It has been a while since our last update, and we wanted to share some news on the progress of our building renovations. The exciting thing is that while a number of our progress reports in the past were not immediately observable, things that are happening now are often readily in view.
First of all, the connector from the Parish House to Lloyd Hall is now in, linking those two buildings, which is a major accomplishment.
Amazing progress has also been made on the second floor of the Parish House in the completion of the choir rehearsal room and the installation of custom shelves for the choir room and staff offices. The HVAC is now fully functioning, just in time for summer.
With the installation of the windows facing Stockley Gardens, you can see how natural light will now fill Lloyd Hall on both sides. Cabinets and countertops have also been installed, and outside work has begun on the grounds that will become the driveway and play area. This is especially exciting.
Of course, there have been continued challenges and delays, which we have, unfortunately, come to expect in this complex project. We have had to spend time in the last few months adapting to an issue with water incursion on the ground floor of the connector, but a plan is underway to fix that. Once that is resolved, we can install the elevator, one of the final big pieces of the puzzle. But that means, while we had hoped we would be wrapping up construction this spring, work will be continuing through the summer. But don’t worry—planning has already begun for a big celebration this fall for the whole parish to open and bless our new campus with a lot of fun and a lot of food. More details will be forthcoming so stay tuned and plan to join us for that special day in our parish’s history.
It is also our pleasure to report to you that the new Lychgate Garden design has been finalized, and it is wonderful! It addresses all our stated objectives for relandscaping that space:
- increasing drainage
- improving access to the columbarium
- creating more usable space for large gatherings and quiet moments of reflection.
And it benefited from all the great feedback received during the design charette last year. This new design is certain to make our garden even more special than it already is.
You can get a sense of how the redesigned Lychgate Garden will look by watching the video below which brings the design to life in a fun way.
Pending all the proper approvals, we expect shovels to go into the ground this summer and to be planting this fall. And a new segment of columbarium niches has been ordered and will be installed on that same timeline. So, in all aspects of this project, things are moving along to completion.
We are in the final stretch now, and we could not have done all of this without your help. Thank you!
We’ll soon be releasing more video walk-throughs that will show some of the exciting developments across the campus. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact John Ford (ude.udo@drofbj) or any member of the Steering Committee.
