LEADERSHIP

BUILDING PROJECT PROGRESS
(since we decided to *move* rather than remodel our current location)

Values Conversation
March 2008

..... On March 16th, a beautiful spring afternoon, about 80 UUCErs participated in a spirited Town Hall meeting, sponsored by the Building Project Oversight Committee (BPOC). There was lots of excitement thinking about our church’s upcoming move, but there was, too, genuine concern about value tradeoffs, keeping faith with our mission, and taking on debt.
..... Here’s a brief recap of this informative session. Most importantly, we have a process in place and it’s clicking along. The BPOC consists of several working groups whose goal is to make our new church a reality. To that end, the Financial Group assessed eight lending institutions and chose two for UUCE to work with—SELCO and Pacific Continental Bank. With a working budget of $3 to $4 million, we may need a mortgage, so we want to be ready.
..... We are hoping that the Property Search group will soon offer a site to the Board of Trustees, who will evaluate it carefully, and then decide about referring it to the congregation. If the Board does, there will be plenty of time for inspection and discussion, with UUCErs voting the site up or down on May 18th. If the vote is affirmative, fundraising for the new site will begin next fall, led by the Capital Campaign folks. Throughout this complicated process, your church is being advised by a consultant from the Unitarian Universalist Association, who will guide us through a financial feasibility study.
..... After the review, the Shared Values/Property Search working group (now merged) presented three scenarios for UUCErs to consider. The purpose of discussing these “reality-based but not entirely real” sites was to evaluate how each would reflect our UU values, keeping in mind four essential factors—location, availability, suitability, and affordability. Using data culled from February’s listening groups, the group analyzed issues UUCErs felt were important: varying degrees of community visibility, overall environmental impact, opportunities for social justice, spiritual aesthetics, and security. These imaginary sites broke down to three regions of Eugene--west, central, and south. Each area has obvious advantages and disadvantages and some not so obvious.

..... To continue to offer your Values and Concerns as begun at the March 16, 2008, Town Hall meeting, use values@uueugene.org. See the starred pages above to review the congregation's previous work so we don't repeat issues which have already been decided much earlier in the process.

>>>>Building Project Oversight Committee (BPOC): Erik Fisher, Dave DeCou, Patti Hansen, George Carroll, Karen Gaffney (Chair).
..... The BPOC will coordinate, facilitate and oversee the efforts of the "working groups" responsible for the tasks required to move us from where we are today to setting up church in our new home. BPOC members will serve two-year terms, staggering half the terms to end one year and the other half to end the following year. To facilitate communication and completion of all the necessary tasks, each member of the BPOC will serve on a working group.

>>>>Communications and Public Relations WG (CPR):
Jean Coberly, Judie Hansen, Robbie McCosh, Nisco Junkins, Martha Osgood, Susan Verner, Chuck Wagar, Dave DeCou (BPOC), and Marilyn Milne as consultants.
..... With the goal of generating enthusiastic ownership and support, the Communications and Public Relations Working Group will proactively develop materials to help the congregation, local community, and denomination maintain an appropriate understanding of the process and progress of creating a new church building.

>>>>Shared Values WG** :
Gretchen Miller, Lee Michels, Larry Cummings, Phil Carroll, Lorna Baldwin, Erik Fisher (BPOC), Linda Anson as consultant.
..... Help the congregation discover and express our shared values that will guide our move to a larger church. Consider trade offs and opportunities to express our values on the environment, economics, social justice, spiritually, and aesthetics. Coordinate with the BPOC and other working groups to ensure that our congregational and individual values are paramount through the process of site selection, building or remodeling, and the move itself.** Our goal is to help the congregation work toward a deeply satisfying, expanded church community.

>>>>Property Search WG :
Judy Sawyer, Jet Harris, Scott Maier, Michael Mattick, Martha Snyder, Linda Anson (BPOC), Jean Tate as consultant.
..... The Property Search Committee will identify potential sites for a new UUCE, evaluate and compare them, then select and recommend the candidate property for purchase.

>>>>Finance WG:
Bonnie Romane, Gretchen Miller, Sheryl Bernheine, Truman Grandy, Patti Hansen (BPOC), Jean Tate as consultant.
..... The Financing Working Group will develop a diverse set of financing options to meet the mid-term and long-term financing of this building project in all of its associated aspects, including Angel Investors, and undertake the tasks to secure all financing.

>>>>Capital Campaign WG :
Kay Crider, Gil Osgood, George Carroll (BPOC), Karen Gaffney (BPOC).
..... The Capital Campaign Working Group is responsible for raising money from the congregation and friends of the congregation to finance property acquisition, construction costs, and salary and associated expenses of any personnel hired during the building process.

---

** Imagine the different *values* inherent in these two scenarios, both locations costing the same:

Thought experiment:  We emphasize that this is a fantasy.  NOT REAL.

1) Lovely piece of land, 9.25 acres, out Fox Hollow, within the UGB, kind of a decrepit house (put the youth program there), mostly open, never built on.  Pasture sloping down to stream, mature oaks, conifers, deer, hawks, voles, lousy bus service.  Lousy pedestrian bicycle access.  Put parking lot on the other side, so sanctuary view doesn't look at it.  Great playground potential.

2) Same price (as #1 above) : Symantec/Bon building, remodel.  We assume no surprises (asbestos), but remodeling is always interesting.  Different kind of church.  View of Sk. Butte out the north facing windows, past the parking garage and bank building.  Bigger than we really need.  Performance space?  Rent space?  Be a landlord or an events organizer? Not much option for outside playground.  Sidewalk in front where the dark-clad youth hang out.  Safety for our less firm members?  Clean up the cardboard boxes and trash early every Sunday morning.  Great opportunity for a street ministry.  Do we really want that opportunity?  We have the heart for it, I believe, but do we have the will, the energy, the organization, and drive?

When push comes to shove, we need to decide what our values are and which (at the moment, imaginary) scenario represents them best.

NEW BUILDING PROJECT Decisions Background Values Conversation Outline March 2008 Q & A Listening Groups February 2008 Other UU Churches' Experiences of Moving Progress Since Deciding to Move rather than Remodel Board Recommendation May 07 Stay-or-Go Background Studies PDFs Going further back: October 07 five-year plan & chart (in Excel) Recommendation May07 Congregational Report Jan07 Hypothetical Site Settings Dec06 Drawings Dec06 Pros-Cons06 Survey Results06 Budget Comparisons06 Aerial Map of Current Site06 Congregational Report Feb06 Congregational Report Oct05 Congregational Report May05 Growth Study January 2002 Plus there were congregational surveys, UUA consultants to help us frame the early process, and early studies by members, etc. from 2002 on UUCE Home UUpDate SiteMap