December 24, 2017

December 10, 2017

• We are currently cleaning and applying a new coat of wax to the floors in all our buildings.
• As we are on the doorstep of winter, we will soon turn to inside projects.

November 26, 2017

We have completed the exterior water damage repair to the breezeway between the old parish center and parish office building. This was a more extensive repair than originally thought due to the amount of rot incurred by the prolonged period of dampness. The breezeway roof was not tied into the building properly, causing water to get into the wall and creating a perfect environment for rot. We opened the wall, repaired the damage, and installed new flashing and insulation. The breezeway ceiling was also replaced, complete with the installation of new wiring and LED fixtures and lighting. The inside work will be done at a later date.

November 12, 2017

• Water damage was discovered in the rear corner office, and we are currently making the necessary repairs to the roof and walls, and expect to have this completed by mid-month.
• Not only have we finally received the long-awaited and anticipated sacristy entrance stair railings, but they are installed! The new design looks great!
• The downspouts have been tied into a new drainage systems in order to reduce the icing problem behind the church/office entryway.
• New upgraded LED lights have been installed both inside and outside of the Parish Offices.

October 29, 2017

• We have now begun the necessary work regarding the parking lot drainage, redirecting the gutter downspouts to send the water away from the rear walking areas.
• One of our staff offices has sustained water damage. Work will soon begin to fix this, and is expected to take approximately 7-10 days to complete. Fortunately, this will be an ‘in-house’ job, so the cost will be minimal.

October 1, 2017

• The front doors of the church are currently being refurbished, restoring them to their original luster and beauty. The harsh weather, alongside the construction, weathered them way before their time!.
• As you may have noticed, the right side wall at the front of the church has been removed, and replaced with a recently hydro-seeded lawn. This is phase one of the planned hardscape upgrades
• Winter is coming… meaning all the potential perils of snow and ice are coming too! In past winters, we have had icing issues in the driveway located between the rear entrance of the New Parish Center and the Parish Office entrance. We will be redirecting the existing downspouts to underground drainage, eliminating the opportunity for water to pool, ice over, and create a safety hazard.

August 27, 2017

• We are in the final week for the repair work on the NPC steps… a long, but thorough process.
• The final sealing and caulking of the stairs, as well as the second coat of paint on the railings, will be completed.
• Once all the equipment is removed by the current contractor, and upon finalization of the design work, we will landscape the front (right) side of the church, eliminating the current deteriorated wall, but adding a new lawn area that will slope away from the front driveway.
• Construction took its toll on the doors to the entrance of the church. They will be refinished, bringing them back to their original state of ‘newness and luster.’

August 13, 2017

• The sheet metal workers will be here this week to add a layer of protection on the flashing for both sets of stairs of the New Parish Center, Following this, granite stones will be placed on the flashing.
• The New Parish Center handrails will be painted.
• The handrail for the steps to the Priest Sacristy is being made. A clean-up of this stair entrance will follow once it is installed.

July 16, 2017

• The steps have been completely dismantled, and we are now rebuilding and sealing them properly.
• We have employed a concrete testing company to insure the rebar and concrete are to the engineering specifications.
• Our next phase is due to begin soon. This will include drainage work and new landscape designs.

July 2, 2017

• We are currently in the demolition stage of the New Parish Center stairs repair. The three sets of stairs have all had significant issues in regards to stability, resulting in a ‘re-design’ to allow for a longer life. We are now poised to move forward to form and pour concrete as per these new specifications. In these next few weeks, you will notice significant structural work being complete, with the goal of attain the quality of craftsmanship that we require. We are working extremely hard to not interrupt the comings and goings of parish activities.
• The front of the church is close to completion! We plan to have the exterior front doors refurbished back to the original look, and to begin on some landscaping work. We have had some upgrades done to the front exterior lighting, with more to come. These changes will e a significant electric cost savings as well.

June 29, 2017

• We are currently in the demolition stage of the New Parish Center stairs repair. The three sets of stairs have all had significant issues in regard to stability, resulting in a ‘re-design’ to allow for a longer life. We are now poised to move forward to form and pour concrete as per these new specifications. In the next few weeks, you will notice significant structural work being completed, with the goal of attaining the quality of craftmanship that we require. We are working extremely hard to not interrupt the comings and goings of parish activities.
• The front of the church is close to completion! We plan to have the exterior front doors refurbishes back to their original look, and begin on some landscaping work. We have had some upgrades done to the front exterior lighting, with more to come. These changes will be a significant savings in our electricity.

