Update on 695 building work!

We’re moving right along! Our thanks to the vast number of congregants that engaged in our process this past June and July by providing input through our constituency group meetings with Architect Louis Cherry (including Widening The Circle, Lifespan, Music, Social Justice, Kitchen experts and more!) as well as members who provided feedback through the architect’s questionnaire and the popular “Look..Feel..Do” exercise from the Landscape Architect, Tavis Dockwiller. Your input was both impressive, invaluable, and instrumental in allowing our architect’s team to develop the detailed programming information they need to design the various physical spaces that will be incorporated into a building design. That programming information is now in the hands of a professional cost estimator, and we will soon have a rough cost estimate to review. As to be expected, after that, the process will involve the back and forth necessary to marry our ‘vision’ with our budget, as Louis and Tavis develop their design. We hope to have a design to show the congregation by January or February.

In the meantime, site investigation of the property is being done by a civil engineering firm, and we now have a detailed survey needed by Louis and Tavis prior to any design work. We are also in the process of engaging consultants to provide us with a parking study involving the use of the 695 Springfield Ave. property. This study will help us to show where cars may be parked adjacent to the property on Sunday mornings or during large scale events. This will provide necessary information to help determine parking we will need to provide on site, which will have an impact on the design. We know that it is more fun to be able to look at pictures than it is to read boring updates, but we ask for your patience as there is a lot of behind the scenes work that goes on to be sure that the ‘pictures’ are the best representation of our hopes and dreams for ‘room to breathe!'

With gratitude,

The Facilities Expansion Team / Architect Advisory Group

Michele Blanchard

Gary Buscemi

Steve Cramer

Gib Freeman

Helen Kaar

Norm Miller

Jessica Park

Rev. Robin Tanner