Q. Why is sanctuary cooling a proposed Capital Campaign project? We have reduced programming over the summer months, and many people are out of town for vacation.
A. With year-round minister-led summer services, our Sunday attendance has increased significantly over the last five years. We’ve outgrown Room 3, where we used to gather in the past.
Even with lake breezes, Evanston summers are hot and humid, and cooling will make the sanctuary a more welcoming place on sweltering Sunday mornings, especially for our guests and visitors. We would also have the option of scheduling congregational and community programming on summer evenings and weekends.
And there are other concerns that cooling in the sanctuary would address:
- UUA security personnel and Evanston police emphasize that we should have only one building entrance open for public events. That eliminates natural air circulation in the sanctuary.
- UCE has lost summer rental revenue because of our lack of comfort control in the sanctuary. Ours is an especially beautiful venue for weddings, and they — along other rental events — not only provide us with income but introduce the community to the congregation.