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.