Week 37 - By the Numbers

This week's Christmas bulletin contained an excerpt about the status of the project, including an erroneous statement about the building being 108,000 sqft. Therefore, this week, while you peruse photos of our progress in the shortened construction week, we offer "Campus Project By the Numbers":

Total Project Cost: $4,200,000

Parish Center Size: 20,741 square feet

Hall: Seats 250-400. Dance floor, beverage area, 2 serving lines

Kitchen: Yes, 1300 sqft including storage. Fully equipped

Second Floor: No, but can be added in future

Basement: Unfinished, under office area only. Elevator access

Garage: 4-car, plus maintenance bay

Heatings & Cooling: 3 Rooftop units, Radiant Heat perimeter

Protection: Fire & Burglar Alarms, Keycard Access

Technology: Central server, Audio/Visual in Hall and Library

Number of Offices: 10, plus up to six workstations in main office

Stained Glass Windows: 8, re-used from Blessed Angela Room

Large Conference Rooms: 1, modular furniture, seats 20-25

Small Conference Rooms: 2 public, 1 staff. Each seats 8-12.

Pastoral Library: 25' x 30' with bookcases and casual furnishings

It's all going to add up to tremendous opportunity for our parish!

Week 36 - Christmas Presence

We've been blessed with a lot of great Christmas presents this year, and many of them arrived just in the last two weeks. Last week, it was furniture for our banquet hall. This week, we received our kitchen equipment, consisting of ovens and warmers, mixers and grills, fryers and work tables, sinks and coolers, all wrapped up and ready to be put under a very big tree.

This week we also received tile in our hallway, electrical outlets and light fixtures, bathroom partitions, hookups for our air vents, speakers in the banquet hall, and more. Pictures are in the photo album.

That's a lot of nice presents. But the truth is, the best presents of all aren't actually presents. They're presence. It's your presence at church as we celebrate our Christmas masses. It's being present with your family, with your friends or co-workers, or even with strangers in their gathering to share the joys of the season. And best of all, it's the presence of Jesus in our lives, through the little babe in the manger, and through his spirit in each of us to each other.

Merry Christmas!

Week 35 - Deck the Halls!

It's a little more than one week until Christmas, and as we prepare our homes and our hearts for Christmas, we continue to "deck the halls" of the new Parish Center. A few tasty treats, along with a special gift for the holidays, can be found in our photo album.

Our Christmas Concert last week was a huge success, with a sold out crowd enjoying spectacular Christmas music while raising money for our Campus Project. We managed to capture it all on tape, so look for a CD from Kevin Cole and company about this time next year!

This week's progress on the project includes the delivery of some furniture, lots of flooring, ceiling tiles, doors (hold the mistletoe), and a full paint job in the hall. Workers were also onsite installing venting ("tin"-sel) on the outside of the building between the gutters and soffits, applying "ribbons and bows" to the cables in the server room, putting up the "lights", and installing alarm components. We're moving fast now, with something new being added after each "Silent Night".

Very soon we'll be reintroducing the stained glass windows from the old Blessed Angela room, which have been combined with some new "Frosty" glass to fit our frames.

In just a few short weeks, we'll be unwrapping our present!

Week 34 - The Psychology of Deadlines

It's no wonder people hate deadlines. After all, striving to meet a deadline can be a very stressful thing. With a deadline approaching, we tend to focus in, buckle down, and put our nose to the grindstone so we can make our deadline.

For students, deadlines come in the form of final exams, the time to prove what one has learned in a course. With a deadline looming, we settle in for some hard studying, and the closer the day of the exam comes, the harder we cram.

Deadlines affect every part of our lives. Even recreation can have deadlines, as evident by this weekend's Christmas concert at St. Stan's. Even though tickets had been available for a month, many waited until that deadline approached to make their purchase. We went from having several hundred tickets to being SOLD OUT in less than a week. There's nothing like a deadline to get us motivated.

Our campus project is approaching its deadline as well, and its evident in the rate at which the workers are moving. This week, the exterior brick got wrapped up near the entry way, and our cornerstone underwent fitting. In addition, the kitchen floor and some of the laminate flooring in the utility rooms was completed, and workers began laying carpet. Bathroom fixtures are now being installed, as are all the cabinets for the building. You can view our progress in the photo album.

It's appropriate that all these deadlines come as the year winds to a close. Even the Advent season is intended to remind us that we live life on a deadline, preparing for the arrival of Jesus. As with any deadline, the more prepared we are, the happier we will be when the time arrives!

Week 33 - Construction Harmony?

This week, as construction continues on the campus project, the parish is busily preparing for next weekend's Christmas concert featuring Kevin Cole, Sylvia McNair, and the Carolyn Mawby Chorale.

With music in the air, I can't help but think that the whole construction process is a lot like a chorale. All of the different trades (our "voices") require careful balance in order to avoid dischordance. The heavy equipment (our basses) introduce their booming voices as they work to finalize our parking lots and green areas. Meanwhile, the plumbers and tilers (the altos) provide a basis and foundation for a successful project. The electricians (our tenors) chime in to provide the bright tones of light and warmth. Finally, the painters and cabinet makers (our sopranos) add touches of the high life to our project. Leading them all, our general contractor -- the director -- keeps them in the proper meter and harmony.

When it's done right, what you end up with is a beautiful masterpiece!

