Thanks to all of you who participated in listening sessions on our building expansion plans the weekend of Nov. 10-11.

Top themes were:

•        Satisfied with overall plan;

•        Keep it “green” or environmentally responsible;

•        More storage; and

•        Multi-use rooms e.g. meditation room for quiet contemplation, prayer, small weddings, etc.

The Building Design Team will ask the architect to find more storage space for tables and chairs on the main level, where they will be used most, along with other minor modifications. The use of rooms has been modified so that the K-6 RE rooms will be on the lower level closer to the gathering space for Children’s Chapel. This will minimize trips up and down the stairs and time lost moving children between floors. The nursery and toddler rooms, along with middle and high school rooms, will be on the main level in the current RE wing.

The kitchen has been reconfigured from the original plan with a mobile serving line between the kitchen and fellowship hall in a hallway as wide as the current lobby. In development are ideas to improve acoustics in the sanctuary, a system for the hearing impaired and sound system control.

Boldt Construction will create the final plans and then calculate a cost estimate for the project. A special issue of the building project newsletter, Building On, will arrive in your mailbox in early January with the updated building plan and other project details.

Two consultants from the Unitarian Universalist Association will conduct a feasibility study in early February. They interview a sample of the congregation to gauge our readiness to proceed with the project and raise the necessary funds.

If you have questions, concerns or suggestions for our building expansion project, please contact Building Steering Committer co-chairs Albert Park 920-722-7322 This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or Terry Dawson 920-734-0013 This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it