Creating a welcoming and functional spiritual home
for our congregation and the larger community
26 April 2021
Kitchen Rehab Project:
the gruesome part
This is the kitchen at its most gruesome in early April; the top photo is of the old grease trap, the 2nd shows the room gutted with trenching for plumbing.

Thanks to 56 generous donor households, we've raised $108,248 toward our $155,000 kitchen rehab budget with several pledges still outstanding. This exceeds our fundraising target of $100K; the balance needed will be withdrawn from parking lot sale proceeds.

As we approach the end of April, photos below show that the concrete floor has been laid and an opening cut for a new window. Reggie and subcontractors are preparing to install framing & ductwork later this week.
PROJECT UPDATES
Little House Rehab

The Little House supports our social justice work, primarily UUHP and the Friday Night Picnic. A project proposal and supporting statement from the Social Justice Committee were submitted to the Board earlier this month. 

The 400 square foot concrete block building has seen minimal investment and, with a 30 year old badly deteriorated roof, it is time to take action to protect and secure the building. Karen White & Sharon Winters, the Board Facilities Task Force, assessed the proposal against our five project criteria.

The Board has just approved roofing, related structural repairs, door replacement and other improvements to the Little House at a cost of $8550. The Little House Designated Fund will cover close to $8000 in costs (this fund holds contributions made specifically for the Little House, under the Social Justice umbrella). The balance of costs will come from the Maintenance Reserves Fund. We hope to complete most of this work by mid-summer.
Potential Mirror Lake Historic District

Some of our congregation members are quite interested in this issue. The City expects to send mailings to and invite property owners to a public information session early this summer. Staff in the City's Planning Division are preparing an information packet for City Council. Council will then likely initiate the nomination process for a potential historic district. After that approval is in place, the process of writing the application and more public meetings will follow. Timelines are not firm at this point but to learn more, click here.
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DO YOU KNOW...?
How we use the
Maintenance Reserve Fund
This fund was established a few years ago to set aside money - or create a nest egg - to address major facilities maintenance issues. All building systems have an expected life cycle and we're trying to anticipate and plan for these expenses rather than deal with emergencies.

The Buildings & Grounds Team, with advice from architect Martin Gold in the Facilities Master Plan, has projected these costs over the next 10 years. They average $30,000/year for projects like roof repair & maintenance, HVAC upgrades, interior and exterior painting, and arborist services.

We currently fund Maintenance Reserves at $10,000/year. In the proposed FY2021-22 budget, we hope to increase that to $15,000/year. Click here to learn more about how major maintenance work fits into the larger Facilities Master Plan.
Key Documents

In dialogue with church leaders and members, this evaluation of our facilities provided the basis for development of the Master Plan.

July 2020
Synthesizes priorities and needs and suggests a range of options for future investment.

September 2020
Two-year strategy to integrate facilities maintenance with the Master Plan.




Lend A Hand
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The Buildings & Grounds Team always welcomes new members to help plan and manage an array of maintenance tasks.
Ours is a jolly group!
Contact Sabine if you can
lend a hand.


For more information
editor & Design & Planning lead/B&G