UBC operates in a campus physical plant with buildings constructed from the 1950s to the 1990s. Understandably many of the building systems that operate in these facilities have exceeded their expected life and require updates and or replacement.
This reality has become more acute with the summer heat, and multiple efforts are currently ongoing. Thankfully, our finance team has been anticipating this need and has set aside funds to make improvements.
Current activities fall into 3 general categories as outlined below. We will update you periodically as repairs are completed, and improvements are planned.
Contracted preventative maintenance and repairs:
Regular maintenance of air conditioning systems and related components
Repairs to systems components to keep air conditioning systems operational on an as needed basis
Juggling air conditioning systems where possible to minimize the impact of outages on church operations
Activities are monitored daily by Don Garland and Aaron Biggers
Emergency Repairs that are larger and more urgent than can be addressed by our maintenance contract. Ongoing efforts include:
Monitoring of campus electrical service and testing of primary campus electrical service components
Restoration of the electrical service for the Fellowship Hall (currently scheduled this week)
Replacement of one compressor for the Sanctuary air conditioning unit
Activities are monitored by the Facilities Team and the Finance Committee
Planning for timely system updates to replace old equipment and save energy:
Team has engaged a consulting engineer to evaluate respective systems and recommend priority improvements
Effort is evaluating spaces and components to optimize overall campus performance
Effort will result in planned improvements when they are least disruptive to church operations
Plans are being developed by the Facilities Team for review and approval by the Governing Board
In response to the growing challenges, the Governing Board established a subcommittee to study the short-term and long-term needs - AC/Heating, Electrical, and Roofing - and resolve the needs expeditiously. The subcommittee is composed of Ken Tipton, Don Garland, Aaron Biggers, Terry Hill on the technical side, David Crifasi on Finance, and Martha Forbes and Russ Futrell on the Governing Board.
While UBC has set aside funds for emergency facility purposes, we encourage you to continue to give out of faithfulness to our growing church. Gifts to UBC can also include gifting stocks, mutual funds, or ETFs. You can explore some of these options with the Finance Committee and your accountant.
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