May 27 session discussion

Anita Cary reported that the task force met recently and discussed various things:
- The stove in the kitchen must be brought up to code.
- They’ll look into the cost of installing indoor-outdoor carpet in Fellowship Hall.
- Drapes in Fireside Room and more carpeting.
- Possible westward expansion of the facilities.
- Ted Trautwein will look to see what it would take to make the Scout Hut usable for SAL offices (which Stephen Bartlett has requested).
- Would like to get a collection of code books.
- Laura Kelleher’s going to look into getting some grants for some of this work.
- Jane is going to invite people to be on some committees: housekeeping, building maintenance, grounds, and “greening.”

The task force also recommended that we have the stained glass window by the piano cleaned and re-leaded and protected by glass this summer. That particular window is leaking. Perry Chang moves and Ben Langley seconds this recommendation, which is approved by acclamation.

-- Peter

Late May meeting

Folks active in the newspace@chpc task force gathered on the day after Memorial Day (Tuesday, May 26) to follow up on recommendations to the session and discussions with architect Kevin Milburn. Pastor Jane Larsen-Wigger reported that – partly through a June newsletter article – she had invited Crescent Hill church folks to participate in the facilities-related committees that the task force had recommended the session set up: building maintenance committee, housekeeping committee, grounds maintenance committee, and green committee.

Jane later reported that Ben Randell and Doug Yeager have been hashing out where to put the old sound system, recently fixed, and whether to pursue a new system. Jane also reported that the preschool board has decided to mulch some of the playground (which inspectors recently banned preschool kids from using, without the mulch) and have the swing set removed.

(Anita reminded folks about the possibility of moving the playground to the other side of the parking lot and the opportunity of striping the lot and having traffic U-turn around the lot.)

Anita reported on her Education Building research about replacing the huge gas-powered stove in the kitchen ($1,000 total for one each gas-powered and electric-powered stove like what you’d find in someone’s house) and improving acoustics in the Fireside Room (draperies for $100?) and carpet over the floor of most of the Fellowship Hall (along with perhaps banners and baffles). (Replacing the stove and installing ventilation would promote safety and energy conservation, while improving acoustics would promote accessibility.)

Anita will follow up by convening a group of users of the kitchen and other interested persons – in the kitchen – to explore the stove possibilities. The church will not try to make a stove change (and the addition of ventilation) prior to Sustainable Agriculture of Louisville’s summer Garden Camp, as the task force had hoped. Anita will also explore some other issues, including how much a commercial electric stove would cost and what exactly the building code requirements about ventilation are.

Anita will also consult Ada Bartlett-Asenjo about draperies and additional and replacement carpet tiles in the Fireside Room.

The group affirmed its long-term interest (as per the architect’s suggestion) in a westward expansion of church buildings and the construction of a new, larger Fellowship Hall (plus church offices) (where the playground and Scout Hut now sit). But group participants said that – especially with the state of the economy – this would not be something to undertake immediately. (In this scenario the current Fellowship Hall would be subdivided and the western end of the main building would be devoted to children’s and youth ministries).

Folks in the group expressed some interest in building a ramp out of a side door (on the south side of the main building, between the sanctuary and the choir room), heading down towards the Education Building and then raising and widening the roof over the breezeway between the main building and the Education Building (possibly extending out to the parking lot). This would be with or without a glass wall enclosing the ramp and with or without a lift to get people from the sanctuary floor to the floor with the church office. It could lead into the westward expansion, by helping people – including people who have trouble getting around – get to the current Education Building (and then through that building to the new building) – without having to go outside.

Task force folks talked at length about whether to spend the $10,000 to have the Scout Hut – at the northwestern end of the church property – removed or to invite Sustainable Agriculture of Louisville (SAL) to fix up the building a little and occupy it for two or three years (before the westward expansion might proceed). Ted Trautwein will take another look at the building and will talk with SAL’s Stephen Bartlett about whether the organization is still interested in using the building and whether it is willing to take the lead with any necessary changes to the building.

