Progress on the building update and freshening is progressing very well.  Much of the work is highly visible for all to observe.  At this point, we have pretty well opened / exposed all the areas where unknowns may have existed; thankfully there have been no issues that we have not been able to resolve with reasonable adjustments.  Major areas of work and projected milestone dates are:

• The extensive scaffolding in the foyer and the Sanctuary (back of platform) has been used to access replacement of worn out scrim covering the organ chamber, to work on upper trim, for stone installation, to install back wall screens, and related components.  It is expected that all scaffolding will be removed by end of October.
• Painting should also be nearing completion by end of October.
• Over the next four weeks or so, new front entry doors, glass, and extended entrance covering will be done;  to be completed around the middle of November.
• The audio-visual equipment has been updated and relocated to new AV production room; wiring has all been run for connections; permanent sound / light board in the balcony should be complete by the end of October.
• The last component in Sanctuary will be pew refurbishing.  Delivery of pew fabric has been the longest lead time item.  It is scheduled for shipping October 29, thus work on pews should start immediately thereafter; expected to take about four weeks (end of November).  Some shuffling of pews will occur to get carpet installed, but seating should still be available for Sunday services.
• New foyer furnishings are not expected until the end of the project.

We are pleased to report that the project is on previously discussed schedule.  While there have been a few surprises to make some of the necessary corrections to items we have found, the Building Committee is pleased to report that we should complete the project on budget including more components than were originally committed.  Any of the components that we have not been able to fund within the approved budget are items the church can add through operational budgets in the future.  Contributions to date have been strong enough that we have still not had to access any borrowed funds.  Overall, we believe God has blessed us with a good plan, an excellent contractor, and positive giving.

Visitors to FBC over the last several weeks have no doubt seen the large scaffolding structures both in the front of the Worship Center, and the front foyer of the church.  Work began in mid-September to mount the material in both of those locations used for the new stone walls.  The week of September 27 saw the demolition of the sound booth in the worship center to make way for more seating in the balcony.

Photo Credit: Wayne Hardin

Just today, workers began mounting some of the new stone work in the foyer and around the Worship Center.

Thanks to Wayne Hardin for these images detailing some of the stone delivery and installation this week:

In addition to the stone work this week, a variety of other projects are underway as part of the renovation.  Over the last month, construction crews have turned the former BFG office adjacent to the Worship Center into a small kitchen to used for receptions and other events that take place in the Worship Center building.  Likewise, preparations are being made to replace the carpet throughout the hallways around the WC.   Carpet will be replaced in the Worship Center as well.  You may have noticed a slight change in paint color inside the WC as well.  Crews have begun painting that area over the last two weeks.

Once stone work is completed in the foyer, you can expect to see construction on the new front doors begin.  Clear glass and other improvements will help create a more welcoming entrance to the church. Additional work to come in the Worship Center includes re-upholstering the pews,   installing new, larger, projection screens, and installation of a variety of scenic elements which will enhance the worship experience and study of God’s Word.

We are down to the last several days of the Phase I (Worship & Arts) renovation project! Since the last update, crews finished painting, ceiling tiles were added, and most of the new flooring has been laid.  Additionally, all the new lighting fixtures have been installed.  Both the Fire Inspector and City Code Inspector were on site today to complete their necessary examinations of the work that has been completed thus far.  Both gave passing marks, and FBC has been given the go-ahead to start moving into the new office space.   There is a bit of finish work to completed with the carpet, including all the “baseboard” trim.  Crews began installing the VCT flooring in the W&A closet today, and will lay it on the choir risers in the choir room tomorrow.  The Worship & Arts staff has begun purchasing furniture for their new offices.  In an effort to be good stewards of the building funds, they have found great deals on slightly used furniture that will function effectively for many years to come.

Thursday September 2 is the official move-in today for the Worship & Arts staff.  That process will be taking place all day, and they could always use help if you are available!  Contact the W&A office for more details.

After the W&A staff move into their new spaces, our Technical Arts staff, led by Mark Presley and Daniel Finch, will have approximately 10 days to move all the audio and visual equipment out of the existing sound booth in the WC Balcony to their new suite behind the choir room.   You can tentatively expect to see work begin in the Worship Center around the week of September 13.   Among the first tasks in that room will be to demolish the existing balcony sound booth to prepare that area for seating and relocation of the Front of House audio and lighting stations to the back wall. 

9/3/10 UPDATE:

There will be new projectors on the back wall center, and near the two existing projector stands in the balcony.  The side projectors will display images on the new, larger screens near where the current ones are in the organ chamber. These projectors will be located outside the WC and project through an opening in the wall.  The new center projector will be used for architectural  projection on the WC walls, similar to what you see in the gm for New Community on Sunday mornings.  You will start to see scaffolding set up in the Worship Center around September 15 both to begin demolition of the sound booth, and to begin replacing the scrim material that covers the organ chamber area as well.

