regation from current facility. The Building Committee is also suggesting extending the current campaign from May, 2009 until May, 2012. The Committee will be holding several meetings during this week to define more specific estimate of deficit. The Council voted to conduct a special Council meeting on Monday, August 25 to review this information and plan Congregational Meeting scheduled for Sept. 21.
At a Special Congregational Meeting, held after worship on July 27th 2008, Rev. Bass, Dave Douds, and Lon Chesnutt explained the history of the project that began in 2002 and where we are now.
The 2002 proposal for a new building for SJU with financial input from SJRC based on SJU’s share of the total equity in WLIFC.
The timeline concluded with our most recent action, which was Council approval of the selection of Henry Lewis Contractors of Owings Mills as our Construction Manager for the new building. (Much of the timeline since 2006 has been detailed in this chronology.)
We have a current Balance On Hand of $475,000. A report on projected income and expense for the entire project, because of inflation over the past six years, reflected a deficit of expenses over income in the daunting amount of $1,362,500.
Rev. Bass affirmed that the SJU leadership was committed to seeing this project through.
That we would be planning an extension of the Capital Campaign and we encouraged all members and friends to submit their thoughts and suggestions on how best to proceed.
Lon Chesnutt stated that we have postponed our groundbreaking date, in view of the funding gap, to a future date.
The Joint SJU/SJRC Team met on Tuesday evening, July 29th. This team was formed as a forum for discussion of items of mutual concern throughout the SJU new building project. SJU then announced that we would commit to:
An extension of the current Capital Campaign by another 2 to 3 years,
Raising additional funds with an emphasis on upfront payment of pledges;
Consideration of a phased building approach to spread the total cost over a longer period;
Minimizing the delay in the groundbreaking date, consistent with the developing financial situation.
We then requested that the SJRC, consider segregating their remaining contribution into a CD account and adding the interest to the account balance, as a means of hedging that amount against future inflation;
That SJRC consider making an additional contribution in the project to cover inflation to the project over the past six years. to assure successful completion of our joint project;
That SJRC agree to flexibility in their application of the “three year window to complete our building” in our legal agreement of November 2006.
There will be a Congregational meeting after worship on Sunday July 27th to hear a progress report on our new building.
From SJU Council News July/August 2008-Howard County has approved the site development plan. The next step is to hire a construction company for pre-construction planning. After interviewing six companies, it was recommended to extend an offer to Henry Lewis Company from Owings Mills, MD. They will complete the pre-construction plan which includes value engineering for cost savings as well as an initial bidding process from trade companies for accurate pricing. They have built about 200 churches since 1981. The charge for this consulting is $30,000, which would be included in the building cost if they are the construction company chosen by SJU. A motion was made by Sandy Collins and seconded by Stacy Mogren to approve this pre-construction engagement with Henry Lewis Co. It is estimated that once ground is broken, it will take approximately 12 months to complete construction.
COUNTY APPROVES SITE DEVELOPMENT The Howard County Planning Board approved St. John United’s Site Development Plan on May 22 with a 3 - 0 vote that opened the way for SJU to take another step in its countdown to a new building. The approval dealt with all the work necessary to prepare the ground for a new building, i.e. water and sewer connections, grading of the land, water runoff. SJU’s site engineering company, Patton, Harris, and Rust, had prepared the proper drawings to meet the needed specifications, and the Planning Board had only a few questions and comments before voting unanimous approval.
In the public hearing, three persons spoke against the proposal and tried to raise objections to the cross on the external building, but the Board Chair said that issue was not in their purview of responsibility. Father Dick Tillman and pastor Whitty Bass had both given brief statements emphasizing a continuing inter faith cooperation and request for approval.
The next task before the Building Committee and the SJU Council is the choosing of a Construction Manager. That person would assist the Church as liaison in the final phase of planning and would also be SJU’s onsite representative when the construction phase actually begins.
