New water bottle filling station for the Commons
BUILDING IMPROVEMENTS
This year saw a steady increase in activities at Christ Church, and the Facilities Team was up for the task of preparing inviting, comfortable and functional spaces. We painted all the classrooms in the Christian Formation wing of the building, including the hallway and south stairwell. Thanks to generous donations, we were able to install a water bottle filling station in the Commons and replace several desks and chairs in staff offices. We also addressed various safety concerns in the building by purchasing more comprehensive first aid kits, removing old baseboard heating units from the East Room, and upgrading our keyless entry security system.
The Loft got a significant A/V upgrade
TECHNOLOGY EXPANSION PROJECT
Lights! Sound! Camera! We made tremendous strides this past year expanding the technological reach of the church. As part of phase 2 of the project, we completed all the under-stage wiring and moved the stage-side A/V equipment to make room for the additional organ pipes on the east side of the chamber. In addition, we upgraded much of the network infrastructure to expand our digital capacity and better facilitate our growing digital needs, and completed the A/V design for The Loft (to be installed and commissioned early January 2024). The plans for 2024 include an A/V overhaul in the West Room, a new and improved guest wi-fi experience, and collaboration with Fr. Joseph on The Narthex project.
PERSONNEL CHANGES
In February 2023, Liz Wolfert joined us as our Facilities Assistant, and her joyful spirit and hard work has had a great impact on our team. Since beginning seminary in the fall, Liz has understandably needed to limit her hours in order to focus on her studies and we have had the privilege of welcoming back Charlotte Wanberg and Dave Prentice to help fill the gaps. Liz, Charlotte and Dave all bring their own unique skills and expertise to our team, and Heidi is incredibly grateful to each of them for all that they have contributed over the past year and the ways in which they reflect Christ in the building and on the grounds.
GROUNDS IMPROVEMENTS
The grounds of Christ Church were the focus of much of the Facilities Team’s work during the summer months. We worked hard to provide well-tended and inviting landscaping around the property by pruning back overgrown shrubs, removing a dying maple tree on the west lawn, planting bulbs and bushes, and working alongside countless parish volunteers on three separate cleanup days. In addition to the gardening tasks, we also replaced several damaged concrete slabs on the south side of the building, installed three security cameras to monitor our parking lots and entrances, and re-striped the drop-off zone in front of the main entrance to better serve our guests and parishioners.
SPECIAL THANKS
The Building & Grounds Committee includes John Bredehoeft, Bruce Dunn, Heidi Farr, Rebecca Ogden, and Brady TenBarge. The church is extremely grateful for their invaluable insight and dedicated efforts to maintain our facility in its excellent condition and honor the Lord in the process.