June 25, 2020
Dear Members and Friends of the Hills Church,
Phase 1B of our HVAC and fire protection construction project is underway, and we (the Moderators) will be issuing periodic updates just as we did during the Phase 1A project last summer.
The Phase 1B project will encompass:
1. replacement of the oil–fired boiler with two high-efficiency gas boilers
2. conversion of the heating system (piping and radiators) to a hot water system in the Wallac Chapel building, i.e., the Chapel and the Undercroft where the Food Pantry is located
3. upgrades to the heating and air conditioning system in the Sanctuary,
4. installation of new fire protection systems including the sprinklering of both buildings.
Both the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Town of Wellesley lifted their bans against non– essential construction on May 18 making it possible for us to proceed with our project this summer. A number of procedures have been put into place by our contractors to reduce the risk of the spread of COVID-19 including mandatory health and temperature checks for workers coming on site, staggered start times, limitations on numbers of workers in an area at once, as well as masking, hand hygiene
protocols, and modified social distancing. The church, including the construction areas, is currently not open to members or the general public anyway.
We obtained our construction permit from the Town of Wellesley on 5/20, and by 5/29 we had moved out of all areas in the Wallace Chapel building and the Sanctuary building, thanks to the extraordinary efforts of church staff and a team of volunteers. On 6/5, National Grid showed up to dig a trench and lay a new higher capacity gas line to the back of the church. Almost immediately
thereafter, a crane appeared on Chapel Place which was used to haul out sections of the old oil–fired boiler and the oil tanks which had been dismantled in situ.
Limited demolition work (mostly removing the ceiling and light
fixtures) has been finished in the Assembly Room to enable the installation of the sprinkler system. Surfaces, like the floor and the balustrades along the mezzanines, have been protected.
In the Sanctuary, the pews, floors and windows have been covered, and the organ (pipes and console) has been wrapped by Foley–Baker, the same company we used for last summer’s
construction. All of the pianos/keyboards
(5 of them) have been moved out of the areas under construction. The ‘invisible’ parts of the organ, which are in the room behind the pipes, have also been
protected. The lifts, which will be used to install the piping for the sprinkler system also arrived; you can see the red one standing on a protective pad of plywood. The mural and windows in the West end will be covered before construction starts.
In Wallace Chapel, the abatement of the asbestos in the tile floor has been completed, the pews have been removed, and the organ, with its 17th Century case, has been protected.
A wall in the Food Pantry area has been removed to open up the space, and some other prep work has been done. The stacks of ‘pasta dishes’ are the light fixtures from the Assembly Room.
We will be updating you again in a few weeks. Meanwhile, should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact any of the Moderators individually or by email: officeofthemoderator@hillschuch.org
October 24, 2019
As we reported to you in the last update (9/11/19), the renovation project in the Nursery School has been completed. They welcomed their students back for the first day of classes on 9/9, as scheduled. Since then, the contractors focused their efforts on the second and third floors of the Parish House where the work is almost complete.
On the third floor (Church School level) the contractors have finished bringing up the new water lines for the sprinklers (see photo) and putting in the sprinkler heads. They have also installed new ceilings as well as new lighting and emergency signs, and they are patching and cleaning the carpet and flooring. The radiators will be going in the week of 10/25.
The contractors installed the radiators on the second floor (Church Offices) and are finishing up some millwork in the small kitchen and the copier room.
The photos of the hallway and the former Crib Room also shows the new ceiling and light fixtures. The re-painting of the offices is close to being finished and a final cleaning of both floors was done in preparation for moving back in.
Behind the temporary red fence in the front lawn, the contractors have begun excavating a trench for a new, larger line to bring water in from the street which is needed to support the new sprinkler systems.
We obtained our temporary Certificate of Occupancy from the Town on 10/18, and the offices moved back in to the second floor between 10/18-21, although the staff will be unpacking and re-arranging for the next week or so. The furniture and materials for the Church School are also being moved back in this week and will be set up to resume Church School as of Sunday, November 17.
We are planning an Open House of the Nursery School and church offices on the second floor of the Parish House after church on Sunday, November 3. Everyone is invited to tour these two floors during Community Hour, but please do not walk around with coffee cups; the new carpets look so good!
Note that the construction updates from the moderators are also appearing on the church’s website: https://www.hillschurch.org/news/ . Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact any of the Moderators individually or by email: officeofthemoderator@hillschurch.org.
In service and faith,
Mary Hill Canavan, Gintas Vildzius, Christopher Stowell
Office of the Moderator
September 11, 2019
As we reported to you in the last update (8/21/19), the renovation project in the Nursery School was completed on time. We received our temporary certificate of occupancy from the Town of Wellesley, the movers brought the furniture and materials back in, and the teachers set up their classrooms for the year, all in time for parent orientation on 9/5 and the first day of classes on 9/9.
