1. Space Committee Update
FUUFHC 3/11/18

2. Mission Develop a phase-based road map to:
Create enough space to meet the needs of our congregation
Optimize the use of the undeveloped land
Align with our congregational strategic goals:
Build community
Be a welcoming community
Care for the environment
Support our social action

3. Mission
Develop information to help educate the board and congregation to inform planning for the future.
“Needs and Options analysis.”
No set timeline for completion*
No agenda.
No forgone conclusions. All options are on the table.
Our loans are almost paid off and material work is on the horizon. It seems like a good time to reassess our plan going forward.

4. Mission
Want to build a new building? Yes! Want to build a new building…and by the way, it will cost $2M+? Oh, well….um.

5. Mission Members: Steve Morris (Chair) Dorian Von Aulock (Secretary)
Tim Cleary (Board Liaison)
Dave Jenkins (Buildings & Grounds Liaison)
Christie Alderman (Buildings & Grounds Liaison)
Dottie Bartel
Paul Jaeger

6. Up until now
Last congregational vote was to buy land with plan to build:
Got full approval for site plan and building as part of purchase process (would need to be renewed)
Currently over 85% of the loans paid off or forgiven.
Raised $21,000 toward preservation work and won a $25,500 grant.
Surveys show:
Ministerial Survey Results in 2015 (101 responded):
79% in favor of congregational growth
66% in favor of enlarging our space (19% neutral)

7. No matter what What we’ve learned….
Build, move, or stay as we are, we must do the following:
Oil tank removed from ground, est. $4,000
Replace our septic
Adjust septic design, permit, and survey $4,200
Installation still needs to be quoted
Pay off $79,000 of loans
Obtaining new loans will be challenging, as we have no regular surplus of income.

8. Evaluating doing nothing
What we’ve learned….
OSC repairs must be made or building will deteriorate
Congregational size is at max (58 attending)-and is off-putting

9. Evaluating staying & building
What we’ve learned….
We have 85 children enrolled in RE -- far too crowded
We have discomforts/inconveniences:
one bathroom,
little office space for our staff,
inability to cook or have events,
poor accessibility,
a muddy trail to get from parking lot,
not enough parking,
safety concerns about only (2) front exits to OSC.

10. Evaluating staying & building
What we learned…
There are a lot of options:
Build the originally planned structure for RE, offices and congregation hall
Restore the balcony
Build a congregational hall and renovate Dodd Hall
Explore an arrangement with the schoolhouse
Build a series of small buildings
There could be several phases

11. Evaluating staying & building
What we still need to learn….
Is the schoolhouse interested in any kind of arrangement?
Could the balcony be brought up to code?
What would each option cost?
What are the demographic trends that might impact our decision?

12. Land Use
Exploring land use options for if we stay and do nothing or if it takes some time to develop land.
Currently exploring farm bill (USDA-NRCS) grants
Explore interest from farmers whose farming practices are more aligned with our values
Cultivating land ourselves (farming, corn mazes, ornamental gardens, etc.) would require significant volunteer hours and infrastructure
Size of lot does not meet township requirements for commercial solar or wind energy

13. Evaluating going What we learned….
Evaluating cost of sustaining building until it sells- est. $6,000-$10,000 (not including capital improvements)
Other structures are available in area
Trading or merging with another congregation could be an option
Per real estate agent, our property is est. to be worth $250, ,000
The schoolhouse parcel reduces our sale value
Evaluate demographic analysis

15. Evaluating going What we still need to learn….
Do we need a more formal (i.e., paid) appraisal/estimate value for our property?
Evaluate opportunities to trade with other congregations that are shrinking or sell to those that are growing.
How we would fund it -- can’t obtain traditional loans
What would change about the nature of the community we serve – e.g., more social justice opportunities?

16. Evaluating going What we still need to learn….
Evaluate disruption impact

17. Next Steps Continue researching Committed to transparency
Findings will be brought both to board and congregation- a finite picture of costs, benefits, and challenges that helps inform an educated conversation about our future.
We ask for open mindedness and patience.
NOTE: that all options have a substantial cost.