As you know, the Facilities Improvement Team, now co-chaired by Dave Ryder and Lucy Plovnick, has been working hard for the last two-plus years to develop a proposal for addressing FBC’s numerous facilities issues, including working with developer Keener-Squire to negotiate a plan to (1) renovate and restore our existing Sanctuary Building (the 1955 Building), and (2) replace current Education Building (the 1983 Addition) with a new structure where the first floor and lower floors (basement and sub-basement) belong to FBC, while the upper floors become apartment space similar to The Drake. During the 2019-20 Program Year the FIT Team established five different sub-teams to tackle the many different aspects of this enormous project:
Development Team (led by Wil McBeath)
Design Team (led by Lucy Plovnick)
Finance Team (led by Dave Ryder)
Building Transition Team (led by Jay Guenthner)
CDC Wind Down Team (led by Sarah Hodges-Austin)
At the February 2020 congregational meeting, Wil McBeath and Lucy Plovnick gave a report on behalf of the FIT Development and Design Teams and shared a draft of the plans that Wil and our outside architect, Eric Colbert, have been working on for both the FBC floors of new building that will take the place of the Education Building, and the expected renovations planned for the Sanctuary Building. Following the meeting the FIT received feedback on the draft design from a few church members and also from Keener Squire, and Wil McBeath and Eric Colbert put their heads together to create some revised draft plans addressing those comments. The most recent version of the revised draft plans was presented to the Church Council in April, 2020, and is available here.
Important features of the revised draft plans include:
One over-arching goal we have had in the FIT process is to improve FBC’s accessibility for all people, particularly those with physical challenges. The plans reflect significant improvements in this area, such as the addition of a ramp in the Sanctuary to provide wheelchair access to the Chancel; a new elevator in the Narthex; a new elevator in the Sanctuary Building that will descend to the parking garage and access all floors; a relocated Youth Lounge; the additional of many accessible bathrooms; and relocating the Choir Room the rear of the Fellowship Hall so that it will have a high ceiling, adequate rooms for robing and storage, and easy elevator access.
A new entrance off O Street with a welcome center area.
Renovated Children’s Rooms with sink and toilet facilities on the ground floor, close to the O Street entrance and elevator.
Placement of all Sunday School Classrooms on the same floor, near one another.
Placement of all staff offices on the same floor, near one another.
Addition of two “bunk rooms” with shower facilities.
Restoration of the Sanctuary (including new lighting), renovating the Fellowship Hall and Narthex to make them more welcoming and improve access.
Elimination of the gym in favor of accessible parking with elevator access.
The plans are still a work in progress as we work with Eric Colbert and others to develop more detailed architectural drawings.
While the work of the FIT was slowed in some respects due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the FIT Team remains committed to moving FBC’s renovation project forward. The FIT Team plans to continue our ongoing projects of getting renovation design plans finalized, working on a financing plan, and starting the process of cleaning out the areas of the Education Building that were used by the CDC following its closure on March 31, 2020. We will continue to keep the congregation updated on our progress, and we ask that you please keep the FIT Team in your prayers as we all look forward to the time where the FBC building reopens and it is safe for us to gather together in person again.
FIT members:
Didier Ahimera, Alyssa Aldape, Kate Campbell, Chelsea Clarke, Rod Coates (Moderator), Ken Ellison, Jay Guenthner (FIT Transition Team Leader), Philip Hawkins, Sarah Hodges-Austin, Dennis Lambert, Wil McBeath, Bill Newell, Julie Pennington-Russell, Lucy Plovnick (FIT Co-Leader), Dave Ryder (FIT Co-Leader)