Pithy Construction News from"Beacon Street West” (FUS)
for June 20 - 27, 2007
It has been another active week here at the Meeting House. Deconstruction
of the Lower Meeting House continues and it is amazingly noisy; as you
can see by the photos, the roof is down on the Gathering Room and materials
are being sorted and hauled away. The concrete in the stairway and the
footing for the retaining wall by the ramp were impressively robust. Inside
the historic Meeting House preparations to install heating and ventilation
and fire protection continue. Have a great rest of the week! – Harry Carnes, Publications Czar, etc.
Parking News
Well, it was different to see our parking lot in its current state -
with a construction fence in place, and very obvious construction work underway. And
the alternate parking system is going to take some getting used to also. If
you found a little note on your windshield after you attended services this
weekend reminding you about those new parking rules don't worry! Change
is hard, and it takes time to get used to new ways of doing things. In
the near future there will be some new striping done that will make it clearer
which stalls are dedicated to folks with handicap tags on their vehicles
(though vehicles with those tags can park in any stall in the lot). And
it is not too late to request a permit for the FUS lot if you are finding
it challenging to walk from Doctors Park or the VA. Just a reminder
that we are asking only those drivers who have a Worship Parking Permit or
DMV handicap tags to park in the FUS lot. Everyone else should use
the VA lot or Doctors Park. You may request a permit and permit request
form from the parking volunteer in the FUS lot on Sunday. Just look
for the orange vest! - Wendy Cooper"Hard Hat Update Rerun Section"
Note to readers… Just as Network TV is in reruns, (Not that UUs watch TV, we know you don’t) and since the following from last week was of considerable interest, we today, have a slight rerun. Enjoy! - the editor
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Building Project Reality Strikes!
So, you go to meetings, stare at plans, ask questions, explain and discuss for
months, and yet it is still a shock to see fences go up and walls come down.
By the time you read this, the part of the “C” Wing that we talked
about demolishing is in bins marked “Metal”, “Wood”,
and “Trash”.
The Budget
On the financial side, we are transitioning from the budget we had in February, which was based on estimates, to a budget based on actual bids.It turns out that estimates provided by our previous contractor, The Bentley Corp., are not consistent with reality. The bids are averaging 20-25% higher than the estimates. These bids are based on the original contractor’s specifications for the Project; the situation would be exactly the same even if we had not changed contractors.
It is difficult to pin down the source(s) of the discrepancy. While we can only speculate on the motives of others, we do know that we are a community of high ideals and expectations, and we have always intended to build a structure worthy of sharing the FUS campus with the Meeting House. Architectural “gems” can be expensive.
What we are doing
The best news is that our Board and financial advisors are not shocked or discouraged. We are looking at both lowering the cost and finding more money..jpg)
Lowering the Cost
Value engineering is the first line strategy for lowering cost. This does
not mean eliminating anything. Rather it means discussions with the architects
and subcontractors to look for cheaper ways to create this gorgeous building.
Are there simpler ways to achieve the same effect? Does a bid contain an
extra charge for complexity that can be pared? All while we strive to achieve
our goals of creating a building that is a compliment to our Meeting House,
enhances our campus, and is sustainable. Finding Money
At this point, we are very proud of the architects’ design and we are
moving forward with the project. We think that we will be able to save some
significant dollars through the value engineering process—making changes
that will save us money, yet retaining the most important values in the project.
We think there is significant potential in the congregation to raise more
dollars. We plan to revitalize the Capital Campaign; exploring some new strategies
and target groups. We also think we will be able to carry more debt than
we had originally predicted. Excellent buildings and financial challenges
are nothing new to the FUS community. Every challenge brings opportunities
and rewards, and we are finding that this project is bringing us together
in ways we had never imagined. We are moving forward with confidence and
excitement.
- David Weber
That's it for the moderately pithy Hard Hat News!
