New Building Progress Report

Building Committee Updates
Exterior Perspectives, Interior Drawings, Floor Plans
Demolition and Building Progress Photographs
Member Questions and Committee Responses

Prayerful - Contemporary - Traditional

Architectual Rendering

Worship - Pray - Study - Share - Serve

Our Commitment - Preparing for the future

We invite all Church members to submit questions regarding new building plans, construction and issues related to construction during the building process. Please send your emails to the the Building Committee at buildingideas@fumc-orl.org. Your Questions and Building Committee replies will be posted on this site along with regular Building Committee news and updates.

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Special Construction Note 2:

Dear Friends,

I want to share some good news with you about the status of our Wesley M&E Building lease with the city. As you remember, we were obligated to vacate the Wesley Building on February 1, 2010, and move our Sunday School classes, offices and ministries to another location. The good news is the city has passed a resolution to extend our lease until construction of our new building is complete. Attached is an update from the Building Committee of how this transaction unfolded.

I see this as a blessing for our church as we move through the construction and transition into our new facilities.

Praise the Lord!

In Christ,
Gary

UPDATE ON OCCUPANCY OF M&E BUILDING AND ESCROWED FUNDS

With approval from the Church's Board of Trustees and the Orlando City Council this
week, the City of Orlando, which presently is the owner of the FIS parcel on which our new
Wesley Building (old M&E/ old FIS) sits, has extended the lease to allow the Church to
continue to occupy the property until the earlier of April 1, 2011, or when we receive a
Certificate of Occupancy for our new ministries building. Without this extension, we would
have been required to vacate the new Wesley Building by the beginning of this next
February (2010).

In return for the extension, the Church has given up salvage rights to that building
except that we will still be entitled to remove all of our personal property and furnishings,
including specifically all fixtures and equipment in the WCDC space, the stained glass
window in the foyer, all playground surfaces, fence materials and equipment related to the
playground and all modular office furniture and partitions.

This extension makes it unnecessary for us to move our programs and offices located
in the new Wesley Building during the construction of our new building.

Additionally, the Performing Arts Center (DPAC) has released its hold on $2 million
of our funds that have been held in escrow during the pendency of these matters, and those
funds, together with interest earned, are in the process of being transferred to the Church's
account.

In consideration of these steps - the lease extension and the escrow release - Church
representatives have agreed to consider seriously, and bring back to the Congregation at an
appropriate time, proposals that it is anticipated that the City will make regarding adjusting
the previously determined realignment of South Street. Among the points that would require
satisfaction before it would be presented to the Congregation are absolute assurances that
the Church's water exfiltration and related needs (that were to have been handled in the
curve of South Street) are met in perpetuity, that the integrity of the new building can be
maintained and that suitable compensation is paid the Church for any reduction in the land
and other consideration that the Church is presently due under the existing Road
Realignment Agreement.

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Special Construction Note 1: Now that construction of our new building is progressing, a fence has been erected on South St. from Rosalind to the corner of Magnolia, blocking the entrance to the Courtyard. PLEASE NOTE: If you are coming to the Sanctuary from the Wesley building or parking lot, you will need to cross at the intersection of South and Magnolia and enter the Sanctuary from Magnolia Ave. Thank you for your patience during this exciting construction period.

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CALLED CHURCH CONFERENCE VOTE RESULTS

The Building Committee brought a recommendation before the gathered church members to vote on final plans and financing of our building project on Tuesday, July 28 at 7p.m. in our sanctuary.

By a majority vote (122 to 17) of those present, the final plans and budget as recommended by the Building Committee, and endorsed by the Board of Trustees and the Finance Committee, which included reductions to the budget and plans as outlined in Alternates 1 through 4 in the "Building Updates" below, were approved.

BUILDING UPDATES FOR CALLED CHURCH CONFERENCE

The Building Committee received final bids earlier this week and are working through them to further evaluate both the costs as well as where additional savings may be achieved.

