New Building Design and Planning

The CEC is continuing to meet with the architects and construction manager on the building design. The architects have worked further on the site and lobby plans to reduce costs so that there is more money for the sanctuary, and have developed a sanctuary plan. These new plans are now being evaluated for total cost.

The new sanctuary design has four pie-shaped sections for seating, with gently sloping floor. The acoustics and access are still being worked out, but it appears that the seating will have the last rows no farther from the pulpit than in our current meeting room.

It is proposed that there will be pews, with padded seats, since this will work better than chairs on the sloping floor. A civil engineer was hired to develop the parking requirements in the simplest way possible, and now proposes a paved area, with a single dry well for runoff control. This is likely to cost less than working with crushed stone or partial paving. Overall we are trying to be careful with the budget, and are requiring redesign when costs are high. Since this takes time, we will not be able to construct the new lobby this summer. It is important that we know the costs for the entire project, and that the congregation approve the entire design before we proceed with any construction. Once we have a complete design that is agreed upon, we will apply for the special building permit with the Town of Hamden, for which there will be a public meeting.

Current Schedule