Thanks to everyone who attended the groundbreaking celebration! We heard some inspiring speakers and had a chance to reconnect with old friends and take photos with hard hats and shovels. After a rainy afternoon, the weather cleared, resulting in a very pleasant evening. If you are on the church grounds, take the opportunity to follow the orange outline of the sanctuary addition.
You may recall that we have two preconstruction activities: moving the gas line and moving the electric transformer. The gas line work will be completed the week of June 14th. The new location of the electric transformer has been staked out, but the City has requested a different location. Once we relocate, we should get scheduling information from the City of Fort Collins.
We have been asked why we need to move a gas line since the addition will be all-electric. The answer is that the RE building will continue to use gas furnaces until we can complete the RE remodel phase of our master plan. The gas line serving the RE building currently passes through the excavation area and must be rerouted before construction begins.
We have also made progress on obtaining our building permit. The architects have been receiving and responding to comments from the building department review. Once that is complete, other City departments need to weigh in. Â
We have completed the recording process, have received comments from the building department, and expect approval from other city departments by June 15th. We received approval from Poudre Fire Authority this week! Pinkard Construction company will begin erecting the fence on June 15. As a reminder, the lower (west) parking lot will be used as a staging area during construction. The entire parking lot will be unavailable. The parking lot and construction site will be fenced for security and safety.
If you attended the June 5 congregational meeting (or read the meeting packet), you saw that our estimates in the areas of AV, City fees, and construction costs are over the amount originally budgeted. The AV and construction overages are largely a result of changing needs and increased material costs due to the pandemic. Pinkard Construction is monitoring suppliers and attempting to purchase materials in advance of anticipated price increases.
Once construction starts, we’ll provide opportunities to visit the site and talk to the managers. The BET is looking forward to seeing work begin and the realization of the vision of our new sanctuary.
In partnership and with excitement,
The Building Expansion Team
Chris Bettlach, Jerry Hanley, Peg MacMorris, and Margaret Cottam