Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present. – Bil Keane
We have been discussing the future endeavors for our campus, our programs, and our new Life Center here recently. However, we should also communicate our Capital Campaign’s additional focus, solving priority issues for our buildings and grounds right now. As Father John has made it clear over the past few months, we developed our Campaign Pinnacle Goal of $14 million in order to ensure all the needs of our church will be met. This includes major initiatives like installation of the same doors across the campus, renovating the church confessionals, and replacing the roofs of the existing buildings.
One item that we all agree needs to be a priority is the air conditioning of the church. I remember my first Christmas as the General Manager, when a volunteer accidentally ripped out the wires that control the AC in the church, causing an extremely uncomfortable Christmas Eve for all of us. A few years before then, a system called Metasys was installed in the church (and the Parish Activity Center), promising to control both the temperature and the cost of electricity used by St. John. Unfortunately, that decision has not resolved any of the above issues. In fact, our energy usage has increased since the installation of Metasys. It forces our AC units to turn on and off without completing their tasks to either dehumidify the air, or set the temperature properly. There are sometimes that it seems like our church is an icebox. This cannot continue.
We had our new HVAC provider, who was not involved in either the decision or the implementation of Metasys, evaluate the entire building, and they have found significant issues with the system, including a temperature sensor actually sitting in the attic, of all places. We are moving forward with a new system. It is a simple and integrated temperature/humidity sensor system that will ensure our comfort in the pews as well as for the clergy who sit under the hot lights in their vestments. We will begin the installation of the new system in the next month or so. Thank you all for your patience as we identify these types of priority issues and resolve them.
While the money has been pledged in our Build Our Future, Serve Our Past capital campaign to build our Life Center and some of our other urgent needs, we still need our entire Parish Family to give in order to reach our additional goals, including the detailed execution of the above programs. If you have any questions, please contact Joe Lichwalla, the Campaign Coordinator at 239-495-2001 or email: [email protected].
You can also learn more information about our Capital Campaign at: http://www.sjecc.com/future