CONSTRUCTION MEMO #1
July 6, 2008
A periodic update on the progress of our new building

CONSTRUCTION BEGINS! We now expect to start construction on Monday, July 21. We've been delayed a bit as we obtain permits, finish some of the legal work and meet with the builder to "value-manage" the project and trim the costs as much as we can.

HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL SEE: The first step is to mobilize the site. We will be establishing a construc- tion office (trailer) on the site and will set up all the services we will need, such as temporary power, telephone service, etc. The surveyor will return to the site to survey and stake out the building so we know exactly where to put our footings and columns. Earth-moving and digging equipment will arrive within a week or so to begin digging out footings and preparing the underground for all of our utility rough-ins.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN?  A complete construction schedule will posted in the church office to allow anyone interested to follow the construction as we go. There will be a weekly meeting of the building committee, the general contractor (Peter Brown) and our owner's representative (Joe Burdette) to go over the past week's progress and preview what to expect the next week. The general contractor will provide the building committee a two-week look-ahead schedule every week that will let you know in detail what is happening each and every day of the next two weeks. This schedule will also be posted in the church office where everyone can see it. You can look at it and then walk across the street to the site to see if that work is being done that day.

IN THE MONTHS AHEAD: Our elegant portable restrooms will move from the bricked area outside the main church door to a location on the sidewalk on Second Avenue N. This will allow us to create a "stormwater vault" – a place for rainwater to run off – under that bricked area, where we have access to the sewer. This is still a few months out, but we wanted to let you know what to expect. The same ramps that you use now to gain access to the restrooms will be modified so you can use them to enter the church via the doors on Second Avenue N. That's because ...

THE MAIN ENTRANCE under the porch will be blocked off for most of the construction time, starting this fall. We'll give you an exact date when we know it. This means that the choirs and the altar party will have to gather inside the narthex rather than outside. We'll work out the logistics of this as the time approaches.

QUESTIONS? COMMENTS?  Please let us hear from you! We're glad to answer your questions and tell you as much as we know about what will happen in the months ahead. Please speak to Building Committee chair Pat Wahlen (pwahlen at msn dot com) or Senior Warden Sheree Graves (shereegraves at asgraves dot net).