Construction Progress Updates

(December 13, 2009) A large group of members gathered in Fellowship Hall for our third building project update. The meeting was made up of 3 parts. Rhoda Braunschweig, Chair of the Liturgical Arts and Furnishings Committee, briefed everyone on the progress her committee has made. Luke Hutchins, Project Manager from Findorff reported on the progress and challenges from the builder’s perspective, and then he led a tour of the sanctuary.

Rhoda reported that a pew chair layout has been designed and was available for review. The lacewood that was originally planned for the altar, ambo, and font will not be used because the staining of it didn’t show off the beautiful grain of the wood. Sapele wood is being considered as a good replacement.

Luke reported how excited he has been with the weather -- mostly that we didn’t have any to contend with. By the time our BIG blizzard arrived, the roof was water-tight. The entire roof has at least the vapor barrier on it so the sanctuary should stay quite dry. Some of the roof was been shingled, but the rest of the roof shingling will be completed after the snow is gone from the roof.

Luke is very pleased with all the subcontractors that are working on the project. He listed all the subs that are on the job and gave a couple of examples of the types of coordination that is needed for a remodel of this magnitude. Each job has to be done in a certain order to enable the next subcontractor to do their job in a timely fashion. I found it very reassuring to know that we have skilled craftsmen working on our church and a general contractor with great organizational skills leading the project.

Now that the sanctuary is enclosed and sealed, more intensive work will start on the ceiling. Support studs to hold the clouds will be installed. Drywall (clouds) will be attached. These will cover up the sprinkler system and the electrical work, plus help with the acoustical requirements. The ceiling will be painted and acoustical fabric installed. The new addition has beautiful wood on the ceiling. Some of this wood will be visible behind the clouds.

After the ceiling is completed, then work on the altar decking can be started – approximately one month from now. It can’t be done before the ceiling is completed since it is difficult to use scaffolding on an uneven floor.

Luke gave us some good news: They saved 200 hours of labor cost on the addition compared to their estimate. Two reasons: 1. The weather was very cooperative! 2. Bob McAllister, the on-site superintendant from Findorff, came up with a cost saving method of renting a couple of metal beams to support the roof. These helped hold up the roof when they had to cut out the main ridge beam, install the new roof supports for the addition and reinstall a new main ridge beam. Thank you, Bob. Those savings may help us do other additional improvements to the plan.

The masonry is complete. Luke and the perfectionistic masons were very pleased with the result. They used 40% new stone and 60% of our old stone that they had removed from the outside of the church. It took them awhile to find a new stone that was a close enough match, but they were successful. Extra stone has been saved and stored that we will be able to use in the future if a need arises.

By the time you read this, our steeple should again be adorning the roof of Midvale Community Lutheran Church. Most of the light fixtures are now in Madison and ready to be installed. At this point, it is planned that the pew chairs will be installed on March 23. Everything looks to be on schedule.

The low ceiling area when you first enter the sanctuary is under intensive review. There is a possibility of being able to raise the ceiling a little. If they are able to do that, then it will improve the view of the cross from the entrance and open up the space more.

Just as the discussion was ending and we were ready to move upstairs for our tour, the lights went out! (Fellowship Hall is quite dark without any lights.) Pastor Bruce lit the altar candles so that everyone could find their way out. It was amazing how well a few candles could light up the room. Luckily the lights came on shortly after that, stayed on, and Luke could begin the tour of the construction area.

It was so impressive to see the new addition with the windows in place. Everyone seemed very pleased with how the space is coming together. The small inconveniences we’re encountering will pale compared to the benefits of the new worship area. Just think, by next summer, these six months of construction will seem like a distant memory.

Joyce Cotton
Roving Reporter

(December 7, 2009) The exterior stone will be completed shortly. By the weekend of Dec 12, all the plastic should be down. Then you'll be able to see how the finished exterior will look. Roofing will be on hold for awhile as the blizzard moves through Madison. The interior work of framing in the pillars on each side of the altar has begun.

