Expanding Hope

New Hope Expansion Update 5/9/08

Quick update this week. Work continues to progress, but a bit more slowly this week given the weather.  The basement slab is in, the carpenters have been hard at work on installing the rest of the trusses in the roof, and the office area work is well underway (see picture below). 

However, given the rain this week (who said it never rains in Colorado?), the northwest portion of the parking lot and the road (New Hope Way) were unable to be completed.  If things stay reasonably dry for a few days, then the curb and gutter and pan should be in place next week, which will make overall parking and entrance/exit to the lot much easier.

That said, even after those are completed, it is important to note that we're not quite out of the parking lot "woods" (AKA mud) quite yet.  After the road is in, and the northwest portion of the parking lot is completed, then the northeast portion of the lot (the parking area nearest the church itself) will be torn up and prepared for paving.  This will make it interesting while it is being completed in that it will affect how close most cars can pull up for drop off, as well as for handicapped parking, during that brief window of time.  The team is working on the best way to provide easy access or a "shuttle" for the 40-50 yards of distance between the northwest parking area and the front doors during this time.  For the majority of people, there should be no real issue, but it is a high priority to us to also ensure there is a comfortable way for any folks who are limited in how far they can comfortably walk to still have transportation to get close to the front doors.  Please stayed tune for updates on this in the near future, there are some very creative solutions being explored. 

Also important to note is that the exit from the parking lot for Sunday mornings remains the same at this time - please continue to exit through the back "interim" exit (located the southwest part of the new lot, look for the signs). The ramp there has been significantly improved and it will take you right out onto Red Hawk. 

There is also parking available on Red Hawk if you find the parking lot is full at any point.

New Hope Expansion Update 5/2/2008

Merry Christmas, er, um, Happy May Day! Springtime in the Rockies is always a treat. Fortunately the progress in the recent weeks has brought the project to a point where fewer things are weather dependent, though good weather is always welcome.

In terms of building and site construction progress, the cupola (the steel structure that has been sitting behind the new sanctuary for several weeks) is now up on top of the roof (see picture below), the iron workers are finishing up on the roof line overall, and the carpenters are installing the wood roof joists at this time. Looking forward, the basement slab is anticipated to go in early next week.

The parking lot status (be it ever so humble) is going to be roughly the same this Sunday as it was last Sunday, but in the next 1-2 weeks (****, many "asterisks") we anticipate having both New Hope Way and the northwest portion of the parking lot (the part presently torn up) in place. In terms of parking flow for this Sunday, please continue to exit through the back "interim" exit (located the southwest part of the new lot). The ramp there has been significantly improved and it will take you right out onto Red Hawk. There was a bit of a block for a little while during the 9:00AM service last Sunday (with a car parked in the middle of the ramp), but the cones and other "markings" should be more prominent this week and help avoid any confusion in parking in the middle of the exit.

With excellent help from some wonderful folks in the congregation, the office move-out was completed early this week. This week should also see the installation of a wooden wall, with a door, just east of the administrative area that will separate the office remodel from the Church. The existing office area becomes a work zone and will be closed off for the majority of the rest of the construction time window. The reception and administrative area has been shifted over to Fellowship Hall Room #3 (near the glass-doors-side entrance). Please note, as this transition completes during this week and next, there may still be some confusion and if no one picks up the phone when you call, please leave a message and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.

Also, as covered earlier, there will be 2 weeks in the future where the office will be "off-line", and in 1 of those weeks the entire facility will off-limits due to power being turned off. The office staff communications will keep you informed the exact dates (the power-turn-off week will likely occur in the first half of June), and a separate notice has already been sent out to the chairs of scheduled meetings and events as an advance heads up. Please note, this does NOT mean the facility will be shut down on a Sunday (services will absolutely continue). The shutdown will only affect the "week days" portion of that week.

And, as always, stay tuned, look for more good weather on the horizon, and we'll keep you posted. And don't hesitate to contact either Bill Scott or Dave Arnett if you have questions.

Cupola Set

The silhouette of the church has changed again. The cupola has arrived!
  What many thought was going to be an axillary office- or an outhouse- was actually the frame for the cupola. Amidst all the changes in the office, th cupola was set where it belongs and the roof profile is getting closer to what it will eventually look like.
  We'll put more pictures in the April Construction Photo Album- including the new office space.