The cost for completing and finishing all the space in the new building is over-budget. As a result we have been working on the premise of retaining approximately $3.2 million of debt as well as leaving portions of the building unfinished. With that said, here are several options the Building Committee has been considering to reduce costs for the project. (Remember, the Church will ultimately decide at the Church Conference how much building and how much debt it wants to incur.)

Alternate 1 – Shell out 3rd floor – a reduction of $835,964
Alternate 2 – WCDC/Playgrounds (1st Floor) – a reduction of $720,828
Alternate 3 – Shell out Parlor and Chapel – a reduction of $274,929
Alternate 4 – Delete Hardscape on South Street – a reduction of $240,000

The implications of these alternates as they relate to our ministries:

If we choose Alternate 1, it would affect the Children, Youth Ministries, and Outreach Ministries, which were all scheduled to be located on the 3rd floor in our original Plan.

Where would these ministries go? Since the Youth meet on Sunday night, the Youth will be able to use the Contemporary Worship space and the Adult classrooms (2nd floor), as well as the Fellowship Hall and Kitchen (1st floor) for their activities. The Children and Outreach would use the 1st floor, which would have to be built out. This would mean that the total cost in Alternate 2 will be considerably less, possibly from $200 to $300 thousand, instead of the $720,828.

If we choose Alternate 2, we leave the 1st floor, where WCDC was to go, shelled out. As stated above, this space could accommodate Children’s Sunday School, as well as the Church Nursery, two Adult Classes, and two Outreach spaces (which were on the 3rd floor in the Plan). Again, accommodating these ministries would lessen the amount saved in this Alternate.

If we choose Alternate 3, it means the Chapel and Parlor would be shelled out, but not be available for church use. Some have asked: Why not retain the parlor building as it is, which would be a savings of possibly $500,000, as opposed to constructing a new building for a Chapel/Parlor? The answer is that if the Parlor building is retained, we will be required to make substantial improvement and investments in that facility, including replacing the roof and windows, and remediation of mold and asbestos in the building (pretty much gutting the interior and building out a new interior).

If we choose Alternate 4 – removing the Hardscape and much of the Landscape on South Street - what remains will be sidewalks to access the building and grass for Landscape.

A few more questions are:

When will the new ministries building be completed and available for occupancy? The answer is that the new building is scheduled to be completed in November 2010 and available for occupancy in December 2010, provided we begin construction in the next two weeks.

How will the church make the mortgage payment on a loan of $3.2 million? The Finance Committee and Trustees, as well as the Building Committee, have recommended we establish a reserve fund of $300-$450 thousand from DPAC funds and interest income to cover our debt through the construction period.

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Building Committee Updates

April 12, 2010

As the Asbury Ledbetter building, with the new WCDC facility, nears completion, the committee discussed the final items (new playground, final landscaping, parking lot sealing and striping, and DCF certification). All will be wrapping up in the next couple of weeks, and hopefully, DCF will respond quickly to finish the approval. The committee also approved the replacement of the window glass, on the Jackson Street playground side, with tempered safety glass. The building is complete (inside) and holds a Certificate of Occupancy from the City. Saturdays Church wide Great Day of Service, provides the opportunity to help move items into the building. Please contact Rev. Britt Gilmore at britt@fumc-orl.org if you are interested in helping with the move.
The committee spent the remainder of the meeting discussing additional “Value Engineering” suggestions, and methods to reduce the total overall cost, or provide additional savings, during the construction of the new building. The committee is committed to construct a quality building at or below the budgeted amount which has been approved for the building.

April 5, 2010

The Building Committee presented the revised first and second floor plan to the Congregation during the Town Hall Meeting Monday evening (copies available at the 3rd floor information desk). The revisions include the relocation of the Church Offices to the first floor, with Adult Sunday School, and Outreach ministry space. The second floor will house the Children’s Ministry, Music Ministry, Youth Space, additional Sunday School space, and the Contemporary Worship Space. The Committee also answered many questions from the Congregation about the project, its schedule and budget.

Dick Smith also announced that the Trustees had approved the replacement of all the windows in the Sanctuary with high quality, double pane, insulated windows. That project began on Monday.