Stay tuned  to see pictures of the new spaces after the move in is complete!

This Sunday, be sure to check out the newly widened hallway just outside the Worship Center.  With large crowds anticipated for kick-off Sunday, crews are to pull back the plastic sheeting that has been in place since renovation began in order to allow more room for traffic to move through that area in between the new 9:00 and 10:30 AM services. The picture below should give you an idea of how wide the hallway will be.

The hallway will be as wide as the glass doors of the hospitality room.

• Over 3,000 square feet of existing space is being renovated for BFG classrooms, Worship & Arts ministry offices, and a brand new Audio/Video suite that will control the new visual elements in the Worship Center, as well as the audio for recording and the internet/hallway broadcasts.
• The existing space behind the choir room and the space formerly used as the parlor has been remodeled into 8 new offices for Myron Wilson, his assistant, the Associate Minister of Worship & Arts, part time Worship & Arts Assistants, New Community and Theater Venue staff, and the Technical Arts staff.  In addition, there will be a new music library and workroom area.
• These spaces will house over a dozen Worship & Arts staff members who work diligently each week to prepare for each of the 3 Venues.
• Crews are putting the finishing touches on nearly 1,600 linear feet of metal conduit.
• FBC Staff and Volunteers will be pulling nearly 11 miles of new cabling between the Audio/Video suite, the Worship Center, and a few ancillary locations around the WC.
• Once complete, over 38,000 feet (7.3 miles) of microphone cable will be in place between the WC stage, sound board, and the new Audio/Video suite, in addition to many thousands of feet of coax and Cat-5 cable for audio and video signals.

The Building Committee has been busy finalizing plans for the Phase II (Worship Center, Foyer, and Chapel) renovations.  Those should start sometime in September.  You can stay updated here throughout the process!

7/29/10: East Side of Choir room showing expanded storage on the left, and two new classrooms.  The new hallway will be about 10′ wider than it was prior to renovation.   Those metal posts will be covered with wood trim like the existing  support columns outside the worship center.

8/2/10: This space will become the new music library and workroom for the W&A staff .  Directly behind this position are the new offices for the W&A staff.

8/2/10: This will become the Worship & Arts Office reception area.  Directly behind the short wall on the far side of the picture will be a sitting area.  Myron Wilson’s Ministry Assistant will have a desk on the other side.   On the extreme left side of the picture is the doorway to Myron Wilson’s new office.

The FBC Renovation is well underway! Demolition began the week of July 19th and is moving along at a rapid pace.  Renovation plans include many   improvements to our facility that will allow us to better use our facilities and make them more visually appealing to visitors and guests.   We have created this blog to keep you up to date on the progress of the construction, and provide inside information about the renovations that are taking place.

Phase One construction that is now underway involves demolishing several walls in the Worship & Arts area and Parlor that creates space for new technical facilities, and new offices for the Worship & Arts staff.

The area in this image is where offices for Myron Wilson and his assistant used to be.  The camera is facing north towards the Sanctuary.  The glass storefront that was formerly in front of the W&A office is moving  to their new office space in what was previously the parlor.   The area on the far left side of this picture will become two classrooms for BFG use on Sunday mornings, and SOTA (School of the Arts) use during the week for a variety of lessons.   The primary goal of moving the W&A offices is to widen the existing hallway between the Worship Center and the Connection.  The new hallway will be much wider and lessen the congestion that area sees on Sunday mornings.

This image is in the same area as the previous picture, but facing the South towards the current hospitality room.  Widening the hallway means that the Hospitality Room will be a bit smaller, but it will be more visible to those needing to find it on Sunday mornings.  The closet with the double doors in the back right of this image will remain and gain a little more space.

The current choir room will not see dramatic changes, except for new carpet and tile on the seated risers.  Directly behind the choir room is where the existing classrooms are being remodeled to accommodate the audio and video equipment that is currently located in the enclosed booth in the Worship Center.  That booth will be removed, and the existing sound board in the sanctuary is moving against the back wall. These moves will allow room for more seating where the sound booth is now.

This space was formerly the New Community office directly behind the choir room.   You can see all the way down to where the parlor kitchen used was.  The space directly behind this point of view will be used for video production on Sunday mornings and will include space for camera switching, and stations for the media that is displayed on the screens in the Worship Center.  Directly in front of this camera position will be the sound board that mixes sound for the Internet broadcast, recording, the live feed to our Venues, and to the television monitors in the hallways throughout the church.   There will also be a small space here used for an A/V recording studio.  Beyond this space will be offices for the venue staff, as well as other Worship & Arts staff.

Be sure to visit often, as we will include more behind-the-scenes updates as construction progresses!