Unitarian Universalist
...a welcoming spiritual community
190 Academy Rd, North Andover, Massachusetts,
01845-4022 978-687-7948 office@northparish.org
Preservation and Renovation
Our church has left the building!
UPDATE: May 2 2007
Check out photos of renovation progress:
For weeks 1-6 (Jan-Feb)
http://picasaweb.google.com/RenovationNP/RenovationNorthParish207
For weeks 7-11 (Feb-Mar)
http://picasaweb.google.com/RenovationNP/RenovationNorthParish307
For weeks 12-16 (April)
http://picasaweb.google.com/RenovationNP/RenovationNorthParish407
See a short panoramic movie (5.15 mg, Quicktime .mov format) of the inside of our meeting house under renovation! [Note: You need Quicktime - free download at http://www.apple.com/quicktime/mac.html. This is a large file that may not be suitable for download over dialup connection.]
Summary of progress and status updates
Many hands contributed to a frenzy of activity during the last week of 2006 and first week of 2007 as we moved the contents of our Sanctuary, Parish Hall, and RE wing. Countless hours were spent sorting the many years of history stored in closets and attic, with the contents eventually moved to Old Center Hall, storage, recycling, and garbage. On Jan. 8, the Parish Hall and RE wing were sealed for removal of asbestos materials, marking the first tangible signs that the renovation construction was beginning. Work is scheduled to continue through the spring, with our Certificate of Occupancy currently targeted for June 22, 2006.
In-house work will continue over the summer and include modifications to the kitchen, interior painting of the RE wing, landscaping and other housekeeping improvements. Meanwhile, road and utilities work has resumed in preparation for the Mass. Highways project to re-vamp the roadways in Old Town Center. Until that work is complete, we will access our new front entrance via a temporary ramp.
Mar 30 Status Update (pdf)
Feb 11 Status Update (pdf)
Preservation
The exterior preservation work is done! The Paul Revere bell has been fixed. The weathervane is up, and the staging is removed. What all did they do? Read the details (pdf, opens in a new window).
Accessibility stories
The Benefits of Accessibility Improvements Read about how improving accessibility helped these UU congregations on the UUA website.
Download current information
Downloads are pdf files unless otherwise stated. To view, you need Adobe® Acrobat Reader® (free) from http://www.adobe.com/
All downloads open in a new browser window.
Project timeline (old)
Status Updates
Mar 30 Status Update (pdf)
Feb 11 Status Update (pdf)
Plans
Info packet for Nov 19 2006 meeting. Includes summary, timeline, budget info and cost increases, AAB accessibility guidelines.
Not Just Paint (Nov 06). Summary of preservation completed (Nov, 2006)
Removation Plans in a Nutshell (May 2006). Brief, bullet-level summary of the plan, costs and funding options, and next steps
The New Building Plan, May 2006: An Overview (html). Discussion-level summary of the plans and costs
Financing the Renovations sumary (June 2006).
One-page summary presented at Special Parish meeting June 24 2006
Capital budget summary (June 2006).
How our fifth meeting house came into being: a little history. A "history repeats itself (sort of)" kind of thing
Bylaw articles adopted at June 25 2006 parish meeting: Renovation plans and financing.
Archives
Minutes of Special Parish Meeting, Oct 5 2003.
Preservation and Space Planning Update, Dec 2003 (html)
Preservation of the North Parish, Jan 12 2004.
Minutes of Special Parish Meeting, Feb 8 2004.
The New Plan
After the Parish voted last fall to shelve plans for a new building, due to higher-than-expected cost estimates, the Board of Trustees asked the Building Task Force to look at ways to make the Meetinghouse, Religious Education Wing, and Old Center Hall better serve our space needs. Working with our architect, project manager, and cost estimator, the Building Task Force has drafted a new plan.
The New Renovation Plan, in a Nutshell
- Negotiate to lease towards purchase of Old Center Hall and reconfigure downstairs as staff offices (the plan was to purchase OCH now, but current plan is to hold on this in order to ensure funding for Parish Hall and RE wing renovations.)
- Ensure safety of our building and our children (life safety, RE wing renovations)
- Improve accessibility into and within the meetinghouse with new entries and stairs
- Improve usability of Parish Hall with increased storage and space, and using current office space as nursery
- Create larger classrooms and a multi-use chapel in RE wing
- Add bathrooms
Benefits of the new plan
- Meets the original space planning objectives of Plan L
- Increases usable square footage
- Leaves room for future renovation and improvements with relatively low risk of sacrificing current improvements
- Adds to our real estate portfolio within 2 years; while freeing up renovations money.
History
Renovation plans approved
At the June 25 special meeting, the congregation voted to authorize the Board to go ahead with building renovations this summer. Bylaw articles adopted at June 25 2006 parish meeting: Renovation plans and financing (pdf)
Fulfilling and Extending our Pledges
Will you join our lead donors, pastoral staff, the Board and others in the congregation who have, as of June 23 October 8, offered to increase their Capital Campaign pledges by 25-100%? This group has pledged an additional $242,000 $267,000 to our campaign! We invite you to join them in increasing your Capital Campaign pledge, by extending it for another year, or adding a sum to it. Together, we can achieve our dreams for our Preservation and Renovation Project and enjoy our success next fall!
Welcoming Congregation
North Parish is a Welcoming Congregation, consistent with the guidelines of the Unitarian Universalist Association. We actively welcome lesbian, gay. bisexual, transgender, and intersex people as full participants in the life of the church. For more information, see our Welcoming Congregation page, or contact our Interweave chapter.