Congregation Gives Final Approval

At a congregational meeting held Sunday, February 28, the members present unanimously endorsed the final construction plans for our capital renovation project, Sacred Space.

No changes in project scope were introduced at the meeting. The plan still includes the four major components: two new Westmaple classrooms, gymnasium renovation for worship, a new main entrance and town square, and various site improvements.

Work is scheduled to begin on Monday, April 5, the day after Easter. The initial work will center on the exterior of the gymnasium and the area around the west entrance.

The project now includes more than 100 drawings and a 700+ page project manual prepared by the architectural firm of Merritt, McPherson & Cieslak. The construction budget, managed by the firm of Frank Rewold & Sons, stands at $3.2 million. Firm bids from dozens of trades, obtained through a sealed competitive bid process, underlie the $3.2 million budget.

Our capital stewardship campaign at this moment in time has expected gifts of more than $3.8 million. After expenses for architectural fees, professional engineering fees, city permits, insurance, furniture, etc. the available construction money stands at $3.1 million. That leaves an approximately $100,000 shortfall against the $3.2 million budget

At the congregational meeting three ideas were presented to eliminate the $100,000 shortfall:

1.) Find new gifts from members that may not have participated in Sacred Space to this point, including new and existing members, as well as directing existing family memorials,
2.) Accelerate 2nd and 3rd year gifts against existing three year pledges. This reduces both the interest expense on the short-term construction loan and reduces the contingency money set aside for possible uncollectible pledges,
3.) Delay individual line items within the four major project areas until a later time, e.g. the parking lot addition, refurbishing existing Westmaple classrooms, new chairs for the gymnasium, a room partition for the new lower level classroom, and the cupola/cross on the main entrance canopy.

City Commission Says Go Ahead

The Birmingham City Commission gave their approval for the Sacred Space project at a December 7, 2009 meeting. The City Commission vote was 6-1 in favor of the Redeemer proposal, with newly elected Commissioner Mark Nikita casting the lone dissenting vote.

Prior to this meeting Redeemer had been required to file a comprehensive site plan and amendment to the Special Land Use Permit (SLUP) that governs Redeemer's operation in the neighborhood. The site plan and SLUP amendment were reviewed by members of the city planning department and had previously been approved by the City Planning Board at a September, 2009 meeting.

The next step in the city review process is to apply for the appropriate construction permits. This will occur over the next month just as soon as the final construction drawings are completed and submitted to the City of Birmingham.