Work off that Thanksgiving Dinner!

Warren would like to get a crew on Friday and Saturday to remove the carpet and linoleum from the Bruce Hall slab before the building is demolished next week. The new building will be built on top of the existing concrete slab. The demolition crew will dispose of the carpet and linoleum only if they have been ripped off the slab.

If the carpet is still on the slab during demolition, we'll have to remove it later, and pay extra to dispose of it. We don't want that cost.

Selective demolition continued Tuesday and Wednesday, with much of the tile floor removed in the pre-school building -- and some still to go. If you are there on Friday or Saturday, you could help with that, too.

The walkway roof connecting the pre-school to the narthex was removed Wednesday, and the gas was shut off in the pre-school building and Bruce Hall.

Know anyone who could use a 5-year-old gas furnace? Emmanuel now has one that we can't use anymore. We'd like to find a good home for it.

Remember, comment on this blog item to let us know if and when you'll be able to help. The construction manager will be checking the comments to see who to expect and when.

Crew needed to tear out tile

Warren needs help Tuesday and Wednesday tearing out the tile in the pre-school/Sunday school building. Since the tile contains a bit of asbestos, it must be disposed of separately from other demolition debris. However, it doesn't contain enough asbestos to qualify as an "asbestos project" under air quality rules. So, volunteers can handle the job. Work starts at 7:30 a.m.

"We'll wet the floors down with hot water and then start tearing the tiles out," Warren says.

On Monday, a crew of four spent four hours tearing out the old carpet, which had been cemented to the aforementioned tiles in the preschool building. They also removed cabinets and doors. These will be re-used in the new building, donated or sold for salvage.

Also, the cover on the walkway between the pre-school building and the narthex needs to be torn down.

Warren has scheduled an excavator to start demolition of the two buildings next Monday, but the work detailed above needs to be done first. If all goes well, excavation could be done by Thursday, when concrete pouring for the new foundation could start.

Comment below to let us know if and when you'll be able to help. Warren will be checking the comments to see who to expect and when.

Selective demolition begins; help needed

This is really exciting. The time we have been waiting for and hoping for all these months is finally here. Now, the work begins.

So, beginning at 7:30 a.m. Monday, Nov. 24, the construction manager can use a crew at the church to begin selective demolition. That means removing salvageable and reusable items such as shelves, cabinets, light fixtures, doors and the like from Bruce Hall and the pre-school/Sunday school building.

There are a few other jobs, also, including moving the last few things into storage. Most are light, such as chairs, but a few are, well, refrigerator-sized.

Right now would be a good time to add epcbuilding.blogspot.com to your favorites or bookmarks. If you are reading this as an email, open your Web browser, go to that site and make that page one of your favorites. Then, check in each evening for updates on what's coming up in the next few days. And what has been happening the past few days.

Remember, post a comment on this blog item to let us know if and when you'll be able to help. The construction manager will be checking the comments to see who to expect and when.

A look at those portables

We've set up two portables in the parking lot for the duration of the construction. The one closest to the building is for the pre-school. The old pre-school building, which you can see in the background, will be demolished below ground level.

The portable closest to the street will house the pastor's office, a meeting room and the administrative assistant's office during construction.

Looking toward the church:



Looking toward the street:

We need help with setting up for worship

As we prepare to hold our worship services elsewhere during construction, the Worship Committee has a list of tasks that need to be assigned to have our worship services operate smoothly from week to week.

Two important tasks for which we need volunteers are:

1. Setup and take-down of folding chairs
This will require a team of two or three to arrive about a half-hour before worship to set up chairs for the worship service. When the service is over, the chairs will need to be folded and stored.

2. Hymnals, Register Books, and Offering Plates
We need someone to be responsible for bringing the hymnals, the register books, and the offering plates to the worship service every week and storing them during the week. We will help you find a suitable way to store and transport the hymnals. The more volunteers we have, the more the work can be distributed. If you are interested in serving the congregation in this way, please let anyone on the Worship Committee know as soon as possible so we can be ready when the time comes.

Here's an architect's rendering of what the front of our remodeled building will look like.

This is just the end of the beginning

Now the visible work on the new construction is about to begin.

We've made the preparations. The portables are on site. We've submitted the paperwork ... again and again and again.

And when we get the final OK on the financials, Emmanuel will roll out a work party to move into storage the final furniture from Bruce Hall and the Sunday School building. Then, there will be a congregational celebration/farewell for the old structures that have served so well for so long.

After that, there will be lots of work that our members can do to help us conserve our precious building budget. The best way to find out what needs to be done and how you can help will be to check in regularly on this blog.

Warren Weber, our construction manager, has asked me to keep this updated daily so that you know what he needs. And he knows what sort of help to expect.

To that end, once we get started, please "comment" below telling him if you will be available for the particular job posted, when and for how long. Let him know if you have tools that will help. He'll check the site every day as he is planning his next day's work.

That's all for now. More later.