The Lord Builds

Now that we’re almost complete with the stucco and stained glass repair project, what’s next? Here are some of the things the Renovations Committee is working on right now and for the next several months:

• We’re finalizing colors for a repaint of the inside of the church. The worship center, lobby, office hallways and Preschool entrance will all be repainted.  We’ll be revealing the color selection here in the next few days.
• We’re looking into what to do with the projection system in the church. The committee agrees that the center screen is not adequate aesthetically or functionally. The screen blocks the cross and the image is too light because of an aging projector and ambient light. There are two serious options being considered, both of which would move the projection to two screens on either side of the worship center, where the dove and alpha/omega plaques are now.
• We need to sound proof the gym to get some better acoustics and add a sound system that’s “flip a switch and use”.
• We’re spending some time with the basement design make it the best it can be. We expect the major functions and core values for the space to remain unchanged, but we’re exploring some detail changes to make it more functional. We’re also looking into the costs/savings of a new boiler and hot water system.

As always, we invite your feedback. If you see something that needs repair or have an idea to pass along, please post it in the comments or let someone on the committee know.

At the Congregational Meeting last month, First Trinity approved approximately $80,000 in total to get started on some immediate projects that need doing.  We hope to have many of them completed by Christmas!  Some are already scheduled and others are in various stages of discussion.  Here’s what we’re looking to do in these next six months:

1. Repair the stained-glass windows in the Worship Center.  This involves replacing the storm windows on the outside to prevent future leaks and repairing the damage from previous leaks.  The work should be done in late July or early August.
2. Repair the Glenhurst Entryway concrete.  There’s a tripping hazard on the way into the doors. We’ve discussed a few options.  More on that later in a future post.  We plan to have the project started shortly after VBS.
3. We will be starting to dig into the detailed plans for the Basement.  This includes lots of back and forth with Carmina-Wood-Morris as they help us explore how to best design the space for our needs.
4. We will evaluate options for sound and light control in the gym.
5. We will explore options to improve the aesthetics and effectiveness of projection in the Worship Center. At this point, we’re working to obtain bids for proposals.
6. We will be painting most of the facility.  We are working with Carmina-Wood-Morris and their interior designer to choose paint colors.  Some repairs, such as the stained-glass windows, need to be completed before we paint.
7. We are exploring what to do with the cry room to make it more friendly for parents and their children.

We’re reporting about the renovations project at the Congregational meeting on June 23.  Our print report, included in the master packet, is available for download as a PDF in case you missed the paper copy.  Much of the information in the report is found elsewhere on this site.

Here are a few things that might interest you about how the report got done:

• Marsha Peth made a first draft based on our discussions from three prior meetings.  We’re so thankful for her willingness to get the document started!
• The document was then reviewed by the Renovations Committee, plus Sue Steege and Pastor Chuck.  After about 20 emails, we had a new draft completed.
• Randy Edgington turned our draft into the formatted document you see linked here.  We’re thankful for his quick work!
• We sent another 20 emails back and forth to revise the 2nd draft, then declared it final.
• All this happened over a period of about 48 hours once we had the initial draft complete.

Your renovations committee is fast and dedicated.  There were lots of great insights that led to the document you see now.

Got questions about it?  Post them in the comments and we’ll give you more details!

This blog is the story of the ongoing renovation of First Trinity Lutheran Church in Tonawanda, NY.  At the very top of the page, you will find a link to our projects page, the team and some information about this blog. To the right you will see some categories.  To see all information relating to the basement area, click the “basement” category.

Projects are divided into five areas.  The current list of projects can be accessed from the projects page.  These “super posts” with pictures will be updated as the project develops to include the most recent information.  As a result, these posts will change with time. Whenever significant changes are made, they will be pointed out here via a post that explains the change.