New Hope Expansion Update 4/25/08

What a wonderful week it has been. "First Look" Sunday was quite an experience of joy, of reaching out to others and to the future, and of early dedication of this new space. Hundreds and hundreds of people, especially our children, came out after the services - moving from our existing sanctuary and classrooms into the space of our future sanctuary and classrooms (which will be on the lower level). There were so many outstanding messages…. seeing the prayers and hopes and scripture, as well as the handprints :) across all of the walls and supporting steel beams and the floor was an incredibly moving sight. To quote one of the EIT members who said it better than I ever could: "I tremble at the sight of seeing our people young and old express themselves in so many different ways, speaking from their hearts and singing from their souls, acknowledging the reality that we are building a place for people to assemble under God's roof to do the things that He would have us do. Everything from a child's innocent understanding of Jesus and the love that he represents to stories of the long journey from Louviers and Sedalia to our corner. People quoting Russ' benediction verbatim. People praising New Hope and praying for so many good things, entries of hope, love and promise for our future. One can only imagine the overall benefit yet to be enjoyed from folks already here and from those yet to be here, the good things that surely will happen in the years ahead."

In terms of the construction progress, things continue well this week. Please read this all the way through, if you have a moment, there are some very important transitions coming up. We have received approval on the road and it will move forward over the next couple weeks (weather pending :). The work on the northwest portion of the exiting lot will likely be done at the same time, which will make things "interesting" for a few weeks for all of us…. With respect to parking - on Sunday mornings - please continue to exit through the southwest corner of the site, onto Red Hawk. Ponderosa is working to get some recycled asphalt in to the east exit to eliminate last week’s problem with the gravel being bounced out. By the nature of a construction exit, the driveway connecting that "curb" exit" to Red Hawk will still be a bit bumpy in terms of the exit either way (the rocks on the exit ramp are designed to knock dirt off of the tires of departing vehicles), but should enable the most efficient flow out of the parking low.

In terms of the office area, Pastor Russ has already moved out of his area (see his blog for more details) and everyone else moves out early next week. Volunteers are appreciated as this is a big undertaking (see details in the bulletin or call the office). There will likely be lots of confusion next week and if no one picks up the phone when you call, please leave a message and someone will get back to you as soon as possible. As covered earlier, the office area work begins soon and the existing office space will be closed off after this for some time. During this, the reception and administrative area will be shifted over to Fellowship Hall Room #3 (near the glass-doors-side entrance). And, also as covered earlier, there will be 2 weeks in the future where the office will be "off-line", and in 1 of those weeks the entire facility will off-limits due to power being turned off. The office staff communications will keep you informed the exact dates (the power-turn-off week will likely occur in the first half of June), and a separate notice has already been sent out to the chairs of scheduled meetings and events as an advance heads up. Please note, this does NOT mean the facility will be shut down on a Sunday (services will absolutely continue). The shutdown will only affect the "week days" portion of that week.

In terms of other progress this week, the last of the caissons went in (with their respective pier caps), and the iron workers will soon swing the cupola in over the roof. The carpenters are done installing the bolts for the joist hangers, and will soon set the wooden roof trusses, section by section on the heels of the steel walkers. And the basement pour will go in after the last precast panel for the building is set.

And, as always, stay tuned, look for more good weather on the horizon, and we'll keep you posted. And don't hesitate to contact either Bill Scott or Dave Arnett if you have questions.

Dave Arnett, on behalf of the New Hope EIT

New Hope Expansion Update- 4/18

Even with the snow earlier in the week, the "First Look" event is on for this Sunday, April 20th. The concrete was poured on Monday and had plenty of time to set. This will be a brief window of time when we can walk around the inside of the new building before the scaffolding and other equipment makes it 'off-limits' again. Come be a part of this great Sunday and celebrate the God who is bigger than our asterisks. (And, yes, I'm borrowing text from Russ' blog with great joy.)

Here is a quick recap of what to expect for Sunday: 

• As part of the end of each of our three services, we will move from our existing sanctuary into the space of our future sanctuary.
• People can walk around and get a feel for what it looks like from the inside.
• We will have people available to answer questions (EIT, Session, etc.). 
• We will also have marking pens that can be used for writing prayers on the walls and the floor. We invite people to write prayers for how this space will be used by God in the future. People are also invited to simply write the names of people they are praying for. In time, these surfaces will all be covered with wallboard and carpet. No one will see them, but they will be a permanent part of our sanctuary. 

Overall, progress continues well. Come hear - and even better come see - the detail in person on Sunday! 

New Hope Expansion Update - April 11

 

So much for the weather....   In truth, we have been blessed with very good construction weather for a number of weeks now, for which we are grateful.  This week's snow however pushed out the pouring of the main level floor by a few days - so the "First Look" event will be April 20th rather than April 13th  The "First Look" should be a wonderful event. At the end of each service people will have an opportunity to take a first look at what is becoming our new sanctuary. What better way to experience the project than to have a guided tour. In addition you will have the opportunity to actually write on the walls and floors with pens provided in order to offer a prayers, including how God will use this space to reach our community with the love of Christ.

