Final Construction Report Part 3 of 3

Edited excerpts from the conclusion of Mike Greeley's final report on the construction project presented to the Congregation on Sept. 7, 2008.  Thanks to Mike for all his good work:

Final Statement--I want to recognize the key people intimately responsible for carrying out the Capital Stewardship construction and improvement program. These are the designers, builders and lenders:

Designers: Kerns Group Architects--Ms. Francie Fetzer (Intern/Designer) and Ms. Mary Fricke (Senior Interior Designer).

General Contractor:  Chamberlain Construction Corp.-- Mr. Dan Dellinger (Senior Project Manager).

Lender:  United Bank--Mr. E. Allen Schirmer (Vice President).

Judy and Woody Woodburn, Members of Providence who designed the kitchen.

Special thanks to Bill Zink who advised Mike Greeley and consulted with the church throughout construction.

It was my great pleasure to know and work with each of these men and women. They were at all times professional, courteous and helpful to me and the church's Construction Committee.  I want to thank each of you for your kindness, diligence and consideration as well as your skill and ability to complete this project in such a magnificent manner.  We will always be grateful for your tireless effort to do things right and provide our church with a wonderful new beginning.

I have one more group to recognize--the Construction Committee: Dick Ernst (co-liaison), Jim McKeever (who was invaluable in cutting through the county bureaucracy), Eldon Wright (who was able to distill issues quickly and concisely) and Joe Moss (who worked with nearly every day and patiently explained the workings of the church).  I thank each of them for their professionalism and hard work and their support of my effort.

Finally, I want to thank the church for allowing me to serve on the Committee with these gentlemen. There was some hair pulling but I learned a lot and have enjoyed the ride.  I am truly grateful for the opportunity to get better acquainted with the Committee members, other members of the church and to work with such fine people.  I am particularly happy that I was given the chance to meet and work on a daily basis with the site superintendent, Wayne Sealock and his sidekicks, John and Ralph. Don Dellinger and these guys were great.  They always worked hard to get the job done on time and done right.  They are savvy, honest and good humored.

Thank you.

Mike Greeley

NOTE:  AND THANK YOU MIKE GREELEY FOR YOUR GOOD WORK AND LEADERSHIP ON THIS PROJECT.  NICELY DONE!!

Construction Report Part 2 of 3

Part 2 of 3--Edited Excerpts from Mike Greeley's Sept. 7 report:

UPGRADES--we did many thing not immediately obvious but important to make things work for years to come.  Items necessary to integrate operations throughout the church and to improve long overdue systems.

Sanctuary--Where the organ is we dug a pit and then we ran a new heating and air conditioning for the chancel; we then filled the pit with reinforced concrete to support the organ.  We added new cove lighting along the sides of the Sanctuary and replaced the old worn exterior double doors at the northwest side of the Sanctuary.

Administration Wing--We removed the old kitchen and remodeled and expanded the restrooms, replaced soffits and installed new ceiling tiles, lights and double water fountain.  We removed the bats and added insulation in the attic.  Asbestos was removed from the staff offices, choir room and parlor.

Commons/Narthex--We raised the ceiling and added recess lighting.  We have a new skylight, speakers and acoustic tiles.  The restrooms on the ramp to Williamson Hall were renovated and new, high quality double doors were installed in the vestibule leading to the Fellowship Hall.

Fellowship Hall--We added acoustical paneling throughout, removed doors and windows on the west side and installed two new double doors into the gathering area across from the kitchen.

A new, exterior double door was added at the southeast corner of the Hall and John Miller and his volunteers provided the new concrete sidewalk to the parking lot.

Although not directly part of the campaign, John Miller and his crew lowered the stage in the Fellowship Hall. His crew included Chris Hagner, Ken DeJong, Dan Miller, Norm O'Meara and Clint Siemens.

Lower Williamson Hall--We put new surfacing on the stairs and renovated the restrooms so they are more user friendly for our children.  Separate from the building campaign, the Property Cttee installed new lighting in the nursery.

Carpet and Paint--All the new and improved areas received a fresh coat of paint.  We installed new carpet in the Sanctuary, Commons/Narthex Area, Administration wing, ramp to Upper Williamson and Gathering Area.  Special thanks to Bertha McClintock for working with the designer and coordinating the paint colors for the various rooms.

Church Grounds--We lowered the area in front of the church to improve visibility; we replanted it with grass, sealed the old water well and added a new asphalt trail.

We repaired and re-bricked the sloped exterior walls on both sides of the Sanctuary.  New landscaping with additional plantings by the Boy Scouts and volunteers was done on both sides of the Sanctuary.

We replaced 3 large sections of paving and the entire paved area restriped for parking and fire lanes. We added a new culvert near Elizabeth Lane and the Service Road; we repaired the light poles in the rear parking lot and installed new wiring.  Still to be installed: 4 new light poles along Little River Turnpike and Elizabeth Lane.

Miscellaneous--We replaced the old heating, ventilation and air conditioning system with an automatic humidifier in the Sanctuary to protect the organ and wood furniture.  We removed old and installed new gas and water lines.  Much of the electrical system throughout the church was upgraded.

We added a new and upgraded Audio/Visual System throughout the Church with capacity for multiple, individually controlled a-v inputs, ceiling and floor mikes and a-v recording.  We added a new roof and snow guard system for the entire church.  

We have a new fire alarm system with smoke detectors and carbon monoxide sensors as well as a new interior emergency light system.  We have new, automatically activated fire doors separating the new kitchen,  Gathering Area and Mission Hall from the rest of the church.  The Mission Hall, kitchen and Gathering area have a sprinkling system.

In and around Mission Hall is a sophisticated collection and pumping system for surface and ground water. We have a gas fueled generator for emergency power to protect the Mission Hall basement from flooding in a power outage.

Final Construction Report Part 1 of 3

Excerpts from the report delivered by Mike Greeley on Sept 7.  Thank you Mike!  Because of the length, this is Part 1 of 3 parts.  It will focus on the new facilities.  Parts 2 and 3 will focus on the upgrades and a final statement.

This morning I want to summarize all that has been done by the church to reach this point in its building and improvement program, authorized by the Capital Stewardship Campaign and officially begun on May 7, 2007.

A lot of things happened before May 7.  Several years of congregational visioning, prayers and sacrifice.  But here we are, with the Fairfax County Occupancy Permit issued August 20, 2008.  I have no doubt that Providence Presbyterian Church will show renewed purpose and vigor in taking our faith and joy to our community.

Let me begin by highlighting the new facilities.  Let me highlight the obvious elements and mention a few things done to enhance and improve our church structure and grounds.

New Facilities:  The Beautiful Organ--designed and built specifically for our Sanctuary. It is a classic tracker organ and one of a kind with 32 ranks and over 2000 pipes.  It was constructed in Virginia of native woods and pipes forged in Germany.  By the way, there will be an ORGAN CONCERT ON SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5 featuring Ms. Mary Mozel.

Multipurpose Mission Hall--over 5000 square feet--a combination gymnasium and multipurpose building limited in use only by our imagination.  With its sophisticated lighting and audio visual systems Mission Hall is ready for anything--basketball, arts & crafts, movies, lectures, anything we can think of.  Downstairs there is a full, unfinished basement and laundry room.  Eventually, we plan to finish the basement in preparation for our youth group and perhaps some other tenants.

Kitchen--a new, modern facility with stainless steel equipment, plenty of refrigerator and freezer space and two ranges as well as a mobile warming unit that will allow us to easily move foods into the Fellowship Hall and a very efficient dishwasher.

Shower rooms--we have new and very comfortable, handicap accessible shower rooms for men and women in the Administration Wing.