committee, and if they mean a significant change they will come before the Board, and if they involve very significant change they may be presented to the Congregation for comments before they are acted upon.
If anyone has any questions or comments, feel free to contact me or anyone else who participated in this process.
Jim Rybka, Co-Chair of the Property Committee