Project Progress Report

January 22, 2012

Annual Meeting: The DCT made a short presentation and provided an update for the building project. For the full report, please follow this link: DCT Annual Meeting Report.

December 1, 2011

Mural Decision: The Design & Construction Team made a final decision for where our mural will be located as part of our new building project. We have modified the building design with the architect to include a permanent place for the mural inside our new Sanctuary, as close to the current configuration and location as possible. After all the hoops we jumped through together for this process (town hall meetings, sermons, pulpit editorials, surveys, articles, announcements, etc.), this decision may seem a bit obvious.

However, as the team began considering the interior design of the new Sanctuary, which included the question of what to do with the mural, we were approached by many, many members, each with their own concerns and convictions and ideas. So, the open conversation process we used felt right, and was very effective.

I’d like to thank all of you who participated in this conversation; you proved that we can hold truly opposing ideas and still respect each other’s points of view. We heard many creative and innovative ideas for re-creating our mural - too many to list here. They included copying it in glass or raising it above our heads or teasing the symbols apart, sprinkling them throughout the new building on individual panels. All of the ideas were exciting and fresh but each was either not possible given other design priorities or would be too expensive to realize. Other ideas included moving the mural to a different location such as backdrop for our new lobby or wrapping the walls of our new chapel. But the mural is too large to fit into either of those spaces and would have to be significantly altered to do so, a possibility that very few of you who spoke with us supported.

We were also approached with very compelling reasons for making a decision to keep the mural where it is, in what will become our new social hall, as a reminder of our past as we reach toward the future in our new Sanctuary. While this idea would certainly cost the least to accomplish, it also posed concerns for the mural’s safety and questions about the mural’s central purpose as part of our worship experience. When the DCT talked with members, in person and by survey, there was only a small amount of support for this solution.

We also heard reasons that were just as compelling for why our mural should be moved into our new Sanctuary, to continue as the iconic and central feature of our primary sacred space. Most of you agreed that the mural, as a whole, serves an invaluable purpose – to demonstrate for new members and to remind us old timers what Unitarian Universalism means: that we not only welcome people with diverse beliefs, we learn from them.

So, after we break ground on the new building and start to raise up its walls, we will return our focus to the mural and decide how to move it – all 5,000 pieces! No doubt, many hands will be needed, so we will be calling on the congregation again.

October 27-November 3, 2011

Mural Survey: The DCT crafted a simple six-question survey about the Mural. In order to encourage as many First U members as possible to engage in this important discussion and provide feedback, the survey was sent to every member who has an email address listed in our directory (over 600 individuals). On October 27th, the survey was distributed via the “Weekly News” (or Broadsheet). On Sunday, October 30th, the survey was made available in paper format to reach any members who missed the email message or who do not use email. Between November 4 and November 16, DCT members will review the survey results alongside those of the town hall meetings and will make a final decision about the mural. The architect will revise the building schematic design, as needed, and the DCT will make arrangements to announce their decision to the entire congregation.

October 10, 2011

Church Building Site Tour: DCT members met Doug Heller, our architect, at the site of the St. Jude Catholic Church located in Rio Rancho. This new church, designed by Mullen Heller Architecture, is about twice the size of our building project but has many common features such as a chapel and a family room with a “view” into the sanctuary. St. Jude opens on Oct. 28th and many of the finishes were in place for the DCT to see and touch.

October 9 and 16, 2011

Town Hall Meetings on the Mural: About 40 First U members participated in meetings to discuss, in small groups, what the mural means to them: the individual symbols and as a whole. Then, the groups discussed some possible options for where and how to relocate our mural. A variety of ideas are being considered by the DCT based on input from individual members. The ideas range from keeping the mural where it is, to moving the mural to the new Sanctuary at the back of the stage or other locations, to separating the mural into logical parts and moving those into various locations. Discussions about whether or not to “correct” the Islam symbol (the artist mistakenly used an incorrect symbol) have also taken place. Other ideas have been offered to the DCT as well, such as remounting the mural onto a wire grid to transform it into a “curtain” or attaching the mural to the new Sanctuary ceiling or recreating the mural in glass tiles.

September 18, 2011

Launch Event: Over 325 people participated (or volunteered as helpers) during this annual event to kick off our pledge drive. This year, we also celebrated the kick-off of the regular part of the capital campaign for our new Sanctuary Building! Four services were held between 9:30 and 12:30 and the party featured breakfast or brunch for those who came hungry, balloons and RE classes for the kids, and a virtual tour of the new building during the service. Participants could walk around inside the new building whose outlines where painted on the parking lot where it will be located. Images of the building’s exterior from all sides were also projected on the screen in the Social Hall as well as at the beginning and end of each service in the Sanctuary. The pre-campaign had already brought in pledges of over one million dollars and members excited by the building project committed another $46,000 during the party! The painted outlines will remain on the parking lot for everyone to explore until we break ground next Spring.

September 8, 2011

City of Albuquerque Environmental Planning Commission (EPC) Presentation: Mullen-Heller Architecture made an oral presentation to the EPC for approval of our ten year master site plan. Based on the Site Plan submitted and the results of several preliminary meetings and the pre-hearing, the EPC voted 7 – 0 for approval and complimented our architects for a well prepared plan. A few minor conditions will be added to the master plan which will be reflected in a revised document posted on our web site. We now are prepared to move forward with construction drawings.

