Town Hall Q&A
Project Overview
Funding & Cost
Town Hall Q&A
Top Questions
Why are we focusing our funds on this property rather than making upgrades to the main building?
Our church began the process of having an outreach ministry center in 2006. We have moved it to two different locations. When the previous location was sold, we hoped to provide a new ministry center building for the ministries using the funds from the sale.
As far as our main building goes, the boiler system has been renovated and is functioning now. We always have a to-do list for renovations, but we feel it is essential to make this new property a prioritiy.
Is the Payer Garden really necessary? I am concerned, because of the lack of use of our courtyard and prayer room, that it will not be used.
You will have to answer for yourself whether it is necessary or not. We have space that can be beautified – why not make it useful for prayer as well? We are planning to schedule activities for prayer and hopefully it will be used outside of those activities as well.
One action point in the Vision Plan was to develop and construct a Prayer Wall and/or Prayer Labyrinth on the church property for meditation, prayer, and private worship. This prayer garden will fulfill that action point.
Is there any concern that the elaborate outdoor space could seem a bit extravagant to those we are trying to serve when they have more basic needs?
We don’t see this as necessarily extravagant. It will be beautiful. We want it to be a beautiful, God-honoring and glory-giving space. We’ll let everyone make their own decision as to whether it is over-the-top. The landscaping has been created to make a warm mountain feel – something warm, informal and comfortable not formal.
Is there a need for an additional 50-person meeting space when we have the CORE and other under-used spaces in the building?
Having a meeting space in the Ministry Center will better serve the ministries housed there. Many of the folks they are ministering to can feel threatened by a church. This building is less threatening to those individuals and provides a half-way point for us to meet them.
The ministries using these offices need to be able to operate within a meeting space. We want these partners to feel they have a home in which to operate and not worry about getting into the main building or booking a conference room when they need to hold a meeting.
Is it possible to vote for this in multiple parts? To vote for the ministry center building but not the outdoor spaces?
The church can decide this in the congregational business meeting April 18th. To vote for it in multiple parts would require someone to recommend we amend the new business motion adding that we vote for the project in pieces (ministry center, prayer garden, outdoor classroom) rather than all in one vote. Another member must second this motion and it will continue on to a member-wide vote to approve the amendment.
Is it possible to see/create a more simplified outdoor plan that still offers a place for prayer that allows some of the proposed funds to support ministries?
Absolutely, but we feel like we have what people requested in the plan – requests for outdoor classroom space, prayer space, columbariums. We can downscale some things – for example, not have pergola over the classroom – but that would most likeley decrease the use of it. We want this to be a place the community is drawn in to use. If you’re going to do it, do it right, do it now, and make it attractive.
Features
If the east-side meeting room is open, will there be restroom access?
If it’s just the room open, there’s no bathroom within the room, but there is one just off the office area right outside the assembly area so if it’s a meeting more than just an hour, they’d have to open up that end of the ministry center to allow them to have access to the bathroom
The columbarium - where would that be? And how is it funded?
The columbariums can be seen on the northeast aerial view shot. They are the two white boxes in the prayer garden.
The concept is that if someone wanted to keep their loved ones ashes there, they would purchase a slot and once enough people reserved spots, we could install the structure.
What security measures are being incorporated?
The prayer garden can be locked, the intent is to keep it open until later at night. We have security cameras being added as part of the project. We have security lighting planned for the space.
Will there be outdoor signage to help people know about this space?
We will have signage as we currently have in the lots to direct to the space.
Will there be the ability to livestream and/or record events in the space?
We do have technology planned in the building (wifi right now) and we have screens and projectors in the assembly space. There are speakers in the prayer garden so we could broadcast from outside as well.
Can church members make recommendations about the better use of the outdoor space?
If there are suggestions from those online or in the room, email them to gary schmieder at [email protected]
The current setup of the classroom is not child-friendly. Is there a way to better define that space?
We certainly are willing to receive comments and take a look at that.
Are there any concerns about noise from the train and noise from the chiller system?
There will be noise – that’s just a part of us being located where we are.
Maintenance & Upkeep
The following questions were submitted and answers at the Town Hall meeting held on March 21.
Who will be responsible for the upkeep of the prayer garden/building? We are already short-staffed on maintenance in the main building, will we hire or have volunteers?
Maintenance will be done by our current maintenance staff; we will have custodial responsibilities that will require additional staff and/or hours. The prayer garden will have a sprinkler system. We hope volunteers will help us with other garden maintenance. We will be receiving some rental fees from ministries who remain for a long time and will have some revenue to pay for some upkeep.
What is happening with the property adjacent to the ministry center where the quonset hut is located?