Week 32 - Of Thanks and Trimmings...

This week is Thanksgiving, and here at St. Stan's there's been a lot to sink our teeth into!

Our Campus Project continues to evolve, even in this holiday-shortened week. This week, ceiling grids were installed in the office area, tile work continued in the bathrooms, and work began on our memorial walkway. All the juicy pictures are in the album.

As we pause to count our blessings, we prepare for a busy few weeks ahead of us. In the Parish Center, floorings, electrical fixtures, furnishings, and technology will soon be "stuffed" into place. Capital Campaign will be hosting two very important fundraisers for the project -- our annual Holiday Raffle, and the "Christmas from the Heart" concert on December 9th featuring Kevin Cole, Grammy-winning soprano Sylvia McNair, and the Carolyn Mawby Chorale, which should whet your appetite for Christmas music (Tickets for both are available at the Parish Office). Before you know it, we'll be "dressing" the parish for Christmas.

For now, we focus our thoughts on being thankful for all the blessings we receive as a parish, and especially for all those who support our parish, and our Campus Project.

Bon appetit!

Week 31 - Baby, It's (Getting) Cold Outside

As the weather continues to head south for the season, activity on the campus project is heating up, as you can see from our photo album.

As I write this, the roofers are on-site braving the cold to complete the roofing of the entryway and surrounding peaks. The light poles for the parking lot are onsite, which means we'll soon be aglow in the warmth of area lighting, including the steeples. Preparations are underway for laying the bricks for the memorial walkway next week, which should warm the hearts of all who purchased bricks.

Product Plug: Bricks are still available for purchase -- a cool $100 will get you one with your message engraved -- at the Parish office on an on-going basis, and will be installed periodically throughout the year.

Moving inside where it's warmer, much of the interior painting in the office area is now complete, with only the entrance hall to go. The bathrooms received their tile this week (a nice warm brown tone), which means other flooring and fixtures can't be far away. Electrical outlets continue to become "hot" at a regular rate, and the interior building cabling and security system are coming along nicely.

The cold hard facts are, the building is coming together quickly. It's time to warm up to the idea that we will soon be in our Parish Center!

Week 30 - We're Making a List...

Humans are natural-born list makers. We make grocery lists, address lists, Christmas gift lists, and especially to-do lists. We love to make lists.

The beauty of making a list is the feeling of accomplishment you get when you can check something off the list. It doesn't matter whether there's still items on the list. Being able to cross something off means you're making progress.

When it comes to the Parish Center, there's definitely a list. And while there's a fair number of items left on the list, we're starting to check them off with amazing frequency, as you can see in the photo album.

This week we can check off the final paving of the main parking lot, the garage door installation, exterior window installation, and the painting of the kitchen. Meanwhile, progress has been made on our interior cabling, drywall prep for painting, exterior cleaning, and electrical work. Next up is interior painting and ceilings.

On other fronts, all of the computers and software for the parish are now on order, and we continue to get as many of the memorial bricks made as possible ahead of installation.

We've got our list, and we're checking it twice, until the time when we can check off the last item. What a feeling of accomplishment that will be!

Week 29 - Anticipation

Whether its an upcoming holiday, vacation or family event, or even a sporting event, anticipation can be a big motivator. Not knowing how things will turn out adds a certain flair of mystery and excitement to any situation.

For the Campus Project, our progress has brought us to the point where a little anticipation is a good thing.

Thus, starting this week, the construction photo album will begin showing a little less detail, helping build some anticipation for the opening of the building, which is actually not that far away. Don't worry, you'll continue to get a feel for our progress (it IS your project, after all). But in the spirit of excited anticipation, we'll be trimming back a little of the view, focusing in on specific details, and saving the rest for the big reveal.

That said, I will continue to provide updates on the construction. This week, major progress areas include the drywall mudding in the office area, the elevator, and the activation of our HVAC system, providing heat to the building. Also, at long last, the fuel tanks have been emptied and removed, paving the way (pun intended) for the completion of the parking lot.

For now, I'll leave you eagerly anticipating next week's entry!

(EDIT: Fixed broken link to photo album. That's what I get for being in a hurry!)

Week 28 - A Sense of Security

With Halloween approaching, it's appropriate to spend some time thinking about safety and security.

For the trick-or-treaters, safety is aided by wearing bright colored costumes, traveling in groups, and having a parent check all treats prior to eating. For the rest of us, we are reminded to be on the lookout for pedestrians when driving, especially at night, and when children are present, as unexpected things can happen.

When it comes to the campus project, safety is a big priority. We are fortunate to have a contractor that takes safety very seriously, and has jobsite rules and work procedures in place to ensure the safety of all workers on the project.

This week is another example that one can still be quite productive while working safe. As can be seen in the photo album, our roofers continue to be hard at work installing shingles, and every day a little more gets done. Interior accomplishments this week include work in the hall area, and on the elevator. Our technology installers were also on-site this week, pulling data cables and interconnects for the building. Very soon, they will be joined by our security system installers who will complete their install.

Speaking of security, visitors to the parish campus this week will notice that the building is now being secured during the off-hours. Not only will this enhance the safety of the jobsite, but it will help ensure that the building stays on-track and free of vandalism or other mischief. This is especially appropriate given the proximity of Halloween.

