August 05 Update
Building Committee Update to
Church Council
August 2005
Summary from Aug 2005 Report:
In general, the Building Committee survey results (144 surveys returned by the St. Luke’s members) & all interviews indicated a definite need for more classrooms, larger fellowship hall/kitchen, upgraded nursery, relocated & larger Food Closet, more space for the Music Dept. & Preschool and more storage room for all areas. These would all greatly enhance St. Luke's mission "Christian Disciples called to transform our community and world through God's love." Although church and Sunday School attendance has decreased the last several years, the monetary & voluntary mission giving both for the budget as well as local & world needs has remained strong and fruitful through God's blessings.
In August 2005, the Building Committee presented their report to the Church Council with the following list of “needs.”
1. We need a larger fellowship hall and/or gymnasium with stage and audio visual equipment as well as partitions for several classrooms for Sunday School & various meetings to serve and accommodate:
· 100-300 youth four times a month
· Seat 400-500 for Advent dinner & celebration, wedding receptions, etc.
· Seat: 200-300 for Easter Breakfast; 250 for a single gathering for VBS & Sunday School; 200-300 for musical productions, plays, fashion shoes, etc.
· Accommodate UMM, UMW morning meetings & breakfasts & other meals; as well as serving District & Conference meals for meetings & training one to two times per year.
· Provide more room for youth indoor activities as well as walking & exercise venue for older youth and adults.
2. We need a larger modernized kitchen to serve and accommodate activities in item 1 above with industrial sized freezer and refrigerator, icemaker, steam/warming stoves, dishwasher, sinks and storage. It should be a user-friendly and safe kitchen to match the capacity of groups stated in item 1.
3. We need a modernized nursery with at least two adjacent rooms located closer to the sanctuary with changing tables, sink, 0otties for children, and a nursing mother room and alternate outside access.
4. We need the Food Closet to have two adjacent rooms; one for storage and one for check in/check out located farther away from the pre-school area. They should be located near an outside access for easy entrance/exit and deliveries.
5 The Music Department needs dedicated rooms for bell choir, children's choir, adult choir and instrumental orchestra. Also need a dedicated storage room for music.
6. The Education Department needs several more classrooms for Sunday School Meetings, Bible Studies, Confirmation Classes, resource room, and media storage room as well as curriculum storage.
7. Worship Department needs more storage space for paraments, robes, etc.
8. We need more parking for elder and handicapped members and guest located closer to the sanctuary with handicapped access. We need a covered-transfer area for use in inclement weather near the handicapped access ramp.
9. Misc. Needs requested are a private money-counting room, wider hallways for smoother traffic flow with larger gathering areas to eliminate choke points in traffic flow. Everyone wants storage, storage, storage.
10. Pre-school needs two more classrooms and additional indoor activity space.
Church Council Results of August 2005 report: the Church Council concurred with the recommendations of the August report presented by Ron Dorenbush.
Recommendation: The Church Council appoint a Building Committee to select and hire a designer/architect to design a facility that will economically fulfill the above stated needs at St. Luke's UMC. Top priority should be given to fulfilling the need for more room in the fellowship hall/gym/stage area whether to raze the eastern end of the present building or to extend the present facility to the south. Next priority is the modernization of the kitchen, locating it close to the Fellowship Hall.
