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Saint Stephen's Episcopal Church Messenger

Special Edition
Vestry Vote on New Parish Hall
June 12, 2009
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Vestry Votes to Build New Parish Hall

  
At its June meeting, St. Stephen's Vestry voted to build the new parish hall and authorized John G. Waite Associates to develop construction plans.  The concept for the new parish hall is part of the master plan presented to the congregation last fall.  The new parish hall will be a one story L shaped building. The Garner Avenue entrance will be at the same level as the church with outside stairs leading to street level.  All entrances to the new building will be handicap accessible.  The estimated cost is $2.2 million.  It will be funded by the Begley/Phillips bequests plus a parish wide capital funds drive.  The decision was made to move ahead now in order to take advantage of the economic conditions and the resulting lower building costs.
 
In the 4 year study of the future needs of the parish, the Parish Hall was identified as a primary concern to members of the congregation. The rectory and the existing parish hall were both built in 1955.  An addition to the back of the parish hall was added in 1978. The hall is a concrete block structure, built into a 4 ft. slope in the land.  Numerous problems have been identified through various surveys of the congregation and church groups.  It is the "least liked" of all our facilities.  It looks shabby and does not present a welcoming feeling.  Among other findings, a dedicated meeting area /lounge for adult education was strongly desired. 
 
Unfortunately, the existing parish hall cannot easily be fixed up:

     Structural Problems
          Windows are deteriorating and provide no insulation
          Roof nearing end of service life
          Floor structurally compromised in many places
          Exterior needs extensive restoration
     Water Problems
          Eastern side of building floods in heavy rains
          Walls always damp even with B-Dry.  Can not keep paint on walls
          Mold is always a possibility.
     Energy Problems
          High heating costs due to un-insulated concrete block walls,poor windows
          Heat in basement is always on resulting in inefficient use of energy.
 
The new building is designed on one floor to avoid the water problems.  It will be constructed to modern energy efficient standards.  It is estimated that this will reduce heating costs by 50%.
 
This is the interior of the new building:
 

From the Garner Avenue entrance one enters the nave extension which contains two handicap accessible toilets and a coat room.  A new architecturally appropriate divider will be built between the church nave and the extension removing the notorious green curtains. A nursery is the next room off the nave extension and is readily accessible from the courtyard or the church.  To meet the desires of the congregation, an adult education and library room is located looking out over the courtyard.  It is intended that this room be a comfortable room for small meetings as well as Sunday adult education.  The traffic patterns of the new building are such that adult education will not be interrupted by people arriving for service.  To provide additional meeting space,  another medium size meeting room is across the corridor. That room might have a divider to make two additional classrooms if needed. 
 
In consultation with the Sunday school director, the new building has four classrooms.  It is planned to have storage along the corridors for school supplies.  A separate teen lounge is located in the corner of the building.  Two additional toilets have been included.  The outside entrance from the parking lot to the new building will be handicap accessible and covered to allow protected discharge of passengers.
 
The wing of the new building houses the parish hall and kitchen.  The parish hall will be about the same size as the current one.  It will also look out onto the courtyard.  Sliding glass doors will make easy access in good weather to the courtyard from both the parish hall and the adult education room.  While the square feet of the new kitchen will be similar to the square feet of the old, the new shape and arrangement will make it much easier to use.  All of the new building will be air-conditioned.  The total square footage is approximately the same as the combined two floors of the existing building.
 
The estimated cost of $2.2 million assumes a building built for the long term.  It will have a steel frame and slate roof.  The exterior will be brick or stucco.  It will be energy efficient with insulated walls 10"-12" thick and triple pane windows.  A detailed break down of how the estimated cost was determined is given at the end of this article.  It should be noted that the $2.2 million will not be spent at once, but rather spread over 3-4 years.  The following table shows an approximate schedule of expenditures:

 
The Vestry spent considerable time determining how the new building could be funded.  Unfortunately, a mortgage would not work.  Current commercial mortgages are at 6 - 7% while the endowment fund is yielding at best 3 - 4%. Usually commercial mortgages are for 15yrs rather than 30yrs making the yearly payments higher. Trying to pay the mortgage payments  from the endowment fund would use up the fund fairly quickly.
 
The Vestry decided to invest the money in the endowment fund in the new building.  The remaining endowment fund will be approximately what it was before the Church received the Begley/Philips bequests.  Due to the current stock market conditions, a capital funds drive will be necessary. Investing in the new building will have a positive impact on the operating budget by reducing heating costs and maintenance.  It will provide a more attractive environment which will hopefully attract new people.  To minimize the risk of exceeding the budget, the design and construction costs will be carefully monitored.  If necessary, volunteers will be enlisted to complete some of the areas.
 
The vestry has taken a leap of faith, but will need the help of everyone by becoming actively involved.  There will not be a large endowment to support activities or outreach.   Rather the vestry is looking for an active church - one where the congregation is energized and involved not only within the church, but also reaches out to the community.  While the new building will positively impact the operating budget by saving energy, we also see the congregation becoming more involved in Stewardship through pledging their time and talents.  We also envision outreach for example, Reach Work Camp, SICM, Food Pantry, Prison ministry or Union College, being supported by increased pledging and other activities.  The new Parish Hall will allow us to have a clean, new, welcoming space both for the members of the congregation as well as the local community.
 

                   Estimated Costs