A sense of security is important to keeping our project on track, but it's also a major focus of the project itself. The parish campus project is intended to provided the parish a level of security about our ability to meet the needs of the parish over the coming decades.

At our annual Exposition last week, guest speaker Fr. Chrobot talked about how strong Polish parishes tend to be in this country. At St. Stan's, we're doing everything we can to help secure the future of our parish, and we continue to pray for safety and success for all who work on our project!

Week 27 - Pathways

This week's progress on the new Parish Center brings to mind the importance of having clear paths available to us.

For our project, this means the addition of drywall to the offices and the primary office hallway, providing a clear pathway to the parish staff's offices. It also means the installation of our electric meter and fire department water hookup -- clear pathways for the delivery of electricity and water to the areas they are needed.

By way of contrast, a couple other portions of the project have encountered obstacles in their paths, including the disposition of the old fuel tanks and tackling the early availability of the furniture we have ordered for the building. In both cases, the problems could have been much worse, so we are grateful they are at least manageable within our resources.

As we zoom through fall, the nights start earlier, and for me this means the pictures for the album are now taken primarily in the evening. This makes the path to a weekly update a little more difficult, but at the same time provide unique opportunities, like this shot of the front of the church with the twilight sky behind.

It's a decent reminder that though the path through life may sometimes get more difficult, there are plenty of blessings to be found and celebrated!

Week 26 - Lots of Poles Leave St. Stan's

That's right: in spite of the new parking surface (or perhaps because of it), lots of poles have recently left the parish.

Luckily all of the poles in question are of the utility variety!!

This week, the last of the utility poles that once lined Grant St. were removed, giving an unobstructed view of the front of church. As seen in the photo album, the result is remarkable!

Also this week, grade work on Grant St. in front of the parish offices has begun, as well as on Farragut, in preparation for more asphalt. Roofing began Friday and continues through the weekend, and the elevator components have also arrived.

We get a little closer every day. And when we arrive, the parish center will be a place for everyone...especially the Poles.

Still, utility poles need not apply.

Week 25 - Milestones

I am happy to announce that we have our parking back -- bigger and better than ever!

The first coat of asphalt was laid this week over the new main lot in front of the church, as well as the dropoff circle area. While the crews finish up some of the surrounding work ahead of the final coat, we will be able to use the temporary surface for our church functions.

This is a major milestone, as it means our parishioners, who have been so wonderful about accepting a bit of a walk during the parking crunch, can now park nearby to avoid the cold (or hot) weather that's to come.

Speaking of milestones, they will start to arrive close together from this point on. As you can see in this week's photo album, rough electrical is almost complete, and the windows are going in around the building. Come Monday, the technology and security system folks will be starting to run their wires. Drywall appears to be a mere two weeks away, as are the shingles for the roof. As we look toward each milestone, we draw that much closer to completion.

Of course, accomplishing all these milestones means the bills will start to arrive closer together as well. With the next Capital Campaign Drive going on, and fundraisers such as the Fall Cash Bash (which is tonight), we work towards the milestone of having the building paid for. Like our parking milestone, this financial milestone will mean less of a burden for our parishioners.

Although it seems like a long way off, just as we did with the construction, our parish family will tackle it -- one milestone at a time.

Week 24 - It Takes a Community

I'm back from vacation this weekend, with just a quick update on the progress, which includes curb and gutter work, final grade work in preparation for asphalt, more brick on the outside of the Parish Center, interior framing and the start of electrical work.

Being gone this week has really reminded me of the importance of community and teamwork in completing a project. For starters, many of the pictures from this week's photo album were taken by fellow parishioners on my behalf. Meanwhile, the St. Stan's staff graciously fielded additional questions in my absence that would normally have come to me.

This sense of pulling together, of community, envelops the entire project. It includes those who have volunteered parking spaces to help ease the burden on our community. It includes the many families and individuals who have given to the Capital Campaign, or supported one of our various fundraisers.

It also includes those parishioners who own businesses and have expressed a desire to be involved in the project. For them, we have tried to provide a fair opportunity for involvement. For example, early on in the project, we made available a list of general contractors who were bidding the construction, so that parishioner-owned businesses could contact them about providing quotes. Likewise, for the several areas we've tackled outside of the contract (such as furniture, technology, and security systems), parishioner-owned businesses have been included in the bidding whenever possible. Going forward we plan to continue this philosophy as we approach such items as landscaping and sprinkler systems which have yet to be addressed. Certainly, we cannot guarantee a positive outcome for these businesses -- we must, after all, be good stewards of our resources -- but we can try to be inclusive in our efforts.

We can also continue our focus on making the project as transparent as possible for all parishioners, so we encourage questions and follow-up comments, especially when we fall short of these goals. Feedback can be provided either through the Parish Office, through a building committee or parish council member, or via the comment feature on the blog.

After all, this is a community effort, and one that will benefit the entire parish community!

Week 23 - Proving a Theory...

Several weeks ago, I made a comment about a lot getting done while I was out of town, and I offered to sacrifice by taking a few more vacations; you know, just to speed things along.

As it turns out, The Vacation Effect is so strong, I don't have to actually leave to trigger it. Just preparing to go seems to do it.

As shown in the photo album, while we were all recovering from all the fun we had at the Parish Picnic last weekend, a LOT has been done on the campus project.

