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Weather
Helps Progress On CCC Building - from Nov. 20, 2001 NewsNotes
Taking full advantage of a mild autumn, Henry H. Lewis Contractors are moving steadily and rapidly toward closing in the new entry addition. Masonry walls reach to the second story, and floor joists for the first and second levels are in. The new outside exit stairway is nearing completion, and the metal stairway framing should be in by December. In early December, workers will begin roofing the additions. Stone and brick for the exterior are stockpiled on site. Masons bricked the interior wall of the entry and have begun the exterior work in the courtyard. Among the huge slabs of stone covered in black plastic is the lintel stone with CCC's name. The sprinkler system is installed in the sanctuary. The elevator is on site and will be moved into place soon. All heavy mechanical equipment, including the air-conditioning chiller, is installed in the mechanical room. In the education wing, new rooms are taking shape. Plumbing pipe for the kitchen and basement restrooms in in place, the kitchen is roughed in, and its equipment -- counters, exhaust hood, sinks, etc. -- has been ordered. Installation should begin early in January. In the courtyard, 15 truckloads of rock were excavated and removed along the south side at a cost of $27,000. Builders have completed housing for the sump pumps and their backup generator. Multicolored coils of conduit for lighting, emergency systems and computer and telephone connections snake throughout the building above the ceiling rafters. Following continuous pressure from the Building Design Committee, PEPCO engineers finally released plans for the position of the transformer pad on the Indian Spring side and for buried conduit. Installation of these critical pieces is essential before Washington Gas crews can lay gas lines. Building & Grounds and Building Design committees will meet before Christmas to begin planning participation by boards, committees and staff in decisions regarding the final finishing, decorating, furnishing and landscaping of the building prior to moving back in. Jackie Walters, co-chair, Building Design Committee |
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Springing From Rock: CCC's New Foundation - From Sept. 1 NewsNotes Solid rock and gushing springs continue to cause delays and additional costs for the renovation. On Aug. 22, Tom Ault and Jackie Walters visited the construction site to see the rock impeding excavation of the elevator pit and watch the water from an underground spring continuously run into the excavation. Project Manager Fred Svec and architect Jonathan Lessem estimated an additional $10,000 to add a filtration device to shield the elevator's hydraulic system and a sump pump. Svec cautioned that CCC could spend an additional $12,000 to remove rock from the site for the sump pump in the courtyard. On the other side of the courtyard, however, workers successfully bored through soil and "rippable" rock underneath the front steps facing Colesville Road and installed pipes for carrying stormwater to street drains. Other work continues around the obstacles. Crews have completed excavation and are readying forms for pouring the second concrete footing for the elevator shaft. The foundation footing for the new entry addition is complete, and workers have most of the foundation wall completed. An area must remain open for equipment to come in, break up rock and remove it in the elevator pit. In addition, six manholes and the stormceptor are installed. and the main water line is connected out to the new main on Indian Spring Drive. On Aug. 22, Lessem and Svec met with a team that included mechanical engineers from Spears Votta and Jim Patton of L.H. Cranston & Sons, the mechanical/HVAC contractor, to review how the ductwork, pipes, chillers and other machinery will fit into the basement. There was good progress at the meeting, according to site superintendent Mike Grabowski. When the electrical contractor proposed staging the backup generator to manage sump pump action during a power outage, Lessem said it was the most innovative, cost-effective idea he'd heard. A group representing CCC staff, Building & Grounds Committee, Arts Committee, Christian Education Board and Sanctuary Committee met with the Building Design Committee and Jonathan Lessem on Aug. 21 to review the color palette and materials for finishing the building's interior. The group finalized decisions on all but tile for the restrooms. Jackie Walters, Building Design Committee co-chair
Securing final utility permits, excavating for the courtyard and new entry addition, and demolishing the tower area are scheduled for completion in the next two to four weeks, according to Fred Svec, project manager for Henry H. Lewis Contractors. At the third progress meeting on June 13, Svec reported the project is ahead of schedule and proceeding smoothly. Site superintendent Mike Grabowski noted excavation will begin when rough grading of the parking area is complete. Building Design Committee leaders, architects, contractors and civil and mechanical engineers are coordinating efforts to secure final permits from WSSC, Washington Gas and PEPCO. Removal of paneling, doors, plumbing fixtures and other materials continues in the Education Wing as structural engineers finalize plans to install a steel support beam on the second floor just inside the new entry. When the beam is in place, demolition of the stairway, walls and floors in the tower area will commence. Concurrently, workers will excavate for the new entry before moving on to the courtyard. Contractors could begin installing foundation footings for the entry within the next month. Jackie Walters, Building Design Committee
