We write today with a sense of excitement for the future of St. James. This past Tuesday evening, July 31, 2007, our Chapter voted unanimously to move forward with renovations to the west end and Undercroft of the Cathedral. Chapter made this decision, on the unanimous recommendation of the St. James Redevelopment Steering Committee, out of a strong belief that developing these spaces will significantly enhance our capacity for ministry, now and in the future. In the remainder of this letter, we describe exactly what work we are undertaking, when it will happen, how long it will take, how much it will cost, how we will live at St. James during the construction, and what Chapter has not voted to do.
What We
re Doing
Work will move forward on the items described below. These are all projects that the St. James community indicated were important to it, in the community meetings and surveys held in 2005 and 2006. The plans reflect the input of the focus groups that met in 2006.
West End Access. As a justice issue, better access for the disabled was the first priority of Chapter and the Redevelopment Steering Committee. This portion of the project includes construction of a new ramp that will provide access at the south end of the Cathedral
s front steps, into the Narthex. Also included in this work is construction of an elevator that will link the Undercroft, Narthex, Nave level and Guild Hall.
Heating, Ventilation and Air Condition Replacement. The need to replace our heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system, and the arrangement we have reached with Related Midwest, developer of the Canyon Ranch tower project, for subsidizing replacement of our HVAC, were important practical considerations for Chapter in determining to approve the renovation project. St. James
HVAC system is antiquated and breaks down frequently. Repairs now require that parts be specially machined for the system. We must replace the system, if not now, within the next five years. The Cathedrals system is part of the HVAC system at the Diocesan Center. This means that if the Canyon Ranch Living tower moves forward, we will not have any HVAC for the Cathedral during the period of time before the towers HVAC is completed. In addition, Related Midwest has agreed to pay $1,150,000 of our costs to replace the HVAC, if we begin work on the project before the tower real estate deal closes. Better seed money for the necessary HVAC replacement could hardly be imagined.
The Undercroft. We will develop the Undercroft into flexible ministry space. At the west end, easily accessible from the Narthex, will be a new nursery. East of there will be classrooms for Children
s faith formation, along either side of a central hallway. One of the classrooms will contain a small kitchen. (During construction of the Canyon Ranch Living tower, some of this space will function as offices for Cathedral clergy and staff. After the tower is finished, the space will be used full time as classrooms and meeting rooms.) Further east will be a redesigned choir rehearsal room, as well as the vesting sacristy. There will be a street entrance to the Undercroft at the south west end, as there is now, opening onto a garden dedicated at least partly as childrens program and learning space. The finished Undercroft should provide more and better space for childrens ministries, in particular. It has also been designed with a view to making the business of gathering for Sunday processions less awkward and more efficient.
The Narthex. Generally, the Narthex will be cleaned up and beautified. The dropped ceiling will be removed, as will the glass enclosure around the central door to the Cathedral
s front steps. The original, high ceiling of the Narthex will be restored. With the dropped ceiling removed, the top of the Civil War memorial will be visible for the first time in decades. Finally, as mentioned above, the handicap access ramp will empty into the Narthex, and an elevator core will move vertically through the Narthex, at its south end.
The Guild Hall. We will renovate the space above the Narthex, reclaiming it after many years of disuse. This will be a spectacular space that we can use for mid-sized meetings, faith formation, a library, exhibition space for some of the Cathedral
s art and artifacts, and a lounge and community gathering space.
Ancillary Work. The items described above will require additional, ancillary work. For example, the organ will need to be sealed to prevent damage to it from construction dust. In addition, tests conducted in the Undercroft and elsewhere have uncovered needed repairs to parts of the Cathedral infrastructure. We need to perform some work in the Undercroft to bring it up to code requirements for public space.
Architects
drawings of the plans will remain on display in the Narthex until work begins. After that, we will move them to another space where they can be seen. We encourage you to review them, and to ask questions of any member of Chapter, the Redevelopment Steering Committee or Tom Patterson. Lists of Chapter and the Redevelopment Steering Committee members are attached to this letter for your reference.
Timing and Cathedral Life During Construction
Lead abatement work will begin immediately. Our plans call for five to six months of construction, so we expect to be living with plaster dust and loud, booming and crashing noises until next February. We hope to be using our new space then.
Our Redevelopment Manager, Tom Patterson, and our consultants, Project Management Associates, have done a significant amount of research on the building, to try to avoid any surprises during construction. Nevertheless, if construction crews should discover unexpected conditions during demolition, that could cause a delay in the work. We expect to report to the community regularly during construction, and will let everyone know if delays develop.