March 1, 2010

The Asbury Ledbetter renovation, with the new WCDC facilities, is nearing C/O. We have met, or will meet, all the requirements for completion with the City, but must also meet the State requirements to be Certified by the Department of Children and Families. That hold up revolves around their inspection and requirements for the outside play area. Members of the Building Committee and WCDC Staff will meet with officials of DCF this week to resolve the outstanding issues.
The “Big Dig” is complete. The old Choir rehearsal room risers have been removed, the old OUC transformers have also been removed, all the basement of the Old Wesley building is out, and the steel for the new floor (of the old choir rehearsal room) is ready to be set. As a point of reference (as you stare down into the basement), the floor of the area where the choir rehearsal room was will be the finished floor elevation for the entire first floor of the new building.
Our Architect presented a potential revised floor plan for the new building (we needed to redesign due to the relocation of WCDC to the Asbury Ledbetter Building). The committee offered a few recommendations and requested a revision. The committee will update the congregation after it has evaluated the completed redesign.

February 15, 2010

Asbury Ledbetter renovation is in the final stages of completion, moving toward clean up. The final hurdle is the permitting from the City on the playground size options, and certification by the Department of Children and Families. Upon those approvals, we will be able to finish the playground, parking lot, and landscaping. Look for the upcoming “Open House” in March.
The Big Dig draws near completion. 95% of the dirt has been removed (some will remain as backfill for the new basement “Gravity” walls). The Old Wesley basement is in the final stages of removal, and the Choir risers are shored up and scheduled to be removed on the 18th. A “double clean room” has been constructed around the air handlers to prevent dust damage to the newly refurbished organ. When the Choir risers are removed, OUC can come in and remove the old transformers. That room will be part of, and connected to, the basement in the new building.
Due to the relocation of WCDC into the refurbished Asbury Ledbetter building, the Building Committee is reviewing and evaluating the original space planning design in the New Ministries building. We expect to receive some ideas and suggestions from the architect this week on the most efficient use of the space.

February 1, 2010

The first floor of the Asbury Ledbetter building is nearing completion, and the second floor will be completed by the 3rd week in February. We are also resubmitting a new design for the Asbury-Ledbetter playground area, and pending City and DCF approval, it will be installed around the 1st of March.
Building Permits for the New Ministry Building have been issued by the City and are in our hands. As you can see, excavation has resumed, and is expected to last approximately 3 weeks. The Choir room risers and slab are scheduled to be removed the week of February 15th, following the conclusion of the tuning of the organ. Final engineered drawings for the sanitary and storm sewer hook ups are also scheduled to be complete this week.

January 25, 2010

The Building Committee met with the Contractor, Project Superintendent, and Architect to discuss the project progress, schedule, and upcoming critical path items. We also toured the Asbury Ledbetter to inspect it’s progress to date.
Asbury Ledbetter is close to completion and looking great. The contractor is in the final stages of completion, with mostly finish work remaining. The WCDC is also waiting for the DCF certification for the school (needs to be recertified). The certification will also determine the size of the playground needed, so that work can also be finished.
This City has approved our building permit, and our contractor will take a check this week to pay our fees and pick up the permit. (Note that we were previously issued a foundation permit which has allowed us to start work on the parking garage and building foundation).
Although not apparent, much has been happening behind the scenes, and under the ground, the past several months. As with most projects this size, most of the “unknowns” surface during the foundation work. To say we have had our share of challenges, would be an understatement. We have found unmarked and mismarked utilities around the edges of our site, and have been at the mercy of the City, OUC, and Bright House to relocate or establish new lines. OUC, last Saturday, finally disconnected the primary power into the basement of the old Wesley building. The OUC power disconnect now allows us to remove the transformer located in the vault of the Sanctuary and remove the lines from the manhole on Rosalind which fed our old transformer. We can now reinitiate excavation since the lines from that power source which were running through our property are now terminated. Additionally, the contractor is working around the installation and tuning of the refurbished organ, being careful not create a problem with dust that may affect the organ, the old Choir stairs are being shored from beneath, prior to their removal (the existing basement will remain in the new facility), and storm water discharge is being planned and sized for water from the courtyard and parlor side of the property (will be moved into the City system at the corner of South and Magnolia). In the next several weeks, all this work will pay-off as the hole in the ground gets larger, and the foundation is put in place.

