We all love our church in the woods; sadly, we also pay a price for being in the woods! Raccoons who love to climb and cavort on our building, rain that stays a bit too long when drains clog. We have all known there would come a day when we would have to fix the problems that have gradually been increasing over the decades. Thankfully, we have done a GREAT job of patching and have avoided addressing some of the real issues. However, there comes a point when patching is just not enough and we just have reached that point.
The board learned that our insurance is in danger of not being renewed because of the roof problems and fire concerns. That is why the board appointed a special Ad Hoc Committee was appointed and charged with:
- Repairing roof and wall damage to the sanctuary and fix drainage problems.
- Eliminate crawl spaces for raccoons and other critters.
- Replace the boiler or establish a new system.
The board requests that a report, along with bids/quotes, be presented no later than its August meeting so the problems can be addressed this fall. The roof work must be to be addressed to maintain insurance coverage.
We had hoped to put this off for another year or two in anticipation of the Long Range Plan but the elements and condition of the roof demand more immediate action. Fittingly, we will be working with architect Craig Graham, the son of Fred and Bette Graham—it was Fred who designed our beautiful church in the 1960s. Stay tuned—there will be updates on the website, in the Unigram and even the Order of Service.
Special Ad Hoc Committee: Howard Schroeder, Bruce Craig, Lynn Sousa and Eleanor Trawick with Judy Craig, Ginny Nilles, and Michael O’Hara offering help and assistance as needed requested.
Ginny Nilles
President
(soon to be past president)
