We're
Building
. . .
not just mortar, bricks, & wood
but with people strong and good!
March 2008
WHERE WE ARE
- We
have received an $800,000 loan from the
ELCA’s Mission Investment Fund.
- We
will pay 6.5% interest only on the money that we draw down during
construction.
- Once construction is completed the balance will be rolled
into a 25-year loan at 6.5 with regular monthly payments of $5,402.
- We have
signed a construction contract with
Bjork Builders Ltd. for Phase One renovation and new construction
- We
have filed construction drawings with South Brunswick
Township
for their review
and approval.
- Bjork
Builders will start construction two weeks
after permits are received from the township.
- We
are in the final phase of negotiation with a
buyer for the Parish House.
o
The
prospective buyer would use the house as a dentist office.
o
The
buyer would use our drive and be allotted 12 parking spaces in our lot
Monday-Saturday.
o
The
sale would include a construction easement allowing us to encroach on
that
property during the course of future construction.
- The
required traffic study has been completed.
NEW SITE
PLAN ISSUE
Another complication has arisen with the NJDEP
concerning
our property. The New Jersey Department
of Environmental Protection has recently issued a new ruling stating
that
development and construction within a flood-plane area cannot result in
any net
addition of dirt fill; that is to say, if you add dirt to one area
within the
flood-plane area, you must remove an equal amount of dirt from the
flood-plane
area.
- Because
of the low level and poor drainage of
our site, our site plan for expanded parking in the future (before a
new
worship space can be built) requires that a significant amount of fill
be added
to our property.
- The
back end of our purposed expanded parking
lot falls within our property’s food-plane area.
- In
order to get fill for this back part of our
future parking lot, we will need to take that fill from another part of
our
property. It cannot be brought in.
- Because
we will need to depress some rear
portions of our property in order to build up another area, and in
order to
keep new fill off of the flood plane area, we will need to construct a
retaining
wall (2-4 feet high) across the rear of some portions of our property. Preliminary estimates for such construction
are around $20,000 to $25,000.
- This
new development does not affect our Phase
One project, but it will be part of the work that needs to be done
before a new
sanctuary can be built.
WHERE WE
ARE HEADING
Phase One will provide badly needed renovations and
up-grades to our existing building. These
renovations and new construction will provide us
with expanded
gathering space, a new kitchen area, larger handicap accessible
restrooms,
office and administrative space, a sacristy, storage, more room for
education,
and a new entrance and a more attractive facility over-all.
Most importantly Phase One will give us a building
that
looks to the future and can be easily expanded.
- The heating system
and utilities,
needed for
future expansion, will already be in place.
- A new,
already planned, sanctuary
can
be easily
and efficiently added to the front of Phase One.
- We will
have an approved site
plan
for future
parking.
- While
expanding the parking lot
and
building a
new sanctuary will be challenging, Phase One is the most expensive
phase of the
over-all project. Cost wise, the biggest
part of the work will be done in Phase One.
|
Our Ministry