Remodel and Construction News
See Fischer Bathroom Pictures down below, but here is the latest update:
12/30/25
Short Version: We will be clearing out the Fellowship Hall and Kitchen on January 10th to prepare it for remodeling. Everything will be removed and put in other storage areas. If you have items stored there, they must be removed before this date – we have places to move items too. In addition, the use of the Hall and Kitchen will be limited, or even non-existent, after this date. No new events are being scheduled for the Hall or Kitchen after January 31st.
OK, here is more information - we are getting ready! We anticipate receiving our permit to begin work on the Fellowship Hall and Kitchen in a few weeks, and the permit for the Sanctuary addition shortly after that. While the Sanctuary addition will not significantly impact normal activities, the Hall/Kitchen remodel will impact every square inch of that building. This means:
1) Everything must be moved out, and
2) There will be several months that the hall and kitchen cannot be used
While we don’t know exactly when we will start (more on that below), we are scheduling a workday to clear the hall and kitchen on January 10th. For that, we need a small team to help move chair/table racks, boxes, etc. into temporary storage areas – if you can help, sign up at the Welcome table or office.
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Use of the Hall and Kitchen is limited in January (and may quickly change to unavailable). In addition, we are not scheduling any events in these areas after January 31st |
With things moving out, the use of the Hall and Kitchen will be very limited until construction starts (obviously after construction starts, we cannot use them at all). However, it may be a week or two before we start construction and simple events may be fine, so check with the office.
As you can see from this note, there is still not a firm start date. That is because it still rests with the city for final approval. Here is this week’s status. The city’s initial comments are being addressed and updated information is being submitted back in the first full week of January. The city’s final review should take about two weeks (pray). Once approval is granted, we want to move forward quickly, so during this time we are preparing, and our contractor is finalizing his plans.
Obviously, there is a lot of information here, but most importantly, a lot to pray for. Pray for the city review - that it will be quick and kind. But also, our contractor as he prepares and the team as they work through the decisions that are needed.
Also, continue to pray for our financial position – we obviously have planed to the money we have, but we are seeking out an additional $270,000. This represents about 10% of the project’s total cost. The additional money will allow us to complete the updates entirely, putting in place a facility that will support God’s work here for the coming generations. Please consider and pray to see if you can contribute to this above your normal giving. You can give on-line or use the lobby drop box and designate it for the “Remodel Project”.
Fischer Bathroom Remodel
Step One - Complete:
The remodel started with the two office bathrooms, the two small first floor bathrooms in the north end of the children's area, and the two bathrooms on the east end of the second floor.
The office bathrooms were remodeled with new tile, plumbing, fixtures, and paint. As you can see, "remodel" meant going down to the studs and reworking a lot of the aged issues. These two bathrooms were remodeled into "single user" bathrooms – meaning they are no longer men's and women's bathrooms, so you can use either. Yes, exterior doors have an “occupied" lock on it for easy identification whether they are being used or not. In addition, the larger one now includes a baby changing station.
The center first floor bathrooms were totally changed. These small legacy children's bathrooms were expanded into fully compliant ADA bathrooms. This involved moving walls, digging up the concrete and relaying out the plumbing, as well as using some of the space in the adjoining rooms.
The two upstairs east bathrooms (just as you come up the stairs from the parking lot) have also been remodeled. They continue to be men’s and women’s bathrooms with two stalls in each one – though it is tight, it will help us serve more people.
Expect the unexpected
The remodel uncovered an existing sewer problem – in two places there was a partial collapse of the sewer drain between the building and the street. Both have now been fixed (you may have noticed the digging out front over the past month). In addition, the collapse was partially brought about by the Ficus tree roots next to the building on the west end – the offending trees have since been removed. However, this did cost us both time and money from our contingency fund.
Next Steps
West end bathrooms – the upstairs west end (closest to the street) bathrooms will be remodeled next. These bathrooms are awkward due to their configuration. As a result, it was decided that they would be best converted to single user bathrooms. This update will start when the east end bathrooms are fully functional.
The downstairs west bathrooms are on hold until later in the project. We will evaluate whether we do them this year or not, depending on finances. These we feel are less critical as there are the new ADA bathrooms just down the hall.
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