IMPORTANT FACILITIES UPDATES FOR SFC

Dear Friends:
 
Praised be Jesus Christ! Repair work has been progressing on the Saint Frances Cabrini campus in the past few weeks.  Maintenance staff are considered essential workers under the State shut down provisions, the campus is free of activity at the moment which offers a rare opportunity to move quickly on some projects, and we did have some monies set aside for this work heading into our current situation of limited operations. 
 
Significant Problems Encountered When Beginning Planned Canopy Repairs
I wanted to update everyone on one major facilities item that has arisen in the past week that impacts a noticeable feature of our campus:  the two canopies over the lower entrances to the main church.    In our most recent capital campaign from 2017, we included as part of our appeal case the need to do critical structural repairs to the lower canopies and also to install some type of seasonal side enclosures on them.  Over the past week, we have finally been able to begin our work on these canopies as part of the final phase of needed preparation work to complete the parking lot this summer.  We cannot finish the parking lot asphalt until as much of the edge concrete work as possible is also completed, and that includes the cement work on the canopies. 
 
Last week we discovered a substantial structural problem with the canopies that has forced us to re-think the feasibility of repairing them.  As we removed the first layers of original concrete that has failed, we realized that there is no way to repair and save the existing canopy structures without constructing a completely new foundation structure beneath them.  Additionally, even if we did construct a new foundation to allow us to tie-in to the existing metal structure, we would not be able to overcome the grade and water problems that have led over the years to all the cement failing in the canopies in the first place.  The existing canopies were also a few years away from needing new roofs, and their design poses several challenges to effective weather protection. 
 
The Decision To Remove the Existing Canopies Completely
We conducted a quick email meeting of the Facilities Committee to weigh the merits of all the extra expenses and also the extended period of time it would take to save the canopies, against the benefits of removing them completely with the hope of returning down the road to a better suited structural solution of weather protection for our entryways. 
 
Ultimately, it was decided that in the interests of the unique window we have right now with no one using the entrances, of the tight deadlines we are under to finish the parking lot before that major investment is compromised by longer delays, and of the guesses at how much more expensive saving the old canopies was now going to be, we decided we needed to quickly tear them down for a minimal expense, in order to keep moving quickly on the bigger campus needs. The canopies are being completely removed, and that will allow us now to do proper grading around the lower entrances, and to pour a simple sidewalk to each entryway, keeping us (weather permitting) on our necessary timeline to finish the lower parking lot this summer. 
 
I realize that many people appreciate the limited shelter that the current structures do offer, but I also think that, down the road, we will be able to come up with a better structural solution for protected access to our worship space.  Given the limitations of time and money we are facing in light of what we uncovered below the ground last week, and given the structural deficiencies with the current structures, it would not have been a good investment to try and save them. 
 
Plans For New Structures To Offer Sheltered Entry to the Church
We will include in our next round of parish campus planning and fundraising some conversation about sheltered access to the worship space.  We already have a few new ideas in mind that offer some strong positives depending upon the direction we decide to go.  Given the current social and economic uncertainty, I cannot say for certain when we will get to this next round of planning, but I do know that there are always new items and issues for our planning in the interests of promoting our mission.  So, we will get to it sooner than later.
 
In the meantime, I ask your understanding and patience if the removal of the existing structures poses a significant hardship for you as you continue to worship here, once our lock down restrictions are lifted.  I look forward to broader parish meetings down the road when we can entertain new ideas from all of you for new structures that will be a true improvement to the campus. 
 
Know of my continued prayers for our parish family in these very unusual times. 
 
Father Nathan