News from the Board

Tom-RichFor those of you who were unable to attend last Sunday’s Semi-Annual Meeting, I wanted to repeat here the highlights of the Board’s presentation on the Historic Structures Report, which was the product of a study to assess the needs of our building from a historic preservation perspective. The report (available by clicking here) identified needed repairs that ranged in urgency from “implement within the next several months” to “implement within the next 10-15 years.” The two largest repairs are replacing the sanctuary windows and painting the exterior of the building. The total estimated cost of all repairs is $1.2 million, which are front-loaded over the next 1-4 years. (That is, the $1.2M is not distributed evenly over a 10-15 year period.) The report also indicated that we should set aside $70,000 per year to maintain the building, once the repairs are completed.

Over the next 2-3 months, the Building and Grounds Committee, the Finance Committee, and the Board will work on developing a set of recommendations on which repairs should be undertaken and when and — importantly — how the repairs should be funded. We will present those recommendations at a congregational meeting for comment, discussion, and feedback. We expect a several week comment and discussion period. Because the recommendations will necessarily involve one or more of a capital campaign, borrowing money, or selling assets, we will require a congregational vote to proceed.

Please contact any member of the Building and Grounds Committee for more information on the report. We welcome your participation in this process as we move forward.

In the spirit of community,

 

Tom Rich

Board Chair