December 4, 2009

Asbury Ledbetter renovations are nearing completion. The final trim work, flooring, painting, and parking lot work is underway. The Committee is making plans for an Open House to tour the completed facility.
For the new Wesley building, during the holidays, work was completed on the fiber optic lines and sanitary sewer lines in South Street. Permanent and temporary power transformers have been set, and the pumps for the dewatering system will begin draining the excavation as soon as OUC sets the meter. The water has been tested, and approved, to allow us to drain directly into the storm system and not the sewer system for treatment. This averts a potential “additional cost” for sanitary water treatment.
January work will include the continuation of the basement excavation, dewatering, shoring and removal of the choir stairs, and the installation of the foundation for the tower crane (for vertical construction).

November 30,2009

The conduit relocation (for the fiber optic lines in South Street) occurred over the Thanksgiving Holiday. The relocation of these lines will allow for the excavation of the foundation and parking garage to begin. The dewatering system (for the excavation) has been installed, and the dirt removal (haul route) was approved.
Anticipated December activities include garage excavation, Parlor foundations, water and fire line and backflow installation, installation of temporary and permanent electrical transformers, installation of the sanitary sewer line, and installation of the foundation for the tower crane for vertical construction.
The Building Committee reviewed the current project budget and expenditures, to date. The committee also began the formatting of an abbreviated report to publish regularly to the Congregation.
Asbury Ledbetter is progressing towards an on schedule completion. Interior painting will begin this week. Anticipated December activities include flooring, exterior painting, playground and parking lot work.
The Building Committee is planning an open house for the remodeled Asbury Ledbetter building upon completion. Look for the time and date announcement soon.

November 9, 2009

The official ground breaking will be this Sunday at 10:30, in the courtyard next to the sanctuary.
The Building Committee began the meeting with a tour of Asbury/Ledbetter, with the Contractor, to inspect the construction progress. That project is on schedule, within budget, and beginning to look really good. The committee looked at and discussed a few outstanding issues, in regards to the completion, and is waiting for some options from the contractor before making final decisions on those items.
Over 20 individuals with the City, Engineering firms, contractors, met with members of the Building Committee regarding the relocation of the fiber optic line within the planned South Street curve (this issue is holding up our ability to begin the excavation of the parking garage). Positive progress was made, and a solution for the problem was determined. The engineers are busy revising the drawings and calculations for the work. This should enable us to begin excavation sometime next week (beginning on the Jackson Street side, and moving toward South Street. The completion date in the schedule remains the same (March 2011) due to the fact that some time was built in for this very issue.
Several members of the Congregation have expressed concern that we are being charged for the Crane on the property while waiting for the resolution to the fiber optic line relocation. This is not the case. The crane was not scheduled for other work, so it is more cost effective to leave it (store it), on our site until it is ready to be used.

October 26, 2009

The Committee reviewed the construction schedule on both buildings.
The Asbury Ledbetter building is on currently on schedule. The committee considered, and approved, a few changes that would improve the outdoor lighting (of the building and parking lot), as well as data wiring (for future use)
Excavation of the garage for the new Wesley building has been delayed, but not by enough to impact the final C/O date. There have been several obstacles arise that required some work before we could begin the excavation of the foundation and parking garage (Traffic Signal at South and Rosalind, gas line, fiber optic line, and Bright House line). The permits have been received to move the traffic signal and gas line, and the contractor has Bright House moving the cable. Hopefully, excavation will begin on the north side very soon, and construction on the Chapel and Parlor should begin within a couple weeks.