June 18, 2017

• THE FRONT ENTRANCE STEPS ARE OPEN! It has been a long process, but we have nearly reached the end. The final action item is the lighting and the asphalt, which we are currently getting scheduled. Due to the current condition of the step from the driveway in front of the church, we will be removing the existing driveway and regrading it to its proper elevation and slope. This will create a better and safer transition from the driveway to the curb step. Until that time, please take care to watch your step.
• Repair work on both the rear and front steps of the New Parish Center is well underway. Due to how quickly these steps have deteriorated since initial construction, we are planning an upgraded system of repair.

May 4, 2017

Work on the front steps continues!  We expect a completion date of Friday, May 19th, including clean-up of the area. There remains some aspects of the project that need to be completed, however, work is underway and at a good pace.Weather permitting, the railings will be installed by the end of next week Then… the front stairs should be open for use!

April 25, 2017

On Wednesday, April 19th, the work began once again. Most of this ‘opening day’ was spent on re-mobilizing and transporting materials to the work site.  On Thursday, the 20th, the work actually began. We expect to see continued progress on this project over the next few weeks. We will get a better idea of how long it will take for total completion once the railings are delivered.

April 6, 2017 (** stairs upate **)

The stairs project is scheduled to continue once the weather breaks…  tentatively May 1st. We, like you, look forward to the completion of this work. We’ll be keeping a close eye on this project to assure it will be completed in a timely manner AND correctly, as we should expect.

December 25, 2016
Due to the winter weather conditions the construction of the front steps is currently on hold.
To bring things up-to-date…

• The contractor has approximately 80% of the contracted work completed.
• The front main stairs have been built to include the new design from the existing 3 steps to now 2 steps for easier access to enter the front of the church.
• The 2 deteriorated side stairs have also been rebuilt to a higher standard.
• A new handicap access ramp has also been installed to accommodate wheelchairs, etc.
• The existing asphalt has been redesigned and properly sloped to accommodate drainage and new stair landings and handicap ramp approaches. Currently there is a binder coat (first layer of hot top)   in place. Final coat will be applied in the springtime.
• The front church landing, which consists of granite stone, has been a bit of a challenge. Due to the high standards that Fr. Brian has required throughout this project, the layout of the drainage system under the granite is complex.  We also have the resetting of the existing granite to be laid in a special mortar for optimum bond. There has been a few delays due to the first try of granite setting; to put it plainly the mortar was not up to the required standard so we had it removed. The new mortar is now installed and tested each day as we proceed with the granite stone installation. We are currently about 50% finished with
  this part of the construction which will be completed in the better weather.
• New railings have also been designed and are currently being custom manufactured for our church.
• Driveway curb needs to be installed, and one more concrete pad between the curb and front steps also have to be installed.

We unfortunately have not meet the completion date that we wanted, however, when this is finished in the spring, it will be worth the wait! Thank you for your patient understanding.

October 23, 2016

As you may be able to see, the front steps are now being formed.  What you may not be able to see is that the underground drainage system is being installed beneath the concrete pad and steps. To date, this has been a somewhat slower than expected process due to some changes that were made along the way… as is usual with any project of this size and scope. Good News! We found the existing foundation to be solid, allowing us to save on additional excavation and form work. Additionally, we made changes to the existing deteriorating retaining wall on the lawn side, and will continue to find savings as we make further adjustments to the project.

September 18, 2016

As previously stated, the existing front steps are deteriorated due to years of water damage and also due to the method in which they were installed. The way it was currently constructed allows water to penetrate thru the joints between each piece of stone and onto the existing cement base. Due to frost and winter conditions from season to season, the steps have deteriorated and moved. Additionally, the landing is pitched backwards , resulting in water not being able to run OFF the steps and away from the building, but rather, running TOWARDS the building and collecting underneath, causing the washing out of the existing base. We now have a new design to stop the water from seeping into the joints. We now have a new design to stop the water from seeping into the joints. It will eliminate 1 step… we will now have only 2 steps…. and will have water tight joints and be pitched  away from the building. The new design is superior to the existing and is an excellent solution for this ongoing problem.

September 11, 2016
Due to the current construction, the main entrance doors will be used ONLY in an emergency, until is becomes dangerous to use the front landing. When this time arrives, adequate notice will be given to you.  A clearly marked “EMERGENCY EXIT” path will remain open alongside the retaining wall on the lawn side of the church. The following 3 doors are available for exit from the church; one on each side of the altar at the front of the church, and the one opposite the elevator in the vestibule.

