Building Feasibility Study

Introduction

As we make plans for how we want to move into our next phase of spiritual and communal growth, we want to make sure our "home" will be an asset that will accommodate, and promote, our future. The Building Feasibility Committee was formed in the spring of 2010 and includes Peg Hart, Carl Bergman, Carrilee Hemington, Dave Brown, Judy Kelly, Jeff Vipperman, Charlie Cook and Scott Smith.

We are faced with four options:

Do nothing to the building except for maintenance – status quo
Expand and improve the existing facility
Demolish the building and start from scratch on our site, building a new facility custom-designed to fit our present and planned needs
Sell the building and move to a new location that better fits our planned needs

Each of these options has its own long list of pros and cons, costs, and timeline.

To tackle this complex problem and to help us make decisions about our property, we have followed a traditional path and hired the architectural firm of Rothschild Doyno Collaborative (RDC) to lead a "feasibility study". RDC began the study in October 2010 gathering input from us regarding needs and budget. They also have reviewed the factors of the site (orientation, context, existing structure, slope, adjacencies) and thoroughly reviewed the applicable codes. Taking all known factors into account, the architect developed concepts of how to meet our needs for the desired budget. All of this information and analysis to date has been documented in RDC's unique Sketchbook which can be reviewed here. This study is ongoing and no decisions have been made yet.

September 2011 Update

The Building Feasibility Committee recently met with the architect and an estimator to discuss three options to get conceptual cost estimates. The options are:

Build an Addition to our existing building
Meet the Street - remove the existing building and construct a new building on our site
Move On - move to another site - using the former Lutheran Church in Mt. Lebanon as an example.

Rothschild Doyno prepared sketches of the proposed Addition and Meet the Street. To conserve the architect's fee, Peg Hart prepared the material on the Lutheran Church.

You can Review the In-Progress Sketchbook here or take a look at the sketches in the church dining room.

BFC members will be in the dining room with the sketches after the Sunday services in September and October to answer questions and gather your comments. We plan to present the summary of congregational comments and ballpark cost estimates during and after the service on October 23. Please make time to review sketches and give us your thoughts.

March Update (reprinted from The Drummer)

The following update was written by Peg Hart, chair, Building Feasibility Study Group, and Carrilee Hemington, member of the study group, in February, 2011

Strategies Discussion: Sunday, January 23

Following wonderful services on "Sacred Spaces" presented by architects Dan Rothschild and Ken Doyno, over 70 members and friends heard Ken's presentation on strategies to create more space at Sunnyhill. Parking availability on site, zoning requirements, and deed restrictions are key limiting factors to all strategies. RDC illustrated and analyzed three basic approaches to creating more space:

E for enlarging the existing sanctuary (3 schemes)
A for an addition within the current deed restrictions (5 schemes)
N for a new neighborhood agreement (if we could negotiate a revision to the deed restriction) (4 schemes)

Next Steps for Members & Friends

Review the Rothschild Doyno In-Progress Sketchbook online or in the dining room.
Write your comments on the sketchbook pages on the bulletin board in the dining room.
Bring your questions and reactions to the Building Feasibility Committee – the Simply Soups Long Range Planning evening on Saturday, March 5, is the ideal opportunity!

Fundraising

Thanks to Bob Lee and The Blues Devils Band and the Tuesday afternoon Chalice Circle, the fundraiser and pie sale in February netted $1,213 for the building feasibility study!

January Update (reprinted from The Drummer)

The following update was written by Peg Hart, chair, Building Feasibility Study Group in December, 2010

Goal Workshop on November 20

Rothschild Doyno Collaborative (RDC) facilitated a Goals Workshop for 53 members and friends. Ken Doyno, Dan Rothschild, and Melanie Buzgan Dower presented a dozen sketchbook pages illustrating the factors of the Sunnyhill site and a timeline of our congregational history. The architects then asked the participants "What do you like about Sunnyhill's physical space? What don't you like? What do you wish for in your church facility?" After breaking into five small discussion groups, the participants reconvened and presented all comments to the group as RDC documented the ideas.

Next Steps

The Building Feasibility Committee will meet with RDC to review the goals gathered at the November workshop and the architects' work in progress. Members and friends will be invited to the Strategies Workshop (late January or early February) to review RDC’s site and building design strategies and relationship to program, budget, and other issues.

Fundraising

The week in Key West (donated by Denise Obenauer-Kohnke and Peter Kohnke) was won by Chuck Kenrick for a bid of $850. The funds for the Building Feasibility Study are now $12,400 (including Chuck's $850). Huge thanks to Denise and Peter. Dave Brown donated two Steeler tickets and a parking pass to be sold to benefit the Feasibility Study. Giant thank you to Dave and Bonnie. We are getting close to our goal of $15,000 for the Feasibility Study and would greatly appreciate additional donations. Note "Building Feasibility Study" on your check.

Communications

We hope you saw the historical documents of the Sunnyhill mansion posted in the dining room (from John Conti who wrote the article in the Mt. Lebanon Magazine). Look for the RDC sketchbook pages illustrating their analysis of the Sunnyhill site and the story of the UUCSH which will be posted in the dining room in January.