Laura Kelleher will follow up on suggestions from Martha Gee that Presbyterians for Disabilities loan and grants funds might be available to help finance changes designed to promote accessibility (such as the carpeting to improve acoustics). The group also recommended (to the session and the Stewardship Committee?) that the church fix and cover with exterior glass (having already done this to two of the some 14 old stained glass windows) an old stained glass window that is currently leaking.

-- Perry

June newsletter update

Acting on input from the congregation, the newspace@chpc task force* made some recommendations that the Session adopted. Many of these will need congregational involvement in order for them to be carried out. Specifically, volunteers with interest and expertise are needed for the following committees: (Please talk to Jane if you can help.)

- Building Maintenance: Tasks for this committee include coming up with a 5-year plan for maintenance needs and estimated costs, bringing this plan to Stewardship Council and then Session for approval and then implementing the plan (making sure on-going maintenance and general improvements are made to our property).

- Housekeeping: Tasks would be to plan for and carry out a system of keeping up with keeping things in order inside the buildings. This will mainly be a “ministry of clutter-control”!

- Grounds Maintenance: This would be a group of people willing to plan for and keep up with the outside areas surrounding our buildings.

- Green Committee: “Greening” the building showed up as a strong priority of the congregation. The session needs people with interest and expertise whose first assignment will be to come up with a Master Plan for the properties to become increasingly more environmentally responsible. This Plan will need to have a continuum from the simplest, cheapest things we can do right now to the dream of where we want to be in time.

These on-going groups are needed to simply keep up with, stay on top of the on-going needs of an old, but very well-used, building which is one of our great resources for ministry. This isn’t necessarily the “fun” work of the church – but in order for us to be responsible stewards of the facilities we have, it is essential. So please let Jane know if you can help with one of the on-going committees that are needed.

There are still questions about accessibility and space usage which will need to be explored. The newspace task force met with architect Kevin Milburn (of rkm designz, inc.). That conversation led to thinking about an eventual new building (fellowship hall/kitchen space) at the west end (St. Joseph side) of the current educational building and re-configuring the current fellowship hall space into more accessible office and meeting space. These ideas are, of course, down the line and will involve much more thought. The future of the Scout Hut is also (still!) in conversation. It needs to be determined if it is structurally safe for a new use or simply needs to be removed.

If you have questions, concerns, ideas please talk to a member of the Session or the newspace task force which includes Laura Kelleher, Anita Cary, Martha Gee, Perry Chang and Ben Langley.

-- Jane

April 29 session discussion

Anita Cary reported that the newspace task force met. Perry Chang, Jane Larsen-Wigger, Ted Trautwein, Anita Cary, and Kevin Milburn, the architect, were present. Kevin Milburn suggested we consider expanding in the direction of St. Joseph’s.All agreed that safety is the biggest concern. Kevin Milburn suggested - and the task force agreed - and proposed the following: - That we immediately change the stove in the kitchen - it’s not up to code because it doesn’t have a vent - and that we buy an electric stove (or two) because gas is more dangerous and electric stoves are greener.- That we improve the acoustics in the Fireside Room with drapes and extending the carpet to the edges of the room.- That we improve the acoustics in the Fellowship Hall by hanging fabric from dowels or chains.




Cost for all the above is roughly estimated to be about $5,000. More specific information and costs will be researched and brought back for approval. The venting of the stove has high priority.



-- Perry

April 27 meeting

The newspace@chpc task force met Monday evening with architect Kevin Milburn, who had joined us for our fall church gathering. Jane, Anita, Ted, and I shared with him some of the priorities we had established: safety, accessibility, acoustics, and greening, along with figuring out what to do with the playground and the Scout Hut.

Kevin (pictured above with Jane and below with Anita), who was donating a few hours to the church, had toured the campus for a second time, on his own, before our meeting. He had also reviewed a stack of plans that Ted had worked on with the earlier version of our task force.

