On Tuesday, Pastor Mike Wilker met with Chris Baier from Joseph Construction and Lee Anderson from Kueny Architects to open the bids on the sanctuary reconstruction project. The approximate cost of the project is $827,000. 

This total includes demolition, concrete, steel fabrication, steel installation, carpentry, drywall around the posts, flooring repair where the old posts were, painting, plumbing (radiators along west wall), and some electrical work near where the posts will be installed. It does not include reshingling the roof holes where the steel rafters will be inserted. 

Roughly, that leaves $3.6 million for the Gathering Hall and possible geothermal and solar expansion from the $4.4 million construction budget. In addition indirect/soft costs are about $1 million and include architect and engineer fees, contingency (about 10%) sanctuary furnishings, livestream, AV, etc. 

Next Steps:

1. The construction manager will work to get a bid for shingling. 
2. The construction manager and architect will review the bids in more detail. The construction manager will put together a full bid report for the Pre Construction Team. 
3. Pastor Mike will call a Pre Construction Team meeting within the next week so the construction manager and architect can review the bids with the Team and they can make a recommendation to the Council.
4. Council will receive and act on the Pre Construction Team recommendation. The next regular Council meeting is Tuesday, August 8. We doubt that the Pre Construction Team will be able to meet in time for them to have a recommendation by Tuesday’s meeting (maybe?). So, this may need to be a special Council meeting.
5. If the Council approves the contracts, then the steel fabricator needs six weeks to create shop drawings.
6. Then the construction manager and architects review and approve the shop drawings. 
7. Once the shop drawings are approved, it will take 4-6 weeks to fabricate the rafters and posts.
8. Then construction can begin. Although this technically could begin mid-December, Pastor Mike, the architect and construction manager think it’s better to begin sanctuary construction after January 1.
9. So for the first part of 2024 we will worship either in the Fellowship Hall or Fireside Room, depending on the stage of construction.

Other steps and some questions:

1. Other steps and some questions:
2. Kueny Architects is currently working on revised drawings of the large Gathering Hall. That project will be ready to be released for bids around August 18-21. The bids will be due around September 19-21. Then we’ll go through a similar process to above. The big decision will be whether the large Gathering Hall can be built for $3.6 million. The Pre Construction Team and the Council will probably be able to decide on the Gathering Hall construction by mid-October. To see the revised scheme for the Gathering Hall, you can view a recording of last week’s Pre Construction Team meeting by clicking on this Zoom link. https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/AfEvi97nGeR18V-VUY4OYhJHAjcBiXK-U9H6Knz-LHtmb8uBdg02-0hq9xQs7Mtg.bgvLmCYVpuTLI1e0 Passcode: #zA2FAm+
3. Pastor Mike recommends that the Council and Preconstruction Team host congregation information sessions in August about the Sanctuary and in October about the Gathering Hall.
4. In later August or early September, Pastor Mike would like to convene a meeting of the Fundraising and Finance Team to prepare for and to begin implementing the Roof Raising and Ground Breaking phase of the Campaign in the Fall and Winter.
5. We will formally apply for the Mission Investment Fund loan at least six weeks before construction begins. We have a pre-approval now. Once we have a construction budget and form a building contract(s) then we can lock in a loan rate. Although we are pre-approved for up to $1.7 million, we only withdraw what we need as we need it. We only need to pay interest during the construction; once construction is complete we pay principal and interest.
6. Pastor Mike will contact contractors regarding the sanctuary furnishings, AV, and livestream systems. The architect and construction manager will coordinate with those contractors. That work will be done after most of the construction work is completed.

The construction manager said that one of the first construction steps of the Gathering Hall project will be excavating for the elevator. That will probably need to wait until April 2024 (Easter is March 31, 2024). So most of the Gathering Hall construction will be Spring-Fall 2024, it appears.

Thank you! We are getting closer to having a building that reduces barriers so more people can welcome and gather together to praise God, care for one another, grow in faith, and serve the world God so dearly loves.

