Building News Archive
Sanctuary Upgrade & Lighting (SoUL) Project
Our Sanctuary Upgrade and Lighting Project (SoUL Project) has moved forward. Our UU Santa Monica Board approved the contract for our electrician on April 14 and work on replacing the electrical and lighting system in the Sanctuary began on May 4. So far, we have replaced switches and electrical outlets in the Sanctuary. We have added a couple of outlets in the Foyer. We are making sure our system meets the highest standards and the California Energy code, Title 24. The electricians are very courteous and do a great job at cleaning up at the end of the day.
Please join us for our Town Hall Meetings scheduled for June 7 and 21, 12:30 p.m. in Forbes Hall, for more information on this Project and it’s next phase of work happening this summer.
Thank you for your kind consideration as we honor our 7th Principle and move our congregation towards energy efficiency and reducing our carbon footprint on our lovely Mother Earth. Thank you for your help and understanding during our electrical upgrade.
Our Electrical and Lighting Task Force members are Brad Hutchinson, Nurit Gordon, Beth Brownlie, and Karl Lisovsky.
— Beth Brownlie
FROM OUR FACILITIES DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE:
What’s Happening in our UU Santa Monica Facilities?
Happy Earth Month! Our Sanctuary Upgrade and Lighting Project (SoUL Project) is moving forward and our UU Santa Monica Board approved the contract for our electrician on April 14. Work on replacing the electrical system in the Sanctuary will begin this spring. Please excuse our mess! You may see some dust and some open holes in the wall. This is all temporary. Our Sanctuary will be back to It’s beautiful self, as soon as possible. Last year in May, at the Annual Meeting, our congregation approved proceeding with this project using funds from two generous bequests that we received. Thank you for your kind consideration as we honor our seventh Principle and move our congregation towards energy efficiency and a reduction of our carbon footprint on our lovely Mother Earth.
If you see something that needs attention, please tell us. Our community thanks you for your help and understanding during our electrical upgrade.
Our Electrical and Lighting Task Force is Brad Hutchinson, Nurit Gordon, Beth Brownlie, Karl Lisovsky, and of course our Rev. Rebecca Benefiel Bijur.
— Beth Brownlie
What’s Happening in Our UU Santa Monica Facilities
We are working to tackle our Sanctuary Upgrade and Lighting Project (SoUL Project). We are currently receiving multiple bids to do the first part of the work that is replacing our old 1930s wiring in the walls and getting the light switches working at the chancel. We are hoping to start this very soon. Please be patient with our mess! We may have to open up walls and repair them during this phase of work. We are working to make our church a safer and better functioning place. Our Electrical and Lighting Task Force members are Brad Hutchinson, Nurit Gordon, Beth Brownlie, and Karl Lisovsky. We also want to get some power up to our new projection screen and AV system that the AV Task Force has installed. These members include Bob Dietz, Karl Lisovsky, and Steven DePaul. Thank you to all of you for your efforts to improve our audio and visual experience.
Forbes classrooms and the DRE office have received some new (slightly used) commercial-grade furniture. Each classroom got a credenza and overhead cabinet, and Catherine got a better desk. A law office was replacing their furniture and we found these wonderful pieces at a used furniture store for a fraction of their original cost. Come check them out!
The roof of Forbes Hall Entry was replaced, preventing further leaking in this area. We are also repairing our elderly windows in the clerestory with some wood stops and caulking. Some new paint for Forbes Lobby, after the repairs, is planned, as well.
The final part of our Roof Replacement project is being completed now with installing of gutters with screens and downspouts. This is happening on the lower roof on the south side of the sanctuary. We had delayed this part of the project due to the construction of the offices.
— Beth Brownlie Oakes
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Comments from Our Past President on the occasion of dedicating our upgraded facility on June 22
It is truly a joyful moment to be here with you, celebrating the completion of three construction projects for our campus here at UU Santa Monica. It is rare to be able to have a vision and an opportunity and to be able to see the vision through to reality. When I became president of this congregation just a little over two years ago, we were holding discussions about what our new roof should look like. I thought that the roof would be the main event of my presidency, and I was happy about that. Our office staff and anyone who used the office at all had been struggling for several years with serious roof leaks. They put tarps over the copier whenever it looked like rain. And remember, it actually used to rain sometimes. So we were all more than ready to get that problem solved. Beth Brownlie submitted a proposal to the Spirit Level Foundation, which awarded us a $35,000 grant. Bronwen Jones, Tom Hamilton, and Ron Crane solicited donations from the congregation for the required matching funds. Thank you to everyone who contributed that money. Once all the decisions were made, the roof construction proceeded smoothly, preserving the look of our historic building, eliminating leaks, and
preventing further damage to our structure.
