Westmaple Entrance Takes Shape

The new entrance to our Westmaple Nursery took shape this week as the doors, windows and columns were installed. More exterior trim and detail will be added in the next few weeks around the windows and the entrance porch. Through the double doors you enter a heated vestibule, visible from the new director's office, and then proceed through the main Westmaple hallway and the five new and renovated classrooms.The sidewalk has been poured around the Westmaple entrance. Parking lot repairs will take place along with the work around the back of the gymnasium.

Town Square Roof Proceeding

The trusses and roof boards have been installed over the new town square. Shingles will be added this coming week, and windows and doors will follow, allowing more interior work to be accomplished once the area is water proof.

Work Begins in Nursery

Work has begun on the new nursery. The photo immediately below shows the door to the nursery off the new main entrance. A three sided counter with cubbies will separate the children from those arriving for drop-off and pick-up.




The next photo shows the new nursery itself. The floor is being raised to the same elevation as the town square. This will also have the added benefit of insulating children from the slab floor as was the case with the old nursery. The door to the far right in the photo below will lead to a smaller room for cribs and nursing mothers.The nursery will also have it's own bathroom accessible only from inside the nursery. Additional counters, cabinets and a sink will also be installed just outside the bathroom.

New Main Entrance

Work is proceeding in and around the new main entrance. This entrance will include two large sets of glass double doors that may be reached by either steps or a ramp. The entrance way will lead to the town square. The nursery, women's bathroom and coat room will be immediately accessible. A ministry information monitor with event details will hang just inside the double doors.

Gym Nears Completion

The renovated gymnasium and the new worship and performance stage is nearing completion. Work on the exterior is almost complete. Final brick work was completed this past week. Trim and caulk will be added this coming week. The side walk around the back has been poured ... repairs to the asphalt parking lot in back will be completed shortly.

Inside the gym the full complement of sixteen ceiling lights have now been hung, as have three large ceiling fans that will augment the new heating and cooling capability in the gym. Interior paint is nearly complete. The next two projects include installing fabric-covered acoustic panels and installing carpet on the new stage. The new floor will be poured after the camp reunion concert August 11.

Gymnasium Schedule Released

The final occupancy schedule for the renovated gymnasium was released this week. Pending all appropriate inspections, the following timetable is in place for use of the renovated gymnasium and worship and performance stage:
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A "soft opening", as it is referred to in the business, is planned for the week of August 8 to 15. Most of the gymnasium work will be completed by August 8 including a major cleanup. This will allow our returning campers to hold their annual youth concert and reunion in the new space, Wednesday, August 11. The days leading up to the concert will give the band and worship coordinators an opportunity to test all our new audio/visual/lighting systems. Then following the August 11th concert (which will be air conditioned for the first time in Redeemer's history!), a member wedding weekend will utilize the new facility, including a reception on Sunday, August 15.

On Monday, August 16, we return the space to Frank Rewold & Son to complete one very important element, the pouring of a new floor surface that will bring functional, aesthetic and acoustic benefit to the gym. The cure time for the new floor is such that we will all be required to stay out of the gym for a couple of weeks.

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This will still allow the gym to be 100% complete by Labor Day, and most importantly, for our annual Homecoming festivities the following Sunday, September 12. While the long-range forecast for the 12th is sunny and 72 degrees, it is nice to know our new air conditioned gymnasium will be available just on the outside chance we are blessed with rain that Sunday.

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From the photos you can see that the new exposed ceiling has been cleaned and sealed. Eight of the sixteen new lights have been installed. The stage surround and walls have been painted. Fabric-covered acoustic panels will be hung over the next 10 days. And carpet will be installed around the stage as a final step.

Roof on the Town Square

Work is underway this week to place the new roof over the Town Square. With a water proof roof overhead even more work can take place inside the new main gathering area located between the Sanctuary and renovated Gymnasium. This work includes the inside wall framing, electrical and plumbing, and ceilings.

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Stay tuned for more event information surrounding the Town Square at our annual homecoming activities on Sunday, September 12.

