Around One Table Archives
November Update: As
we reported in the October newsletter, expressions of interest presentations
were received from five of the seven architectural firms who were
solicited as potential candidates for designing the St.
Bede Parish Life & Ministry Center (PLMC). A sub-committee
within the AOT was established to review the presentations and to
select three firms to interview. Members of the sub-committee included
Father Abe, Father Rob, Jack Carey, Lynne Williams and Larry Fronheiser.
A clear and objective set of criteria was established with which
the sub-committee made its selections and on October 29, the following
firms were interviewed: The Kerns Group, Arlington, VA; Guernsey
Tingle Architects, Williamsburg; Geier Brown Renfrow Architects,
Alexandria, VA.
In addition to the members of the sub-committee, eight
other AOT Committee members observed and submitted questions during
the 3 hour interview process. As of this writing, a decision has
not been made. The entire 15 member Committee will be discussing
and making a final selection at its next meeting, the results of
which will be in the next Newsletter and posted on the website.
Once the architect is selected, a rather intense and
extensive process will begin to incorporate all our preliminary need
studies as expressed by the various ministries and the parish at
large over the past 18 months. At the top of the list will be a determination
of exactly where the PLMC will be located. Many
considerations will need to be addressed in order for the architects
to eventually prepare a rendering that can be shared with parishioners.
The process is expected to include an expanded role for other parishioners
who have expertise in various components that will be included in
the building.
October Update: Progress continues as the Committee has met
each month of the summer. In early September, Requests
for Expressions of Interest were sent to 7 architectural
firms identified by the Committee. Interviews with 3 of
the most qualified firms will be scheduled during October.
One firm will be selected to begin work with the Committee
in planning and designing a building which will require
approximately 32,000 square feet - the majority to be used
for education, in addition to social and administrative
space. Included in the planning is the possibility of adding
space to the rear of the Church to accommodate the multiple
needs of Music Ministry and for additional storage. Once
a design is formulated, it will be presented to the entire
Parish for review and discussion, hopefully early next
year. The name chosen for the new facility is the St. Bede
Parish Life and Ministry Center.
One segment of the Committee’s
deliberations has included discussion for expansion of
the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. During the survey process,
some parishioners expressed concerns that design of the
current Chapel limits certain small liturgical activities
and inhibits 24 hour private and secluded worship of the
Blessed Sacrament. Father Abe and the Committee, for a
variety of liturgical and canonical reasons, believe that
the best solution to the problems expressed is to explore
the renovation of the Chapel around its existing location – not
as part of the newly planned Parish Life & Ministry
Center. As such, further study will be postponed until
the new building is designed. After that, full attention
can be focused on the exact nature and extent of any expansion.
In addition, those parishioners who use the Chapel most
frequently can further be consulted.
In the meantime, please
continue to keep the work of Father Abe and the AOT Committee
in your prayers for the success of their deliberations
with the architect to solve the critical space needs of
St. Bede in the most affordable, efficient, and functional
manner possible. The goal is to finally achieve full participation
of all segments of the parish family Around One Table.
As always, questions can be forwarded to
the Committee via email to fronheiserVA@verizon.net.
August Update:The
Around One Table Committee (AOT) has continued its summer meetings
each month. Extensive analysis has taken place to evaluate and in
some cases consolidate the requests and needs of the various ministries
regarding space. By the end of the summer, it is anticipated that
a Request for Proposal (RFP) will be distributed to selected architectural
firms who will be interviewed based upon their responses. The Committee
has concluded, with Father Abe’s
concurrence, that any new structure should either be attached physically
to the Church or be in close enough proximity to allow for sheltered
walking between the two.
You can always get caught up on AOT activities by
visiting the website which includes the names of all Committee members
and archived copies of all
previous reports.
July Update: All
parishioners have been given the opportunity, in three bulletin inserts
distributed in May, to become familiar with the rationale for expanding
facilities around the Church. Copies of the inserts are available
here.
The AOT Committee has narrowed its primary focus on
some type of facility that would include space for children’s,
youth, and adult religious education, parish social functions, and
space that would allow all staff to be present on the Ironbound campus.
Studies of spatial needs of all ministries have been completed and
summaries are being prepared from which an architect could begin
preliminary recommendations which will be reviewed over the next
few months. Items such as multi-purpose rooms, parish hall and commercial
kitchen, storage space, and reception and administration facilities
are expected to be included. There are also plans to provide all
facets of the music ministry program with much needed rehearsal and
storage space.
Most of the details are very much in the concept phase
and the exact location of the facility has yet to be determined.
The AOT Committee is finalizing a timeline that will guide its activities
for the next 9 months.
