The Trustees Toolbox, Installment #2 Transparency and Accessibility
Transparency, a word we’ve been hearing often. I immediately think, Saran Wrap. What does transparency mean in current contexts?
As an ethic that spans science, engineering, business, and the humanities, transparency is practiced in such a way that it is easy for others to see what actions are performed. Transparency implies openness, communication, and accountability. In companies, profit or non-profit organizations, communities, and administrations, transparency enables the layperson to understand, to the extent that it is appropriate and legal, what is going on within the organization.
In The Messenger’s Installment #1 of “The Trustees Toolbox,” the SUM Board of Trustees was introduced, and the work we do for the church was delineated. In that article, we dangled the proverbial carrot that let you know we had some exciting news to share.
Accessibility is another word we’ve been hearing lately at SUM, and indeed, the Accessibility Project IS the carrot that the trustees have been steadily working on for a number of months.
Simsbury United Methodist Church is ADA compliant, but we are simply not ADA convenient. The Accessibility Project is addressing this issue, along with other immediately related improvements to our church building. We have the ADA required access into the sanctuary and to bathrooms via a lift; however, that access takes one out of the building and back in through the kitchen to get from the sanctuary level to the bathrooms and to Wesley Hall. Hardly welcoming to guests or handy for our regular congregants.
The Accessibility Project is enormous. The effort to make sure every detail is fully explored is front and center on the trustees’ agenda. Here, then, with transparency, is the first of a series of updates we will include in the Messenger to keep you informed, while using caution not to bog you down with overwhelming details.
1) The goal of the renovation project is to improve accessibility for all individuals, including improved access from the sanctuary to and from Wesley Hall and the restrooms, as well as improved egress from the church basement to the outside.
2) Possible construction of a new restroom at the sanctuary level with reworking of the rear stairway to the north. Possible installation of a new “lift” among other structural improvements.
3) After careful vetting, contractors have been identified, including the Architect, Structural Engineer, Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing Engineer, Civil Engineer, and Site Design Engineer. Still to be determined: Construction Manager.
4) A project timeline will include the hiring of the above, coupled with information gathering, schematic designs for review with the Town of Simsbury, and development of detailed design documents, drawings, and specifications for contract bidding, and building permitting to determine project cost.
5) Essential planning includes a well-defined project budget before construction begins.
6) The project’s funding sources, while maintaining SUM's financial health, include monies from the Endowment Fund, member donations, and a possible fundraising campaign to foster member involvement. Potential grants are also possible.
7) Community/congregants' involvement to foster ownership and commitment to the project is extremely important. Updates on progress are essential to transparency and involvement with the church family.
The trustees continue to weigh the pros and cons of every single step involved in the project. Is each feature essential, or is it fluff? Is it in keeping with maintaining the integrity and charm of one of Simsbury’s historical buildings? Will the improvement fit in with our budget? What can we eliminate if we think it won’t?
We have been entrusted with wrestling with the nuts and bolts of this important project and will report our findings and progress to you. Stay tuned to The Messenger as we travel this road… together, with transparency.
Karen Matheson, Trustee
For the Board of Trustees