New photos added, December 2009

Thank you to RJ Mudd for submitting these photos showing the Parish Center hall’s architectural beauty as well as the signage.

Click here to see the photos, or select “12/29″ from the Page menu under Photos.

 

Need some chairs and tables?

We have a lot of the “orange” chairs and some 3 x 6-foot tables available that we used in the old Large Hall. We have discovered that we don’t have sufficient storage for them. If you would like to own any of these items, please see Steve during the weekdays. Donations will be accepted.

 

Bishop to bless Parish Center for official opening

Most Reverend Tod D. Brown, Bishop of Orange, will bless the building as it is officially opened following the 4 p.m. Mass on Saturday, October 24.

The festivities will continue into the early evening and will continue the next day for those attending Sunday Mass at 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m., 10:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Mark your calendar for this long-anticipated event and plan to take a tour of the building after Mass. Light refreshments will be served.

 

Temporary Occupancy Certificate

Parish Center Building Update
Notes from Steve…

We have received a Temporary Occupancy Certificate and are slowly starting to move things into the building.

A Permanent Certificate will be issued once all of the final documentation is submitted, which should be within the next week or two. We’ll keep you posted. We’re almost there!

See the most recent photos!

 

Retrospective…

As the new parish center building nears completion it’s amazing to look back on what has been accomplished over these past eleven months.

Abatement of the hazardous materials in the former Large Hall began in September of 2008, followed by the dismantling of the roof structure, then the subsequent demolition of a very tired building. Watching the grader drive through the walls and take bites out of the old building was an impressive display of machine power.

After demolition, came the soil and rough grading work on the actual site which culminated in the ground-breaking ceremony on October 3, 2008. As grading work continued, the underground utility upgrades began that eventually resulted in new utility supplies to the entire property.

Following this portion of the work, excavation for footings began, steel rebar was installed, templates for steel columns were set, underground plumbing and electrical conduit were installed, then 82 columns were set. Next came the concrete which formed the foundation that supports the building. Steel beams were then bolted and welded together to form the horizontal supports.

Wood framing began in mid-February and took close to three months to complete. Once it was framed, all the other trades were able to proceed with their respective areas of construction responsibility. Throughout these past seven months there has been a constant stream of sub-contractors working on various parts of the building. Plumbers, electricians, steel and concrete workers, landscapers, roofers, finish carpenters, door and window installers, kitchen equipment consultants, lighting and sound consultants, hardware specialists, locksmiths, intrusion and fire alarm installers, wall partitions installers, HVAC and elevator installers, painters, inspectors, construction manager, project superintendent, project manager and our architect all contributed to where we are today–on the verge of being able to use the new parish center!

It has not always been an easy process, but construction projects never are and I feel we have been fortunate to get to this point in eleven months due in no small part to the efforts of the general contractor, Hoffman Finn and most importantly, the support and generosity of our St. Nicholas Parishioners. God Bless You!

– Steve

 

The Big Picture

Parish Center Building Update
Notes from Steve…

Final Touches (the Big Picture)

See all the latest photos (click here)

• Final exterior painting should be complete this week.
• Keying and adjustments to all the doors is taking place.
• Balancing of the air handling system is complete.
• Second floor deck coating is being applied.
• Irrigation and landscape plantings should be completed by the 28th.

I’m running out of items to report on which means it’s just about finished. Now all I need to do is learn how to operate the systems and then fill the building!

 

Nearing completion… see photos!

I’m sure you’ve noticed that my comments last week regarding the parking lot did not happen. It has been moved back one week. Please refer to those
comments and apply them to this next week.

Concrete work around the building and Parish Office is complete. Final fire inspection by the Orange County Fire Authority passed and the elevator inspections by the State should be completed by the time you read this. Finish work on the interior and exterior are reaching completion and the final utility connection [gas] was finished this past week. We’re almost there!!

Click here to see the most recent photos of the construction.

 

Almost one year since demolition

Parish Center Building Update
Notes from Steve…

It’s been a truly amazing process to watch the building’s construction over these last 11 months. It was last September when demolition of the Large Hall began, and here we are on the cusp of completion.

As stunning as the exterior views are, the interior views are equally stunning. This past week, the office cubicles were installed; kitchen equipment was installed; the phone lines have been connected to their respective jacks; and ceiling tiles are all in place.

Final grading around the building is complete, so forming for concrete walkways and steps have begun. Please remember that resurfacing work on the parking lots will begin on the 17th and will continue through the remainder of the week -Monday through Friday, so please be patient when you discover that your personal parking slot is unavailable due to this needed work.

 

Light at the end of the [construction] tunnel

Parish Center Building Update
Notes from Steve…

As you read this, a number of things in the building will be in progress or completed. Among those is the arrival and installation of the kitchen equipment, carpet installation and closing the ceiling with the acoustical tiles. Other work that is in progress is the final grading around the building, electrical fixture installation, grease interceptor completion, final water hookup to the building, and final millwork (cabinetry) installation. All the windows have been installed and painting continues.

 

Answer to roof tiles question; more photos

Parish Center Building Update
Notes from Steve…

[View from the large parking lot]

The building has been “loaded up” with all the weight of roofing material and mechanical equipment, so once the lath expansion joints were installed, the stuccoing process could begin. Ninety percent of the stucco on the building is completed.

The interior painting is 50 percent complete, as is all the pre-wiring. The elevator installation is about 10-20 percent complete.

Here’s what will happen in the next few weeks: The rain gutters will go up once the color coating is completed. Then the scaffolding comes down, then the roof tiles will be set.

Many of you have asked why the tile is just stacked on the roof and has not been placed. It’s for two reasons, the second of which I just found out. The first reason is so the water proofing membrane on the recessed area of the roof could be installed, since it overlaps at the apex of the roof line under the last course of tile. The second reason is so that the rain gutters can be installed. The first course of tile hangs over the roof edge, directing rain run off into the gutters, so they need to go in before the tile is set.

Click on “Mid-summer 2009″ photos (right-hand side of page) to see the latest images of the construction.