Three weeks into construction

Remember the old commercials for a well-known fast food chain that featured an elderly woman asking, "Where's the beef?" The big question around here this week has been, "Where's the dirt?"

Yes, the large piles of dirt the staff had dubbed Mt. Sinai are disappearing. In spite of the numerous requests from folks who want to relieve us of some dirt, we haven't gone into the dirt selling business. No, the soil engineer on our project has determined we do not have the proper mixture of components in our soil to properly support the foundation of our new building. So, we will have to over excavate (take out more dirt than originally planned) and re-engineer the soil (bring in new dirt). While this is an unexpected development, the cost of the soil re-engineering will be pretty minor considering the total scope of the project.

In other news, you may have heard Flintco, our construction company, has left Springfield. This is not completely true. Flintco is closing the Springfield regional office of their national company, but our project managers will remain on site as planned for the duration of the project. Flintco has also retained contacts in the Springfield office until all their work in the area is completed. We have been assured this will not impact the progress of our building project.

Utility work on our project has continued this week, coinciding with some electrical upgrades made to our office area. Now we can actually run the coffee pot (making Pastor Phil happy) and the microwave (keeping our office staff happy) at the same time without blowing a breaker and causing the office computers to shut down!

As we continue to watch the progress of our new Worship Center, please remember to follow the safety precautions. Our property will continue to be an active construction site for some months and we all need to work together to maintain everyone's safety.

Thanks to the bus drivers who have stepped up to drive, we are running the bus from the CLC to the Wal-Mart parking lot on Sunday mornings between services. Please, if you are able, park at Wal-Mart and take the bus to church and leave the limited parking spots for those with small children and the elderly. They sure appreciate your kindness.

Two weeks into construction!

If you’ve been anywhere near the church lately you couldn’t help but notice we are now a full-fledged construction site! Our Church Conference convened after services March 22nd and voted unanimously to enter into a construction contract with Flintco Constructive Solutions to build our new Worship Center! Since the day was sunny and bright, we grabbed shovels and celebrated a ceremonial groundbreaking immediately after the Church Conference

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Not lagging behind in enthusiasm, Flintco quickly began the process of setting up shop on our property with the delivery of a trailer for the construction headquarters and the installation of water management barriers (the black plastic barricade). After markings were laid out, Flintco officially broke ground April 3.

During the construction process life will be a little different around here. Nearly half our parking lot has been removed to allow Flintco to do the dirt work required for both the new building and the parking lot expansion. This means Sunday mornings will be interesting for at least the next six weeks. Because of the reduced parking, Wal-Mart has generously agreed to let us use the southwest side of their parking lot during worship times. We are currently trying to coordinate a bus driver to shuttle folks from Wal-Mart to worship so they don’t have to cross Aldersgate Drive on foot.

 

What does all this mean for all of us who call Aldersgate home?

 

First, we all need to be very aware of safety concerns. The south end of our property is an active construction zone. No one is allowed in that area without permission, a hard hat and safety goggles. As tempting as the dirt piles may be, they are not safe for children to play on. The walk between the CLC and Aldersgate House may be treacherous for a while, so please take your time and watch your step!

 

Second, we all need to be flexible. The temporary discomfort of reduced parking, mud, dust and noise is all for a greater good: a new facility we desperately need. It may be tempting to gripe about the changes construction is bringing, but keeping a positive outlook will make the whole process more bearable for everyone. And if you can help ease the parking dilemma by reducing the number of vehicles you bring to worship and/or parking at Wal-Mart, please consider doing so. We have a number of elderly people and families with young children who need the limited number of parking spaces in our lot.

 

Third, we need to pray for all the workers who are making our dream of a new Worship Center a reality. We will have many people on our property doing a variety of jobs, each of them critical to the construction process, which provides us an excellent opportunity to show them the love of Christ. Praying for their safety and providing a hospitable environment are simple ways to show them how much we value and appreciate them.

 

We will be updating this blog weekly so everyone can see the progress. Be sure to check back and see what’s new at Aldersgate.