Presbyterian Church of the Cross

BUILDING EXPANSION EXPLORATION COMMITTEE

Approved Minutes – November 21, 2005 7:00 pm

Staff present: Kirk Ryckman, June Fettig

Committee Members present: David Moore (moderator), Mary Ann Pederson (clerk), Paula Allen, Amy Boesen, Jean Brady, Chris Erickson, Doug Hartman, Larry Keating, Mac McCartney, Lloyd Meyer.

Consulting Committee present: Henry Arms, Ross Scholz, Jody Watt

Minutes of tonight’s and the previous meeting will be up for approval at the next meeting. There was an emailed correction to the Nov. 1 minutes and the process of posting minutes to the PCOC website was confirmed.

Ross Scholz showed the the Power Point presentation as given to Session in April, 2004,

(of which all committee members should have received a copy on CD) which showed six sketches and a “composite” plan prepared by Kenneth Hahn Architects. The 2003 committee (Arms, Fettig, Scholz and Watt) had digested results of 2 questionnaires, had painstakingly selected Hahn as the architectural firm, and had carefully considered which elements of the sketches best met the needs expressed on the questionnaires.

Questions and discussion followed. Highlights:

Q: Have any of the needs identified by those questionnaires been addressed already?

A: nursery/childcare rooms are better but not secure enough, the sanctuary sound system is greatly improved, the heating &cooling system has been done, and the roof of the Fellowship Hall building has been replaced. (Shingles over sanctuary are 40 years old)

Q: Why was the chosen plan judged the best?

A: It was the least disruptive to existing space, and therefore less costly, including less loss of time and programs. It provides solutions to most of the identified needs.

Q: How much added and how much renovated space does that plan show?

A: About 32,000 s.f. of added space, which is more than double the existing usable space. 7,750 s.f. of renovated existing space, mostly in the office area and a part of Fellowship Hall. There are 123 more parking stalls.

Q: How much could we do without? Could it be built in phases?

• A’s: Our committee thought it would be better to do the whole project, because it would be hard to decide which needs got priority, and because of future cost inflation.
• You can never build cheaper than today.
• This committee does not need to feel bound by any of the previous committee’s decisions – you can start from scratch if you want. You may want to consider “small, medium and large” options.

Q: Have we looked at the congregation’s ability to absorb any of the cost, before needing to raise funds?

• A’s: We have some means we’re not using.
• There is a limit to the amount of debt we will want to assume. The vast majority of funding should be in the form of 3-year pledges. Only about 20% should be mortgaged, according to accepted principles for church financing.
• This plan is a visualization, a dream. We wanted to see the whole concept before establishing a budget.
• Keep in mind that a larger building means higher utility costs, etc. All the funding comes out of the same pot, and huge building costs mean less for growth in staffing and programs.

Q: How can we figure out what we really need and how much the congregation will support?

• A’s: Long Range Planning ended with the intention of re-evaluating needs.
• In planning for universities, we do time/usage studies. That doesn’t apply very well here because of church’s sporadic use patterns. But you can never build cheaper than you can today.
• We need people/hours analysis. Most members would be surprised to learn how many hours per week several spaces in this building are actually being used.
• The problems of scheduling are hard to imagine. One group’s needs often mean juggling another group into a space that doesn’t suit them.
• We should consider also that there is a Mission component to a building plan. For example, if we had a gym we could attract more young people, some who do not attend any church now.
• I was skeptical at first about the need for a gym, but then I thought about how important my children’s church friendships are. Many kids come on Wednesday nights just to be with friends—they are still trying to play outdoors after dark.

Q: How can we demonstrate the needs to members who don’t see the building’s problems?

• A’s: Publish the photos such as the class meeting in a storage closet and the Piece Makers meeting in the Nursery.
• We should publish the entire week’s schedule in the Sunday bulletin, including usage by other-than-church functions.
• Look at the demographics of members who have joined recently.
• Point out that going to church means more than Sunday worship—churches have many more functions than in the past.

The meeting ended at approximately 8:45 pm.

Next meeting: Tuesday, Dec. 6 7:00 pm