Hello Parishioners! The Renew and Revitalize Task Force met yesterday, with a full group present in person and online. If you've ever done a home improvement project you've been particularly proud of, consider lending your knowledge to our group. Everyone brings helpful and needed experience to the table. That's what makes St. James such a great parish.

Also, a reminder that these weekly member updates will resume in August, but the work will continue throughout the summer. 

Here are the main items that came up last night and that we'll continue on over the next month: 

PARKING LOT & ARRIVAL COURT ARCHITECTURAL PLANS

Throughout July and August, we'll work with the architect, Sam Geer, on the granular plans for the parking lot and arrival court. Sam (of the firm Urban Ecosystems) is the landscape architect who designed our Landscape Master Plan in 2021. These plans will be the first step in beginning the work--assembling the team of local contractors and engineers, working with the town on permits, and eventually breaking ground. Thank you, again, to Warren Dodge, Omaira Crane, and Ocean Mills.

Someone raised the topic of surface material for the parking lot, which was also discussed at some length at the initial presentation by Sam to the parish in 2021. Mother Storm noted that, much in the same way our HVAC subcommittee is doing yeoman's work at researching every single option and which the best for us will be, we'll have a group dedicated to finding the best surfacing solution for us, hewing to the recommendations of Sam's more detailed plan. We will not move forward with any materials we haven't seen for ourselves, and asked the right questions about: weather-hardiness, aesthetic appeal, practicality, longevity, and of course, compatibility with town requirements. The importance of getting this right is understood all around.

GREAT HALL CEILING

We expect to receive a bid on repairing and restoring the Great Hall ceiling within the next two weeks. As previously discussed, this project may, however, be pushed to a later date in favor of starting work on the parking lot. Even so, a bid will give a sense of the project's costs. The contractor has been informed of our new timeline.

EXTERIOR MASONRY GRANT

Mother Storm will meet on Wednesday morning (tomorrow) with someone from Parish Property Management, who recently contracted with the Diocese of New York to help manage its properties. This is a change in the diocese, which previously employed an in-house property department to oversee the 200+ churches in the diocese. The meeting tomorrow will be to look at the work and hopefully move our grant application forward. We've asked for $53,000 for masonry repairs on our cloister facade (above the glass doors just north of the church itself).

WHAT TO EXPECT THIS FALL

Again, these email updates will resume in August. As we progress, we plan to add videos and more photos. By September and October, you can expect to see more detailed information about the architect's plans for our Arrival Court and Parking Lot, news about our masonry grant, names of (we hope!) new committee members, more HVAC and parking lot surfacing updates, and a refined timeline of work. 

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: ORDER OF TOP PROJECTS

At the June "Renew and Revitalize Task Force" meeting, the following ordering of projects was agreed on. This is based on several factors: grant money disbursements, level of importance to the parish, longevity and safety of current equipment/conditions. Projects will now be planned for and pursued in the following order:

1. Parking Lot and Arrival Court,

2. Exterior masonry work,

3. Replacement of the heating and cooling systems,

4. Great Hall renovations, and

5. Other (other projects to be prioritized as we proceed).

THE RENEW AND REVITALIZE TASK FORCE

(Sign up to join our efforts below!) Bill Haffner, Mark Trager, Linda Killian, Ocean Mills, Tom Finlan, Monica Sganga, Gina Taglieri, Ray Joseph, Christopher Burrows, Pat Wynne, Omaira Crane, James Fawcett, Toni Lewis, Lisa Wolfe, Rob Fath and Nathan Gallup. 

It used to be that approaching our church, you could enjoy the view and not worry about cars blocking your path or steering clear of potholes and, worse, sinkholes! We're going to reclaim that space for seating, fellowship, outdoor events, and return it to its beautiful and also more functional condition. This picture comes from the October 1939 edition of the Parish Messenger, set next to a rendering from our 2021 Landscape Master Plan.

Also, DID YOU KNOW? The door you see in the picture above, our main red door into the church, was not original to the building. It was added when the parking lot was added. It used to be that people brought their carriages to church up the driveway, swung right to the south side door (then the only door), got dropped off, while their carriage driver continued around the back of the church to the stables, which were located around where the current Great Hall stands. An early memory of a parishioner recalls how one of the unruly boys of the parish used to sneak out of church and taunt the horses as they approached! 

Join us as we prepare to begin work. All welcome to join in!

Since it will take a while to get all the pieces in place to break ground, let's keep before us what we're working towards. Imagine how lovely it will be to drive into St. James the Less--lovelier still, because you'll be able to park without hassle!