CONSTRUCTION AND RENOVATIONS COMMITTEE REPORT
Row Houses Subcommittee Report: Nelson Melton
The calendar year of 2018 began with Tabernacle’s congregation voting to move forward with the major remodeling of the two row houses, adjacent to the main church building.
The positive vote by the congregation necessitated the Church move forward with regulatory actions which needed approval from the City of Richmond planning authorities and Richmond City Council to alter the two row houses into residential housing units.
A special use permit (SUP) needing approval involved both the Church’s child care function along with the two row houses. The child care’s SUP was approved first, and then at the suggestion of Richmond City authorities and with the advice of the Church’s legal counsel, the SUP approved for the child care operation was amended, granting the Church authority to convert the two row houses into residential apartments. The amended SUP was approved on November 13, 2018.
During the first part of 2018 the Church approved moving forward to borrow $400,000 from the Baptist Extension Board (BEB). This loan was approved by the BEB in February, 2018 and will be used to pay for a portion of the remodeling work on the two row houses. In addition, a part of the God Size Vision funds will be used to pay the balance of the cost of the remodeling the two row houses not covered by the loan from the Baptist Extension Board. The remainder of the GSV funds will be used for improvements in the main Church building, with a small amount of funds used to improve the first floor and second floor of the Child Care function. The majority of the funds designated for the Child Care operation will be used for a new parent entrance on the east side of the William’s building. This new entrance was caused by the elimination of the old entrance into the William’s building by
the remodeling of the two row houses.
During the first half of 2018, a myriad of legal paper work to create two limited liability corporations was approved by the Church and put in place with the State of Virginia Corporation Commission. The two organizations were titled, 1913 Grove Avenue LLC and 1915 Grove Avenue LLC and will hold legal title to the two row houses.
As the year of 2018 moved toward closing, the Church’s contractor, Eliot Clark, began preparations to begin the remodeling work on the two row houses. Legal documents which will manage the loan relationship with the Baptist Extension Board were received and were under review as the year drew to an end.
Williams Building Subcommittee: Donna Soyars
Our accomplishments with renovations in the Williams Building have been steady over the past year. Our most important change was to create a new entranceway for our TCCC families to create a safer and more private access as row house construction and renovation begins. We are very pleased with the outcome of these efforts and quite grateful to Jay Hartman and his team for their support.
Funds utilized to date are close to our budgeted amount, understanding that there were additional, unforeseen improvements that had to be made as we worked out the details of each change. We will continue to prioritize our efforts for the benefit of those who use the Williams Building and maximize how much we can accomplish within our $45,000 budget.
Please address any questions related to this project and what we are planning for 2019 to Donna or Jim Soyars.
Main Building Subcommittee: John Gass
Renovations to our main church facilities have begun with the major basement-level renovations completed. Additional designs are underway and are being priced for feasibility within our fixed budget.
