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Building Construction
News
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It's an exciting
time for us here at St. Thomas More! We're working in what
feels and sounds like a war zone at times, but it is a beautiful thing
to watch our renovation take shape.
We held a ground breaking
ceremony on Friday, September 9, but work actually began weeks before
that. Parishioners removed the pews from the church and stored
them in the Chelsea Room. The church, closets, the attic and the
storeroom were all emptied so
demolition and excavation could begin.
Foundations were set and
then the floors were poured and smoothed. The stone masons have
been on site for a few weeks and it is exciting to see the walls for the
offices and meeting rooms go up. They have also been working in
the church area readying walls for the reconfiguration of the sanctuary
area.
This past week the 7,000
pound main support beam was lifted into place and work began in the new
baptismal font.
The church office is
open, although it is a bit of a trick to find us. Please enter
through the far west door and carefully make your way around to us.
We are in the same area as before. There will be a time (probably
in November) when the office will need to close for a day or two.
We will try to give advance notice but, as many of you know,
construction schedules are known to change daily.
Meanwhile, please join us
at our temporary church in the school gym. We worship together at
5 pm on Saturday and 7:30 am, 9 am, 10:30 am, noon and 5 pm on Sunday.
As always, we ask for your prayers for the success of our renovation and
pray that as our church facilities grow, so also will our faith life
here at St. Thomas More.
November 2005
The building is
starting to look like something new! The gathering space is under
roof, as are the new meeting rooms. The exterior walls for the offices
and meeting rooms are complete and work has begun on the interior walls.
The sanctuary area is being prepared for the stained glass, and next
week the construction crew begins the work of making the new ceiling
over the sanctuary.
With the cold weather
coming, the crews are aiming to close the building up and work inside.
That will be a noisy, busy time for us. As noted earlier, we may
need to close the office on little or no notice, so please bear with us.
The church office staff finds
something new every day to marvel about. The crews work hard and
stay on schedule and it is amazing to witness the transformation of our
offices and worship space.
November 29
The onset of
colder, wetter weather has made it even more of an adventure at the
church office. The heat is an iffy thing at best and winding around to
our offices (as some of you have experienced) is often a formidable
obstacle course! Still, we feel blessed to be here amid the bustle of
our parish’s growth. It is exciting to see the changes that transpire
daily.
The nave ceiling is being
framed out and before long it will be complete. Our contractor has been
in contact with the window supply company and window frames are ready
for the church and will be installed this week. The roof on the
gathering area will be completed this week.
Due to wet weather, we
haven’t been able to get the driveway poured. We still have hopes of
getting it done this week if the weather cooperates. Once it is poured
and settled, we plan to reopen the driveway for use around the church.
Exterior brickwork
continues this week on the gathering space and the heating, ventilation
and air conditioning experts have been working in the Tudor Room, chapel
and Reconciliation Rooms installing sprinklers. The original plans
submitted to the city allowed us to put a sprinkling system only in
certain areas. It was felt fire walls would protect the rest of the
area. On review, the fire marshal determined that the whole church needs
to be equipped with a fire sprinkler system. We have a meeting this week
with the city seeking clarification on this issue.
The new meeting rooms
have drywall and are being taped and readied for painting. We have had
meetings about keying the new building and have chosen hardware and
doors for the handicapped entrances.
Again, thank you all for
your patience these past months and in the months to come. Many
volunteers work diligently to set up our temporary worship space every
week; many others give hours of free time in meetings here. Thanks to
all for your time, talent, treasure and patience. And please call
the office before coming over. The construction schedule is rather
fluid and there are times when we need to vacate the building.
December 21, 2005
Access to the church office
may be somewhat easier for some of you these days. The new
sidewalk for office entry has been poured and cured and we have shoveled
a path through the snow from the parking lot to the door. Again,
please use caution! The snow is covering a gravel driveway.
Unfortunately, due to the unusually cold weather, we will not be able to
put the asphalt driveway in until the spring. Of course, the door
to the chapel is open throughout the day as is the far west door near
the sacristy. There is, obviously, a huge amount of activity going
on around here. You may find it more convenient to call for
information.
Paint colors have been
chosen for the meeting rooms and painting will begin next week.
Members of our renovation committee chose carpet, tile, upholstery and
paint colors for the gathering space, church and offices as well.
The gathering space windows are framed out and glass will begin to be
installed next week. Demolition will be completed as well:
the old front doors, walls, windows as well as part of a wall to the
Chelsea Room will be removed.
The church is coming
along beautifully. The stained glass windows are being made by
Rigali Daprato and the sound system wiring is being installed..
Drywall is beginning in the church and after taping, we can begin
painting.
Our church is a busy,
noisy place these days!
January 20, 2006
The painters have
finished painting the new meeting rooms and offices. The building
is all glassed in now. We are waiting for the new front doors for
the Gathering Space. You may have noticed the stucco-like exterior
finish, Drivit, that has been applied to the area above the doors and
windows of the Gathering Space. It will compliment the brick and
stonework nicely.
Crews are working inside
the Gathering Space, as well, bricking pillars and putting up the
ceiling. The ceiling in the sanctuary is nearing completion.
The lights are installed and it is nice and bright. The sprinkler
system has been installed in the original offices and the Chelsea Room.
January 31, 2006
This past week,
crews painted the new church ceiling, which is very prettily rounded and
well-lit now. The carpenters are framing out the sanctuary area,
working closely with the sound planning people. Lighting has begun
to be hung in the old church lobby area and into the gathering space.
February 9, 2006
Big and small
things are happening here! Part of the Chelsea Room wall is
scheduled for demolition (so the new gathering space and the Chelsea
Room will flow into each other) and trim is being installed throughout
the church. Wallpaper is up in the new bathrooms and the drop
ceiling is being installed in the meeting rooms and new offices.
The outside doors to the gathering space have been installed and the
interior doors as well. Take time to browse through the pictures
on the web site!
April, 2006
We made a joyful return to our
church for Holy Week. As Father Geoff said, it was "good to be
home"! The construction crews and artisans worked frantically to
get us in for these special celebrations of our faith.
We still need asphalt for
the driveway and the landscaping volunteers begin work the weekend of
April 21. The remainder of the stained glass for the center window
behind the tabernacle will be delivered soon.
If you haven't had an
opportunity, come worship with us and see our beautiful new worship and
gathering space!
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