August 24, 2011

Open House for Our Community Neighbors: As part of the EPC submittal, a letter was sent to the three neighborhood associations located in the area adjacent to our campus. The letter described the new building project and invited neighbors to attend an Open House where they could talk with the DCT and see more details about the project. Flyers inviting our business neighbors to the Open House were also distributed. On August 24th, three individuals who live in the McKinley neighborhood attended the Open House and were very supportive of First Unitarian’s project. On August 29th, the McKinley Neighborhood Association wrote a letter in support of our building project, thanking us for the opportunity to provide input during the Open House and wishing us success.

August 17, 2011

EPC Pre-Hearing: Linda Skye and Doug Heller met with representatives of various city departments to review the site plan that was submitted by Mullen Heller Architecture on July 28th. The Site Plan submitted was determined by the majority of city departments as ready for EPC review without conditions or comments. Conditions may be attached to the site plan approval addressing parking curb- turning clearances, sidewalk widths, water harvesting, and site plan labeling. The Police Department stressed the importance of designing for safety such as adequate lighting, careful placement and selection of landscaping, and well-designed walkways. The site plan was determined to be in compliance with these expectations.

August 14, 2011

Town Hall Meeting: The congregation was invited to participate in a town hall style meeting to view the first preliminary drawings showing the elevations of the new Sanctuary Building as well as details of the Master Site Plan. For those who could not attend the meeting, the drawings were placed on the First U webpage about the project. About 40 participants attended the meeting and reviewed renderings showing the new building from four different perspectives including overall size, mass, heights, and proposed façade details such as window treatments, sun-screening, and use of brick and exterior colors. Special design features which will honor the sacredness of this space, such as the use of multiples of seven (referencing our Seven Principles) were described and discussed. Over-sized copies of the master site plan as well as plans for landscaping, parking, and circulation were also presented and reviewed. The DCT collected additional feedback from the participants for use in future meetings with the Architect.

July 28, 2011

Site Development Plan for Building Permit Request: Mullen Heller Architecture submitted 20 sets of required documentation to the City of Albuquerque’s Environmental Planning Commission (EPC) to obtain approval for First Unitarian’s Master Plan. Follow these links to review the key documents submitted to the EPC:
Site Development Plan
Landscaping Plan
Grading and Drainage Plan
Utility Plan
Exterior Elevations
Parking and Circulation Plan
Letter to Adjacent Neighborhood Associations

July 3, 2011

Town Hall Meeting: In conjunction with regular Sunday services and a special Breakfast Potluck, over 220 members of the Congregation participated in reviewing the latest Sanctuary Building design elements with the DCT. The DCT gave an in-depth presentation of the design process and provided detailed descriptions of the latest schematic design including a hand-out to each participant. Copies of the handout were made available in the office for those who could not attend. Click for a PDF of the presentation. Click for handouts from the presentation.  

June 28, 2011

Tour: DCT members toured the construction site for the St. Jude Catholic Church in Rio Rancho. View photos from visit.

Meeting: DCT Chair joined architect, Doug Heller, in a Pre-Hearing Meeting with staff of the Environmental Planning Commission.

June 21, 2011

Presentation: The DCT presented the latest schematic design to the Board of Directors for their review and for their consideration of anticipated construction costs. Using this information, the Board set the goal for the Capital Campaign at $2.3 million.

MAY AND JUNE 2011

Design Work: The DCT participated in multiple meetings with the architect to revise and refine the schematic design. They also provided details required for the submission of the First Unitarian Master Plan to the City’s Environmental Planning Commission.

May 31, 2011

Meeting with UUA Consultant: Representatives from the Board, the Capital Campaign, the Design & Construction Team, and the Finance Task Force met to hear Barry Finkelstein's report on the Financial Feasibility Study. The study's purpose was to determine the potential for our congregation to successfully conduct a capital campaign to raise funds to build a new Sanctuary Building. The study was conducted by Barry with over 40 First Unitarian members in March. The full report will be available on this mini-site soon.

April 30, 2011

LEED Design Charrette: Eighteen members of the Congregation participated in a LEED Design Charrette to discuss and determine First Unitarian’s sustainability goals for the project. Click here for a list of participants. (Watch this webpage for a summary report on the results of this meeting and other details related to LEED Certification).

April 14, 2011

Design Work: The DCT and the architect reviewed the program for the Sanctuary Building, as developed during the Master Plan phase in 2009 and detailed in the Team’s guiding document, the Master Planning Study.

March 31, 2011

Design Work: The DCT’s first meeting. Architect, Doug Heller, reviewed the processes for preparing a schematic design of the new Sanctuary Building and the anticipated timeline for completing this project. Doug introduced LEED Consultant, Lisa Logan, of Green Ideas who outlined the process, parameters and potential costs for LEED certification for this project. The DCT agreed to a twice-monthly schedule of meetings and prepared for a meeting with members of the Congregation representing multiple constituencies to discuss our goals for a “green” building project.