October 12, 2009

Committee discussed and reviewed schedules for construction on both buildings. There has been a delay in the commencement of the earth work for the parking garage, due to difficulties with the placement of some fiber optic cables on our site, some traffic signal issues at Jackson and Rosalind, and the relocation of some OUC equipment. The committee has asked for some clarifications on the schedule, but the delays are not expected to impact the completion date.
The committee discussed the new agreement with the City regarding our lease extension, and the release of the $2,000,000 in Escrow from DPAC, which occurred on Friday. As of Monday, there were already questions coming in to the Building Ideas mailbox, so we have put together the following FAQ to help answer any questions or concerns:

What does the agreement mean to the Church? As Gary pointed out in his letter to the Congregation last Friday, the Agreement will now allow us to stay in the FIS building until the completion of the New Wesley Building , in early 2011. It also releases the $2,000,000 dollars which were held in Escrow to insure our departure from the FIS in February of next year (per the old agreement). This means that we will not face the disruption anticipated by having to relocate all our Sunday School, Outreach, Church Offices, and Youth Programs into temporary locations.
Will the Children’s Ministry and WCDC still move into the Asbury/Ledbetter Building? WCDC will still relocate to Asbury/Ledbetter based on the Congregations vote and all the factors that went into that decision (Finances, size, growth potential). The Children’s Ministry will remain in FIS until their new space is complete in the New Wesley Building.
What about the upstairs space in the Ledbetter Building which is currently being renovated for the Children’s Ministry? That space was not a large portion of the total scope of work for the Asbury/Ledbetter renovation, and we are to a point where stopping work would not be prudent. The Trustees, and Council of Ministries will review options for the space, but already suggestions to the Committee have been made to add a couple of showers in the space to serve out of town groups or Ministries like IHN. That space will provide many opportunities for outreach and Church programs in the future.
Is the $2,000,000 additional money we can now use on the project? No, the $2,000,000 was always our money and was built into the project budget. DPAC was holding that portion of the payment in Escrow to ensure we were out of the building by February, 2010 (per the original agreement) As mentioned above , the new agreement allows us to stay until completion of the new building, so there was no need for DPAC to continue to hold our escrow.
Yes, we received the interest which accumulated on the $2,000,000.
Why did the City and DPAC offer us this agreement? As you may have read in the newspaper, the Citys plans for the Arts Center have changed, and they currently plan to phase the project beginning at the south side of their property. This allows them to keep the FIS building, but would require them to alter the alignment of the curve of South Street (current plans would require the FIS building to be removed). In a nutshell, the City offered us a lease extension and our Escrowed funds, if we would consider a proposal from them regarding a change in the South Street Realignment Agreement.
How will a change in the Road Realignment Agreement impact our project? We have not agreed to any new road realignment plan brought forth by the City, but have agreed to listen (in good faith) to their proposal. When the City has all the pieces in place, and presents them to us, we can then determine what impact (good or bad) it would have on our project. Whatever is proposed will be brought back to the Congregation for discussion and vote.

September 28, 2009

As always, please send any comments or questions to the Building Committee e-mail address:

Remodeling and construction continues on schedule at Asbury Ledbetter. The Committee discussed the parking lot lighting, at Asbury Ledbetter, and whether or not what is planned is sufficient. The committee will revisit the plans this week and evaluate.
The contractor has begun driving the sheet pilings around the perimeter of the new building. Excavation of the foundation and underground parking is scheduled to begin on Monday. The sheet piling prevents the sides from caving in during excavation.

September 21, 2009

Construction and renovation of both buildings are on schedule.
Committee spent time discussing locations, and potential locations, for our existing Outreach Ministries during the transition period. Several opportunities are available, and the Committee members will continue to research potential locations. Additionally, plans have been requested from the Downtown Baptist Church to check the feasibility of additional space on their property.

September 14, 2009

The moving of the fiber optic cables along South street side of our building has begun. Additionally, the barricades have been moved out another 2 feet into South St to allow for the sheet piles to be driven into the ground (this holds up South Street while we excavate our underground parking and foundation)
Look for all demolition to be finished this week
Asbury Ledbetter renovations are underway and on schedule. Permit was issued and work is well underway.
The Committee forwarded the report on the Courtyard trees to the Trustees for consideration.
The Committee discussed the process for permitting and signage on the new building (must be approved through a separate permit). They also discussed ideas for temporary signage, during construction, and the options available. Look for the construction sign, with the artist rendition of the new building, to go up on the corner of Rosalind and South St soon.
Downtown Baptist Church has been very gracious and generous in the efforts to help us in our temporary relocation. The committee agreed that a lease should be signed with Downtown Baptist to provide our Sunday School Class room space as well as Office space during the week
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The Committee also discussed soliciting bids for the salvage of our current building, prior to us turning it over to the City.
Committee reviewed the current income and expense statement on the project.