For starters, the curbs around the edge of the new parking lot are taking shape, which means we're one step closer to having use of the lot again. Along 22nd St, the sidewalk has been re-poured. Elsewhere on the site, underground wiring has started going in, and drain tile is being installed around the dropoff circle in front of the rectory.

One block up, almost the entire north wall of the parish center has received its brick, with only the short westward facing wall yet to go as of this writing. The west face of the building itself was also starting to get its brick. Up top, plywood sheeting is going in to cover the last of the roof trusses, in preparation for shingles.

INSIDE the Parish Center, the interior walls are starting to go up, which bodes well for the start of electrical rough-in soon. More HVAC and plumbing work is also taking place.

And to think, I haven't even LEFT yet!

Week 22 - Reaction vs. Interaction

Scientists will tell you that living things respond to their environment in one of two ways: they can passively react to changes in their surroundings, or they can actively interact and influence the changes themselves.

This week, both the Building and Capital Campaign committees had an opportunity to conduct walk-throughs of the ongoing Parish Center Construction. Both groups were able to examine the progress up close, ask questions about what they saw, and then discuss the why (and how) of some of the construction details. Instead of reacting to the process as an outsider, the committees' members were able to interact with the process, increase their understanding, and even suggest a few ideas that will help the project be even more successful.

While insurance rules prevent us from opening up the construction site to everyone, our Parish Campus Project need not be a reactive experience for our parishioners. Here are some suggestions for making it a more interactive experience.

• Check out our construction photo album and stay up to date on our progress.
  
• Ask questions about the project to better understand the details.
  
• Help with fundraising efforts by supporting our Fall Cash Bash, collectible ornament sale, or the upcoming Winter Raffle. If you can, consider making a three-year pledge to the project.
  
• If your schedule permits, volunteer. Help work a fundraiser. Submit your name for one of the parish committees or commissions.
  
• Attend the Parish Family Picnic on Sunday, September 16th. It's a great way to get to know your fellow parishioners!

In the end, it's about interacting: interacting with your world, with your faith, and with your faith community. It's so much more rewarding than just reacting!

Week 21 - Changing Seasons

It's clear to see the start of fall in Mid-Michigan. Weekday rains (and the construction headaches they cause) are becoming more common, the days are cooler, and even some of the trees are starting to change.

For some, fall is a time to wind down from all the events of the summer. Travel is over, schools are in session, and life returns to a certain routine. For others, fall is a time of increased activities, including sports, sneaking in a last vacation or weekend away, and wrapping up outdoor projects before the weather turns sour.

Our Parish Campus project promises to fall into this latter category.

With the return of students come a few adjustments to the construction plan. The site fencing has been pulled back somewhat, snow fence has been installed to ensure the school exits are available in an emergency, and there's a renewed emphasis on wrapping up the site details before the approaching cold weather. As you can see in our photo album, significant work has been done on what will be the new parking lot for the Parish. Visible progress has also been made on the parish center roof and HVAC systems.

Also this week, Wobig Construction was back on site to replace the parish plaza, which fell victim to a sealant that never really did. Pictures of the new plaza will be available next week.

Fall also means it's time for our annual Parish Picnic, which will be held at Pulaski Hall on September 16th. The Picnic is a great way for our parish family to spend some time together in fellowship, while recognizing all those who support our parish through giving of their time, talents, and treasure. With good food, Polish music, and special activities for the kids, it promises to be a good time.

Even with all the activity at the parish, everything seems to be fall-ing right into place!

Week 20 - On we Labor

Visible signs of progress this week, as the parish hall and garages received their floors, the parish hall wall studs were installed, the roof trusses began going up in earnest, and workers began removing concrete and leveling the new parking lot on 22nd Street. Details are in this week's construction photo album.

Since this weekend is also Labor Day Weekend, it's appropriate to take a few lines to acknowledge the hard work of everyone working on the project, including RC Hendrick Construction and their subcontractors, our architects Wakely & Associates, the St. Stan's Building and Capital Campaign committees, and the staff at St. Stan's who daily tackle the everyday decisions and chores that go into making this type of project possible. We also acknowledge the sacrifices our parishioners have made via their financial support and patience.

As we all take a collective breather this extended weekend, the goal line becomes more and more clear. There's a lot left to do, but it's all going to progress at a phenomenal rate. The next month will hopefully bring us a roof over our heads, the start of interior work on the building and additional parking.

One thing is sure: between the dirt that will be moved, the mortar that will be troweled, and the asphalt that will be laid, it's safe to say nobody on THIS project will be wearing white after Labor Day!

Week 19 - We were Framed!

You've probably heard the expression "he was framed" in the context of someone being set up for a crime they didn't commit. Used this way, the idea of framing implies the person is boxed in by the evidence and cannot escape. It sounds like a very bad place to be.

Most of the time, though, frames can be a very positive thing. Frames provide decoration, such as the frame around a photograph. They provide support, such as the frame around a pair of glasses.

They can even provide structure, as evidenced by the exterior wall framing installed this week on the new Parish Center. You can see in this week's photo album how the structure of the windows around the exterior of the building are created and identified by their framing.

It's easy to see the importance of frames. Around the kitchen area of the new parish center, you can witness how the limestone beltline and splash stones frame in the colors of the building, making the red and tan stand out and complement each other. The arches and architecture of the church itself frame the entrance to our house of worship, highlighting it as a place of welcome and community.

