Renovation Update

September 9, 2009

A tele-conference was held today to discuss the pros and cons of two possible construction start times. Representing Trinity were Pastor Stoller, Stan Hildestad and Bill Conger. Representing Kraus-Anderson was Kelly Davidson.

Two times were discussed – mid-October 2009 and mid-April 2010. By the end of the discussion, it was felt that the April 2010 date had the overwhelming advantage for the following reasons:

1. The construction bidding environment should be just as favorable in February 2010 as it is now.
2. October is nearly here, and there is much preparation work yet to do. Trying to start in October would cause us to rush in every aspect. All through this process, we have tried to do things correctly rather than quickly.
3. October weather can be a “wild card”, with rain being able to cause major setbacks and long lasting construction problems.
4. TLC still has work to do on some material specifications before complete bid documents can be let out.
5. Winter construction would add costs for temporary heating, snow removal, delays and other unknowns. These costs would be added into the bid replies.
6. Our volunteer labor pool will be diminished in the winter as people go to sunny places. Setting an April start date would allow people to plan their winter get-aways accordingly. Volunteer labor is an important cost savings for us.
7. We will be able to complete our normal “non-summer” programming in our present building with the least disruptions. This programming is the heart of our work at TLC.
8. We will have additional time to plan for operating “out of the building” while construction is underway. Our requirements are greatly reduced in the summer months.
9. We do not have to count on getting the various government approvals (sprinkler system, elevator, kitchen, plumbing, etc.) in time for an October start. We can start this process now and have the approvals in place for a spring start.
10. We have time to complete and receive the final loan approval. Even though we have been pre-approved in the past, the real approval could take 2-6 weeks. We cannot even apply until K/A gives us the final number.
11. We will have more money available for the “down payment” in April than we will in October. We will be making interest until then instead of paying it.
12. We can spend time on renewing the fund raising process.

Easter falls on April 4 in 2010. If we target mid-May as the start day for the professionals, we will have approximately one month to get ready for them. This will include either packing or protecting everything we have, and moving what we need to move out into temporary storage. We can start the demolition projects that are in our capacity to do as well.

Kelly will be sending us a list of information he needs for the bids, a estimated construction schedule based on the May start and a revised preliminary cost estimate.

We need to schedule a Renovation Committee meeting soon to get organized for the next phase, which could be called “Pre-construction”, as the design phase is essentially complete.

At the next Quarterly Meeting in October, the Congregation can be updated on the project status. It might be premature to take official action at this meeting, but it should be a good opportunity to keep the excitement going.

Respectfully submitted,

Bill Conger