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Master Planning Update from the Master Planning Committee 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…. 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:
Here is your first opportunity to help!
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 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. |