The next hurdle is the meeting in the process to build a new SJU church building will with the Howard County Planning Board on May 22nd. This session will be seeking approval of the plans for preparation of the site for construction of the building, which means all the preparation for the underground work of securing water, sewage, storm water, and electrical arrangements in proper form. Members are encouraged to attend this hearing in the Ellicott Room of the George Howard Building at 3430 Court House Drive in Ellicott City at 7:00 PM on the 22nd. Building Committee Administrator David Douds said he thinks all the necessary papers and drawings for County approval have already been or are about to be submitted. But, in the long road to gaining permission to build, a glitch can occur at almost any point, and we (SJU) must be ready to respond.
Meanwhile, other preparation continues so that SJU will be ready to move ahead when the final building plans are approved by the County Department of Planning and Zoning. The Arium Inc. architectural firm has been authorized to complete the specification drawings for the new building, which means the actual drawings of where walls are to be placed, interior connections are to be made, and roofing is to be secured. All the committees who made initial plans for the interiors of the building are completing their work so that SJU will have the look and feeling desired in the advanced planning.
The Building Committee has drawn up a short list of firms that could act as the ‘Construction Manager’ for the rest of the building process. Upon selection of a firm, probably some time in May, the on-site representative of that firm will assist SJU in the final phase of securing necessary Howard County building permits, seeking bids for a general contractor to construct the building, helping the Building Committee to evaluate the bids and choose a contractor, and then be the on-site coordinator and liaison as the builder proceeds to do the work.
All of this must be underwritten by SJU’s financial means to complete the planning phase, receive the pledges from the Capital Campaign, secure a mortgage to insure payment for the construction, and include a debt-payment plan for the congregation. The Building Committee is currently engaged in developing a plan that will meet these needs. That plan is to be shared first with the SJU Council and then, in the near future, with the congregation.
SJU began this process of seeking a new congregational home as an act of faith and a trust that we were adequate to the task. As we continue on that journey, SJU needs the enthusiastic support of every member.
The “Cross” issue and the community - since the RAM report from the Wilde Lake Architectural committee was overturned by the Wilde Lake Village Board April 7 and approved the decision to let SJU build its church building as planned with the Christian Cross that will face Twin Rivers and Trumpeter Roads. There have been several stories in the local media: The Baltimore Examiner story (04.14.08) “Concerns raised as cross approved for Columbia Interfaith Center.”
The Columbia Flier story (04.17.08) “Critics say cross at interfaith center exclusionary” See: Columbia Flier story; The Flier also ran an editorial, “Balancing faith, tolerance is Columbia’s cross to bear” by Doug Miller, (05.07.08). He began the with the question, “….people who don’t live in Columbia …even though those who live elsewhere…when they hear of a controversy over a church that wants to put a cross (on its new building). After all that’s what Christians do just about anywhere ….But in Columbia it’s a little more complicated than that… …exterior religious symbols have been more or less taboo at Columbia’s interfaith centers…He concluded, “Envisioning Columbia’s big picture without a healthy dialogue about what’s wrong and right with the interfaith centers individually and as a concept would be a leap of faith we should not take.” That editorial generated several letters of comment both pro and con from the Columbia community. The Washington Post story (05.13.08) followed with the story, “Plan for Cross Shakes Columbia to Its Core Values” The following day (05.14.07) almost every local TV station news crew came and interviewed SJU members at the Wilde Lake Interfaith Center and some radio stations in the Baltimore Washington area carried the cross issue that was generated by the Associated Press.
The Wilde Lake Village Board approved the plans for St. John United’s proposal to build a new church building at Twin Rivers and Trumpter roads at the Wilde Lake Interfaith Center on Monday April 7. The Board rejected the earlier RAM decision that the cross and denominational symbols be removed and by a 3-2 vote restored these items to the plan.
The SJU Building Committee will be appealing the decision on external symbols in the RAM report to the Wilde Lake Village Board (sitting as the Architectural Committee). The SJU Appeal Meeting with the Wilde Lake Village Board will be Monday, April 7, 2008 at 7:00 pm at Slayton House
The RAM report is in. Kristin Shulder, Wilde Lake Covenant Advisor writing March 17th to break
The next hurdle is the meeting in the process to build a new SJU church building will with the Howard County Planning Board on May 22nd. This session will be seeking approval of the plans for preparation of the site for construction of the building, which means all the preparation for the underground work of securing water, sewage, storm water, and electrical arrangements in proper form. Members are encouraged to attend this hearing in the Ellicott Room of the George Howard Building at 3430 Court House Drive in Ellicott City at 7:00 PM on the 22nd. Building Committee Administrator David Douds said he thinks all the necessary papers and drawings for County approval have already been or are about to be submitted. But, in the long road to gaining permission to build, a glitch can occur at almost any point, and we (SJU) must be ready to respond.