I hope many of you were able to be in church on December 13 for our second tour of the sanctuary space. I'm writing this before it has happened but I know that there will be a lot to see. As I understand it, we should be able to get a very good feel for how the remodeled space will look. The new construction area where the altar will be has been all built out, enclosed, and the windows installed. I can't wait!

The weather has been very cooperative and we're making great progress. The wall where the new altar extension will be has been completed and the new upper windows have been installed in it. Now you can get a great feel for how the church will look on the outside. (And the view from the inside when we get the tour on December 13. Make sure you stop in and see the changes!)

The first layer of new roofing has been installed, so everything will stay nice and dry inside. Work will continue on the outside roof. And work has begun on the installing the sprinkler system for the sanctuary ceiling.

Don't miss the Adult forum on December 20 – featuring Paul Barribeau, of Groth Design Group. He will talk about the new ambo, altar, font and cross.

This week (Nov 23) the construction team started the roofing project. I talked with David Braunschweig about the roofing process. (Not only does he take great pictures, but he finds out what he’s taking a picture of.) The roofing is quite involved since we are improving the R factor of the insulation.

Their process involves removing the old shingles, the old plywood and the layer of insulation under that. Then they apply a sheet of plywood, the ice and water shield, the (approximately 4”) vented insulation panel, another sheet of plywood and then the shingles.

The new cement block wall on Midvale is almost completed. Depending on the weather, the plan is to apply the exterior stone the week after Thanksgiving. Then the windows will be able to be installed.

The next tour of the construction area is scheduled for December 13. On December 20, the adult forum will feature Paul Barribeau, of Groth Design Group. He will talk about the new ambo, altar, font and cross. Looks like another full house in Room 31-33 that day!

On Sunday, November 8, Room 31-33 was packed for the second Sunday Forum on our building renewal. The crowd was treated to a slide show by Dave Braunschweig featuring a wonderful chronological account of everything that has happened between Sunday, September 27, the last service in the sanctuary, to the close of work on Friday, November 6, when the outside arches supporting the roof of the new addition were in place. There were even aerial views of the work from the roof of the Education Wing and the fourth floor of the library building across Tokay Blvd. Dave and his camera have come to church twice almost every day.

The slides also documented the large number of volunteers who helped with the pew removal and move after the second service on September 27.There were so many volunteers that the work was completed before the second "shift" arrived at two o’clock. Later, other volunteers helped with the painting of both the new meeting room and the new library. They completed the painting in just one and one-half hours. What a great crew of volunteers we have here at Midvale!

Following the slide show, members of the building committee fielded questions. Carolyn indicated that the mosaic of Christ would be mounted on the wall beside the new main staircase where the brown wood carving is now. She gave credit to Mike, our all-purpose maintenance engineer, for getting Findorff workers to build a very strong and secure box to store the mosaic cross pieces until they are needed.

Rhoda reported that the exterior cross had been designed and the design of the altar, ambo and font were nearly complete. They will be built of cherry, lacewood, and birdseye maple with dark metal. The wall and chair colors will be coordinated with them, and will be similar to the colors in the newly painted meeting room and library. Randy indicated that the floor surface will be a laminate, used both for its durability and its compatibilty with the underlying structure of the floor. The altar, ambo and font will be paid for from memorials and the chairs and exterior cross will come from the project budget.

After the questions, the eagerly anticipated time came for the "tour" of the sanctuary. Most of the area not taken up by the builders’ scaffolding and equipment was open to explore. In some areas it was hard to visualize the way it had been before, because the walls and the kitchenette between the sanctuary and the gathering space were gone. So was the balcony. But, amid the dust and equipment and the huge hole in the ceiling, progress could be seen. The risers in the music area were partially completed, the westernmost arches supporting the ceiling in the new addition were in place, and the location of the altar and the ambo were clearly outlined on the floor.

