June 6, 2024

Our floor abatement and replacement project kicked off bright and early Monday morning and the folks from Rainbow Environmental Services have already made great progress. In fact, they have already completed the downstairs portion of the abatement!

What to Expect This Sunday, June 9th

Based on the current progress, here is what to expect this Sunday, June 9th:

• All entrances will be open, including the downstairs preschool and nursery entrance
• The nursery will be open and staffed for worship

But...

• Our Fellowship Hall has now been sealed off and will not be accessible. This means:
• The kitchen will be accessible by its outside door
• The playground will be accessible via the 'name-tag room' doors
• Items stored on and under the stage will not be accessible
• For this Sunday, there will still be access to the upstairs sound booth for our audiovisual team
• There is a big dumpster in our parking lot. It blocks two of the handicap spaces closest to the back entrance.
• The back hallway and coat closet have been entirely emptied of items
• Construction materials (i.e. boxes with new tiles awaiting installation) are being stored in our Chapel.
• Items otherwise stored in the constructions spaces are being stored throughout the building, including in our music room, downstairs newer wing, the Chapel, and the stage.

What to Expect June 10th and Beyond

Upstairs abatement will begin on Monday, June 10th in the Fellowship Hall. All access to the Fellowship Hall will be sealed off, including to our Sound Booth.

It is possible that they will begin abatement in the back hallway and coat closet, though we expect that to begin on or after June 17th. When that happens, the back office entrance will be entirely blocked off, with the hallway accessing the coat closet, offices, and upstairs bathrooms sealed off. This will mean that:

• The only bathrooms available in the building will be the downstairs bathrooms
• Office access will be via the downstairs choir area door
• Sanctuary and Chapel access will be via the main entrance

Stay tuned for what this will mean for Sunday, June 16th and 23rd. At this point, we believe that this back entrance and hall area will be open every Sunday. But of course, things change! We will send an update email next week as work progresses.

Overview of the Project

This is an exciting project made possible first from a grant given to our Lakeside Presbyterian Preschool! The grant was offered to cover the abatement and replacement of the flooring in all preschool rooms that still had the original tiles. Inspired by the downstairs project, your session voted to pursue abatement and replacement throughout the building. The costs of upstairs renovations are covered by budget surplus going into 2024, an endowment gift, and additional contributions from the Lakeside Presbyterian Preschool.

This project involves the following steps:

Abatement:

1. Downstairs Preschool rooms asbestos abatement (in classrooms under sanctuary) (COMPLETE!)
2. Fellowship Hall asbestos abatement
3. Upstairs coat closet and hallway asbestos abatement (back entrance and hallway in front of bathrooms and chapel)

New Floor Installation:

1. Upon completion of downstairs abatement, new flooring will be put into the downstairs Preschool rooms
2. Upon completion of upstairs abatement, new flooring will be put into the hallway, coat closet, and Fellowship Hall in whatever manner least disrupts Sunday mornings and works for our contractors