With the work completed in the Nursery School, the contractors have been focusing on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the Parish House. Since the last update, most of the HVAC work on the 2nd floor has been completed. In addition, sprinkler heads and new lights have also been installed. The new walls reconfiguring the former library and church administrator’s office are up and being prepped for painting next week, and new carpeting is being laid.
On the 3rd floor, the HVAC contractor, Fraser, is installing lines for the new AC system. Meanwhile, piping for the dry sprinkler system is being installed in the attic.
Until the work is completed on the 2nd and 3rd floors, which is expected to be the end of October, these two floors will remain closed off as they have been this summer. We’ll have to continue to be flexible about how and where we carry out our usual functions. The church administrator’s office will continue to operate out of the former Ushers Room and the clergy will keep office hours in the Board Room on rotating days while making visits and working offsite the rest of the week. The Sunday School will be held in the Wellesley Community Center, and the Assembly Room and Board Room will be used (heavily!) to host the numerous groups and meetings which are held throughout the week.
Once the work has been completed, we plan to have a walk-through of the renovated spaces during Community Hour. The date will be scheduled and announced after we have the occupancy permit.
You should also mark your calendar for a presentation of the Master Plan report which will be made after church on 9/29. Representatives from the Master Plan Steering Committee will review the process and inputs on which the plan was based, its key elements, and how the current renovations relate to it.
Note that the construction updates from the moderators are also appearing on the church’s website: https://www.hillschurch.org/news/ . Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact any of the Moderators individually or by email: officeofthemoderator@hillschurch.org.
In service and faith,
Mary Hill Canavan, Gintas Vildzius, Christopher Stowell
Office of the Moderator
August 22, 2019
Dear Members and Friends of the Hills Church,
The update on the Parish House HVAC and renovation project this week is very short but very sweet!
The work in the Nursery School – ceilings, lights, sprinklers, air-conditioning, heat, casework and painting – is done! One of the classrooms is shown to the right. The first floor is being given a final cleaning and we expect to receive the temporary certificate of occupancy from the Town today or tomorrow. The movers are scheduled to bring the furnishings and supplies that are being stored in the pods back to the classrooms on Saturday and Monday. The teachers themselves will be coming back on Tuesday the 27th to set up their classrooms for the year. They will be able to host parent orientation on September 4th and 5th, have their first day of school on Monday the 9th, as scheduled, and, we are pleased to be able to say, in a facility upgraded with air-conditioning and a state-of-the-art fire protection system!
We should take a minute to tip our hats to KVA and Consigli Contracting for bringing this part of the project in on time, and that despite the one week delay in getting the construction permit!
August 7, 2019
Dear Members and Friends of the Hills Church,
The Parish House HVAC and renovation project has been moving along, as you will see from the descriptions and photos below. The project is still on track to complete the work in the Nursery School area by 8/23 so that they can begin classes on schedule in September. Note that work in the second and third floors is scheduled to be completed in the Fall.
On the Nursery School floor, the fire protection main lines, branch piping, and most of fire protection heads (sprinklers) have been installed.
In addition, Fraser, the HVAC subcontractor, has been insulating the hot water pipes on this floor.
July 24, 2019
Dear Members and Friends of the Hills Church,
It has been two weeks since we last updated you on the Parish House HVAC and renovation project in which time a lot of progress has been made. A few of the highlights are described below. Note that these construction updates from the moderators are also appearing on the church’s website in case you should miss one: https://www.hillschurch.org/news/
We will be updating you again in a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact any of the Moderators individually or by email: officeofthemoderator@hillschuch.org.
In service and faith,
Mary Hill Canavan, Gintas Vildzius, Christopher Stowell
Office of the Moderator
July 10, 2019
Dear Members and Friends of the Hills Church,
It has been just about two weeks since Consigli Construction obtained our building permit and we ‘broke ground’ so to speak on our HVAC Plus project. It has also been two weeks since we updated you on the progress of this renovation. Note that all of these construction updates from the moderators are also appearing on the church’s website in case you should miss one: https://www.hillschurch.org/news/
Since our last update, the staff has been settling into their temporary spaces and the life of the church goes on, in ‘revised normal’ mode. Most people have managed to find the temporary church office (in the Ushers’ Room) and the temporary Reception Room (in the Board Room). In June, we successfully hosted 300 guests for a service of Episcopal Ordination for a Roman Catholic woman priest becoming a bishop. The service took place in the Sanctuary and the reception was held in the Assembly Room. Just as a reminder, some of the details about how, when and where staff and clergy will be operating during construction can be found in Matt’s messages in the June 6 and June 13 church newsletters which have also been posted on the church website.