There were also reminders of the past. Removal of the balcony had exposed wood still charred from the disastrous 1971 fire. The hole in the roof itself was a reminder of the large hole the firefighters cut in the roof to get access to the balcony and the small room off the balcony. The hole was covered with a temporary patch while insurance and legal issues were settled. Permanent repairs were not made until the following January when the amazingly hardy roofers worked through below zero temperatures and stiff winds. We hope and pray that this time will be different. With the progress that has been made so far, it seems certain that it will be.

Jim Edwards
Roving Reporter

On Tuesday night, Nov 3, the Liturgical Arts and Furnishings Committee and the Color Committee met with the architect, Paul Barribeau. He brought design drawings for the altar, ambo, font, and the outside cross. A variety of woods and metals will be used in all of the designs, which coordinate beautifully with the materials being used in the sanctuary. As we discovered, there are a lot of possible locations for plants, flowers and candles.

The altar is a square table with an inlaid cross defined by different woods. It will be placed in the center. As you face the altar, the ambo (where the Word is read), will be on the left-hand side. The baptismal font will be located at the end of the aisle leading up to the altar (where you first enter the sanctuary from the gathering space).

The exterior cross will be visible through the windows behind the altar. It’s a stylized cross sculpture that when I saw it, it made me think of Christ rising up and embracing the whole neighborhood. I hope you all love it as much as I do (All the committee members who were present loved it too). It will be a wonderful symbol for our church.

Larger fabric squares had been ordered and were available to look at with the chair. It was decided that a cooler tone, neutral fabric would work the best in the sanctuary and would look good with the gathering space carpet as well. The choices have been narrowed down but not finalized. Now the tedious task begins to determine how many of each chair design to order: single, double, triple, and armchair.

Paul showed diagrams of the lights that would be used in the sanctuary. There will be a row of pendant lights down the center aisle that shine downward and two rows of double light bowls that shine upward. The light will bounce off the off-white in the ceiling and provide a nice even light throughout the church.

The Liturgical Arts committee has selected Gunder Church Furniture Company for our pew chairs. The sample chairs in our current worship space are all from Gunder. We will be ordering the pew chairs in singles (20"), doubles (40'), triples (60") and arm chairs (24"). When ganged (the system by which they are linked together), they will look like a pew, but because they are chairs they can be moved around more easily, like for the cantata. The wood will be stained to match the color of the floor on the aisles.

The upholstery color and pattern have not been selected yet. Per a majority of your suggestions though, there will be upholstery on the seat and back portion to add to your comfort. The portion of the chair back that you don’t see from the front will not be upholstered.

The steeple has been removed and will be relocated when the new roof is in place. It is in very good condition. It’s not brass, but it is a metal with a patina finish. The steeple is being stored in the most protected area on the church grounds – in the corner between the old library and the elevator. This is your opportunity to get a close-up look at it before it’s placed back on the roof.

As of October 14: There’s been a lot of pounding upstairs. I’m sure you’re as curious as I am as to what’s been going on and what it looks like now. I checked in with Carolyn Cain, the Construction Team, and our dedicated photographer, David Braunschweig, to find out.

Things are moving along quickly. Most of the removal of walls, flooring and structures in the sanctuary, gathering space, and library have been completed. The balcony was nearly all gone at this point too. The space has been enclosed with plastic to help contain the dust and to provide a definite walkway for people coming into the building. We’re very appreciative to Findorff Builders for making it possible for us to use the stairs and elevator during the construction.

So many walls are down now that it’s possible to stand in the sanctuary and look through the kitchenette area, through the gathering space, and into the library. There was even a point before the plastic went up that Nan could sit at her desk in the office and see through the gathering space right into the sanctuary to the stained glass windows on Midvale. She loved it! There are enough changes already, that if we were able to see inside the plastic, we’d be able to get a good feel for the size of the worship area and how the expanded space will be used.

