New Sanctuary Chairs Testing Outcome & FAQ
Thanks to the 106 people who tried out the chairs we were testing and provided us with feedback. The winner is the Lumin chair (white one with the orange cushion). Please keep in mind we will not be using those colors, those were only sample chairs. However this is not the end of the story. We listened to some of you who had further concerns and questions. Here are our answers and actions.
Wood Chairs
There were questions raised about why there weren’t any wood chairs in our group. During our extensive research we found wood chairs, however the majority of them were too expensive or too heavy (30+ lbs). We are trying to stay close to 12 pounds because we move our chairs so much. There is one chair style that is a more feasible weight (16-18 lbs). And it falls within our price range. So we’ve decided to bring that option back to ask your opinion, so you can see how you like it from the aesthetics, weight and comfort point of view.
Another Chair Testing Opportunity
We will be asking your opinion in a comparison of a wooden chair style to the Lumin style. We will be ordering each chair style with arms & without. Each will have upholstery/cushion on the seat and back. This will probably be in late June.
Why Do We Need New Chairs?
Our chairs are 55+ years old and are breaking. Over a 7 year time span we repaired (glued) 132 broken chairs. There were more broken chairs than that, but we couldn’t afford any more repairs. During Covid, two of our members assessed all of our chairs. At that time, there were 57 which were designated as broken and 30 that were broken beyond repair. Chairs break while people are sitting in them. Some people have gotten injured. For the safety of our congregation and rentals, we need to have safe chairs.
Difference Between Capital Campaign Funds and Operations Funds
Four years ago we had a Capital Campaign Drive to raise money for 10 projects that were chosen for repair, renovation or completion by our congregation. New Sanctuary Chairs was one of those projects. The Capital Campaign funds cannot be used for or shared with our Operations Funds, which go for annual operations such as paying staff, utilities and other maintenance items. The Operations Fund is supported by our annual Pledge Drive, where the Capital Campaign is done every 5-10 years. Each fund has a different purpose. If you have any questions or seek further information, contact any of the New Sanctuary Chairs Team members: Janelle Brittain, Kristin Larson or Carla Williams.
Sanctuary Cooling System is in!: July 22, 2022
The UCE Sanctuary Cooling System is in! And we are ready for Chicago’s hot Summer.
Thank you to everyone’s contributions to the Capital Campaign which made it possible for us to install a cooling system for the Sanctuary and adjacent Social Area. We’ve been enjoying this system since the end of May. It simply “takes the edge off” the indoor environment by cooling the room and removing some of the humidity. The intention is to make the Sanctuary & Social Area more comfortable on oppressively hot and humid days in Summer. It is not UCE’s intention to have cold storage facility-like conditions. Instead, the goal is to create a space that will be more comfortable for the members, community members and friends of UCE as well as for renters, who approach to share or rent the Sanctuary and Social Area. We researched many options and chose the best one that balanced caring for the environment and costs. We are pleased with the results.
Here are a few details about our new cooling system. Like our gas-fired furnaces, the cooling equipment mirrors the zoning arrangement of the furnaces. These zones include the east & northeast portions of the Sanctuary, the west & north west portions of the Sanctuary and the South zone which is basically the Social Area at the back of the Sanctuary. We’ve retained our existing furnaces and retrofitted them with eight new indoor cooling coils. We’ve also added eight, new outdoor condensing units and had the systems filled with R410a refrigerant, an environmentally favorable refrigerant with an ozone depletion potential of zero and a low global warming potential value. R410a also has a low toxicity, is not flammable and has an A1 safety classification. The seasonal energy efficiency ratio, or SEER, of the condensing units is as high as 19. The new cooling systems are zone controlled by three Ecobee programmable thermostats each one paired with a wireless remote temperature sensor for accurate control of operation. And, as a plus, the systems can be controlled remotely via a phone app!
Lovely Upgrades to the Wing and Lobby
The Lobby and Wing Team of the Capital Campaign Implementation Team have been working steadily over the pandemic closure period to make improvements in the building.
When you visit UCE in person you will notice all new lighting and tiles in the Room 2 and the lobby area. Room 2 has undergone significant change with new, modern furniture, new carpet and shades. The solar shades were designed to offer light when raised (much like our old curtains that could be opened), but when in the down position they offer protection from the sun and cold. They are attractive and will work well to provide varying degrees of light. New ceiling lights and tiles were added to the room. Our goal was to provide a space where the lighting is more ambient for covenant meetings, small memorial services and wedding services, and other meetings where “high” lighting is less appropriate.
