Capital Campaign
We had great expectations of being in full construction mode by this point. Our talented Building Committee has been diligent and thorough. Disappointingly we are still a few weeks away from starting critical maintenance work and renovations to our congregational home. Here is what has been going on.
Our architect Erich Griebling from Plum Island Architects has been refining the design plans based on input from the Building Committee, the Town Building Inspector, Town Fire and Safety officials, and our consulting engineer John O’Connell. While this was going on, the Building Committee was interviewing various firms to choose the General Contractor and overall project manager. From the four candidates, Murphy Construction of Newburyport was unanimously selected.
The first job of the General Contractor is to take the detailed architects drawings to various subcontractors like electric, plumbing, roofing, etc. and get bids for the work to be done. We asked the General Contractor to obtain multiple bids. Even though this takes a little bit more time, it is the only way to insure that we were getting a competitive price for the work.
The results of the bidding process were reported by Murphy Construction at the Building Committee Meeting on July 14. The Committee immediately knew that things were not going to be as easy as they might have thought when the total project costs for our basic $400,000 Sandbox concept came in at close to $500,000. OUCH!! A large part of the higher than anticipated costs was associated with the restrooms which have to be enlarged to meet current building codes and to fully conform with handicap accessibility requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). There were also some other significant building code items (electric wiring upgrades, fire alarms, etc.) that factored in as well. Unfortunately, because of the age of our building and the overall scope of work we ultimately want to have done, we are required by law to give a higher priority to these issues compared to what we had originally planned.
So what is the Building Committee doing now? This group of very dedicated MSCC members is attacking the problem in a couple of different ways. They are looking into ways to comply with ADA that are less costly or can be phased in over a longer period of time. They have asked Murphy Construction to review the design drawings for less costly materials compared to what was originally specified and see what savings can be realized. The Building Committee has also asked Murphy to review details of some of the bids and ask subcontractors if they can “sharpen their pencils” on their quotes. Erich, our architect, was asked to see if there are any other design options that would be compliant but at lower cost. Lastly, Murphy Construction was asked to see if there were any parts of the project that involve a lot of labor cost that could be set up as “sweat equity” tasks to be taken on by the Congregation. The removal of the old heating system and recovering the value of the scrap metal is a good “sweat equity” example that we successfully took on. Results from all these cost trimming opportunities will be reported at the Building Committee meeting on August 5 and we can determine what happens next.
As hot as it has been this summer, it is hard to imagine that colder days are on the horizon. This means that we do have to get moving on a couple of key activities – replacing the roof, working on the exterior siding, and installing a new furnace. The Committee has instructed Murphy to put priority on these items. Those of you waiting and watching for something to start happening should gaze skyward in the next few weeks.
The funding part of our Capital Campaign continues to be a great success. We have a total pledge amount of $413,088.39 of which over $152,000 has been received thus far. Of this amount, about $80,000 has been used to pay down the loan we took out for urgent steeple and roof work in 2009. Doing this has saved a considerable amount on interest payments. Other project expenses to date total about $40,000 representing architects fees, engineering work, other planning costs, and the expenses for the Capital Campaign itself. Also, 5% of the pledged amount has been set in reserve as the Mission Component. We have arranged for a $305,000 construction loan with the Provident Bank with a very reasonable interest rate that allows us access to funds to actually get things moving. As pledge monies are received, they will be used to pay back this loan.
The core of the Capital Campaign Committee is also still active and will be taking up the task of revisiting those who were not able to make a pledge during the solicitation period earlier this year. They will be checking in to see if situations have changed and circumstances might be more favorable to permit a commitment to this great undertaking. As always, no pledge is too small; an increase to any present pledge would be most welcomed; a donation of your time, especially for any sweat equity opportunities, is extremely valuable.
The pathway of this journey may not be the straightest or even the one we thought we had picked out. The destination has not changed but the unanticipated scenery along the way will most certainly make up for the slightly longer time – God’s time - it is going to take for us to get there.
Click the link below to view the 360 view of our new sanctuary, this may take a minute to load.
http://piarchitect.net/mscc/
If you do not have Quick Time installed click the link below to install on your computer.
Download link: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/
The Building Committee has selected John O’Connell as the engineer for the project. John will make sure that everything will get put together correctly. John was the engineer we used in 2009 to add support to the roof and steeple which he accomplished for less than originally projected. John and Erich have collaborated in coming up with the design diagram seen below which outlines what will be and what can be for our church building.
