[printprofilepic]Mary Gleason’s Visit: In February our UUA Consultant, Mary Gleason, visited us. She met with many committees and groups, including the UCLA Board, the BPSC, the new Building Plans Subcommittee, the Capital Campaign Subcommittee, and the Committee on Ministry. Mary also spent time with the UCLA Finance Committee, Steward, Treasurer and Annual Pledge Drive Committee, the Minister, the UCLA Staff, and with several other interested individuals. How she managed to see all these people and help them clarify their tasks and schedules in the short time available is beyond me. However, I think I speak for all of us when I say we learned a great deal during her visit.
As Chair of the BPSC, the most critical thing that I learned is that I need to do a much better job communicating with the Congregation. You all need to know where we are in the new building process and you all need to be aware of the activities, actions, and decisions that are being made even as they happen. I’ve endeavored to keep the BPSC and the UCLA Board fully up-to-date but now realize that I’ve neglected to keep the rest of our Congregation as well informed. I intend to do better—so here goes:
The Near Term Schedule: Mary was able to provide a wealth of detail to all the Committees concerning the tasks they must accomplish over the next several months. These include specific actions such as:
- Finance Committee:
- Revisit the purpose & definition of all the various funds.
- Add line item to the budget to insure the parking lot paving loan is paid off.
- Develop pro forma budgets demonstrating the impact of a mortgage on the annual operating budget.
- Publicity Subcommittee:
- Host meetings to report progress, solicit input, and answer questions.
- Work on capturing the history and heritage of the Unitarian Church of Los Alamos (the UCLA Story Corps).
- Establish a task force to be in charge of celebrations for all works large and small.
- Building Planning Subcommittee:
- Work with the minister to establish a covenant with the Congregation.
- Host listening sessions with various groups (RE, worship/music, staff, etc.) with specific needs.
- Keep the UCLA Mission & Vision, as well as the Charge to the Architect, in the forefront of building design discussions and decisions.
- UCLA Board:
- Develop Gift Acceptance Policies for the church.
- Insure that purpose and definition of funds, especially endowment funds, are understood, appropriate and respected.
- Begin conversations with banks to understand what the requirements will be for loan acceptance.
- BPSC:
- Develop realistic estimates of funding likely to be available for the new building.
- Get secure estimates for moving the utilities.
- Continue negotiations with the Masons toward possible land acquisition.
These are just a selection of the tasks and assignments that came out of our discussions with Mary. Additional assignments were identified for the Steward and Annual Pledge Drive Committee, the Long Range Planning Committee, The Committee on Ministry, as well as for John and the UCLA Staff.
Cost of the New Building: Mary provided guidance, based on the experiences of many other congregations, on estimating the funding we are likely to raise for our new church. The rule-of-thumb is that a congregation can expect to raise from 3 to 5 times their annual pledge amount and that our total debt repayment (including existing debts and a mortgage payment) should not exceed 25% of our budget.
Following this rule-of-thumb, and assuming there are no extraordinary gifts or bequests to the new building, we are looking in the range of approximately $2M to $2.5M. The BPSC will carefully study this number and then ask Mullen Heller, our architects, to design around this figure.
Possibilities for Land Purchase from Masons: As alluded to above, we have continued to discuss the possibility of purchasing a strip of land adjacent to our property from our neighbors the Masons and they have expressed a genuine interest in selling us a portion of their land. Negotiations are still underway and the amount of land, as well as the cost, will not be fixed until the end of March. At that time, this information will be given to Mullen Heller so that they can carefully evaluate whether this purchase would be cost effective and beneficial to our plans. Mullen Heller will provide the analysis and information we will need to decide, via Congregational Vote, if we should purchase this land. This decision will most likely be made toward the end of this calendar year. I’ll keep you posted as this opportunity develops.
The New Building Plans Committee: As I’ve reported before, Gordon Keating and Dale Arnink are the co chairs of the new Building Plans Subcommittee. The other members of this subcommittee are: Kimberly Petersen, Kathy Gursky, George Hrbek, and Melissa Bartlett. This subcommittee has already met with Mullen Heller and established a plan and timeline for development of the schematic design drawings for our new building. Part of this plan includes hosting Mullen Heller design team visits to our church. Please take some time to talk with the members of the Building Plans Subcommittee. Tell them what you like about our existing church and what you want to see preserved or even enhanced in our new building.
Upcoming Mullen Heller Design Team Visits: Mullen Heller are coming to Los Alamos to solicit ideas and input from the Congregation at the beginning of their new building design process. They will be here on the following dates:
- Saturday, February 26th from 1 to 3 p.m.
- Sunday, March 13th after church from noon to 2 p.m.
I hope that everyone in the Congregation will take advantage of these opportunities to talk with the building design team and become more fully involved in the new building process.
The Building Plans Subcommittee will also be available during coffee hour and after church each Sunday for informal discussions.
The Longer Range Schedule: This spring and summer will be a very busy time for the new building process. All this activity should culminate in the presentation of our new building design in the fall. We will receive one design that will be realized at three distinct levels; bronze, silver, and gold. The difference between the three levels will be due to such things as the materials specified, the amenities included, and the degree of green, low carbon, and sustainable elements incorporated into the design.
We will allow ample time for the Congregation to study and discuss these designs. Once everyone is familiar with the designs, we will have another Congregational Vote to decide on the preferred design. At that time, a financial feasibility study will be conducted (by our UUA Consultant) to determine if we are both financially and motivationally ready to conduct the Capital Campaign.
Once the Capital Campaign is completed, the loan process can commence. Once all financing is secured, we can engage a contractor and break ground.
Summation: My apologies for being so long-winded, but there is no other way to ensure you receive the information you need. I will continue to use the Voice and any other method or channel available to keep you up-to-date on the new building project. I welcome your questions and suggestions. The best way to reach me is via email at: rbolton@fastermac.com.
And finally, I want to express my gratitude and sheer amazement at the depth of dedication and involvement that so many members of our Congregation demonstrated during Mary’s visit. Many people met three or four times with Mary on Saturday and Sunday in their different roles on various committees. Everyone gave so freely of their time, talent, and attention that I am bursting with pride in my Congregation.
Respectfully submitted,
Rick Bolton, Chair – BPSC
