January 6, 2024

New Year’s Greetings!

Thank you to Ian, Joe, and Sara, for all they did to lead and prepare us for a wonderful holiday season.

Here are some updates about what’s been happening with the construction of our new parish hall:

  • The project has been divided into 4 phases.  The first phase was demolition.  Phase 2 is the construction of the basement and foundation. Phase 3 is the construction of the shell of the whole building (basement, first floor, roof). Phase 4 is the finishing of the interior of the building, including the construction of walls, kitchen, secondary bathrooms, electrical, elevator, etc.

  • Phase 1 was completed this spring. Work on Phase 2 has been started, and the vestry has authorized our senior warden, Brooke, to sign the contract for Phase 3. By late summer, we should have a shell of a building, with upgraded, ADA-accessible bathrooms replacing those currently in the sanctuary. The completion of Phase 3 will not provide us with space we can use to gather as a congregation. Those finishings will come in Phase 4.

  • Phase 4 will likely be broken into chunks that will be paid for as we have the additional funds to support them (e.g. “finish the kitchen,” “install the elevator”). We will solicit feedback from stakeholders in the congregation to help us make these decisions about priorities once we reach that point.

  • As is typical with construction projects, costs have increased. As the vestry, we have made decisions to get the best value in the timing of projects, and bulk things together while not overcommitting to funds we do not have. We’ve hired an owner’s representative, Gina Spang (who has worked on projects like the renovation of the Oriental Theater) to help us navigate this process and ensure that we’re making the best choices.

  • Capital campaigns stretch over a series of years. In our first year, we raised nearly enough to complete the shell of what will be a lovely building for decades to come (projected 50% of the total cost). While we have a long way to go to make the interior to our liking, we’re confident that, together, we can complete this project!

Many thanks to all of you for your financial support and your prayers,

St. Mark’s Vestry and Wardens