Visit To a Changed CCC There's not much that's recognizable about CCC's former church lounge. The floor has been stripped to bare concrete, and the ceiling tile removed to expose frames hung with wiring and bare electric bulbs. In fact, it's not even the lounge anymore -- it's the site office for Henry H. Lewis Contractors (HHL). White hard hats are lined up on the bookshelves and sheaves of blueprints hang from racks. There are long tables for work space, telephones, fax machine, filing cabinets and a safe (recycled from CCC's back office). This was the setting for the first progress meeting May 16 for CCC's renovation. Project Manager Fred Svec convened the meeting of CCC representatives, architect Jonathan Lessem, representatives of three key subcontractors and Mike Grabowski, HHL's site superintendent. Svec said the general contractor's goal is to have the project completed in 11 months. Grabowski has introduced himself to all the neighbors, provided them with the office's telephone number and invited them to call with concerns or problems during construction. Svec and Grabowski said they planned to install secure fencing to prevent neighborhood children from entering the construction area. The first tasks of site work have begun. Slashes of orange paint on the grounds and inside the building mark items slated for demolition. White tape indicates what will remain. Once the county's sediment control officer has toured the site and approved plans for soil removal and relocation, clearing trees and demolishing the three houses will begin. Heavy equipment should be on site this week. Svec anticipates starting foundation work in late June. Jackie Walters, co-chair, Building Design Committee |
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Topics presented at the Congregation Meeting held Sunday, April 29, 2001. Speech by Dave
Ackerman (below) |
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Keystones
Pledge-Giving Sets Fast Pace for CCC The Keystones Follow-up Committee wants to report that new members, CCC friends and former members have added 27 pledges and six non-pledge gifts to the 222 pledges that were made a year ago at the end of our initial capital campaign. Those 222 pledges amounted to just under $2 million; now the new pledged total is roughly $2.1 million (this total includes campaign start-up funds from various givers of $80,300. The Follow-up Committee continues the campaign by providing information and the opportunity to pledge to new members. Those who have not pledged can still make Keystones contributions. Just call the church office to ask for Keystones envelopes, and you can be sure that your gift(s) will be properly recorded in church records and thus, for IRS purposes. You also can use Keystones envelopes to contribute beyond your pledge and still have church records fully reflect your generosity. Having dollars in hand helps reduce CCC's financing costs. It is exciting that CCC members and friends already have given more than $1.08million. This is a clear demonstration that our capital campaign and commitment to the future are alive and well at CCC. Thanks be to God. Mary Stone, Keystones Follow-Up Committee
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Construction
Start Date Imminent The Building Design Committee has likened the process of getting to construction to throwing a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle up into the air, knowing that at a critical moment, all the pieces must come together. That moment has arrived. Over the last three weeks, Tom Ault, Larry Hanes, Dave Ackerman, Pete Hotchkiss and Jackie Walters have each worked a section of the puzzle, and last week the final pieces were put into place.WSSC approved a huge sheaf of forms that were filed with Montgomery County along with several checks covering various permitting and waiver fees. The County requires performance bonds for certain components of the site work to insure that, should a project be abandoned, there are sufficient funds to complete work that, left unfinished, could be harmful to the public welfare. In lieu of those bonds, the Church negotiated letters of credit from Potomac Valley Bank.After the County approved the stormwater management control plan, the contractors completed the final value engineering and other details on the construction contract. The contract went to the Church's lawyers, Linowes and Blocher, for review prior to signing.As Keystones goes to press, all the pieces are in place for obtaining the building permit and starting construction.Jackie Walters, Co-Chair, Building Design Committee |
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Ground