Genesis and Exodus

In 2005, before the long-range facility Master Plan was even fully contemplated, there was a desire to renovate one of the main women's bathrooms located between the Gymnasium and Great Room. I guess you could say the ladies room renovation was the genesis of the Sacred Space project. This past week, just five years after the initial suggestion, work finally began on the renovated bathroom, specifically new tile and fixtures (see photo below.) I guess now we better have the money to put in new partitions too, or there is going to be a hasty exodus ...

Construction for Week of 7-19-10 and 7-26-10

The full two week schedule for 7-19-10 thru 8-1-10 is as follows:

Gymnasium and Stage addition
· Complete stage Audio/Visual package
· Begin final cleaning for church events
· Begin final inspections

Town Square
· Continue rough mechanical plumbing and electrical
· Lower level metal stud framing
· Continue with roof framing
· Main floor wall framing
· Main floor ceiling mechanical, electrical
· Complete exterior brick

Interior infrastructure
· Continue with Fire suppression installation
· Continue with electrical relocation
· Install stairs at new south stairway
· Continue with new ceiling grid
· Continue with open ceiling inspections

West Maple
· Complete ceiling framing
· Complete window installation
· Begin finish operations
· paint, cabinets, lights
· Carpet existing classrooms
· Complete exterior concrete walks
· Begin asphalt repairs to parking lot

Music Wing
· Complete with metal stud framing
· Re-insulate roof system
· Complete air conditioning system
· Complete rough electrical and mechanical

Site improvements
· Complete electrical service East side of building
· Complete exterior walks
· Curbs at new parking lot
· Begin stone and base coat asphalt

Westmaple Work Expanded

Thanks to a wonderful gift to Sacred Space by the Westmaple Nursery, work in the three existing classrooms has been expanded to include new paint, new carpet, and new ceilings. What a terrific investment for the benefit of all our pre-school children.

Work in the two new Westmaple rooms also continues on schedule. Although the children don't return until after Labor Day, the inspections must be complete in August to provide our new and existing teachers time to ready their rooms.
Brick work on the exterior is complete as the crews prepare to complete the trim work and new front entrance. Inside the two new classrooms the plumbing, electrical and fire suppression work is well underway. Ceiling grids are in the process of being installed.

Ice Skating Rink in Master Plan

Two years before the current construction plans were completed, Redeemer embarked on a multi-year, multi-ministry master plan for our entire facility. That plan looked at long-term needs that go beyond the current work of our Sacred Space project.

The photographs below show preparations for a new second floor ice skating rink above the town square.
Okay, it's not an ice skating rink.

But we have planned for a second story addition above the new town square, including additional classrooms, bathrooms, coffee service and access to a new sanctuary balcony. To reduce the total cost of the master plan, and to eliminate the need to evacuate our newly built town square for several months, the architect and construction manager have placed the appropriate steel, concrete, rough plumbing and electrical conduit to allow for this future second floor expansion.

But ice skating does sound pretty nice on an 85 degree July day!

Site Improvements Continue

Work on various site improvements continues around Redeemer.

Most of the new fire suppression system is in place, with just the placement of sprinkler heads awaiting the final lay-in ceiling tiles. The expanded electrical service (located on the east side of the chapel) is nearly ready for DTE to provide expanded service.

The new water service which will power the fire suppression system as well as the rest of Redeemer is now in place. Note the new fire hydrant which is maize colored, and not scarlet, as one pastor requested.
Work is proceeding on the new parking lot extension. All the underground work is complete and the area has been leveled, awaiting the addition of curbs, gravel and the final asphalt top coats. The sprinkling system has been disrupted at many points around the Redeemer grounds. Don't blame the garden club if some of the landscaping looks a little tired in the July heat. Rest assured that everything is being put back in its original condition.
Finally, a new sidewalk around the north side of the gymnasium is being readied for pour next week. The parking lot asphalt will be repaired as well to match the new contours along the north side of the building.

Town Square Brick and Concrete

Work on the new main entrance and town square is proceeding both inside and out.

The exterior of the town square and main entrance is currently receiving the matching Redeemer red brick. All the new brick in this area, as well as the completed brick work around the gym stage and Westmaple classrooms, will be washed at the end of the project to provide a perfect match.