It was at this point that our fortunes changed dramatically. Andrew Still, whom we knew as Drew, died in February 2012, leaving his entire estate to the church.
I knew Drew as a man who attended Sunday services, meetings, and events quite faithfully, and who formed
opinions and expressed his opinions seriously and passionately. I asked Joe Engleman to tell me a little more
about Drew. Joe was his friend and did the work of serving as administrator of his estate. This is what Joe told me:
Drew had no siblings, no children and never married, plus he never owned his own home. Thus, we were his family, and this church was his home.
He was hearing impaired, speech-impaired, and (probably, as a result) socially impaired. He was hard to get
to know, and he really appreciated anyone who did take the time and effort to get to know him. To those of us who did, we found him to be smart, witty and caring. He served as the president of our Singletarian group in the '80s.
Drew left over $600,000 to our church. He directed that the initial $210,000 in his estate be used for a building
program. The remainder came from his retirement account, as he was still working when he died.
Seven months later we sadly also lost Judy Federick, who left half of her estate to the church, ultimately totaling
over $250,000. Like Drew, Judy loved our church and was very committed to this place and the people in it. I first
clearly remember her leading a program on bisexuality, which was part of our process of becoming a welcoming congregation. She did so much to make our congregation more welcoming to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. I was also very struck by the way she cared for her husband, Jim Weinberg, in the last year of his life, when he was ill and in a wheelchair. Judy was present here and helpful here in so many ways, and I feel she would be happy to have helped to create these beautiful spaces.
It was the dedicated money from Drew Still’s estate that allowed us to develop and proceed with the office
renovation plan. We encountered many challenges along the way, but we were working with good people, and we are all very pleased with the result. It was the additional money that allowed us to go forward with the plans
for the pergola wall, which completes the vision of the exterior of our campus. I am especially excited about
the way in which the new wall opens our church to the surrounding community and invites people to come
and see what we are all about.
These projects were truly a labor of love for your volunteer building committee, as the donation of the money was an expression of love from Judy and Drew.
My hope for our community is that it grow and thrive and continue to foster the loving spirit which makes this building a symbol of the search for truth, the commitment to service, and the hunger for justice that bring us together, here and now, today and tomorrow.
— Cynthia Cottam
An Elevator in Forbes Hall?
At the Town Hall Meeting on Visioning in February, Melinda Ewen brought up the congregation’s long-standing commitment to accessibility on our campus, specifically in sharing her hope that the church will make the upstairs rooms of Angeline Forbes Hall accessible to all people with mobility impairments. Your Facilities Development Committee (FDC) would like to report back to the congregation with more information about how we could accomplish this goal. We want to investigate estimated costs, review previous plans or create new ideas for where an elevator or other lift device could be installed, consider the best ways to meet the stringent building codes of the City of Santa Monica, and plan for how these changes will affect the current layout and use of the upstairs classrooms. While the volunteer leaders of the FDC are not able to begin these investigations until the completion of our ongoing projects, including the building renovation, the construction of the pergola wall, and the improvements in sanctuary lighting and AV approved by the congregation in May 2013, we share the congregationís commitment to accessibility and want to find out what it will take to move forward on this long-term dream.
— Rev. Rebecca for the Facilities Development Committee
Memorial Wall Construction
This photograph shows the appearance of the south wall of the church in February, which was early in the construction of the new Memorial Wall and garden. The old ivy covered wall had been removed and a trench for a new outer wall for the garden had been dug. Subsequently, pillars for the outer wall have been added and the project is moving forward nicely. Inside, the office staff has moved back into the renovated office space adjoining this new construction. Photo by Charles Haskell
Roof Update
I am pleased to announce that our roofing project is finished! The completed scope includes new clay tile on the upper roof, asphalt tile on the lower roof, and four new skylights to bring more natural light into the darker areas of the offices. Stucco repair where the roof flashing was installed, and a new gutter/downspout system for the lower roofs will be completed within the next few weeks.
Now that we are watertight, we can focus our efforts on the interior sanctuary projects. This includes replacement of the upper sanctuary windows and office windows and the office renovation.
The office renovation will include floor refinishing, painting, new lighting, and restoring the ceiling to match the sanctuary. We’ll also renovate with new finishes the sanctuary restroom and the restroom by the minister’s study. The aesthetic approach for the selection of finishes and materials will be to reflect the 1920 Spanish Revival Architecture.
— Bryan Oakes
Roof Update
I am pleased to announce that our roofing project is finished! The completed scope includes new clay tile on the upper roof, asphalt tile on the lower roof, and four new skylights to bring more natural light into the darker areas of the offices. Stucco repair where the roof flashing was installed, and a new gutter/downspout system for the lower roofs will be completed within the next few weeks.
