Comments by Jackie Walters – Co-chair, Building and Design Committee
Today is a historic day in the life of Christ Congregational Church. The ideas which we have been discussing and on which we'll take a vote - increased parking, accessibility, air conditioning, and so on, are not new. They've been circulating in the church for years. But the concerted effort, with a significant commitment of resources behind it, to develop a comprehensive plan to deal with those ideas has come to fruition over the last two years, and that effort culminates today with a decision that will transform our church. The decision to commit to a project this size involves elements of vision, faith, and, yes, practicality. What exactly are we going to get and why are we getting it are important questions to answer today.
With the Prospectus it adopted on Oct. 4, 1998, CCC established 4 priorities to guide its development of a Master Plan. [Refer to chart on handout] The fourth priority was imposed on us because, as soon as we submitted a plan for any component of our project, we would come under the scrutiny of Montgomery County and the Maryland National Parks and Planning Commission. For better or for worse, we live in one of the most diligent counties in the nation when it comes to protecting its citizens. These protections range from environmental protections - which is why we needed to pay for civil engineers to develop and file a stormwater management plan and why we will pay for extensive landscaping as part of our site plan - to protections for people who use the building. The good news is that these requirements also contribute to an enhanced quality of useable space in a newly renovated facility.
When the congregation authorized the Building Design Committee to develop the Primary Needs Option, it committed to the design development of these four basic priorities - hence the phrase "Primary Needs." Each of these priorities exists in relationship to one another, and it is critical to look at the whole picture when examining them.
Let's start outside and work our way in.
Parking Lot: parking next to the church for more than 50 cars with exits & entrances from both Brewster Ave. & Indian Spring. Outdoor play area on one section (flexibility - healthy activity for children of all ages) Landscaping - to some extent imposed by requirement to protect neighboring property owners - also will beautify this worship site.
New Entry: Most important reason for a new entry: spiritual - by necessity, not by design, main entry to most important space in the church - sanctuary - has shifted over the years from Colesville Road to Brewster Avenue. With parking behind the church, logical place for entrance to the sanctuary is near the sanctuary - turns a hospitable, welcoming face to the neighborhood (people aren't entering by the back door, so to speak) and signals to visitors and parishoners alike where the sanctuary is. The outside portion of the entry is a porch, with all of the spiritual and social connotations that a porch connotes: invitation to come in, protection and shelter, a gathering place. The paving stones of the porch will make a statement about CCC, and our own Evelyn Byers
has volunteered to design the porch floor, which will be heated to reduce risk of slipping during wet and cold weather. The new entry also increases security to the building by funneling traffic through one main door - to get to all important places in the church: sanctuary, social hall, offices. Main office is there to facilitate security and business of the church. Effect will be one of light, openness, (including to the beauty of nature (remember that landscaping)) and hospitality.
Accessibility: New entry also enhances accessibility. Current tower area is (a) in violation of code (with interior stairway) and will need to be demolished to make room for the elevator. Elevator will be a multi-lift elevator - it can stop at shortened levels. Thus, people can get off at the level to use the new, fully handicapped accessible restrooms, complete with changing tables in both men's and women's restrooms, outside the social hall and then get back in and descend to the social hall. Choosing this elevator eliminated the need for large ramps around the back and side of the social hall that would have extended past the kitchen. Elevator will also facilitate use of the space outside the sanctuary for social events. There will be a coffee prep area up there and, if necessary, people can transport supplies from the kitchen/social hall area by elevator to the area outside the sanctuary and on up to the third floor.
The elevator and a new exterior stairway, required by code for exit during emergencies, will help traffic flow smoothly to the social hall, sanctuary, and offices and new meeting room on the third floor. People coming in to meet with the counselors or the pastors, to attend events in the social hall, will all come through one main door off the parking lot, be able to stop in the office to ask directions, or whatever, and continue on their way. In today's world, we can continue to have an open and hospitable church while exercising some unobtrusive and prudent security.
Air Conditioning: When we decided to air-condition the entire building, we essentially committed to renovating the entire building. Why? Asbestos needs to be removed and ductwork needs to be installed. After tearing up all three floors of the education wing to remove asbestos and install ductwork, the most prudent, cost-effective course was to repaint and recarpet that area and, at the same time, increase classroom space for church school, relocate the church offices to be close to the entry, and create more functional space for the deacons and sanctuary committee close to the sanctuary. At the same time, we had some life safety code issues that needed to be resolved in the portion of the wing housing the choir room, the living room and the assembly room. We needed to insure that the maximum number of people allowed in those spaces could exit the building quickly and safely in the event of emergency. We've redesigned the music suite, retained the living room as a worship/meeting space, and been able to use the assembly room for children because of excavating the courtyard. The county insists that small children be able to exit safely and quickly in the event of an emergency. Excavating the courtyard provides daylight, new and safe exits, and a play area insulated from Colesville Road, and it increases our ability to use the whole education wing for the benefit of all our children.
The county also insists that, as a church, our kitchen meet some basic requirements for safe food handling. When Silver Spring Child Care Center expressed interest into moving into our renovated facility, it became clear that meeting county health code was an investment in CCC's future by enabling us to house a child care center as well as accommodate other "frail" populations defined by the county, such as the elderly. Our vision for mission, program and outreach can greatly expand with a kitchen that passes basic health code requirements. Given our need to renovate the entire wing as we installed air-conditioning, the Building Design Committee decided bringing the kitchen up to the minimum required by code is an investment in the church's future, both for our own members' activities and for attracting rental income through increased use of the building.
In a nutshell, this is what we get by deciding to move forward with Phase I of the Master Plan, the Primary Needs Option. Completing this phase will achieve all four of our priorities, which are intertwined in a delicate balance. Completing Phase I transforms our facility into a flexible, welcoming space that should serve us well and facilitate God's work in this community well into the 21st century.