Kevin had some new ideas, and we ended up discussing three types of possible changes. First, we talked about changes we might want to effect very soon, changes that wouldn’t cost too much money. These included: replacing the kitchen stove with electric stove or stoves and installing ventilation, adding carpeting, draperies, and possibly “baffles” to the Fireside Room and perhaps even the Fellowship Hall for acoustics., and installing fluorescent light bulbs wherever possible in both buildings.

Somewhat more long term and somewhat more expensive: installing a lift next to the bathroom next to the choir room, building a ramp and overhang from the exterior door near where the lift would go (and snaking around past the garbage cans towards the Education Building), filling in the mortar between the stones and bricks of the main church building (especially along the west wall), fixing the rest of the stained glass windows and installing protective glass over them, painting lines in the parking lot to increase the number of spaces and redirect traffic flow, rebuilding the playground under the trees on the other side of the parking lot, and probably demolishing the Scout Hut. (This might run like $50,000.)

Kevin – with ideas and encouragement from us – initially put most of his brain power and creativity towards a more expensive, longer term vision. This what it turned into: Build a new Fellowship Hall that would have better acoustics, be more environmentally friendly, and fit two or three times as many people where the playground and Scout Hut are now. Include church offices and a basement room for the youth. Connect it to the old Education Building and make it all accessible, all on the ground level with a new entrance onto a widened parking lot driveway. Build a modern kitchen in the Youth Room. Send that hallway all the way through into the new building. Give the new Fellowship Hall a façade of stone and bricks - all the wary around- so it would match the existing buildings. Put mainly children – the preschool, Sunday school, etc. – in the existing church office/preschool complex. Kids mostly can climb up and down the stairs and any disabled kids we could carry. Subdivide – either permanently or with dividers – the existing Fellowship Hall and leave the Fireside Room, perhaps given better acoustics. (We didn’t talk about the old kitchen.) (This might run like $800,000 or so.)

Anita is going to present some of these ideas to session Wednesday night. We’ll see where we go from there.
-- Perry

Meeting with the architect

Kevin Milburn, of rkm designz, will be meeting with the newspace task force on Monday, April 27 at 6:30 p.m. at Pastor Jane's office. (Jane and Kevin will tour the church campus first at 5 p.m.) Any of you who are interested in joining us are most welcome. We've asked him for his advice and ideas about the four major areas that have been identified as needing attention: safety, acoustics, accessibility and greening.

-- Jane

March 24 task force meeting

These next steps are recommended in our on-going building discussion:

1) Direct Stewardship Council to set up a Building Maintenance Committee (who would report to and be accountable to the Stewardship Council) whose tasks would include:
a. Coming up with a 5-year plan for maintenance needs and estimated costs
b. Bringing this plan to Stewardship council and then Session for approval
c. Implementing the plan

2) Direct Stewardship Council to set up Housekeeping/Clutter Control committee
(and find a good name for it!) as well as a Grounds Maintenance committee whose tasks would be to plan for and carry out a system of keeping up with those particular areas of the property.

3) Session, ideally with a session member chairing it, establish a “Green Committee” whose first assignment will be to come up with a Master Plan for the properties to become increasingly more environmentally responsible. This Plan needs to have a continuum from the simplest, cheapest things we can do right now TO the dream of where we want to be in time. This committee would report back to the Session.

4) Direct the newspace@chpc task force (and any other session members who want to come) to meet with Kevin Milburn (of rkm designz, inc. whose architectural services we have access to for a few more hours and who was at our last newspace gathering) to get his input and suggestions about general space usage (including the Scout Hut and its possibilities) and what he sees as reasonable things we might consider in regard to these major (prioritized) issues:

1. Safety
2. Acoustics – Fellowship Hall and Fireside Room in particular
3. Accessibility
4. Greening

5) The newspace@chpc task force would report back to the Session with recommendations, if any, and for discussion about whether or not to set up a more long-range renovation committee.

NOTES:

All of these recommendations have overlapped with one another and so communication among groups will be necessary – with Session being at the hub.

The state of the stained glass windows, for instance, will probably be considered by both the Building Committee, because of the need for their upkeep, as well as the Green Committee, because of the fact that they are not energy-efficient.

-- Pastor Jane