The B-Wing (which we are working on now) should be ready to occupy early April 2010, if all goes well. Weather, late supplies and such can delay any building project, but at present, we look to be on schedule.

Once we occupy the B-Wing, work will begin on the A-Wing, Gym and Atrium (Multi-purpose Room). The Gym and A-Wing should take about 11 months, then we will start on the Narthex and Fireside Room areas while we finish up the Atrium. If all of this goes on schedule, we should finish the presently contracted project around December 2011.

Once this project is completed, refurbishment and upgrades to the Worship Center will be considered. That decision will be made by the Elders and the congregation as need and availability of funds would dictate.

Building Committee Chariman Ralph Weitz presented Christmas gifts from Immanuel to construction supervisors during their weekly progress meeting this week. With the building now enclosed, work has progressed rapidly on the first floor renovation and second floor addition.

Much of the construction of the new building has been happening out where everyone can follow the progress. The second floor addition can be seen while driving by on Backlick Road and our webcam chronicles the minute-by-minute progress of the exterior. However, fabrication has also been taking place off site over the past several months.

When the building is completed, Immanuel will have a distinctive new look and a dramatic new skyline. The green mansard roof of the original building has been retained and will cover the roof of the new Atrium. Above the Atrium a soaring white cross will punctuate the skyline creating a new landmark here in Springfield. No longer will the western-style building projection and small cross above the Worship Center announce the presence of a church on our corner. Our new cross will boldly point heavenward, seen through out the neighborhood.

With the installation of the roof membrane and the new windows, the work space is now weather-proof. Construction inside continues at a rapid pace. Walls are going up, electircal cables and other wiring are being pulled, and plumbing and fire suppressant systems are being installed.

Outside, masons have nearly completed the brick in the interior courtyard. Brick remains to be installed around the first floor window openings; the windows will be installed soon. On the roof, the blue, standing seam panels are being set in place creating our distinctive mansard roofline.

The large heating and air conditioning (HVAC) roof top units are on site and were installed Friday. The steel roof has been installed and we are in the process of putting down roof insulation and rubber roof membrane on the flat parts of the roof. The green mansard roof materials were delivere on Friday and placed on top in preparation for installation next week. 

The major steel components of the new B-Wing 2nd story have all been put in place and the exterior 2nd story walls have been built. The exterior walls to the B-Wing have been bricked and are in process of being cleaned in preparation for closing-in the wing from the weather. The new windows have now been received and will also start being installed soon (to be complete within about two weeks). 

The major deck, wall and roof portions of the new two-story Glass Breezeway have been completed and the exteriors are in process of being bricked. The connection break-through of the walls has been made from the B-Wing to the old Fireside Room 2 area and from the Breezeway 2nd floor to the C-Wing. The whole B-Wing and Breezeway areas should be weathered-in within the next two or three weeks.

Much of the major interior gas, water and sewage piping and electrical wiring have been installed. The electric power rooms in the Gym and in the B-Wing by the Narthex have been modified, new larger distribution panels installed and Power transferred to the new panels. Much of the plumbing that supports the rest of the building has been installed in the Narthex and Worship Center areas (both floors) and will continue to be installed over the next few days. 

As soon as the B-Wing is weather-tight, installation of a lot of smaller electrical distribution will occur. At the same time, 2nd story interior walls will be constructed, insulation put in place and installation of remaining 2nd story plumbing and HVAC ducting will be started. 

Barring adverse weather or any shipping difficulties, it appears that we are on track to have the B-Wing, C-Wing and Glass Breezeway finished and ready to occupy by about the first week in April, 2010. Once we occupy the B-Wing classrooms and offices, we are scheduled to commence major work in the Gym and on the A-Wing and the Atrium. Much of the steel, lighting fixtures and HVAC materials (i.e. longer lead-time items) have been procured and are on site; this should facilitate a smooth transition to the next phase of construction and minimize delays.

This past week electricians turned off power through out portions of the building while they installed a new power grid. Wednesday, Thursday, and part of Friday saw power outages to portions of the A wing and Gym as well as the annexes.

Water pipes and sprinklers for the fire suppression system have been installed on the second floor. Outside of the building, significant progress has been made laying brick on the second floor exterior wall facing Backlick Road. Bricklayers move around to the courtyard side of the building next week.

In order to design the building and meet the needs of the congregation, we surveyed all the ministry leaders and conducted two sets of ministry leader interviews. The committee visited churches and schools in order to see how new construction was being used to meet the changing needs.

Our committee selected the firm Helbing/Lipp – Engineering and architects. Helbing Lipp is one of the top architect firms inNorthern Virginia. We also selected Jack Bays Inc. as our general contractor. Jack Bays Inc. is one of the leading contractors in the Northern Virginia area.

After the Jack Bays Inc. bid was accepted, they went to their subcontractors and said, “Let’s review all the bids to make sure everything is covered.” They examined the bids line-by-line. They reduced their bid by about $1,000,000. Lynn Bays said to me, “Ralph, that never happens. It always goes up.” I said, “This is God’s timing.”