You’ve probably seen the accumulation and turnover of construction materials on campus which gives you some idea of the level of activity. But here are some notes and pictures to give you a better idea of what has been going on behind the scenes.
Demolition and asbestos abatement will continue in the current week, and Fraser will also begin installing new hot water pipes. We will be sharing further updates with you in the coming weeks.
Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact any of the Moderators individually or by email: officeofthemoderator@hillschuch.org.
In service and faith,
Mary Hill Canavan, Gintas Vildzius, Christopher Stowell
Office of the Moderator
June 25, 2019
Dear Members and Friends of the Hills Church,
A few weeks have gone by since we last communicated with you about the progress of the renovation project which is getting underway this summer, and you’ve probably noticed some of the changes already. After a couple of months of sorting, purging, packing, and storing, the Nursery School, the Church School, and the church staff and clergy have vacated the Parish House. A temporary home has been found for everything we wish to keep in various places around the complex, not to mention the storage pods in the parking lot. As of last week, the staff and clergy were settled in their temporary quarters and are fully operational with phones, computers, internet access, and teapots. For some of the details about how, when and where staff and clergy will be operating during construction, please refer to Matt’s messages in the June 6 and June 13 church newsletters (which can be found on the church website https://www.hillschurch.org/news/ ), and the last several Sunday Orders of Worship.
In addition, yesterday the Town of Wellesley issued the building permit we needed to move forward with this summer’s construction work in the Parish House. The demolition work involved is scheduled to begin tomorrow. It is important to note that the size of this summer’s Parish House project triggered a legal requirement obligating us to install sprinklers and other fire safety improvements throughout the church complex. Because of this, the Town of Wellesley conditioned the issuance of our building permit on receipt of a commitment from us about when we would do that. Although Church Council in a June 16 letter to the Fire Department, requested three to five years to get this done – at an estimated cost of $800,000 in current dollars – Town officials would not agree to anything beyond June 2021.
Upon learning this, Church Council met again on June 18. After much deliberation, Council determined that the estimated cost of delaying the current project was so significant that continuing to negotiate with the Town in an effort to try to get them to agree to give us more time – while at the same time attempting to organize a Special Meeting of the Congregation to review this matter with the congregation as a whole – would not be in the church’s best interest.
Acting on behalf of the congregation and bearing in mind that sprinklers and fire safety upgrades throughout the complex were seen by the congregation as a high priority during the Master Planning process, Council moved to accept the June 2021 completion date being offered by the Town. Fortunately, our Owner’s Project Manager (OPM) and contractor believe completing the additional fire safety work required by June 2021 is feasible. That said, Council recognizes that the success of our impending capital campaign will be a key factor when it comes to deciding on the approach we take to doing that. There will be discussion and a vote by the congregation on this point in the fall.
In related news, consistent with the votes taken at the March 3 and May 12 Special Meetings of the Congregation, the Stewards Support Board, led by Chair Jeff McGrew, negotiated and documented a line of credit arrangement with a local bank to provide the short-term financing needed in connection with this summer’s construction work. This transaction was successfully completed last Thursday, June 20.
Looking ahead a bit, the Master Plan Steering Committee approved the final version of the Master Plan last Friday, June 21. This plan includes the Committee’s suggestions about how to group and sequence the various proposed projects. The plan will be presented to Church Council at their next meeting (July 16), and we will be reaching out to the congregation in the coming weeks to communicate when and how it will be shared in the fall.
With respect to the Capital Campaign, work continues on the Fundraising Feasibility and Planning Study we commissioned Walsh & Associates, our campaign consultant, to conduct for us. Earlier this month, Walsh completed thirty-five in-person and telephone interviews of our parishioners, and is currently receiving responses to the online survey which will be open through the end of the day today, Tuesday, June 25. If you have not already completed an in-person or online survey, would you please take a minute to complete the online survey now by clicking on the link below:
https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/5052837/WellesleyHillsCongregationalChurch
or, by filling out the paper version, copies of which are available in the relocated Church Office in the former Ushers’ Room. We would like to have the benefit of input from as many members as possible. The Feasibility Report itself will be presented to Campaign Co-Chairs Bob Minetti and Steven Patrick in mid-July and will be instrumental in developing a successful capital campaign.
Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact any of the Moderators individually or by email: officeofthemoderator@hillschuch.org.
In service and faith,
Mary Hill Canavan, Gintas Vildzius, Christopher Stowell
Office of the Moderator