August 28, 2016

The site fencing is up, signifying that the work will begin!  During this construction phase, the front entrance of the church will be used for emergency purposes ONLY. You will need to enter the church through the New Parish Center or the elevator. Completion of all work is slated for mid to late October.

August 5, 2016

We had a meeting on July 27th,  at which time we secured our contractor. After reviewing the plans, it was determined that some cost-saving changes be made. In two weeks, we will review the new plans based on those recommended changes. We are looking to ‘break ground’ on this work at some point in August, beginning with the front steps.

July 15, 2016

Most, if not all, of you should have received my letter requesting  financial assistance with our  budget  deficit and property repairs. There have been a few questions as to the extent of work required, so in order to address this, below please find the entire scope of the project, broken down by area, with the associated price tags, totalling over $250,000…

STAIR One: Main Church Entrance: $48,975
     – RECONSTRUCT stone terrace and curved stair and INSTALL NEW HANDRAILS
EAST & WEST RAMPS: Front Entrance of Church: $16,500
     – DEMOLISH WEST Ramp and REPLACE with loam and RE-PITCH EAST Ramp
LOWER WALKWAY: Near driveway: $16,565
     – NEW Concrete Slab
STAIR Two: Lawn Side: $6,560
     – DEMOLISH and RECONSTRUCT concrete and REPAINT existing handrails
STAIR Three: Near Elevator: $14,025
     – DEMOLISH and RECONSTRUCT concrete and REPAINT existing handrails
STAIR Four: Front Circle to Parking Lot: $7,995
     – DEMOLISH/ RECONSTRUCT concrete. REMOVE/REPAIR/REPAINT existing handrails
STAIR Five: New Parish Center Front Entrance: $6,020
     – RE-ATTACH wing walls
STAIR Six: New Parish Center Rear Entrance: $22,475
     – DEMOLISH and RECONSTRUCT brick wing walls and REMOVE, REPAIR and REPAINT existing handrails
STAIR Seven: Sacristy Entrance: $15,730
     – RECONSTRUCT brick supported concrete and PROVIDE sealant joint
RETAINING WALL: Lawn Side: $88,286
     – DEMOLISH/RECONSTRUCT brick-faced concrete. RE-SET stone coping atop wall
HANDRAILS: $2,900

 *** TOTAL ABOVE COST = $246,031 ***

All additional donations over the $246,031 will help to defray the following…
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING CONSULTING & DESIGN: $9,000
CHURCH and RECTORY CHIMNEYS: $15,000

*** TOTAL PROJECT COST = $270,031 ***

June 19, 2016

We have made the decision as to whom we will hire to do the work.  Our decision on how to fund it will determine the total scope of the work  that we will be able to complete. We ask you  to join us in bringing this to prayer.   -Fr. Brian

May 8, 2016

I know that there are concerns about the front steps of the Church, and some wonder if   there will ever come a time when  they will be repaired.  I would like to take a minute or two to summarize the steps taken thus far.  I began working on this issue shortly after I arrived in July.  At that time, I contacted the Archdiocese to inquire about the best way to move forward, and they recommended hiring an engineering firm to look at the exact scope of the project, which we soon found out was more than just a simple fix of the front stairs.  We looked at the retaining wall, which is also in serious need of repair, as well as all of the stairs, including those in the new parish center.  A comprehensive study of all needed work was completed and the plans were drawn up.  Those plans were presented to the Finance Council for their recommendation, and by the time this process was completed, it was October.  The cost of trying to get the job done at that time would have been prohibitive, since the weather brought about time restraints.  Once the first frost arrived, the work would not have been able to continue based on the job specifications.  It was recommended by the Archdiocese, the engineering company and members of the Finance Council, who have knowledge of the issues, to wait until spring. We sent the project out for bids at the beginning of April and the bid process was completed just last week. I reviewed the two bids that were received on Monday, and one was not considered reasonable, and so we are now looking to get two more bids over the next 10 days. When these new bids come in, they will be presented to the Finance Council for their recommendation, and then we will hire that company to complete the work.  My hope is that we will start the project within the next month or so, based on the timetable of that company we select. We will also need help in covering the cost of what I know will be an expensive proposition, but what I need most of all at this point, is your continued patience.  I believe that it is more important to do a project of this importance correctly, than to do it quickly.  I apologize to anyone who believes that I have not been diligent enough in this project endeavor, but please know that my methodical process is based on my deep concern that we achieve the best possible outcome.    -Fr. Brian