Broken April 7th! The rain held off as CCC members and friends gathered in the courtyard on Saturday morning, April 7, to break ground for the church's long-awaited renovation. With a Keystones banner on display and colorful balloons bordering the courtyard, participants celebrated with hymns, Scripture readings and fond reminiscences.Accompanied by hearty applause, Building Design Committee Co-Chairs Tom Ault and Jackie Walters, church architects Steve Ziger and Jonathan Lessem, general contractor Henry L. Lewis, and about a dozen other CCC members and guests dug in the church's central courtyard with chrome-plated shovels. Actual construction on the $4.75 million project to renovate and expand church facilities is expected to begin in early May.Attendees included Rep. Dana Dembrow of the Maryland House of Delegates, Rep. Derick Berlage of the Montgomery County Council and the Rev. Kwame Osei-Reed, associate UCC conference minister for the Potomac Association. Also among the guests was Julie Shelton, a past moderator of CCC who was active in the church in 1953 when it broke ground for its education wing.The ceremony incorporated elements from CCC's 57-year history, with ministers and speakers addressing the crowd from the same lectern used at the education building groundbreaking. The Chancel Choir also performed, as it did when the church first broke ground in 1948 and again for its expansion in 1953. Longtime members Oscar Reed Jr. and Bob Perry shared recollections of the church in its early years, but the audience also heard from teen Jennie Breads, who said CCC youth are eager to help rebuild the church. Children led by church school coordinator Toby Ratcliffe planted seeds as part of the event.Property Administrator Richard Meyer received a special gift from the congregation for overseeing the church's move to temporary quarters and Senior Minister Jim Todhunter concluded the ceremony with a reading of the CCC covenant and benediction. During the reception that followed, guest were invited to walk through the empty church building.- Holly Brooks, CCC Communications Officer Groundbreaking Committee William Carnahan and Sarah Anders, Co-Chairs Dick Meyer Jackie Walters Jim Todhunter Thanks also to Rev. Len Johnson and The First Baptist Church of Silver Spring for providing the sound system.Did you see it? Announcements also appeared in various other local papers.
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Contractor Selected -- Negotiations have Reduced Cost
Other changes are mechanical in nature. The air conditioning chillers are moved from the roof to the side of the building sheltered from view by a brick wall and intense landscaping. The hooded Warewasher in the kitchen is replaced with a commercial grade "HOBART" dishwasher. Watch this space for further developments. Marvin Wunderlich, Building Committee member |
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Contractor
Choice Nears For Spring Construction CCC's Board of Trustees has notified a Baltimore general contractor that it wants to sign a contract by the end of this month, so that construction on the church's multi-million dollar renovation can begin April 2. In February, Henry L. Lewis Contractors of Baltimore submitted the lowest of four general contractor bids to CCC's architects, Ziger/Snead in Baltimore. Lewis was the contractor on an earlier Ziger/Snead project, Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church in Baltimore. Both the contractor and architect won awards for construction and design on this project. Lewis' bid is about $150,000 more than the budget approved by the congregation last October. Now, the Building Design Committee, the church's consulting firms, contractor and architect are conducting value engineering to cut costs primarily in two areas -- the new entry addition and the heating and air-conditioning system. Without compromising quality or design, the bid should meet budget. Last fall, the congregation set a project cap of $4.75 million. On March 15, the contractor, architects and Building Design Committee will review the results of value engineering and make final decisions on the design. Should the Board of Trustees sign a contract with Lewis, the contractor expects to complete the project in 360 calendar days. Also this week, a group including members of the Building Design Committee, architect, contractor and consulting firms will meet with neighbors living on Brewster Avenue and Indian Spring Drive. The meeting will focus on landscape and lighting designs for the new church parking lot and is part of CCC's ongoing communication with the neighborhood. The county building permit process continues to proceed smoothly, with reviewers requesting clarification in two areas -- electrical and site plan -- out of nine sections reviewed. We anticipate a building permit in time for the April 2 start date. Jackie Walters, co-chair, Building Design Committee |
The
contractor selected for our project is Henry H. Lewis Contractors,
Baltimore. At a recent meeting with the Building and Design Committee, a
representative of the contractor, Fred Svec, presented several alterations
which has brought the cost of the construction to within our budget. A
significant cost reduction resulted from changing the stone in the new
entrance to a brick similar to our present building. Two renderings of
this new entrance are seen in the pictures. 
The asbestos contractor has sealed the building except
for the sanctuary, and only authorized personnel wearing protective
clothing may enter. Warning signs are posted at every entrance. Asbestos
removal is focused initially on the Tower area and the second floor. The
entire asbestos project should be complete by the end of February.
package and tour the building before asbestos removal
began. Last week, a representative of the Williamson Group was back to
inspect the second floor area, where the first phase of asbestos removal
has been completed. The second floor has been stripped of its ceiling
and is open to the roof beams, allowing closer inspection for more
precise cost estimates of upcoming renovation work.
