The Liberty Bell
4
July/August 2009
Building Program
Update
Montgomery County has fi-
nally granted us a permit for the
construction of the new entrance to the
church, the elevator and the improvements to
Fellowship Hall! In advance of the permit,
our contractor, Oak Construction, was directed
to proceed with getting bids for the work to be
done and we expect to get those results early
in July. If the bids are favorable, we will be
seeking a loan, probably from the Sandy
Spring Bank, to fund the improvements.
To ready the site for the construction, our
Trustees, hopefully with your help, will take
out all of the moveable equipment in the Fel-
lowship Hall and move it to
storage, so we can have a spe-
cialty contractor remove all of
the asbestos in the Hall ceiling
and floor. If all of this goes as
planned, we should be ready to
commence the construction
work in August. We realize
this will be a major disruption
to our regular church activities and we ask
your patience, cooperation, help and prayers
as the work progresses. We know there must
be a great many questions among the congre-
gation and so have begun a list of “frequently
asked questions (and answers)” to keep the
communication flowing.
Your Questions and Answers
Here are just a few of the likely questions
and answers. A much fuller list will be printed
and placed in the narthex. If the longer list
still does not include your question,
please see any member of the Build-
ing Committee so we can update the
list. (Committee members are: Mark
Miller (chair), Rev. Jones, Norma
Lee Graham, Bill Barnes, Bill Austin,
Larry Summers, Connie Rohrer Mike Wagner
Ken Cole and Bill Johnson.)
1. How long will construction take?
Removal of asbestos from the construction
area is scheduled to begin in early July. If all
goes as planned, Oak will begin construction
in early August. Preliminary schedule discus-
sions suggest that construction should be sub-
stantially complete in January 2010. A de-
tailed “Master” Schedule will be developed
after it is confirmed that bids are within the
budget and financing parameters. The Master
Schedule will be communi-
cated to all.
2. How do we expect to fi-
nance the construction?
As has been previously dis-
cussed at Church Conferences,
the project will be paid for us-
ing money in the building fund
and from a loan with a lending institution
(probably Sandy Spring Bank). The lending
will be in two steps. First, there will be a con-
struction loan. The loan will be sufficient in
size to cover the cost of construction (less $’s
in the building fund) plus the anticipated inter-
est of the construction loan monies spent dur-
ing construction. Second, after construction is
complete, the construction loan will be con-
verted into a permanent loan. The terms and
conditions of the loan will be identified after
the construction cost is known (i.e. bids are
in), church finances are reviewed, and an ap-
praisal is completed. The repayment of the
A longer list of ques-
tions and answers
will be placed in the
narthex for your
information
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