NAPC Family,
The permanent space committees, made up of your fellow congregational members, have been working diligently over the past several months. Previous communications have highlighted that this congregation has been blessed by two pivotal milestones: (1) your generosity during the capital campaign and (2) alignment with the City of New Albany to use the Dublin Granville/Harlem Road traffic light as one of our entrances. Both required the subcommittees to reassess the construction scope for the new building. We are excited to now share with you the updated scope and project budget!
We have included items that were originally set aside as “Phase 2” into this first phase of construction, namely a children’s classroom wing, and space for an industrial kitchen. The sanctuary will hold 460 seats. The parking lot will be behind the building, containing 200 parking spaces. The children’s wing will have a secure entrance, 7 classroom spaces, plus a larger area for the middle and high school youth. The building committee has worked with the architect through several iterations and options to optimize the size of these areas based on our church’s mission, and to be good financial stewards with the project budget. This updated scope was recently approved by Session.
Schematic renderings and a floor plan are in the process of being updated, and we will share those as soon as we receive them.
The total project is estimated to cost approximately ten million dollars, of which roughly five million is the building cost itself. The balance of the budget is the original cost of the land, the site work to prepare the land, construction services, architectural and engineering services, and the minimum furnishings required to open the church and hold worship. Items that can more easily be added to our facility later, have not been included in this initial construction budget. This includes, but is not limited to additional furniture, kitchen appliances, cabinetry, an organ, and a playground. These additional items will be prioritized by Session and purchased as future funding permits.
The finance committee has continued reviewing this new scope and project budget with several banks and evaluated various scenarios and models to confirm the affordability of this project for our church. Once we have obtained all the sub-contractor bids on the work, we will be given a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) for the project. At that time, the construction budget and recommended loan will be presented for congregational approval.
What remains is the development of the final specifications and design drawings. Then construction documents will be sent out for bid to multiple sub-contractors in the November/December time frame. From this, we will also obtain a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) for the construction contract, and a 12-16 month construction schedule. At that time, we will hold a congregational meeting to vote on the budget and loan. We are hopeful that we can begin some site work before November to avoid the difficulties of performing these activities in the winter.
As to the rest of the property, the corner house will be used as a construction office during construction to avoid the need to rent a construction trailer. After construction, the corner house will be razed. The brick cape cod home has been assessed for upgrades to be able to use as administrative offices. The current plan is for the church staff to continue to use the offices at 6648 Walnut St. through the end of our lease in June 2022.
The committees are also paying close attention to the various risks and dynamics that could impact the outcome of this project, such as the increasing lead times and costs for building materials, and bank interest rates. Our goal is to bring this design to reality so we can worship together in our new space as soon as possible! However, we are trusting God for all things outside of our control. We ask for your continued prayer and support!
Members of the Steering Committee and Building Committee will be available after Worship on Sunday, June 6, at Franklin Church, and after both services on Sunday, June 13 at the New Albany Middle School to review this information and answer any questions. You can also submit all questions to Lisa Rathburn.
In His Glory,
Lisa Rathburn- NAPC Steering Committee
