On March 19th, The Rev. Donna-Mae Siderius opened the first meeting of the Church Renovation Committee by thanking its members for volunteering their time and emphasizing her mandate to the committee.
The mandate is to design and implement a process that results in a complete, well planned renovation of our church building. The goal is a “gentle renovation with modern systems consistent with the architecture of the building.” Structural, physical plant (building, mechanical, electrical, plumbing), functional, and aesthetic issues would be addressed within this renovation plan.
Committee members are John Chiasson, George Cornwell, Nelson Durden, Bill Hudgins, Bettyrene Pope, Ron and Carrie Quinn, James Shoemaker, Donna-Mae Siderius, and James Tormey.
During the course of the meeting, the following topics were briefly discussed: a 2004 preliminary structural engineering report by The Structures Group, Inc.; formation of a knowledgeable working team (church, design professionals, and contractor); preparation of a proposed timeline and sequencing of work; programming (formulating an encompassing scope of work); open communications to and from the parish (including extensive feedback on what is currently working/not working within our church building); identification of costs and funding sources; and exploration of processes followed by other local historic Episcopal and other churches recently renovated.
Committee members will carry out assignments such as contacting the local Virginia Historic Resources representative for appropriate information, gathering available drawings from previous renovations, further reviewing the provided structural information, and drafting a list of possible renovation target areas.
Originally published in St. John’s Epistle, April 2008.