This edition of Construction News contains the following articles: "DONE!", "Celebration Time", "What Happens Next?", "More Parking! Less Walking!", and "Thanks for Your Prayers".

DONE!!

As this was being written, representatives from Covenant and Turner-Universal were meeting to sign off on completion of the new building, officially turning the building over to Covenant. There is still a “punch list” of work to be done to complete Turner’s work, including painting, door hardware, replacing light bulbs, etc. The largest punch list item is in the Youth Center, where the initial effort to create a floor treatment, combining concrete and paint in a design, was not successful. Until this problem is solved, parts of the Youth Center are “off-limits”. There is also some work in the administration area which will be done outside the scope of Turner’s agreement.

Let the mortgage payments begin.

Areas still to be renovated include Turner’s offices (Rooms 1 and 3) in the South Education wing, and several rooms which have been used to store supplies

Celebration Time

Under the leadership of Kay Eastin, planning for Covenant’s celebration of the new construction/renovation completion involves a Grand Opening ribbon-cutting ceremony in the new upper parking lot at 9:45 on Sunday, April 26, along with self-guided tours of the new building and renovated areas and a reception in Fellowship Hall. In order to accommodate the celebration, there will be no Sunday School classes.

What Happens Next?

Now that the new building is officially ours, what happens next?

Beginning Monday (April 27), the Interiors Committee, chaired by Kerry Rowley, will be overseeing the delivery of new and donated furniture to the Youth Center (190 chairs were delivered last week!), the administrative offices, library, and narthex. The group will also begin putting up art work.

Administrative staff (Hal, Mark, Leigh Ann, Fran, Debbie, and Marilyn) will move from the Chapel to their new offices on Friday, May 8. Dick Felix is directing this move. After the Chapel has been cleaned and repaired, Dick will also oversee converting the temporary staff home back into the Chapel. Chapel furniture has been stored at Second Mile since last May.

Staff supplies, which have been stored in one of the PODS, will be moved to the new building the week of May 11-15.

Adult classes (LIFE, EPIC, Kiononia, FaithBuilders) will be in the new building, beginning on May 10. Children’s SS classes will begin using the south wing (rooms 5, 6, and 8) in June.

While no date has been set for opening the new library, we hope to do so by early June.

More Parking! Less Walking!

Thanks to all of you who voluntarily parked at the Seven Day Adventist parking lot and walked up the hill to Covenant during construction. With the opening of the new 71-space parking lot east of the new building, there should be plenty of parking for everyone. If you park in that lot, you can easily enter the building by going down the steps and entering on the first floor, or by crossing on the bridge into the second floor and then taking the stairs or elevator to the rest of the building

Thanks for the Prayers

Finally, thanks to all of you for your prayers during this major construction effort. We wouldn’t have been successful without your prayers, patience, and support.