Meanwhile, other preparation continues so that SJU will be ready to move ahead when the final building plans are approved by the County Department of Planning and Zoning. The Arium Inc. architectural firm has been authorized to complete the specification drawings for the new building, which means the actual drawings of where walls are to be placed, interior connections are to be made, and roofing is to be secured. All the committees who made initial plans for the interiors of the building are completing their work so that SJU will have the look and feeling desired in the advanced planning.
The Building Committee has drawn up a short list of firms that could act as the ‘Construction Manager’ for the rest of the building process. Upon selection of a firm, probably some time in May, the on-site representative of that firm will assist SJU in the final phase of securing necessary Howard County building permits, seeking bids for a general contractor to construct the building, helping the Building Committee to evaluate the bids and choose a contractor, and then be the on-site coordinator and liaison as the builder proceeds to do the work.
All of this must be underwritten by SJU’s financial means to complete the planning phase, receive the pledges from the Capital Campaign, secure a mortgage to insure payment for the construction, and include a debt-payment plan for the congregation. The Building Committee is currently engaged in developing a plan that will meet these needs. That plan is to be shared first with the SJU Council and then, in the near future, with the congregation.
SJU began this process of seeking a new congregational home as an act of faith and a trust that we were adequate to the task. As we continue on that journey, SJU needs the enthusiastic support of every member.
The “Cross” issue and the community - since the RAM report from the Wilde Lake Architectural committee was overturned by the Wilde Lake Village Board April 7 and approved the decision to let SJU build its church building as planned with the Christian Cross that will face Twin Rivers and Trumpeter Roads. There have been several stories in the local media: The Baltimore Examiner story (04.14.08) “Concerns raised as cross approved for Columbia Interfaith Center.”
The Columbia Flier story (04.17.08) “Critics say cross at interfaith center exclusionary” See: Columbia Flier story; The Flier also ran an editorial, “Balancing faith, tolerance is Columbia’s cross to bear” by Doug Miller, (05.07.08). He began the with the question, “….people who don’t live in Columbia …even though those who live elsewhere…when they hear of a controversy over a church that wants to put a cross (on its new building). After all that’s what Christians do just about anywhere ….But in Columbia it’s a little more complicated than that… …exterior religious symbols have been more or less taboo at Columbia’s interfaith centers…He concluded, “Envisioning Columbia’s big picture without a healthy dialogue about what’s wrong and right with the interfaith centers individually and as a concept would be a leap of faith we should not take.” That editorial generated several letters of comment both pro and con from the Columbia community. The Washington Post story (05.13.08) followed with the story, “Plan for Cross Shakes Columbia to Its Core Values” The following day (05.14.07) almost every local TV station news crew came and interviewed SJU members at the Wilde Lake Interfaith Center and some radio stations in the Baltimore Washington area carried the cross issue that was generated by the Associated Press.
The Wilde Lake Village Board approved the plans for St. John United’s proposal to build a new church building at Twin Rivers and Trumpter roads at the Wilde Lake Interfaith Center on Monday April 7. The Board rejected the earlier RAM decision that the cross and denominational symbols be removed and by a 3-2 vote restored these items to the plan.
The SJU Building Committee will be appealing the decision on external symbols in the RAM report to the Wilde Lake Village Board (sitting as the Architectural Committee). The SJU Appeal Meeting with the Wilde Lake Village Board will be Monday, April 7, 2008 at 7:00 pm at Slayton House
The RAM report is in. Kristin Shulder, Wilde Lake Covenant Advisor writing March 17th to break a tie vote of the RAM over SJU’s proposal to build our church building:
“I am writing to inform you that your application #18-08 to construct a new building has been approved with modifications. Modifications include removing the symbols from the back of the building facing Twin Rivers Road and Trumpeter Road and moving the two smaller symbols to the sides of the front entrance doors of the building.”
At the January 2007 meeting of the SJU Council
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