Room 3, the office and hallway have new floor tiles that flow beautifully into the lobby flooring to the north of the hall. Room 3 has the same shades and new ceiling tiles, as well as the flooring that matches the hallway.
Room 3 has a new technology set up which includes better sound and the ability to do live streaming and zoom for meetings and overflow from the sanctuary.
Coming soon . . . two new large monitors will provide up to the minute information on what is happening in the building and will promote activities and events we are involved in at UCE.
With every improvement we have taken into consideration the needs of users, you the congregants, and guests who will use our facility.
Lobby and Wing Improvement Team
Sandy Danforth, Gillian Lawrence, Johna VanDyke and Sandra Robinson
Welcome Back to UCE Capital Improvements – Lobby: September 3, 2021
When returning to our beloved church building in September and beyond, you will notice some differences in the lobby and wing spaces thanks to funding from the 2019 Capital Campaign and the hard work and dedication of the Capital Campaign Implementation Committee and UCE volunteers and staff. We wanted to highlight some of these exciting changes and talk a bit about how we made decisions about what updates to make. This is the first of three articles.
Our lobby planning involved a broad, human-centered design approach–a process that starts with the people you’re designing for and ends with new solutions that are tailor made to suit their needs. To do this, we gathered input from the groups that use the UCE lobby space, (hospitality team, membership relations, family ministry, accessibility team, and staff), as well as rentals, safety and security. We then analyzed and synthesized these inputs, and categorized them to create our organizing focus areas: furnishings, layout, technology, information, and signage. During this process we saw that some of the biggest areas of need were related to welcoming newcomers and families.
Over the next several weeks, we’ll be sharing with you various aspects of the lobby and wing projects so you’ll understand the thought process for each improvement area.
Welcoming Families
The first updates to the lobby space we wanted to highlight are related to welcoming families – and especially those with younger children. As Rev. Wiviott has mentioned in many of her recent messages to the congregation, we are working as a congregation toward being a truly multi-generational community. As part of this work we have taken special care to understand the needs of families – both current and new – and worked on ways to make our lobby space as welcoming and functional as possible for them. Here some things you will see:
Soon you’ll be hearing about our multi-generational outdoor space. It is coming along nicely as well and we can’t wait to welcome everyone to it soon. This is just a taste of what we have been up to – we are eager to provide you with more updates next week!
“New” Kitchen Celebration: September 19, 2021
Just as Covid shut everything down last year, our totally renovated kitchen was completed, so we didn’t get a chance to celebrate all of the wonderful changes and upgrades. So on Sunday, September 19, the Kitchen renovation will be celebrated! There will be a recognition in the worship service, followed by tours in the kitchen and outer area guided by Carol Nielsen and Sandra Robinson. Coffee and cookies will be served outside following the indoor gathering to celebrate with food. Our kitchen has always been a warm and welcoming gathering place before, during and after events for our congregation and for our rentals. These improvements are due to your generosity during the Capital Campaign.
Wonderful Blessing of Outdoor Projects Completion
UCE is now even more welcoming! The Capital Campaign Implementation Committee has been working for about a year planning a series of projects to make our church building and grounds more safe, accessible, welcoming and beautiful. Rev. Eileen led a meaningful and fun Blessing Service September 2nd at our front door…all while keeping physically distant. Everyone really enjoyed coming together for a service, since it has been 6 months since our last service at the church.
We had drumming led by Alicia Hempfling, we sang familiar songs, gave appreciation and gifts for all of the hard work put into these projects… and even a little celebratory dancing. Adam Gough made sure that if people wanted to stay in their car they could hear everything through their car radio (very cool –right?). Members also enjoyed the Blessing Service standing by their cars and in the garden.