August 31, 2009

The Committee met with John Jennings (Contractor) for an update on permitting and construction schedules and the projects progress.
Asbury Ledbetter has been cleaned, roof leaks have been identified, and the Mold/Mildew has been removed. Project is on track with the critical schedule dates to have WCDC moved prior to our February deadline.
The foundation permit for the new building has been issued and the digging of the foundation will begin by mid September. Demolition of the Parlor will continue, so expect to see some progress there real soon.
The bathrooms are not set up and will not be where we thought – big fines from the city will be dished out if we put them on Jackson.
Special addendum- In the early part of next week, demolition will begin on the choir room and parlor. The restrooms facilities next to the choir room are no longer operational. Portable restroom facilities are located on the Magnolia Avenue side of the sanctuary. Restrooms are also located on the first floor of the Wesley Ministries and Education Building, across South Street from the sanctuary.
Maria Waldrep
Church Communications Coordinator
The Committee received a report from an Arborist regarding the trees in the courtyard. They are currently being protected by the contractor during the construction. The Committee will review the report and its recommendations for their future.

August 10, 2009

Discussed CDH questions regarding Life-Safety / Smoke Evac Design of 3rd floor and atrium.
Discussed 1st Floor redesign. Scheduled an additional “Task Force” meeting to continue discussion.
Reviewed plan for moving Fiber Optic cable and Conduit, on our property, along South Street.
Reviewed project Income and Expenses to date.
Approved a proposal from an Arborist to evaluate the health of trees in the Courtyard, and determine the best plan for their future.

Special notes:

The partitions that will transform our narthex into a multi-use space during the construction process will be installed on July 16.
The Building Committee and Trustees have voted to raze the choir room in preparation for the construction of a new building.

July 13, 2009

Committee reviewed and answered contractor questions for the final bid on Asbury Ledbetter work.
Final numbers due on new building project at the end of this week or the beginning of next. The committee discussed the “reprogramming” of the first floor (due to the moving of WCDC to the A/L Building). A “”reprogrammed” plan from our Architect will be submitted to the contractor so that it may be priced in the final number.
Contractor will provide pricing to finish the 2nd and 3rd floors of the Asbury Building, as suggested in the last Church Conference (with and without an elevator), so we may assess the feasibility.

June 29th 2009

The committee reviewed and discussed the contractor pricing received on 100% plans. Several RFIs (requests for information) were submitted to the architect from subcontractors and the committee for clarification. The architect will answer and clarify these requests and return them to the contractor and subcontractors so that they may “fine tune” their bids. The committee hopes to have the final number from the contractor within two weeks.

Plans were submitted to the City for permitting of the renovations to Asbury Ledbetter on June 29. The committee also discussed and agreed to explore getting pricing to finish renovations on the remainder (second and third floors) of the Asbury Building (as was suggested by several members during the Church Conference).
Final building plans and specifications sheets are available for church members to view on the third floor of the Wesley Building in room 309. Any questions or comments about the plans should be directed to BuildingIdeas@FUMC-Orl.org or through the Building Committee page of our website.

June 22nd 2009

The Building Committee is moving forward, following the Church Conference vote, to firm up Asbury-Ledbetter renovation plans and will be reviewing bid figures as they come in for the new building. You may submit your questions to the Building Committee by stopping by the Building Committee page of our website or emailing buildingideas@fumc-orl.org

June 15th 2009

1. The committee discussed errors and omissions in the spec sheet (for final plans) reviewed by Ed Lobnitz. The list will be sent to CDH for correction and clarification and then to contractors for pricing.

