Greetings to the congregation from the Capital Campaign Team! It has been a long time since our amazing end to the campaign last winter, and we’d like to fill you all in on what has happened over the summer as well as what our plans are for the next stage of work. Your generosity through pledging and ongoing payments to those commitments is allowing us to make significant improvements to the church campus.
Covid-19 certainly altered the plans we had last year. Work was halted, factories were closed, the town permitting office stopped accepting requests, and our sequence of work changed to an exterior focus. This summer we spent $200,000 to completely rid the parking lot of flooding by replacing old drainage problems and creating a new system for water flow. That money also resealed and re-lined the entire lot. New sidewalks have been built and new stairs now grace the entrances to both the Meeting House and the main church building.
Going forward, we are focusing first on the skylight and the front of the sanctuary. Both will be rebuilt, in order to stop the leaking and create a safer and healthier place for worship. The chancel (stage) at the front will be improved by having handicapped access and thicker glass walls, upgraded heating, and new wiring to improve the AV system – no more problems with the microphones! Due to the extended time that is required for permitting, we are not completely sure when this work will begin. At the latest it could be early next summer. The pandemic has created some specific needs in terms of technology associated with congregational communication and there will be smaller fundraisers in our future to meet these needs.
It is difficult to experience and celebrate these completed improvements while the church is closed. But be assured that our energy and vision for this project has not wavered. Our staff and the Facilities Team are working non-stop to keep this project going. We have included some photos of the completed work below – enjoy! We thank you again for your continued pledge fulfillment which is making our dreams for the ongoing ministries of this church come true.
If you have questions or comments about the Campaign, please direct them to Rev. Morehouse at revjohn@uuwestport,org.
If you need information about your pledge, contact Sue O’Meara, our church accountant at sue@uuwestport.org.
With great appreciation,
The Capital Campaign Team:
Mary Jane, Kristen, Catherine, Anita and Carol