Six steel supports that will strengthen our existing wooden arches are being installed this week. These are necessary to accommodate the load bearing changes required for the new roof, insulation, and the gable " bump-out" above the new chancel area. When some new supporting beams (called Glu-Lams) arrive in a couple of weeks, work will start on opening the roof and building the new gable structure. A type of stone has been found that matches our current exterior stone. This will be added to the addition to create a seamless look on the exterior.

Besides enjoying the new stairs directly into the basement, we can now also enjoy the new entryway from the elevators into Fellowship Hall. This area has been completed enough that we can use it to access Fellowship Hall. What a nice, direct route it is.

They are beginning the work of installing the sprinkler system. Work will begin in Fellowship Hall and the rest of the basement level. Then in 2-3 weeks they’ll move to the Sunday School rooms on the second floor. The office and rooms on the main level will be the last ones in the education wing to receive the new sprinklers. They’ll be installed at a later date in the sanctuary.

The Building Committee is planning another forum for November 8, with a possible slide show of the pictures that David Braunschweig has been taking of the building progress. You don’t want to miss this one! See a few of the photos here...

Joyce Cotton
Roving Reporter

Colorful, warm quilts decorated the pews. Four young people were excited about being confirmed. Special music filled the air. But even with these wonderful additions to the service, there was a sense of sadness for some as they recalled many poignant memories of Midvale - weddings, baptisms, confirmations, funerals, holiday services, and the worship services of typical Sundays. But this was anything but a typical Sunday. This was to be the final day of worship in the sanctuary as we’ve known it all these years. On Monday the remodeling project would begin. So emotions ran the gamut from sadness to excitement.

But even for those who experienced a sense of melancholy during the service, they said their emotions turned to excitement after the service when they started moving furniture and clearing out the pews. And work they did! Many people stayed after the last service and began the process of emptying the sanctuary and gathering space so construction could begin the next day.

I talked with several members who partook in the moving process. All of them were amazed by how many people helped, how well everyone worked together and how efficiently and quickly the entire job was completed. Carolyn Cain had orchestrated it very well. She had created large signs with job descriptions that told what needed to be accomplished and where to move items. Members just pitched right in, formed crews and got busy. Matt Goble took charge of the pews. A certain number were left whole and the rest were dismantled to be used for their wood. Matt will be making the cabinets in the gathering space and he is planning to use the wood, if at all possible.

Other jobs included: Collecting the hymnals and communion cards, removing furniture from the gathering space and library and setting them up in the new library and meeting room. Tables and chairs were carried downstairs. Artwork was taken down. Some artwork will be hung in the new library or meeting room and the rest was put in storage to be used at a future date.

And, we’re Lutherans - so, of course, there were treats. A table of cheese, crackers, cookies, and juice, was set up. These were eagerly consumed by the dedicated workers who worked through their lunch hour. It was such an efficient crew that stayed after the last service, that all the work was done by the time other members arrived back at church at 2:00 to help.

A big thank you goes out to everyone who helped with clearing the space. As one of the workers said "Many hands make light work." Everyone felt a huge sense of camaraderie and accomplishment as they completed the tasks together.

Joyce Cotton
Roving Reporter

We're On Our Way

At last, construction is underway. During the last several weeks, the foundation for the Midvale extension was poured, a new larger water service was installed to accommodate our new sprinkler system, and the structure of the new main staircase was installed. The staircase required the elevator motor to be relocated, which was successful to the relief of all. The new staircase was unfinished but usable by September 27 as predicted.

Luke Hutchins, Project Manager for our building renewal, spoke to a large audience at Sunday Forum on September 20. Accompanied by an excellent continuous virtual tour of the design of our new facility, he gave a rough schedule of the work to follow.

Following the removal of pews and the relocating of Gathering Space and Library furnishings on Sept. 27th, demolition begins in the Gathering Space and Library. Asbestos removal in the sanctuary will be followed by demolition of the balcony and raised chancel area. A foundation will be installed for the new outdoor cross. Also, in early October, the sprinkler system will be installed, one room or area at a time to allow as much use of the building as possible. From mid-October through mid-December construction will begin on the Midvale side, including opening the church roof, strengthening the roof support structure, and relocation of the steeple. The sanctuary should be enclosed by early December and after that interior finishing will be done through March with a tentative completion date of April 10th.

