2010 Steering Committee Updates

December 20, 2010:  Discussions continued regarding the cooling towers for the CE Building.  The discussions broadened this week to include the “change over system”, i.e. going from heating to cooling and vice versa as the seasons change.  We have a “two pipe” heating/cooling system that takes two full days to make the change over from cooling to heating or from heating to cooling.  A “four pipe” system permits a much quicker change over but is also much more expensive.  We have elected to stay with a “two pipe” system but have asked the engineers to modify the system to make the change-over more efficient and to improve the efficiency and extend the life of the entire system. There will continue to be occasions when there is some lag between the cooling/heating in the building and the actual weather outside.  Preparations for the re-opening of the sanctuary on December 19 continued to receive most of the attention.  This is an exciting time for our church!
 
Lynchburg Stained Glass has reinstalled stained glass panels in the sanctuary that had been removed to be repaired.  Be sure to notice what cleaning has been done to the stained glass windows in the sanctuary, especially the large window in the south wall.  All of the windows in the sanctuary have been cleaned, repaired, and sealed to extend their life.  The changes in the light and the vibrancy of the colors of the stained glass are remarkable. 
 
November 19, 2010: O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay! The marble tile for the chancel has made its way from Spain, through the Port of Savannah, to Shreveport and is now safely stored at American Tile. The installation of the tile on the chancel will begin Thanksgiving week, bringing the completion of the sanctuary work within sight. The narthex tile has still not arrived, and it will get here when it gets here.   Final revised plans for the layout of the Outreach Center beneath the gymnasium have been completed and are being priced. The final design of the west side driveway was approved along with a $21,626 change order increase. The new west side traffic flow is an elegant design, and the steering committee believes the congregation will be very pleased with the changes being made in that area.   The ongoing work has revealed another unexpected problem. The cooling towers for the Children’s Building, which we initially believed were not in need of immediate replacement, have problems that need to be addressed now. While no firm decision has been made, the steering committee is considering replacing the cooling towers with a more efficient air-cooled chiller. Making this change will result in a significant expense in the $100,000 range. As mentioned in previous posts, the budget has $400,000 built into it to cover contingencies such as this. The steering committee is mindful that this project still has a long way to go, and decisions about change orders continue to be rigorously reviewed.

November 11, 2010:  Work continues all over the campus, and you can see McInnis Brother’s summary of work planned for this week HERE.  The sanctuary is receiving a lot of the attention from the contractor and the steering committee right now.  The pews are in the process of being re-installed and the new carpet is being laid in the balconies.  The sanctuary floor is being touched up along with the wainscoting and the walls.  The new control booth for lighting and audio has been built in the south balcony.  The marble tile for the chancel is expected this week, but the delivery date for the narthex tile has been pushed back to mid-December.
 
October 30, 2010:  Well, it’s been a quiet week in Lake Woebegone.   Pastor Peery continues to fret over whether the stone for the chancel and narthex will arrive in time for the re-opening of the sanctuary at Christmas.  On-going work continues all over the campus.  Installation of the new sound system begins in the sanctuary this week, and you can read about other upcoming work this week HERE.  We received bids for the clearing and grading of the lot west of the church, and they were within the allowance for that work in the budget.  The clearing of the lot must be coordinated with the work McInnis Brothers is doing on the west side of the building, and those details remain to be worked out.  
 
October 25, 2010:  The Steering Committee had a fairly uneventful meeting this past week. Over the last several weeks, we had been considering several different possible methods of re-painting the exterior window frames for the stained glass windows. We finally chose all three different methods, which are to be applied to particular windows depending upon the window’s location.  All of this painting can be done within the amount we originally budgeted. The painting options according to window locations can be reviewed HERE. The painting should last 8-10 years, which is a reminder that the work that is being done now will not last forever.   The members of the steering committee took a sacred vow to keep the necessity of a regular maintenance schedule for the renovated facilities constantly before the session.   McInnis Brothers updated the committee on the ongoing work at the church, a summary of which can be read HERE. Work continues in the sanctuary. The work that remains to be done in the sanctuary can be reviewed HERE. The exciting news is that McInnis Brothers will begin re-installing the re-stained pews this week, beginning in the balcony. The less exciting news is that the sanctuary may not be ready by the first Sunday in Advent.   McInnis Brothers could not be guaranteed firm delivery dates for all of the marble tile for the narthex and new chancel. In addition, Holly reports that her consultant on our organ will need at least a week after the organ has been re-installed (which can’t be done until the marble tile has been laid) in order to fine tune the organ and clear it for playing.

October 15, 2010:  The Steering Committee continues to meet weekly as a group to oversee the “big picture” as well as the myriad details of the Fulfilling the Vision campaign. Besides the weekly group meeting, individuals on the committee (particularly Vernon Chance, the chair of the committee, and Brett Rowell, the chair of the Construction Oversight Committee), are also addressing different issues in the project as they come up during the week.   Give them a hearty “thank you” the next time you see them.
 
This week the steering committee reviewed the ongoing work on the project, a summary of which you can read HERE. The construction plans originally called for only “touch up” work to be done on the pews. However, it turned out that re-staining the pews looked better and was equivalent in cost to just touching them up, so the pews will be entirely re-stained.   The committee is considering several options to the method of repainting the exterior frames of the stained glass windows and expects to receive cost figures on the various options at the next meeting. The committee also reviewed and approved or delayed, in some cases, change orders to the project plans. McInnis Brothers reported that the marble tiles for the new chancel area and the narthex were being prepared at the quarry in Spain for a promised delivery date on Friday, November 19.   McInnis Brothers has scheduled the flooring contractor to work over that weekend and the following week to get the stone installed.  All of this makes for a very tight schedule to re-open the sanctuary for the first Sunday in Advent.

