Good Shepherd - Building Committee October 2007

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Building Update

October 2007


Old Office Space is demolished	Electrical Work Continues	Outside Progress - Steps to Rt. 355

Day-By-Day Updates (scroll down for more photos and the Building Committee's monthly update)

Wednesday, October 10, 2007: Work is going full-steam ahead demolishing interior wall of the old office space. TCS awaits word from the office that our phone lines have been transferred to the Education Wing, before beginning demolition on the old Fellowship Hall.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007: Wow! What a lot of work is taking place this week. The construction wall is being built across the back of the Sanctuary, the old offices have had all walls removed to make way for the new bathrooms, the church driveway from S. Westland Drive is blocked by construction vehicles throughout the workday, and we have begun to use the side handicapped entrance as the main church entrance. (More photos below)

Wednesday, October 31, 2007: This month has seen many changes to our property as we totally vacated space in our old facility and we witnessed the demolition. As of today, nearly all the old structure is now and hauled away. You can see demolition photos here. The playground area work is nearing completion and we hope to get it back together for the children quickly. It is exciting to think that excavation of the new lower level will begin very soon. We continue to give thanks for our faithful construction crew and pray for their safety while on the job.

October Update

As building chairperson, I am often questioned about our building project. I appreciate these questions because it shows that our congregation is interested in and looking forward to our new church facilities. Almost all of the questions during the month of September contained the word progress. Why did the construction company not make more progress during the past two weeks? When are we going to see faster progress toward demolishing the fellowship hall? While the weather is pleasant, why is our building project not progressing as we anticipated it should? Rest assured, the building committee is every bit as concerned about the slow progress as the congregation is.

Satisfying all of the permitting requirements has been more of a task than we anticipated. To proceed we need a site permit, a demolition permit, and a building permit. All the work in preparation for demolition has been done under a conditional demolition permit. As soon as all utilities are disconnected from the fellowship hall, the back wall in our sanctuary is erected, and our main entrance is moved to the door between the education building and the fireside room, the final demolition permit will be issued. The site permit covers all exterior excavation and utilities (grading, storm water management, sewer, water, retaining walls, paving, etc.). The site permit bond requirement, the last hurdle that must be satisfied, is anticipated to be in place by the first week of October. Completing the storm water management system and reinstalling the preschool playground are top priority items. The building permit will be issued as soon as the site permit is issued.

So what progress has occurred during the month of September? Sanctuary: The two hallway entrance doors are now complete and will be in operation within the next two weeks. Entranceway flooring will be installed in the early days of October. The outside door to the patio is almost complete. (Note: the doors that have been installed are not the final doors.) The chancel platform has been reduced and additional congregational seating has been provided in the front. The bell tables have been located in the low ceiling area to the right. Office trailers: Our offices are now fully functional in the trailers. Providing telephone and internet service to the trailers has been a particularly frustrating experience. Our entire office staff worked very hard to pull off this move, so please offer a word of appreciation for their extra effort. Utilities: Water and sewer lines have been moved from the fellowship hall to the education building. Preparations are underway to cut off the electricity to the fellowship hall. Internet service has been routed to the education building and telephone service will soon be.

Anticipated progress in October: We will satisfy the permitting requirements. Work will begin on the storm water management system and reconstruction of the playground. The back wall of the sanctuary will be erected, the last pews will be removed, and the seating will be reconfigured to provide convenient access from the hallway doors. The main entrance will be moved to the door between the education building and the fireside room. At this point, the useable building and the part to be torn down will be completely separated and demolition will begin. Work will begin on converting the old office area into new bathrooms.


Joe works on the construction wall.	New exterior doors are built into the sanctuary.	Stairs are built to reach Rt. 355 southbound lanes.

Stair leading up from Rt. 355 to new entrance.	Old Offices - This is what it looks like now!	S. Westland Drive blocked with construction during the weekdays.

Last Updated: 04/11/08 08:03 AM