Inside the town square concrete was poured on the first floor matching the existing grade to the sanctuary corridor, with a ramp down to the library and gymnasium level.

Corridor (above) leading to the sanctuary (temporary construction wall)Ramp (above) leading down to the library and renovated gymnasium.

New town square (above) viewed from coat room corner.

Sermon Topic?

It looks like not everything is on the straight and narrow at Redeemer ...

Westmaple Progressing Towards September Opening

Block walls are being constructed inside the expanded Westmaple Nursery wing this week. Along with the steel and new roof you can begin to picture the two new classrooms and associated bathrooms. The photo below shows the new classroom on the west side of the Westmaple corridor. The door to the new bathroom, complete with junior-sized fixtures, is visible on the far left. The classroom on the west side of the Westmaple corridor is pictured below. The door on the far left (covered in plywood) has been cut through what was the end wall of Room 1. So now all four rooms on the west side of the corridor are connected. The door in the middle leads to the new bathroom. And the door to the right leads to the extended hallway. A new office for the Westmaple director is just visible on the far right.

New windows have been added, not just in the new rooms, but in the existing Room 1, to replace the windows on the north wall that have been covered by the classroom addition.

Town Square and Main Entrance

Block walls were erected around the new main entrance this past week. Along with the steel beams that have been placed to support the entry canopy, you can almost begin to imagine the new look that will greet both members and visitors as they enter Redeemer from the west parking lot.

Below is the view of the new main entrance looking across the new town square from the courtyard windows. The main entrance, visible on the left, will have two sets of double doors. The door on the right leads down stairs.And this is the view immediately upon entering Redeemer, looking directly across to the courtyard which will be framed entirely in a series of new windows. A few steps will lead from the town square out to the courtyard.Below is the view across the town square towards the gym. A fireplace will be constructed between the two beams on the left hand side of the photo. A wide, gentle ramp leads down to the gym, replacing the narrow stairs that were across from the book nook. This view of the town square looks back to the east at the current library. The plywood covers the current library window. The outside of the library will receive a face lift to match the wood panel and trim throughout the town square. A small cafe and serving counter will be constructed on the left side of the photo, for serving coffee or supporting group registrations, like VBS, Confirmation or Sunday School.

OK, it isn't a lion's den. But the new stairwell to the lower level classrooms was installed this past week. Now the construction workers (and members) won't have to climb extension ladders to reach the lower level. The stairwell is brightly lit with a large west-facing window.

A completely new women's bathroom just inside the main entrance doors is being constructed. (This will complement the existing women's bathroom just outside the gym, which is being completely renovated.) The door on the far left of the photo, just in front of the women's bathroom, is the door to the new nursery.

Gym Readies for Paint

Substantial work throughout the gymnasium has progressed to a point where painting will commence this week, starting in the rafters and working throughout the gym, stage and storage rooms.
Two projection screens, each nine feet across, have been mounted on either side of the stage above the new ceiling panels. A large truss capable of supporting stage lights has now been hung in front of the stage. And hundreds of feet of conduit and cable have been put in place to integrate the audio, visual and lighting capabilities throughout the room

Construction for Week of 7-5-10 and 7-12-10

The full two week schedule for the weeks of 7-5-10 and 7-12-10:

Stage addition
· complete stage Audio/Visual package
· continue with painting operations
· install doors and hardware
· install light fixtures
Town Square
· complete steel erection
· continue rough mechanical, plumbing, electrical
· lower level metal stud framing
· pour 2nd floor concrete
· roof framing
· main floor wall framing
Interior infrastructure
· continue with Fire suppression installation · continue with electrical relocation
· continue with demo at New South stairway
· continue with new ceiling grid
West Maple Classrooms
· complete mechanical and electrical
· complete with new air condition systems
· complete fire suppression
· begin ceiling framing
· complete exterior brick
Music Wing
· complete with metal stud framing
· complete with Masonry infills
· prep for AC system
· rough electrical and mechanical
Site improvements
· complete electrical service East side of building
· begin prep for exterior walks
· curbs at new parking lot
· begin stage and Westmaple sidewalks

. lift steeple two inches to the south