If you look deeper, though, you can find the idea of frames is almost universal. The Church provides a frame within which the whole of our beliefs is contained. Each week, the mass provides a framework for our worship. We take these beliefs with us, and use them as the framework for how we treat others, and how we live our lives. Clearly, its important to have frames.

To some, it may not look like a lot has happened on our parish campus this week. To me, the framework we have laid forms the foundation for all that will be accomplished through this project. In that sense, being framed is a very good thing indeed.

It's really all about your frame of mind.

Week 18 - A Sense of Scale

It's amazing how a person's sense of scale can change over time.

As you can see in our photo album, the first floor continues to evolve. Having had the floor joists, ceiling trusses, and support beams installed, this week the floor was added. As a result, the space seems a bit smaller than it did before.

Strangely, the opposite is true of the parish hall, which this week had its floor leveled and initial ceiling structure installed. If anything, the hall seems LARGER than before.

Also looming larger this week is the parking lot in front of the church, which continues to be cleared of debris from the high school demolition. This week, the powerhouse was removed following the successful rerouting of the water feed to the grade school.

The challenge now is to begin buttoning up the site work in time for the start of school in a few weeks. Crews are currently preparing the drainage tile for the parking lot, which must be completed before the site can be re-leveled and compacted.

The farther we advance in this project, the more I am amazed at the rate at which things are progressing. Our plans are big, but the construction timeframe is small -- and the team is up to the job!

Week 17 - The More Things Change...

This past weekend, the parish popped the lid on a 56-yr old treasure; namely, the time capsule which was stored in the cornerstone of the High School Building.

The capsule contained a number of insights into the life of St. Stanislaus Parish in 1951, including a newspaper, a bill (paid in full, thankfully!) for the construction of the High School, and scrolls containing rosters of the school staff (23 Felician nuns), students, contributors to the building fund, and the parish organizations of the day, among other gems.

Pictures from the event, as well as this week's construction updates, are in the photo album.

It's hard to not compare St. Stan's then vs. now. Back then, priests and religious were plentiful, and St. Stan's boasted a Monsignor, two assistant priests, and 23 Felician Sisters. More than 850 students were enrolled in the Catholic schools at St. Stan's. The new high school building was constructed at a cost just over $440,000. Most scary, gasoline was about $0.20 a gallon!

Times have sure changed (especially when it comes to gasoline).

Or have they?

St. Stan's is still blessed with strong examples of religious life. Fr. Bill, Deacon Nick, Sr. Bea, and Sr. Florence provide strong leadership to the Parish, and they have a dedicated group of staff and lay leaders backing them up. And although the numbers may be smaller, Catholic Education is certainly alive and well at St. Stanislaus School.

Most importantly, the drive to continue the mission of our parish founders is as strong as ever. It's evident in the work of the Parish Campus. It's evident in the crowds that gather for every major event in the parish, be they focused on our past (such as the demolition of the school or the time capsule opening), present (parish picnics, annual Expositions, or Eucharistic Congress), or future (groundbreaking, fundraisers such as the Fall Cash Bash, or the like).

Whether it's a $440,000 school building or a $4.2million parish campus rennovation, our Parish pulls together. I guess it's like they say: "The more things change, the more they stay the same."

Except for the price of gas, that is.

Week 16 - What Goes Down...

...must come up!

Steel arrived this past Sunday....and Monday....and Tuesday, and erection of the shell of the Parish Center has begun in earnest. In only four days, half of the first floor has its floor joists and ceiling members installed, and the hall has seen significant progress made.

Photos from this week, including an exclusive aerial shot, can be found in our photo album.

Meanwhile, clearing of the high school site has seen significant gains. Most of the recyclable materials have already been removed from the site, and the rest is in the process of being removed. Already, as shown in the album, a clear view of the front of the church has emerged.

Meanwhile, workers have begun uncovering the crawlspaces that served as utility runways for the building. Also, a new water connection is being installed for the grade school building, and the power tie-ins (which didn't happen this week) should be happening sometime next week.

The updated schedule from Hendrick allows us to more accurately plan our next steps, including electrical installation, furniture delivery, and installation of the memorial plaza. Based on this information, the deadline for ordering bricks in time to have them installed in the initial installation has been extended until August 31. We will still accept orders after this time (and likely for years to come), but they will be installed periodically throughout the year.

I'm pleased to report that the video included in last week's post has had over 150 hits on YouTube in only one week. Thanks to all who are tuning in!

Things will be moving very fast now, so be sure to stop back often for updates!

Week 15 - Demolition!

A lot of science goes into constructing a building. As it turns out, a lot also goes in to tearing one down.

This past Monday morning, the former St. Stanislaus High School building, which for 56 years sat on the corner of Van Buren and Kosciuszko, was demolished. As part of the demolition, the cornerstone of the building was removed. It will join the cornerstone of the convent as part of the historical record of our Parish. Arrangements are being made to open the time capsule from the cornerstone in the near future, possibly as early as the weekend of August 4th. Stay tuned!

The event drew a large crowd for much of the day, and was covered by the Bay City Times and WNEM TV5.

Of course, we provided our own coverage as well, which you can see in the many pictures in this week's photo album. But if a picture is worth a thousand words, video can relay 30,000 a second....



If that wasn't enough excitement for the week, consider these:

The kitchen area of the new Parish Center is getting its brick. If you're still wondering what the new Parish Center will look like, stop by 21st and Farragut.

