TRANSPARENCY ALERT – for your information
First Presbyterian Church’s building has flat roofs over every part of the structure except the historic sanctuary, fellowship hall, the parlor, and the chapel. Each flat roof is well beyond its expected lifespan. Each flat roof is leaking (some with gusto!) Each flat roof must be replaced.
We have received bids to replace the roof above the second story (the part of the building that was originally a gym and that now houses the kitchen and offices downstairs and offices and classrooms upstairs) plus some small contiguous sections over Robert’s office and the upstairs restrooms, choir room, and music storage. The roofer chosen for this project has been asked to submit a separate bid for the education wing so that the Session can discern whether to do all of this work at once. (Which would likely be much more cost effective since there would only be one rental of large equipment.) As I write this, we have not yet received that bid.
Some questions people have asked:
- Is it possible to change the flat roofs to roofs with some kind of pitch? It’s possible but not practical nor cost effective. We cannot change the structure of the roofs without changing the structure of the buildings that support the roofs. Adding the kind of structural support that would be necessary to support a different roof would require those buildings be brought up to current code (which includes significant requirements since we are in seismic zone 2a.) The cost of doing that would likely be as much as double the amount of replacing the roofs (or more) and would not eliminate the need for ongoing maintenance. Putting a 20-year roof on with plans to replace it in 15-25 years (depending on how it ages) makes more sense at this time.
- How much will this cost and how will we pay for it? The cost of the project mentioned above (without the education wing) is about $100,000. The finance committee confirmed that there are resources available to borrow from ourselves to complete this part of the project with the commitment to pay that money back to ourselves as part of an upcoming Comprehensive Campaign. We are currently waiting on the second bid for the education wing roof. With input from the Building & Grounds and Finance Committees, the Session will make that decision as soon as that information is available. The education wing roof project is a much larger space than the second story roof project that came in at $100,000.
- Are there any other options to pay for these roofs? I’m glad you asked.
If several people were motivated to make gifts above their regular pledged giving, it could be possible to pay for the roofs without borrowing from ourselves. This would be ideal.
If this is interesting to you, please reach out or simply submit a gift with “2025 roof replacement” on the memo line. Any gifts in excess of what is needed to replace the flat roofs will be used to help put a continuous cap on the limestone and tile caps around the edges of the roofs after the roofs have been replaced. Any gifts in excess of those needs will be set aside for the upcoming restoration and renovation of the space unless the giver designates some other priority.
If you have other questions, please reach out to Paul Blaylock, chair of Building & Grounds, or to Rev. MB.
Exciting (and drier) days are ahead!