Now that we are watertight, we can focus our efforts on the interior sanctuary projects. This includes replacement of the upper sanctuary windows and office windows and the office renovation.
The office renovation will include floor refinishing, painting, new lighting, and restoring the ceiling to match the sanctuary. We’ll also renovate with new finishes the sanctuary restroom and the restroom by the minister’s study. The aesthetic approach for the selection of finishes and materials will be to reflect the 1920 Spanish Revival Architecture.
— Bryan Oakes
Roof Update
I am pleased to announce that our roofing project is finished! The completed scope includes new clay tile on the upper roof, asphalt tile on the lower roof, and four new skylights to bring more natural light into the darker areas of the offices. Stucco repair where the roof flashing was installed, and a new gutter/downspout system for the lower roofs will be completed within the next few weeks.
Now that we are watertight, we can focus our efforts on the interior sanctuary projects. This includes replacement of the upper sanctuary windows and office windows and the office renovation.
The office renovation will include floor refinishing, painting, new lighting, and restoring the ceiling to match the sanctuary. We’ll also renovate with new finishes the sanctuary restroom and the restroom by the minister’s study. The aesthetic approach for the selection of finishes and materials will be to reflect the 1920 Spanish Revival Architecture.
— Bryan Oakes
Roof Update
The Facilities Development Committee is pleased to announce that the roof replacement project will proceed after the first of the year. The roofing contractor has been selected and is ready to order material and apply for the permit. We expect the project to take approximately 2 months.
The roofing project will include the removal of the existing clay tile and asphalt, new plywood over the existing structure, new waterproofing, two small skylights in the minister’s office, new clay tile on the upper roof, and asphalt tile on the lower roof.
After the roof is complete, we will begin organizing bids for three potential projects, subject to congregational
approval. The first would be the replacement of the upper sanctuary windows and the office windows.
The new windows would match the style and color of the new sanctuary windows on the North side of the sanctuary that were replaced during the Forbes renovation. This project would also include patching the exterior stucco as needed after the windows are installed and painting the exterior walls as needed.
The second project would be the office renovation. This project would bring new life to the office by refinishing
the wood floors to match the sanctuary floors, restoring the ceiling so that it matches the sanctuary and minister’s office, replacing the light fixtures with fixtures that match the character of the sanctuary, painting of the interior walls, and a reorganization of the office furniture that would increase the efficiency of the workspace. The final project would be the renovation of the sanctuary restroom. This would include finishes that reflect the aesthetic of the 1920 Spanish Colonial Revival architecture. The flooring would be replaced with Saltillo tiles, the walls would include Malibu glazed tiles and painted walls, a new toilet and sink, bathroom accessories and lighting.
We will keep you informed during the sanctuary roof project and provide updates as we develop plans for our upcoming projects. And, as always, feel free to ask us if you have any questions.
— Bryan Oakes, FDC co-chair
Good news!
We received the $35,000 Spirit Level Foundation grant money for the roof. It was deposited on December 18.
— Nurit Gordon, Church Administrator
Letter to the Editor
Roof Opinion
After having put a great deal of time into researching issues relating to roof replacement, I decided in August that my presence at board and Facilities Development Committee meetings was becoming divisive. So I have resigned from the FDC and stopped participating in the project. What follows is purely my personal opinion.
Compared to eight years ago we have an enormously improved physical facility. We acquired the Cottage,
renovated it, completely renovated Forbes and installed all new landscaping. Our church campus is much more
spacious, beautiful, and safe. Over the same period our membership and average Sunday attendance have declined. In my view our congregation needs to focus now on the reasons we have a building, especially on life within our congregation and service and outreach to the larger community.
There are plenty of churches in this country with magnificent, empty buildings. Arlington Street and King's Chapel are two famous Boston UU churches with memberships considerably smaller than ours.
If we simply replace the existing roof, it will not leak and will look significantly better. We can always replace the
lower asphalt with tile at any time in the future when we have the will and resources, i.e., $370,000. I therefore
suggest deferring the work required to install tile on the lower roofs until we conduct a major remodel of the
Sanctuary interior, some years in the future.
But a more important issue is the unity of our congregation. About half of all church building programs fail. The
usual problems are that the leadership was not united or that the leadership made promises to the congregation it could not keep. The costs of failure are often enormous. Donors quit and ministers get fired.
Because of this danger, I do not believe that the church should start any expensive building activity without a strong consensus in support of the plan and plenty of money in the bank. At the least, the minister, president, and board need to be publicly committed to the plan. So unless there is a strong leadership consensus, I think we should just live with the leaky roof.
— Tom Hamilton