Luke emphasized that the church will be a construction zone. The office, education wing and Fellowship Hall will be accessible, though the paths to get to these areas may change as construction proceeds. There are plans for guided tours during the construction, and roped off areas may be available where members may stop and view the progress.

Following his presentation, various members of the Building Committee also made reports.

Adult Education

Carolyn Cain reported that Sunday Forum will held in Room 31-33 in the Education Wing for the duration of the project, except for October 11, when it will be held in Fellowship Hall between the services.

Pastor Bruce

Pastor Bruce reported that worship begins in Fellowship Hall on October 4 and it may take a while for everything to shake down. He also reported that there will be four services on Christmas Eve, and with reduced parking during the winter, the church is trying to set up a shuttle between the Church and the Sequoia Library parking lot with volunteers from the congregation.

Library

Teri Wians reported that the new Library and the meeting room at the east end of the first floor have been painted and spruced up, and will house furniture from the current Library and Gathering Space.

Randy Schultz

A mortgage for $1,900,000 has been secured from the ELCA Mission Fund with a 5.75 interest rate locked in for five years and no prepayment penalty.

Furnishings

Rhoda Braunschweig reported that decisions would be made soon on the pews. There will be a variety of combinations connected together with some movable chairs to accommodate wheelchairs and some chairs with arms.

Decisions on the important liturgical furnishings (the altar, the font, and the ambo) will be made later. There will also be educational opportunities for the congregation to study and learn the theology, history and background of these important components of our worship.

Jim Edwards
Roving Reporter

Building Committee Update - Hard Hats for Sure!

Until this past week the idea of wearing a hard hat seemed pretty far out, but after experiencing all the construction work going on in the church these days, I now am a true believer. And after hearing Luke Hutchins, Findorff’s manager for our project, at the Adult Education Forum last week, I realize that staying out of the work areas is a big safety issue - for ALL members and staff.

We are all naturally curious about what is happening, so one of the tasks for the Building Committee and the Communication Team, headed by Joyce Cotton, is to share with the congregation as much of the excitement and progress as we can via pictures on the web and outside of the worship space, articles in the Moments, and frequent AE Forums on the project’s progress. We will also schedule "tours" as often as we can to let folks see first hand what is happening. Right now we have a good window on the outside work just by looking through the fence.

The construction work is coordinated by Luke and facilitated by a meeting every two weeks with all the sub-contractors who will be working on the project in the coming month. Midvale has several representatives to these meetings: Joel Peterson from the Building Committee, Vince Perkins from Building and Grounds, Pastor Bruce, and Mike Bischoff, our custodian. Our "construction team" is there to make sure we understand what will be going on, to have a place to bring up issues and ask questions, and to respond to changes or unexpected problems that surface as work is being done. Pastor Bruce is the leader of this team and the "on-site" person in charge.

Randy and I, along with other members of the Building Committee, will attend these bi-weekly meetings whenever we can to help us keep up to date. Members of the congregation are encouraged to talk to one of us, or the pastors, with any concerns or questions, and not to the working crews. So far it looks like the project is progressing smoothly and according to the schedule.

Of course I’ll wear my hard hat when necessary, but I plan to stay out of the way and let the work go forth.

Carolyn Cain , Building Committee Co-chair.

The Liturgical Arts and the Color and Materials Committees started meeting at the beginning of May. To help them get a feel for what kinds of materials, designs, and colors were being used in church remodeling and building projects, both committees visited three churches in the area, Waunakee, Belleville, and Verona. Everyone came away in awe of these beautiful churches.

There was a huge range of altar, ambo and font designs, but each fit into the rest of their church design perfectly. And the palette of colors chosen added interest and warmth to the spaces. These field trips truly inspired each of the committees to use their talents to create the best possible sanctuary space for Midvale.