Steel for the building begins arriving this Sunday! Starting next week, you will see steady progress made towards its installation.

The Parish Campus will be without power on Monday while workers switch over the service to the new underground feeds. Note the Parish Office will likely be closed.

Workers will soon begin rerouting utilities away from the powerhouse in preparation for its demolition, after which the old fuel tanks will be extracted.

The Building Committee selected NetSource One of Saginaw as the technology provider for the project. They will be onsite next week starting to run underground cable.

Full speed ahead!

Week 14 - Follow the Phoneix

Most people are familiar with the mythological phoenix, the red and gold plumed bird which rose from the ashes of death to a new life. Most are likely unaware that despite its Egyptian origins, the phoenix was also used as a symbol of Jesus in early Christianity, who applied the death-to-life metaphor to Christ's death and resurrection.

In many ways, the work we have undergone in building a new Parish Campus is like a Phoenix. As our neighbors can attest, a great deal of ash and dust has already been generated. This week, we added the dust of grading the new drive, and converted the dusty ingredients of cement into a basement floor for our building.

When it comes to dust, though, we're just getting started.

Monday, at 8am, the high school building is slated for demolition. As shown in our photo album, all of the glass block has been removed from the building, and the fences have gone up, all in preparation for the demolition.

From the ashes of its destruction, we will see the rising of our own gold and red bird -- our new Parish Center. And with it, the rest of our Parish Campus.

Week 13 - Triskadekaphobes May Be On to Something

It's fitting that I make this entry on Friday the 13th, because we've had our first bit of bad luck this week, the 13th week of the construction process.

We were informed this week that the steel for our project has been delayed until the end of July. While this is certainly a significant hitch (they had hoped to be starting to install it this week), at this point it doesn't look like the major goal -- to have the project complete by the end of the year -- is in danger. We'll know more next week, so check back then.

In the meantime, the crew is certainly NOT sitting on their hands. As evidenced in our photo album, progress is being made in other areas, with the dropoff circle starting to take shape, grade formation taking place, and the finalizing of the asbestos removal, which will allow us to take down the high school building near the end of the month. Stay tuned for details on THAT, as well.

To pass the time, and to keep your mind off (or perhaps ON) the number 13, I've added an album with photos of the church -- 13 of them in all -- with most having been taken since the start of the project.

If there's one thing I've gotten from this project, personally, it's a greater appreciation of the architecture of our beautiful old church. If you've never really stopped to examine our church before, I invite you to do so.

It's a great reminder that, even during bouts of bad luck, we are truly blessed as a Parish.

Week 12 - Backstage at the Magic Show

For me, the construction of the new Parish Campus is a bit like a magic show. During the week, I am typically at work while most of the construction is going on. One evening a week (sometimes two) I get the opportunity to come into Bay City to see what magic has been done since my last visit.

Since I'm on vacation this week, I actually got a chance to get out to the site while the wizards were doing their thing, and as it turns out, the metaphor lives on. A great number of projects are all underway simultaneously, all caught in this week's photo album. On one end of the site, workers are laying a foundation for a new transformer for the hall, while on the other end the demo team continues to haul scrap out of the old parish center to prepare for the "sawing in half" trick in late July. In between, conduit -- our invisible string -- is going in. Meanwhile, heavy equipment waves its big wand to make the elevation difference between the school parking lot and the Grant Street disappear.

Fireworks pale by comparison!

Like all great shows, backstage at a magic show is a pretty frantic place. There's a lot of planning required to determine how the next set of tricks will occur, and to keep the show moving along smoothly. In our case, Hendrick is working hard to plan what steel is needed first, and how it will be staged. Wakely & Associates, our architect and director, keeps track of the script to make sure the show meets expectations. The Building Committee is figuring out what needs to happen (and when) to make the overhead lines disappear. All the while, the Capital Campaign Committee works to keep the doors open and the curtain up. It's a great crew. But then, it has to be.

October (and with it our partial occupancy permit) seems so far away now, but when the big reveal comes it will have seemed like a mere blink of the eye; a slight of hand.

Until then, we enjoy the anticipation!

Week 11 - Make the Connection...

A lot of the discussion regarding the Parish Center has been focused on the impact it will have on the Parish: The meeting space it will provide, the centralized office environment, the gathering space, even the additional accessibility, convenience, and security a new building will provide. It's important that we talk about such things, because we're essentially asking the Parish to take a leap of faith about what the building will become. By describing some of the physical plans for the project, people can get a feel for what the building will DO. But there's another side to this project, and it's one I hadn't thought much about until this weekend. It's about being connected.

At the St. Stan's Polish Festival, I had the opportunity to talk with a lot of people about the project as part of the Capital Campaign booth. While we had all the technical information ready, the thing everyone wanted to see was our artist's rendering. They wanted to see what it was going to look like, how it would fit into the campus. They wanted to see the CONNECTION.

The reality is, the building is about more than conference rooms and banquet halls, furniture or technology. It's about building a home for our parish -- a cohesive, flowing unit that, like a family, is greater than the sum of its parts by its connection.

It takes a little imagination, but this week you can start to get a feel for this connection. You can see it (via our photo album) in the work begun this week on the Parish Circle -- the center of our campus -- providing access and connection to all of our campus buildings.

