Project Timeline
At our most recent weekly Zoom meeting call, our sanctuary construction committee met with our domusstudio architect David Keitel to discuss the timeline of the project now that we are further along in the design development phase. Just as COVID has affected so many aspects of our lives over the past year, it has also had an impact upon the construction industry, with increased prices for in-demand building materials including lumber. The impact of these price hikes and unanticipated code…
Looking Ahead
At our most recent weekly meeting the Sanctuary Construction Committee’s primary focus was planning on how furnishings and other contents of Suite 4 will be removed and/or recycled over the coming months in advance of the new sanctuary construction. We also discussed seating for the new sanctuary per our architect’s recommendation given the important role it will play in the new space. David Keitel of domusstudio provided us information to consider from several different chair manufacturers and has connected us…
A Weaving Metaphor
I am grateful to the Boulder Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (BVUUF) for the content in this week’s blog post. The congregation completed a 70-week renovation of their church facility in 2020. For more information about their project, go to https://www.bvuuf.org Our UU 7th Principle is “Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.” Creating and maintaining a tight-knit, high performing, quality relationship between our Sanctuary Construction Committee, our architect and our contractor is like…
Demolition Materials: Recycle & Reuse
I was recently asked what will happen to the demolished building materials that remain on site when the Suite 4 structure comes down to make room for our new sanctuary. During a Sanctuary Construction Committee Zoom meeting a few weeks ago with David Keitel, our lead architect from domusstudio, we asked how the process works in this regard. The architect and building contractor work together as a team to segregate various building materials such as metal, wiring, concrete, and wood…
Choosing Music Intentionally
Earlier this year, I decided to make sure that at least one song in every Sunday’s service is composed or performed by a Person of Color (POC). I am the Editor of the AUUMM, and I have created a filter to identify songs created by POC. As part of that work, I have added songs deliberately to that database that are by black people. I have gone out of my way to find lists of black composers and their pieces…
Storytelling
People have told me over the years that I’m a good storyteller. I’m flattered, but sometimes I chuckle to myself – because actually we are all good storytellers. We tell stories all the time and often we aren’t even aware of it. We tell ourselves stories about who we are – or are not. “I’m bad at math” or “I’m clumsy.” We also tell stories about other people, often things we don’t know for sure. We read into what they…
Sailing Forward Together
We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails. Dolly Parton What can I say about Dolly Parton? I just love her. She is the gift that keeps on giving and what she has given me today is this nugget of wisdom to reflect upon. Think of all the ways we personally and as a church community have had to adjust our sails to adjust to the winds of change brought on by Covid-19. In my humble opinion, thanks…
We Write Our Own Story
I love a good story! I get so focused the world around me seems to disappear. I go to another dimension fully immersed in the author’s alternate reality. This month we explore Story from several angles. Unitarian Universalists believe that we are the authors of our own lives. We write our own story. And with the power to shape our own lives comes great responsibility. Can you write the story of your life, distilling it down to one sentence as…
Reaching a Milestone
Our Sanctuary Construction Committee reached a milestone today as we finalized our negotiations with our architect for the sanctuary. With the professional assistance of legal counsel, we focused on eight specific areas of the contract that required clarification or negotiation. The architect accommodated our requests and now the agreement is ready for signature by our board president. This is an important achievement and you can be assured that we have had the best interests of the congregation in mind in…
The Doors
Last night our OCUUC choir held its first in-person rehearsal in over a year. We wore the new special singers’ masks, we were appropriately distanced and sang in our beautiful courtyard in the open air. In addition to the 15 choir participants there in person we also had 8 singers joining us on Zoom. It was a success! As I looked around the church campus last night I couldn’t help but think about how many creative opportunities there will be…
Going for the Goals
The Sanctuary Construction Committee held its weekly meeting yesterday as we continue to work toward completion of tasks that must be finalized so that we can stay on schedule. Though our work at this point in time involves more research and decision making than hammers and saws, we are always focused on the goals for the project. We are focused on developing a sanctuary that: Provides worship space that is meditative, tranquil, spiritual, and inspirational Allows for fostering growth of…
Decisions, decisions…
Sanctuary Construction Committee (SCC) members gathered on Zoom yesterday for our weekly progress meeting. After conducting due diligence and soliciting additional bids, we approved our architectural firm’s choice for civil engineer and surveyor. We also agreed upon the selection of the AV consultant that will design the sound system for the new sanctuary. We decided to engage the services of an attorney (to be determined) familiar with design and construction to review and opine upon our architectural agreement with domusstudio.…