Peace be with you,
Pastor Mike

Click each picture for a larger view.

“FLC has an impressively missional DNA,” says Pr. Joe Crowther, our Kairos capital campaign consultant. He reports the Missional Assessment Profile (MAP) survey revealed FLC members “are outward- and future-focused. They want to be more than a church in the community; they want to be a church for the community.” Mission is foundational to our building process and proposal. Led by God’s Spirit, we build on mission for ministry today and for generations to come.

Led by God’s Spirit, we will build for welcome and hospitality, addressing both physical and spiritual barriers to belonging.

• The proposed building has three levels (down from seven), all accessible by a usefully large elevator. The main level stretches from the parking lot to the sanctuary.
• There are conveniently located accessible restrooms, including outside the sanctuary, in the nursery, in the youth area (upper level), and in the social-ministries area and outside the Fellowship Hall (lower level). No more telling visitors, “the easiest way to get to the restroom is to first head outside.”
• Mindful of guests and newcomers, consolidated and easily identified entrances will reduce confusion. 
• A gathering/narthex area and kitchenette outside the sanctuary will make “join us for fellowship time,” an inclusive invitation. On the other side of the pandemic, this area will encourage first and second-service participants to meet and greet each other over edifying coffee and stellar treats.
• A renovated kitchen in the fellowship hall will be readied for the return of large-group meetings, funeral lunches, and special events.

Led by God’s Spirit, we will build for Lutheran worship and witness, renewing and reforming for continued excellence in liturgy, preaching, and music.

• Post pandemic, we look forward to the return of choral and congregational singing and instrumental ensembles with wind instruments and horns. Our building proposal includes a dedicated choir/music room on the same (no-steps) level as the sanctuary. Choir members will no longer need to disturb the adult forum in the Fireside Room (actual name TBD) to hang up their robes.  
• Moving the organ to the chancel will allow the organist to direct the choir and lead the congregation from the bench. This placement highlights our fine instrument and its importance to our worship. 
• Building priorities include improving digital ministry infrastructure (e.g., internet access) and the space and equipment needed for live streaming and recording. 
• There will be ample storage space for music, robes, and instruments. And storage space to safely keep and easily retrieve worship-related materials, including communion ware, paraments, and seasonal decorations.

Led by God’s Spirit, we build for youth and family ministry, and for spiritual growth at all ages and life stages. 

• The proposal includes various-size rooms for adult education and small-group ministries, including forums and Bible studies. 
• The third floor offers a secure and dedicated space for children’s ministry.
• Flexible space on the lower level allows for large-group student gatherings (think VBS) and a place for middle- and high-school youth to call their own.

Led by God’s Spirit, we build for service and outreach. The building proposal includes dedicated, flexible, and secure space for social-services ministry, such as the Free Clinic, on the lower level. This space positions us to respond to the needs of neighbors in renewed and new ways.

Led by God’s Spirit, we build for the community, partnering with Decorah-area organizations and congregations in renewed and new ways.

• The building proposal prioritizes FLC’s function as a community center, with accessible and flexible spaces for meetings, gatherings, and rehearsals.
• It solves the sanctuary roof issues while preserving our iconic steeple and historic exterior, a source of identity for both the congregation and the community.

 Led by God’s Spirit, we build for the congregation’s work and workers—staff, leaders, and volunteers. The building proposal includes an office suite and floor plan that will enhance workflow, collaboration, communication, and guest hospitality.

Led by God’s Spirit, we build with praise and thanksgiving for God’s abundant blessings. We build mindful of the faith, community, witness, and service nurtured at First Lutheran from generation to generation. We build with grateful appreciation for those who have worked, and will work, to bring us from dream and discernment, to mission-grounded proposal, to commitment and stewardship, to final plan, and from ground-breaking to the day of dedication. Led by God’s Spirit, we build for generations to come.