 

October 5, 2010:  It seems like work is going on EVERYWHERE in the church, as Sunday School classes, groups, outreach partners, and committees scramble for places to meet.  Thankfully, everyone has put up with these inconveniences with a good spirit and stayed focused on how the buildings and our ability to carry out our mission and ministry will be transformed by all of this work and petty inconveniences we are presently enduring.  

 

Jean Sayres, assisted by Pen Peery and Archer Frierson, has been spear-heading a project to create a Cultural District in the Highland Area.  The State of Louisiana provides significant tax credits in connection with the renovation of historic buildings (such as ours) and with the rehabilitation of residential properties that are located in Cultural Districts, as well as sales tax exemptions for the sale of original art works.  The tax incentives available in a Cultural District can act as a catalyst for the revitalization of the neighborhoods included within the district.  On September 28, the Shreveport City Council passed a resolution endorsing a Cultural District that is bounded, roughly speaking, by Stoner Ave on the north, Kings Hwy. on the south, Southern Ave. on the west, and Youree Drive on the east.   Adopting this resolution was an important first step in a long process to receive the necessary state approvals for this Cultural District which has great potential for strengthening and revitalizing the entire Highland Area.   
 
September 1, 2010:  It may be dry as a bone in the rest of Shreveport, but torrents of water will pour down on the roof of the sanctuary the last week of August.  Our water intrusion consultant will be on our campus this week with pumps, hoses and water to “make rain” in order to test our new sanctuary roof for any remaining leaks.  The work on the Children’s Building continues to be on schedule.  Some plumbing and lighting fixtures may be a little slow in arriving, but the building should be ready to go in time for commencement of First Presbyterian Day School and the resumption of our regular fall schedule at church.  The choir will be pleased to know that Holly has settled on the new chairs for them and that they have been ordered.  Later in the fall, the plants in the memorial courtyard at the rear of the church will be removed to a nursery in order to prepare for the work to be done in that area.  The nursery will care for them until such time as the property to the west of the church has been cleared of vines and underbrush and they can be re-planted there.The church has completed the purchase of the missing piece of the property to the west of the building.  We look forward to clearing that property of vines and underbrush later in the project and all the new possibilities afforded by this new open, green space.  
 
 August 12, 2010:  McInnis Brothers gave the Steering Committee a detailed schedule of work planned for the next couple of weeks.  The work in the CE building is continuing and is still on schedule to be completed in time for the opening of the First Presbyterian Day School and the resumption of our regular church program in September.   Loads and loads and loads of dirt have been moved onsite for the construction of the west driveway.   Work in the sanctuary is moving along nicely, and the painting of the sanctuary is under way.   The restored rose window in the chapel is returning the week of August 16 and should be re-installed by the end of next week.  You can view the McInnis Brothers "look ahead" Work Schedule here.  Please note, the schedule and timeline provided are subject to change.    
 
August 2, 2010:  Work continues in the CE Building, and McInnis Brothers feels like the construction is on schedule for a completion of the first phase of work in the CE Building in time  for the start-up of First Presbyterian Day School and the resumption of our regular program in September.
 
The restoration of the rose window in the chapel is almost complete, and Lynchburg Stained Glass expects to be delivering and re-installing the rose window in the next few weeks.  We are  in contact with the same company about restoration of the window that came from the original downtown church and has been located in the west of the stairwell in the main building.  This company estimates that the window is over 100 years old and will be good for another 100 years after their restoration work. The restored window will be re-installed in its new location in the new church library and will be the prominent feature of the new main point of entry into the church through the rear courtyard.  The cost for this restoration work is $26,500.  
 
Several paint and carpet options for the sanctuary are being reviewed by the steering committee and Brett Rowell’s construction oversight sub-committee, and decisions concerning paint, carpet and chancel flooring in the sanctuary will be made in the next couple of weeks.  
 
The cost of restoring and rewiring the sanctuary fans was prohibitive, so the old fans will have to be replaced with suitable new fans.  
 
There will be new sound systems in the sanctuary, chapel and gym/lecture hall, and the steering committee reviewed proposals for the sanctuary sound system at its last meeting.  High quality and simplicity of operation are the primary requirements for the systems that will be installed in these areas.
 
July 21, 2010: The Steering Committee for the Fulfilling the Vision campaign has moved from meeting every week to every other week.  Brett Rowell and members of his building oversight sub-committee (along with Vernon Chance) are meeting weekly with the architect and contractor representatives to assess the status of the work and to go over any areas of particular interest or concern in the project
 
During any renovation project of this size, “change orders” come up from time to time as unanticipated work or problems are encountered or ways to reduce cost become apparent.  Asbestos abatement problems in our project have occasioned some change orders that have resulted in increases to the cost of the project.  But we’ve also had change orders that resulted in cost savings in the project, e.g. finding that we were able to re-use duct work in the sanctuary at a savings of $9,732.  
 
In the original budgeting process, we used “allowances” for a few areas of work where we didn’t have any actual cost data.  One area was the work in the chancel area for which we allocated an allowance of $225,000.  When that work was actually bid, the cost to do the work came in at $191,544. Similarly, we had an allowance for furnishings of $215,000 in the original budget.  Due to efforts by Mary Anne Selber and Jean Sayres to identify re-usable furniture, the actual cost of new furniture will be substantially less than the allowance, perhaps in the neighborhood of $168,000.  We will continue to rigorously monitor the cost of the project.