That property has been bought by a business located just down the road. We have spoken with that owner but it has not been in-depth.
Will there be volunteer work done on any of these projects? If so, what impact will that have on the bottom line?
We’ve done quite a bit of volunteer work on the project. We’ve had volunteers go into the building and pull a lot of the insulation, walls, ceiling tiles, and floors out. We have done some volunteer work. Moving forward, I’m not sure how much we will do. Most will probably be done with a general contractor. If you’d like to help clean up at the end of the work days on the project, we’d love to have your help on that so the contractors don’t have to deal with it every day. It looks like the BLOOM Center participants and volunteers will be starting, planting, and maintaining the flowers.
Can church members make recommendations about the better use of the outdoor space?
If there are suggestions from those online or in the room, email them to gary schmieder at [email protected]
What will be the approval process for ministries using the office space?
We will have a Central Bearden Ministry Center Advisory committee. They will outline the process for ministries to apply for office space.
During construction, will it be safe for the BLOOM Center to continue operating?
We believe so. We will have to be careful and work with the construction team.
Timeline
What is the anticipated schedule for the project start and completion?
If the church approves the project, the first thing we need to do is get city building permits. That can take some time, it could take up to a month or so. Once that is approved, the project can start a couple of weeks after approval. The project itself can take between 6-7 months to complete.
What is happening with the property adjacent to the ministry center where the kwanzaa hut is located?
That property has been bought by a business located just down the road. We have spoken with that owner but it has not been in-depth.
Why not wait until we have a better feel for what will happen post-pandemic?
We could. We could wait longer. We sense that we are making progress with the pandemic. Sooner seems better than later. We won’t be starting this until possibly June and should be in a better situation in the pandemic. We don’t think we should wait because of the pandemic. It’s a good time to do construction right now. Construction costs are increasing, and the longer we wait the more expensive this will be.
Will there be volunteer work done on any of these projects? If so, what impact will that have on the bottom line?
We’ve done quite a bit of volunteer work on the project. We’ve had volunteers go into the building and pull a lot of the insulation, walls, ceiling tiles, and floors out. We have done some volunteer work. Moving forward, I’m not sure how much we will do. Most will probably be done with a general contractor. If you’d like to help clean up at the end of the work days on the project, we’d love to have your help on that so the contractors don’t have to deal with it every day. It looks like the BLOOM Center participants and volunteers will be starting, planting, and maintaining the flowers.
Can church members make recommendations about the better use of the outdoor space?
If there are suggestions from those online or in the room, email them to gary schmieder at [email protected]
What do you want or need at this time to accelerate the building/permit process and submit prior to the business meeting
General consensus from those here and online. I’m sensing we do have it so let’s go ahead and have our contractor submit the permits. It’s not saying we will do the project, it’s just checking with the city.
What will be the approval process for ministries using the office space?
We will have a Central Bearden Ministry Center Advisory committee. They will outline the process for ministries to apply for office space.
During construction, will it be safe for the BLOOM Center to continue operating?
We believe so. We will have to be careful and work with the construction team.
Cost
What about utility costs?
For the last year, under the use of the BLOOM Center, utility costs have been about $1000/month for electricity, water, gas, etc. The BLOOM Center is covering those costs and the rest will be absorbed into the utilities budget.
Does this estimate include all of the interior furniture/fixtures that will be needed?
It includes fixtures, cabinetry, sinks, toilets, etc. Loose furniture (desks, tables, chairs, etc.) is not included.
Are there opportunities for family programs to dedicate spaces or give to offset the cost in support of the maintenance of these spaces?
We certainly want folks to be able to contribute to the funds to offset the cost of this project. There will be opportunities to maintain the cost and support the ministry center.
Have you looked at the fixed costs? Personnel, utilities, insurance, etc?
There will be some added utility costs, in terms of insurance, that will be incorporated within the church budget.
Before landscaping is done, can the BLOOM Center work with landscapers to help lower the cost?
The plants we are installing will not be part of the BLOOM Center’s capabilities, so it will not be something they can help much on.
Construction contingency is $21,000, does that mean if something goes wrong and we have to do it, that’s all we have to fix it?
We told our contractor that we want to estimate on the conservative side. Of course we could put more in contingency, and if the cost comes in higher, we could go to the church for approval to use other funds to cover it.
Since the cost of this renovation takes so much of the money we sold the previous propert for, does this mean we are in a good place financially post-construction?
From a budget standpoint, we are behind budget by about 6% (91,000). We’ve set aside $300,000 operating costs for the budget. In terms of cost of renovation and funds that we have on hand, I don’t see this as causing the church any money problems.
Would we be open to having solar panels to help defray some of the utility costs?
We haven’t looked at that yet, but we certainly can.