You can see it in the way the new sidewalk surrounding the rectory flows into the sidewalks surrounding the church, connecting the parish to its clergy.

You can see it in the prep work for the new drive adjacent to Farragut St. and the handicap lot, connecting old and new, work and play.

You can even see it in the building itself, with the continuation of the stairwell (connecting present with future), and the conduit that has been run underground that will connect one building with the other for phone and data.

Everything's connected, because we're all connected. Connected as a country as we celebrate our independence next week. Connected in our faith, and in our mission in the church. Connected as a family.

Happy 4th of July!

Week 10 - Objects in Mirror Really ARE Larger than they Appear

This week the Building Committee got its first opportunity to crawl inside the new Parish Center and review the construction progress up close. All agreed that seeing the building up close is very different than viewing the plans on paper!

A representative from Hendrick was on hand to answer committee member's questions about various aspects of the construction. He also pointed out a few interesting finds made by the site crews, including wire-wrapped wooden water mains, and a clay marble that somehow survived excavation.

Pictures from the site review are available in our photo album.

This week, you will likely notice that the fence line for the construction site has been moved again. This is necessary in order to begin the site work required for the new dropoff circle in front of the rectory. As always, we ask for your patience and understanding. We're moving as fast as we can in order to minimize the impact to the parish. In fact, ten weeks into construction, we actually find we're AHEAD of schedule by a day or so.

In other news, the majority of the furniture has now been selected. Fr. Bill met with the firms involved this week to select fabrics and finishes. Next stop: technology, with bids being due at the end of next week.

Have a great week!

Week 9: Don't Blink....!

It's true what they say about a watched pot.

I was out of town for most of this week at a conference for my "other" job, and was absolutely floored at what greeted me upon my return.

This week's photo album entries make up a complete walk-around of the work site, and reveal a tremendous amount of work accomplished just this week. The elevator shaft is now extended up through the first floor, as is the public stairwell near the entrance to the hall. Over in the banquet hall, the kitchen walls are going up, and the area has been staked out around the entrances to the hall.

Of particular interest this week is the construction of a larger "mock wall", showing the materials that will be used on the exterior of the building. This is our first real glance at what the finished building will look like, and gives the Capital Campaign Committee the information they need to start ordering bricks for the memorial walk.

It may be just a coincidence that all this happened while I was gone, but just in case, I'm willing to take a few extra vacations this year. :)

Until next week!

Week 8 - Moving in New Directions

If there's one truth to the New Parish Center, it's that the design was well thought out. All over the project are examples of the emphasis on efficiently meeting the current (and future) needs of the Parish.

An obvious example from this week's exclusive photos is the elevator, on which construction started this week. As the Parish grows, and use of the Parish center expands into the basement, the elevator will allow handicap accessible transportation between floors. The building is also designed to support a second floor, which could be added in the future; putting in an elevator now is a great way to "future proof" the Center.

Less obvious, but still very important, is the foam insulation that lines the basement, which was added this week. This product is designed specifically with grooves that pull water away from the foundation. A no-cost alternative identified by an astute member of the Building Committee, this insulation will improve drainage around the site, and minimize water damage over the life of the building.

Backfilling has begun along the walls of the banquet hall, and block work is beginning for the kitchen area. The kitchen is another examples of sound design, allowing ample work space, and plenty of storage to support all manner of parish gatherings.

This week, the Building Committee met to review final furniture bids. We will be readying our orders for furniture by the end of June so that everything will be in place when the building is ready. Meanwhile, the Technology Specification went out for bid. As with the furniture search, we are looking at a number of local firms in the Tri-Cities area, in this case to provide the cabling, audio/visual, and computing needs of the Parish Center.

Lastly, thank you to all those who have offered feedback regarding the blog. I encourage everyone to utilize the comment links at the end of every post to send us your feedback. I welcome your suggestions, questions about the building, and general feedback about the construction. This is, after all, YOUR Parish Center!

See you next week!

Week 7 - You can't make a Bobcat take the Stairs...

Week 7 brings with it the start of asbestos removal in the old High School building. Dore Enterprises is in charge of the removal, which involves spraying down the contaminated material and scooping it up for disposal. The scooping is done via the use of a Bobcat. The folks at Dore found a unique solution for getting a Bobcat onto the third floor to start its work. You can view their solution in our photo album.

With the start of this work, the Parish Offices are now open in their temporary home in the youth room. The address and phone numbers of the Parish remain the same.

This week also happens to contain Memorial Day. We recognize and remember the sacrifices of our military to keep our country free. We also pause to remind ourselves of the sacrifices our ancestors made in founding our Parish and establishing our campus. May our work continue the vision they began!

See you next week!

Week 6 - If these Walls Could Talk...

Progress is not hard to see...but sometimes it's hard to watch.

This week, we added stairwells, banquet hall walls, and the start of the elevator shaft to the new Parish Center. Exclusive photos are available in our photo album. That's the good news.

The bad news: this week we also say goodbye to the old Parish Center. Through many years, this building served us well. Starting next Tuesday, the parish offices will operate out of the temporary space in the Youth Room off of Van Buren St. As we say goodbye, we have a few parting shots to remember her by.

