Fr. Chuck's Column, Sunday, July 26

It is time for an update on our parish renovation project and the Faithful to Our Mission Capital Campaign.

At the last Property Committee meeting we selected Robert M. Rizzo as the General Contractor for our project. Two days later we met with the Diocesan Building Committee. We (mostly our architects) did our dog and pony show for them. They were impressed, pleased and gave their whole-hearted approval to our project. This is good because it permits us to proceed to the next stage of architectural design. That gives us the drawings for more accurate bids and to apply for city building permits. 

Looking at a timeline at the last Property Comm. meeting it is obvious that all this will take some time. I told the architects and contractor not to commence demolition and construction until after Easter 2016. 

There is some work that will be done on the school building at the same time. This is a separate project with separate financing that will remodel some existing bathrooms, add additional bathrooms (in an addition to the building,) and replace very old energy inefficient windows with windows that are much more energy efficient. We ultimately expect some savings from this. Unfortunately there is asbestos in the caulking around the outside of the old windows. So we have to wait ’til next Spring (when school is over) to conduct the asbestos abatement. So if next summer you see men walking around the blacktop wearing hazmat suits, this is not because one of the priests or teachers came back from Africa with Ebola, but rather that the putty around the windows is being removed. 

Hopefully this work on the school will occur during the same time we are having the work on the outside of the rectory and church done. This way we can get by with only one summer of misery, rather than two.

The same General Contractor, Robert Rizzo, has been chosen for the school project as for the church renovation. That may save us a few dollars in general conditions or at least make coordination easier.

Meanwhile, I am happy to report that our Faithful to Our Mission Capital Campaign has now reached $4,499,395. YAY! We are only $605 dollars from $4.5 Million. That $4.5 Million is such a nicer, rounder number than $4,499,395.  I hope some generous parishioners will soon put us over the top of the $4.5 Million!

God bless,