Building Updates
April 2024
The building project is moving forward and picking up pace for the new church facilty at Durango and Oquendo. On April 14th, 2024, the church voted to fund the $17,052,000 project with the existing building fund that consists of monies from the settlement with the State of Nevada and our capital campaign. Noting that there will be a short fall of $2,360,000 the congregation voted to take a loan from the Synod of the Pacific and the Presbyterian Loan program at the General Assembly of up to $2,400,000. To address the debt and the rising cost of the building project, due in part to the cost of rent (approximately $30,000 per month) the session and congregation of Grace Presbyterian Church are considering several options to reduce the cost of the project, raise additional funds and reduce expenses. One such option being considered is the possibility of a temporary move to a location with a much lower rent for the remainder of the construction. To address this one option, a congregational meeting has been called for Sunday, April 28, 2024, in the Sanctuary at 11:30 am. to act upon the recommendation of the building committee task force. Town Hall meetings have been scheduled between congregational meetings to discuss the options and prepare for a possible vote.
In addition to the funding being finalized the congregation voted to hire Burke Construction as our builders. With the signing of the contract, Burke has begun purchasing materials needed for our project and arranging sub-contractors such as electricians, plumbers, roofers, and other specialists to work on our project. As soon as our permits are approved by the county Burke will begin some of the infrastructure work. We hope to have a groundbreaking ceremony early in June. Our contractors tell us they expect the project to take 12 months to complete.
Next Steps
As soon as Clark County approves our permits to build, we will begin the construction phase. We expect this to happen very soon. In the next few weeks, we will hire a Construction Manager. A Construction Manager works on behalf of the church, ensuring that the building is built to our specifications and coordinates with the contractor holding them accountable to the contract and our desires for the building. They also will work to resolve issues that arise between our contractor and Clark County. This is a highly specialized position, and we are collaborating with professionals in the industry to find the most qualified and experienced manager for our project.
March 2024
Our building plans are moving through the county approval process at an encouraging pace. There had been issues with the location of one of the NV Energy Power transmission poles on Durango and visibility issues created by its location to our proposed building. This issue seems to be resolving itself with the help of county building officials and our engineers. As the plan approval and permitting process continues, please be in prayer that we complete this phase in a timely manner and that we continue to stay on track with our proposed timeline.
The Session of Grace has begun the loan application process for our construction loan and will be submitting the proper documents to the Synod of the Pacific and the PCUSA loaning entities for approval in the next few weeks. In the next few weeks the Session will call for a congregational meeting to approve the necessary loan, as congregational approval is required for any debt taken by the church. Additionally, we will be seeking support in this endeavor from the Presbytery of Nevada.
At the time of writing, we are awaiting the final contract proposal from our contractor which will include the final cost estimate in detail. Once that arrives (hopefully by the end of the first week of March) the Session, through its commissions and building committee, will review the contract and make any necessary amendments to ready it for final approval. Once it is approved by the Session this contract will be presented to the congregation at a called meeting.
Future steps: the building committee is working on hiring a project director to coordinate the physical construction of our building. This is important to ensure that our contractor keeps the project on track and within our budget.
February 2024
Our plans for the building have all been submitted to the county for approval and permits. This is a long process; however, we are moving as quickly as possible. We have received suggestions from the county regarding the structural review portion of our plans and are working with our engineers and architects to address them. Our civil engineering plans have been reviewed after we resubmitted due to the drainage issue. Indications are they are complete and moving forward.
Regarding the property on Durango, we have applied for the necessary easements and that process is moving smoothly through the county approval process. Additionally, the water district reviews are complete and we are in the process of signing contracts with them.
Our contractors have sent us a draft of the final contract. Our contract subcommittee is reviewing it before submitting it to the session and congregation for final approval.
The building committee is now working on hiring a project director to coordinate the physical construction of our building. This will be important once we have a contract with a contractor to keep the project on track, eliminating an unreasonable learning curve for our volunteer building committee, session, and staff.
Future building updates will be posted on our website and made available at our worship services.