The Color and Materials Committee used this new knowledge when they met with Paul Barribeau, of Groth Design Group, to work on design choices for Midvale. The goal of this committee is to help in choosing specific materials that will be used: carpeting, woods, paint colors, flooring, and even roof tiles. They took into account any tiles and woods that would be remaining in the gathering space so that they would coordinate well together.

Midvale Community Lutheran Church officially broke ground on their Building Renewal project on Sunday, August 30. The ceremony took place about 9:30 a.m. between the services. A large number of members attended.

Members from the Church Council, Building Committee and representatives from various church groups donned white hard hats and broke ground with the beautiful gold shovels that Findorf Builders supplied. It was a festive day that we’ve been looking forward to for a long time.

The next seven months will go by fast or slowly depending on our attitude about the construction. It’s going to take understanding, patience, and a little sense of humor as we figure out how to do things differently for awhile. But despite the inconveniences, we can still enjoy wonderful worship and fellowship during this time.

Work has already commenced on the outside of the church. However, next week after the 10:30 service on Sunday, September 27, we will begin removing all furnishings out of the sanctuary. This will enable construction to begin the next day on the interior.

My roving steps took me to Teri Wians, Chairperson of the Library Move Committee. Her committee has been making great progress over the summer sorting through the books in the library and planning the move to a new room.

They’ve retained the popular religious books. These books are boxed up until the new library is ready. Anything that hadn’t been checked out in over 10 years was offered free to the congregation. So the new library will be much smaller than the original one and contain only religious books. The committee felt that with the new Sequoia Library across the street, that this would be the best use of the space.

The main library will be at the end of the first floor hallway, with a new meeting room located across the hall. The children’s library will be located on the second floor.

New paint colors were chosen and approved and a painting workday was scheduled for Friday, September 11. The furniture from the gathering space and the library will all be placed in the new library while the construction is underway. However, we will have to wait awhile for the rooms to be totally completed. The carpet will be installed at the same time that the carpet is installed in the sanctuary and gathering space.

My roving steps this week took me to Rhoda Braunschweig, the Chairperson of the Liturgical Arts and Furnishings Committee to find out what’s happening with their committee. Currently they are working on the design for the altar, ambo and the baptismal font. The architect, Paul Barribeau, brought three conceptual designs to the committee based on feedback from the committee. After reviewing these three designs, the committee agreed on one of the conceptual designs for the altar and ambo and two for the font. At the next meeting, Paul will be bringing back more developed designs for their comments.

Preliminary plans include: The altar will be square and smaller than the one we currently have. The ambo (where the Word is read and preached) will be able to accommodate both shorter and taller people. The baptismal font will be more substantial than our present one and will be the first thing you see when you enter the sanctuary. These three uniquely designed pieces are not included in the budget but will be paid for out of memorials and gifts.

The committee is also testing out various chair designs from several manufacturers. The chairs will have seat pads but no back pads, in keeping with our acoustical needs. The chairs were in the gathering space and hopefully, you were able to try them out and offer your feedback on what you did or didn’t like about each design.

Joyce Cotton
Roving Reporter, Communications Committee

Midvale Community Lutheran Church will begin the actual construction of the remodeled sanctuary and gathering space on September 28, 2009. Many committees have been hard at work for a long time planning for this day. The Communications Committee will be using this website to keep you informed on the building project. You’ll learn about what the various committees are working on, decisions that have been made, the timeline for the construction, how the construction impacts on the activities of Midvale members and user groups, the library and meeting room, the logistics of the move to Fellowship Hall for worship and a multitude of other things as they develop. Plus we'll update this site with construction pictures.

If you like to write and would like to help on the Communications Committee with short writing assignments, please call the church office and let them know.

Our last day of worship in the sanctuary will be Sunday, September 27 (Quilt Sunday). All the pews will be removed that day so construction can begin on Monday, Sept 28.