Projects Blessed
We completed:
- Installing new storm sewers under the parking lot
- Ripping up and laying new asphalt in the parking lot
- Striping and laying car stops on the lot
- Cleaning up the landscaping around the lot and the north garden/sidewalk area
- Designing and laying a brand new sidewalk to enter off Greenwood, so you don’t have to walk through the parking lot
- Lots of landscaping work to create a new pollinator garden, surround the new sidewalk with grass and gravel borders and clean up the bushes
- Repaired parking lot lighting and added new lights along the sidewalk
- Added large white flower pots at the front door for beauty and protection
People To Thank
Sandra Robinson and Greg Grabowski were the project leads on most of these projects spending thousands of hours planning, deciding and overseeing to make sure every detail was taken care of well and budgetarily responsible. Janelle Brittain generally oversaw everything, while Vickie Doebele tracked our spending. Sandy Danforth, also on the CCIC team, has been busy working on the indoor projects which we’ll hear about more later. And not to be forgotten are our two blessed souls who were on the committee from the start: Ann Peterson and John LaPlante. Ann was instrumental on the Capital Campaign, the Feasibility Study and the beginning of the Implementation work. John also worked on the Capital Campaign and the early stages of the committee. The north sidewalk was a passion project for him.
What a wonderful experience the Outside Projects Blessing Service was!
–Janelle Brittain, Chair, Capital Campaign Implementation Committee
Capital Campaign Projects Update
Many thanks go to Sandy Danforth, Johna Van Dyke and Sandra Robinson, the CCIC Sub-Committee in charge of the Lobby and Wing Renovations who have been very busy. As you’ll see from the pictures below, we’re showing the tearing up of the tile, office furniture temporarily stored in Room 3, new solar shades and much more.
There’s lots going on in Room 3. You can get a peek at the new solar shades, see the items stored from the office while it’s getting new floor tile (matching the tile you see here), and the materials on the floor are for the work in progress to refurbish the wall of folding doors.
The lobby has new floor tile that looks like elegant stone and soon will have new ceiling tile (instead of the water marked one) and better lighting.
The old tile had been solidly installed 30 years ago and was hard to remove, so special equipment had to be brought in to lift it up. But now finally, the office has new fresh tile and the furniture has been replaced.
Capital Campaign Implementation Committee chair Janelle Brittain displays the new solar shades and new flooring in Room 3.
Outdoor Projects Blessing
Be sure to put September 2nd 6:30 PM on your calendar for the blessing of all of the outdoor projects. It will be a fun drive-in socially distanced event complete with goody bags.
For Further CCIC Updates go to the UCE homepage, scroll down to the button “Capital Campaign Projects Update” and you’ll see pictures and descriptions of the other projects we’ve been working on this year.
Capital Campaign Building Transformations: July 10, 2020
Your Investment at Work
Building improvements are continuing due to your investing in UCE’s Capital Campaign (more pictures at the link below). If you drive by the parking lot, you’ll see piles of asphalt and dirt, as well as cement squares covering the new storm drains that will prevent flooding. AND you’ll see our beautiful new sidewalk that will keep walkers from having to pass through the parking lot to get to our front door. The sidewalk cement was just poured this week. Lighting and landscaping will come later, as well as bike racks and planters. By late July our parking lot and lawn will be lovely and accessible.
Lobby and “Wing” Updates
The new Lobby floor has been laid and looks wonderful. The flooring in the “Wing” (Rooms 1,2 and 3 and hallway) is being demolished and tiles will be coming soon. Also coming soon will be new lighting in the lobby area, new ceiling tiles above the lobby furniture and new shades will be installed in the Wing. By investing in our building we’re investing in our future facility to live our mission.
Construction is Starting: June 12, 2020
Our new parking lot and a welcoming sidewalk to the front entrance will be excavated and installed over the next several weeks. So the parking lot will be closed to vehicle & pedestrian traffic starting on June 15 and extend through July 10 due to this construction.
Meanwhile – Inside the Church Building Improvements are Being Done.
New lobby floors are being installed this week. This includes the lobby entry area, bathrooms, lift lobby and floors outside the bathroom.
In the next few weeks the wing hallway, office, and room 3 floors will be done. Lovely new solar shades will be installed in the office, room 2 and room 3. All window sills in the wing and lobby have been replaced as well as the doors in room 3. We are following all COVID protocol in getting this work done. Contractors must wear masks and our custodial staff is cleaning each day.
Our Capital Campaign improvements are moving forward. Thank you to all who have contributed to make these exciting changes happen. If you have questions or need more information email me, please at srobinson@ucevanston.org.
Sandra Robinson – Executive Operations Director on behalf of the Capital Campaign Implementation Committee