The building committee met this week with the electrical engineer from Wakely to finalize network locations and go over the electrical site plan. One nice feature: all of the overhead lines that run around the church will be buried during construction, which should really clean up the view of the church! We also surveyed the existing phone distribution system in preparation for the release of the technology specification. This week we'll also send out a target clarification to a few of our furniture bidders, clarifying specific models and options and asking for updated pricing. The committee and staff will meet June 7th to view samples and select the winning bidder(s).

Looking hopefully to the future...

Week 5 - A Firm Foundation

The basement walls (three of them anyways) reached full height this week, and the footings were poured for the Parish Hall.

Pictures, including exclusive aerial shots only available here, are in our photo album.

Other News: the building committee had a fantastic meeting this week, going over the initial responses to the furniture specification. We will be seeking some clarifications in the next couple weeks, and looking at sample pieces in early June. Next week we start reviewing the technology needs of the building.

On Friday, Fr. Bill and his crew of intrepid travelers departed Bay City for Poland. We pray for their safety during their trip and that they have an enjoyable visit to the land of our ancestors!

Memorial Brick Info

Happy Mothers Day to all you mothers out there!

This weekend, the Capital Campaign Committee began taking orders for memorial bricks, which will line the walkway leading into the new Parish Center.

The bricks are a standard 4x8" brick paver, which will be reddish in color (the exact color will be determined in the next week or so, once we have the final building brick onsite). Each brick can be engraved with up to three lines of text, with up to 14 characters per line (including spaces, punctuation, etc).

The bricks are $100 each, payable to St. Stanislaus Parish. Although this will be an ongoing project, any bricks ordered by August 1st will be included in the initial install of the walk. After that, the parish will install bricks in groups of 25 as they are sold.

More information on the brick is available at the Parish Office.

Week 4 - Basement Walls

The footings are poured, and now the basement walls are going up!

We've had some rainy weather lately, but the crew is doing a great job of keeping to the schedule despite the weather.

Just a few pictures in our photo album this week, but there's an added treat in there -- a perspective shot of the front of the church.

In other news, we are accelerating the schedule with respect to the old High School building that currently houses the Parish Offices. The staff is preparing to move out of the building by Memorial Day. The parish offices will temporarily be housed in the Youth Social Room of the grade school. Access to the temporary offices will be through a dedicated door on Grant Street. The offices will operate from this space until the new Parish Center Offices are available for occupancy, which is expected in late October.

The early move allows us to get started on the asbestos abatement in the High School building, which will allow us to demolish the building in August, and reclaim some of our parking before the weather starts to turn cold again. As an added benefit, the abatement and demolition work will occur while the grade school kids are not in school, which helps us maintain a safe work site.

Week 3 - Basement Prep Work

The hole got a lot larger this week, and a new construction ramp has been added to give the construction equipment access to the basement level. We're starting to see signs that the basement footings are coming soon.

Photos from Week 3 can be found in our photo album.

In other news, the furniture spec went out this week. We've got a good bid list -- 6 companies, including four local firms -- so we're hoping for a good response! Bids are scheduled to come back on May 15th.

Week 2 - Site Work Continues

Last week, we had the first of our dirt moved, and this week we've already got a substantial hole dug.

It's interesting to see the cement chunks coming up that were part of the old convent basement; when the convent was torn down, the basement was simply filled in. As part of the construction, this has to come out.

Pictures of the progress in Week 2 can be seen in our album.

In other news, our furniture spec should be going out late this week. The goal is to have responses back by the middle of May.

The parish staff is frantically preparing to vacate the old parish center by the end of May. They will be taking up temporary locations around the campus, including the Youth Room in the grade school. This will allow us to start the asbestos abatement early enough to have the building come down in August. That will certainly help the parking situation!

Passing of Melvin Wood

This morning we learned that Melvin Wood passed away while traveling in Texas. Melvin was one of the principals at Lee Wood Contracting, who are the excavators for the Parish Center construction.

Out of respect for Melvin and for the Wood family, construction of the parish center will be suspended until after the funeral, which will be held on Thursday.

The full obituary can be found here.

Groundbreaking!

Over 100 years ago, a group of Polish immigrants, eager to share their Catholic faith and celebrate their heritage, founded a church in honor of St. Stanislaus Kostka. Through their loving sacrifice, a beautiful parish was built.

Today, we begin to build upon that legacy. Our Parish Campus project has broken ground.

We were fortunate to have with us for the groundbreaking ceremony Bishop Robert Carlson, Mayor Michael Buda, and Fourth Ward Commissioner Tim Flannery to mark the event.

The event was covered by WSGW AM790 and the Catholic Weekly, and included procession from the church, comments and blessings by Fr. Bill and Bishop Carlson, and the ceremonial shovelfuls of dirt. The article from the Bay City Times about the groundbreaking can be found here

Pictures from the event can be found in our photo album

For us on the Building Committee, this is an especially exciting day! The committee has worked SO hard over the last 5 years, first on the "needs assessment" that revealed that a new building was the most economical way to go, and later on the plans and layouts, features and decisions -- hundreds upon hundreds of decisions, big and small -- that made the project possible.

For the Parish Council and Capital Campaign Committees, I'm sure the day was equally gratifying. All the hard work, and we will now begin to see the fruits of our labor.

I invite you to follow the progress of the construction via this blog. Throughout construction, we will be posting updates, including photos and videos, so that you, our Parish family, can be up-to-date on what it happening with YOUR parish center.

Thank you for your support. Thank you for your patience. Thank you for your faith.

And pardon our dust. :)