As always, contact the AOT Committee at fronheiserVA@verizon.net
|
April 2008 Update
The Around One Table Committee (AOT) will
be issuing several reports to the Parish in the coming
weeks. These reports will focus on the many problematic
issues which all the ministries and staff face on a daily
basis due to lack of ancillary space in the new Church
(excluding the sanctuary) and the inefficiencies that still
exist with maintaining two locations (Ironbound Road and
Harrison St).
Committee members have completed visits to
several other Churches in the area which have better education,
meeting, social/kitchen, and storage spaces. Included in
the field trips were St. Michaels in Glen Allen, Our Lady
of Mt. Carmel in Newport News, and Williamsburg United
Methodist and Presbyterian Churches. These facilities either
had existing space or have added new spaces recently and
much was learned about the process.
Father Abe, after consultation with the
AOT and Finance Committees, has requested that our engineering
firm draw up plans to widen the access road out to Ironbound
so that two lanes would exist for exiting the campus. Once
these plans are complete, estimates can be obtained and
hopefully funding will be sufficient to complete this project
which will greatly enhance access and complete another
piece of the plan to improve the overall design of our
Ironbound location.
As always, if you have questions please consult
the AOT website or write the AOT Chairman – fronheiserVA@verizon.net.
February 2008 Update
The AOT Committee received a very good return
of surveys distributed at all Masses the weekend of Jan.
19-20. What was particularly gratifying was the number
of parishioners who took the time to also add their own
comments. The Committee is collating the results to use
in its deliberations.
The most significant findings included the
following:
- Parishioners who responded were equally divided
among those who have joined since the new Church was
dedicated in May, 2003 and those who have been members
for more than 4 years.
- A clear majority (70%) felt that the existing situation
of maintaining staff offices, social and meeting spaces
at both the new Church and the Parish Center was not
appropriate.
- Almost 80% indicated a need for additional catechetical
(education) space at the new Church.
The Committee’s immediate plans now
include field trips to visit other churches in the area
that have new or existing multi-purpose facilities. The
engineering firm is continuing to work on drawings for
enhancing access and parking options.
All the surveys from ministry heads and staff
have been tabulated. All of this information is being used
to establish the Parish’s most significant needs
and to develop a realistic approach for meeting those needs.
During 2006, a Core Committee of parish leaders
began discussing the next phase of parish expansion. The
initial group members were Father Abe, Greg Ballentine,
Rosanne Black, Dave Clemens, Larry Fronheiser, and John
McCormack. Several combined meetings of the Parish
Council, Finance Council, and Staff took place resulting
in a name and theme for an expanded Committee that would
continue its work into 2007 and beyond. The chosen theme
is:
“Around One Table – Expanding Our Home”
Saint Bede Parish Continues the Journey Forward
This theme was chosen since it relied on the original “One Table” wording that described the campaign to build the new church. The Around One Table (AOT) Committee was christened and expanded this past spring when Father Abe selected Larry Fronheiser as Chair and 14 other members of the parish, each representing a specific ministry or demographic to ensure wide representation among our 3300 families. The members are Greg Allen, Greg Ballentine, Rosanne Black, Charlie Connelly, Brenda Fochtman, Al Jaroszewicz, Mike Kaurich, Beverly King, John McCormack, Frank McGuirk, Don Seger, Barbara Smith, Bill Theroux, and Lynne Willliams.
With this history in mind, the purpose of this article is to bring the parish up to date on the activities of the AOT Committee thus far.
- Three formal meetings have been held.
- Every parish ministry and staff member has received a “Physical Space Needs Assessment Survey” designed to solicit information on current and future needs of our parish ministries.
- Several staff and ministry heads have been interviewed by AOT members in order to expand upon the survey material.
- An engineering firm has been retained to review the parish property on Ironbound Road for the purpose of making recommendations regarding areas on which additional facilities could be constructed. The recommendations will take into consideration the extensive environmental restrictions currently in place.
- The engineering contract also includes a study of traffic, roads, and parking issues. This study is progressing and a future areicle will provide updated information.
In late November, the AOT Committee met to outline its activities for the next six months. This outline includes the following:
- Methods to gather additional input from the parish at large
- Field trips to other Churches in the area
- Reviewing the information from the engineering studies that will lead to an updated master plan.
All of this work will culminate in a vision of how and when the parish will be able to expand its facilities on the Ironbound campus, eliminate its offices on Harrison Street and, most importantly, provide the essential needs of our youth and religious education ministries without relying indefinitely on the generosity of Walsingham Academy for educational classrooms.
Please pray for the Committee as it seeks to formulate a plan based upon the excellent work of its predecessors, blended with the needs of the parish, whose growth is both a blessing and a challenge.
Stay tuned. Phase 2 - as originally envisioned by our parish leadership more than 10 years ago - is well under way.
Email Larry Fronheiser, Around One Table Committee Chairman
|
|