In the meantime, regular weekly services will continue much as they do now. For some portion of the construction, we will all need to enter the Cathedral for services at the east end of the building, either through the Diocesan Center and up the stairs from Burrill Hall, or through the glass doors between the Diocesan Center and the Cathedral. We will post signs, as needed, advising parishioners how to access the Cathedral for services. In the remote event that we need to hold services outside of the Cathedral on one or more Sundays, we will advise the community by email and on the website, as well as by posting signs at the Diocesan Center and Cathedral.
The Cathedral offices will remain open for most or all of the construction. The Canyon Ranch Living project is currently set to close in mid-January of 2008. Our Cathedral staff plans to move directly from their offices in the Diocesan Center to their temporary offices in the Undercroft.
How Much It Will Cost
This is an expensive project, and it will call heavily on St. James
resources.
Our current estimate for the cost of the construction described above is $6,369,508. This number is based on guaranteed maximum construction estimates provided to our consultant, PMA, by our contractor and sub-contractors. Current estimates of the revenue we will receive from Related Midwest indicate that if Related Midwest does not close on the Canyon Ranch Living tower project, St. James Cathedral will receive $4,341,375, resulting in a deficit of $2,028,133.
Estimates of the revenue Related Midwest will pay to us if it does close on the Canyon Ranch Living tower project, are $9,202,404. However, if the tower project does close, St. James will need to spend additional money developing its space in the new tower. Current estimates put the cost of this additional work at $2,875,582. This means that, if the tower project closes, and if Chapter determines to move forward with the current plans for the build-out of its space in the tower, current estimates put St. James net, after construction in the Cathedral and in the tower, at -$42,686. Of course, estimates for the tower work are expected to change over the next months.
We expect to begin a capital campaign in the near future, to help pay the cost of construction and future maintenance. We will do this whether or not the Canyon Ranch Living tower project closes. We hope to end both the construction and the campaign with the costs of construction paid, and additional money available to fund increased outreach. Please begin thinking now of how you would like to give to the St. James Cathedral Capital Campaign.
What
s Not Included
Several items we
ve talked about as a community over the past years are not included in the work Chapter has authorized. First, as indicated above, Chapter has not authorized any construction work related to the build-out of its space in the Canyon Ranch Living tower. Second, there are no active plans at this time to change the chancel and altar areas. This is work that Cathedral leadership concluded, after our parish meetings and survey, the St. James community does not wish to undertake now. Third, we have not budgeted to do a complete restoration of the Civil War memorial in the Narthex. Finally, it is important to understand that Chapter has authorized spending only up to the amount of the current estimate ($6,369,508). Costs will be monitored carefully during the construction, and if it appears they will exceed this amount, Chapter will need to deliberate again, to decide whether to authorize additional expenditure, or revise the construction plan.
Conclusion
There is a sense of vitality and possibility in the air at St. James. Responding to that sense, Chapter has made the decision to move forward with the work on our Cathedral building, regardless of whether the tower project moves forward. After much deliberation and prayer, both the Redevelopment Steering Committee and Chapter came to believe that we are being called to take advantage of the extraordinary gift of redevelopment proceeds St. James will receive, not to store it up against a rainy day, but to spend it now, to make full use of the physical space we have been given, developing it into space we can use for our ministry.
We had in mind the parable of the talents. We did not want to hide for safekeeping what we have, but to use it to create more: more ministries, more communities, more outreach.
May God help us to do so.
Marianne W. Culver Senior Warden
Robert D. Black Junior Warden
MEMBERS OF THE CATHEDRAL CHAPTER
The Rt. Rev. William Persell - Bishop and Dean
The Very Rev. Joy E. Rogers - Provost
Marianne Culver - Senior Warden
Robert Black - Junior Warden
Jessica Abell - Cathedral Member
John McNeil Anderson - Diocesan Lay Member
Phil Debush - Cathedral Member
Marcus Hall - Cathedral Member
The Rev. Frances M. Holliday - Diocesan Clergy Member
Frances (Fran) Horn - Cathedral Member
Sharon Johnson - Diocesan Lay Member
Richard Kelley - Cathedral Member
Cathe McEnerney - Cathedral Member
Ronald Mui - Cathedral Member
The Rev. David Stanford - Diocesan Clergy Member
MEMBERS OF THE CATHEDRAL REDEVELOPMENT STEERING COMMITTEE
Robert Black
John Bross
Marianne Culver
Doug Lyons
Ann Meuse
Cecilia Mowatt
Tom Patterson
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