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Master Planning
Update from the Master Planning Committee
October 1, 2007
I am pleased to report on progress we have made in the last few
months toward the creation of a master plan for renovation and maintenance
of the First Church. Having collected information from the congregation
through a survey, we combined these inputs with a previous member
survey completed in 2000 and the very detailed architectural survey
from Structures North. We then identified all of these issues and
performed a grouping and weighting exercise to organize them into
manageable pieces. The result of this activity is shown in the splendid
map produced by Lynn Taggart, which has been on display in the Cleveland
Room.
Because of the complexity of our goals and interests it became
clear early in the process that we would need to hire a professional
firm to facilitate the creation and execution of our Master Plan.
We formed a sub-committee to manage the Architect Review process,
which would lead to a recommendation to engage a firm. The project
map was therefore converted into a Request for Proposal (which may
be seen on the MPC page on the FC website).
The RFP was sent to a list of sixteen firms identified suggested
by church members, local experts, and Structures North. Ten of the
sixteen responded with expressions of interest or proposals; the
Architect Review committee then narrowed the group down to three
finalists whose proposals, structure, approach and methodology were
most likely to create a strong working relationship with the church.
We are currently scheduling interviews with the three finalists
for the first week in November.
In parallel with this long-term activity, we are working through
known issues that remain from the comprehensive Structures North
survey. Some of these are separable, discrete tasks, while many
of them are related or dependent on other as yet undefined projects.
I would like to commend the members of the committee for their
hard work, creative input, and spirit of adventure and fellowship
in this process. For those not directly involved in the process,
it may not be obvious how many considerations, constituents, and
details are involved. The MPC might have let itself be overwhelmed,
but has instead proceed with clear-headed enthusiasm and, to my
mind, has generated significant momentum in short amount of time.
Thanks, and more to come
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We Sold Some Silver and Raised Some Money. Now What
Happens?
Who knew that the impetus for taking a closer look at the physical
condition of our historic building began with the flooding of Willson
Hall in 1999? Here we are eight years later with much to be proud
of (look for a renovation activities timeline in the next Herald!),
but with much left to do.
As the next step in this process, the Standing Committee approved
the formation of the Committee of the Master Plan (MPC for short)
at its February and March meetings. The primary goal of the MPC
is to build a master plan of activities that will make our First
Church home more welcoming for our own use and that of the greater
community. The MPC is made up of fellow church members who represent
a wide range of backgrounds and experience and who are very excited
about the great opportunities that lie ahead. Here is a list of
the committee members:
- Steve Palmer
- Peter Copelas, Jr.
- Rick Nye
- Beth Schultz
- Bill Henning
- Mimi Ballou
- Jamie Tanch
- Valentina Burbank
- Betty Nichols
- Joan Hannah
- Paul Madore
- Rev. Barz-Snell
- Richard L'Heureux
- Eric Kenney
- Lynn Taggert
Here is your first opportunity to help!
We would like to hear from the friends and members of First Church
about what areas you think need attention. Although we might not
be able to include everything in our planning, we want to hear what
you are thinking about. For your convenience, we have developed
a survey that you will also find in this month's Herald. As you
complete the survey, don't be constrained by the space of each section.
Feel free to use the back of the survey or add another page if necessary.
Please complete the survey by April 15 and either drop it in the
envelope on the office door or mail it back to the church at:
The First Church in Salem, Unitarian
Master Planning Committee
316 Essex Street
Salem, MA 01970
To help you with this survey, several committee members have offered
to give tours of the church during fellowship hour over the next
three Sundays. Look for the following committee members:
April 1: Joan Hannah and Beth Schultz
April 8: Peter Copelas, Jr.
April 15: Steve Palmer
We will tally your responses and will inform you of those areas
that attain the highest levels of concern. We will then try to incorporate
as many of these items as possible in our renovation plans.
You will be hearing more about the MPC in the weekly E-Herald and
the monthly Herald. Feel free to talk to any one of the committee
members with your comments and feedback.
Thank you all for your help and commitment.
To take a the Master Planning Committee's survey, click
here.
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