2. The committee reviewed the current reconciliation of DPAC building funds.

3. Our Church Conference voted to approve the resolution for expenditures up to $1,500,000 to renovate the Asbury/Ledbetter Buildings for the relocation of WCDC.

As always, you may submit your questions to the Building Committee by stopping by the Building Committee page of our website or emailing BuildingIdeas@FUMC-Orl.org.

Church Conference Meeting Results

The following resolution from the Building Committee was presented to and passed by a Church Conference held on Monday, June 15 at 7:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary:

A Resolution to be considered by the Church Conference of First United Methodist Church of Orlando on June 15, 2009 as follows:

RESOLVED, that the expenditure by the Church of up to One Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($1,500,000.00) is authorized for the rehabilitation of the Asbury-Ledbetter buildings, in accordance with plans to be finally approved by the Building Committee, utilizing funds received from the previous sale to the Orlando Performing Arts Center.

June 8th 2009

The Committee briefly discussed the 100% completed plans, revisions, and specifications. The committee members will individually review and comment at upcoming meetings.
Several Committee members met with the City of Orlando earlier in the day to discuss the potential renovations to the Asbury Ledbetter building in an effort to uncover any potential issues or concerns. Those members reported a positive meeting and a cooperative attitude with the City Staff.
The Committee discussed the upcoming Church Conference and the best way to provide information to the congregation. The Committee agreed it will provide a brief background along with several frequently asked questions regarding our progress and the upcoming vote prior to the meeting. As always, committee members are available or you may submit your questions to the buildingideas@fumc-orl.org..
The Committee will also update the congregation, at the meeting on the 15th, on the options it is exploring for our temporary relocation.

June 1st 2009

We received an update from our Architect and Contractor in regards to the dates for the final plans and pricing. CDH has received all the final plans from their engineers, and expect to deliver the final drawing by close of business on 6/3/09. Jennings will distribute all plans to the subcontractors by Friday 6/5/09, and expects to return the pricing by the end of June.
Interior demolition of the building, behind the sanctuary, continues this week. Exterior demolition will begin next Monday (6/8/09) and is expected to last 3 weeks.
Due to the need to push forward with our relocation from the current Wesley Building, the Building Committee will present it recommendation to the congregation for renovations to the Asbury-Ledbetter Building, primarily to accommodate the Wesley Child Development Center weekday operation, (for approval) at an upcoming Church Conference.

May 18th 2009

Demolition on the interior of the “Old Wesley” Building (as approved by the congregation), will begin this week. The exterior demolition is scheduled to begin June 1.
Our final plan and final pricing dates have slipped slightly. The final pricing plans are scheduled to be delivered to the contractor on June 4, with the final pricing delivered to the church on June 25. We will schedule a Town Hall Meeting and a subsequent congregational meeting, to vote on the final plans and pricing, shortly after.

May 11th 2009

Building Committee members met with Kitchen Consultant/Designer John Zerebny, with Jax Design Group, and Leon Mausser. The Committee discussed and reviewed design options, equipment, and capacity of the main kitchen. The committee provided additional direction and asked Mr Zerebny to explore additional ideas in coordination with the architects.
Committee discussed and explored options for the existing trees that will be affected during construction.
Final bid set of plans from architect with narrative options are expected to be delivered this Friday, May 15th. Final bid on the updated plans are expected no later than Mid June.

May 4th 2009

Building Demolition (Old Wesley, behind the Sanctuary) should begin the week of May 17th. Parking lot adjacent to building will be unavailable at that time.
Time capsule and Corner stone will be retrieved prior to demolition.
Relocation options and potential costs are being researched and evaluated in order to meet the February timeline.
CDH (Architects) are finishing final plans and options for cost reductions in the new building. Final plans are due back by May 15th, and final pricing by early June.
There will be a Town Hall meeting scheduled for early June to discuss the final cost estimates and final building plans. After the Town Hall meeting, a Church Conference will be scheduled to vote on the final budget and plans.

Building Committee Members

Address questions and comments to

buildingideas@fumc-orl.org

Construction