Overall, progress continues well.  Some recent areas where we were working through approvals have made great strides in the last week.  So, what happens next, you ask.  Taking a longer term look (and not necessarily in order): the floor slab for basement will be poured; the retaining wall in front of the church will be finished; underground plumbing and electrical in lower level will continue.  Then, in terms of bigger milestones, the roof will be finished; the road (New Hope Way) will be paved; the parking lot will torn up nearest the church, and then paved after the preparation is completed.  And then (several moons from now :), the interior areas will be finished.

As the construction progress continues, and the team is works through the next level of detail on upcoming plans, there are some pretty big things happening as we approach one of the more "disruptive" phases of the construction. In that spirit, here are some things to anticipate in the next phase:

• There will be 2 weeks where the office will be "off-line", and in 1 of those weeks the entire facility will off-limits due to power being turned off. The office staff communications will keep you informed the exact dates (the power-turn-off week will likely occur in the first half of June), and a separate notice has already been sent out to the chairs of scheduled meetings and events as an advance heads up. Please note, this does NOT mean the facility will be shut down on a Sunday (services will absolutely continue). The shutdown will only affect the "week days" portion of that week.
• There will be a time when the existing parking lot (nearest the church) will be "torn up" to enable moving ahead on the rest of the site-work and preparation for that portion of the parking lot to be completed. This will likely result in a period where the walkway in from the new part of the lot will be in an "in-construction" type of state. We're working on plans to make that as low-pain and low-mud as possible, stay tuned, but it will be another 'adventure' in the construction process for all of us.

Expansion Update- April 4

 

We have much to be grateful for, the weather has been conducive to some great progress. The structure is literally coming together before our eyes and every day that goes by is another day closer to realizing the reality of our new sanctuary. After such a tremendous Easter Sunday with so many people in attendance the purpose of our Church to reach out to our community is more evident than ever!

The next observable evidence of completion will be the new Sanctuary floor being poured, the prep work has been done this week and the floor is scheduled to be in very soon. In addition the steel beams are in place and the roof decking should be in place the not too distant future. As you drive by the Church you should also see on the corner the added retaining wall which is all but complete.

Now that we have seen all of this from the outside and with pictures get some idea of what's going on inside I bet you're interested in what it really looks like on the inside. Well the good news is that we are having our "First Look Sunday" open to all  Sunday, April 13! At the end of each service people will have a chance to take a first look at what is becoming our new sanctuary. What better way to experience the project than to have a guided tour. EIT, Ponderosa and EIDOS will be on hand to answer questions and explain what will happen next. In addition you will be encouraged to actually write on the walls and floors with pens provided. You're encouraged to offer a prayer for how God will use this space to reach our community with the love of Christ. So be prepared to write down these prayers and the names of people you are praying for.

 

As the construction progress continues, and the team is works through the next level of detail on upcoming plans, there are some pretty big things happening as we approach one of the more "disruptive" phases of the construction. In that spirit, here a some things to anticipate in the next phase:

• There will be 2 weeks where the office will be "off-line", and in 1    of those weeks the entire facility will off-limits due to power being turned off. We will let people know next week the exact dates, and a separate notice has already been sent out to the chairs of scheduled meetings and events as an advance heads up. IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION: this does NOT mean the facility will be shut down on a Sunday (services will absolutely continue). The shutdown will only affect the "week days" portion of that week.
• There will be a time when the existing parking lot (nearest the church) will be "torn up" to enable moving ahead on the rest of the site-work and preparation for that portion of the parking lot to be completed. This will likely result in a period where the walkway in from the new part of the lot will be in an "in-construction" type of state. We're working on plans to make that as low-pain and low-mud as possible, stay tuned, but it will be another 'adventure' in the construction process for all of us.

Raising the Roof

The beams for the roof got placed today!  More to come, tomorrow!

Easter Parking

  Heroic efforts have been made to ensure adequate parking for Easter. Ponderosa Construction pushed hard and was able to pave the 'Back 40' (actually, part of the three acre area we purchased a few years ago). Even as I write this, members of the EIT (Bill Scott, Ralph Pippitt and Dave Arnett) are marking off parking spaces with spray cans. They have marked off about 100 spaces back there and then they provided some stripes for the existing parking lot. There is also plenty of dirt area available (weather permitting) with signs pointing the way (thanks again, EIT!). Spaces should also be available on Red Hawk drive (the new street to our West) and of course, our shuttle is still available from the Middle School
  As important as parking will be tomorrow, exiting the parking lot will also be critical. The driveway will work for entering, but not for exiting (much too narrow). The best way to exit tomorrow will be out the 'back', on to Red Hawk Drive. Signs and Parking Attendants will point the way.
  Thanks again to Ponderosa and the Expansion Implementation Team (EIT) for all their extra work to make sure that the most memorable part of your Easter WON'T have to be parking!   

Picture This!

Here are some more pics showing some of the latest work:

  The steel has been flying.

                                     The floor as been rising.

And, come Sunday, the Parking Lot Team will be smiling!