Details, Details, Details – Construction Update!

Details. The Oxford Dictionary of English says that details are: an individual fact or item; a less significant item or fact; a minor decorative feature of a building; a small part of a larger picture – among other things.

If you close your eyes you can imagine the innumerable details that go into the building of a Sanctuary. But rest assured that what some may call “details” are not insignificant to the people who will worship in the space, to the people who are designing the space, and to the committee which is responsible to owners of the space.

The work included in Phase One of the UUCCH sanctuary is complete. It is safe from the elements. It contains all of the grand elements of the structure and the details that will make both the exterior and the interior unique from every other building.

The plans for the renovation of the Terrace have been in the hands of Cherry Hill Township for months. It was the hope of the Task Force that work on that outdoor space could have proceeded while the design of the interior was finalized. The lack of approval has prevented work that could have been in process or even completed this Spring.

Now, let us talk about the big project – the interior of the space. The design of that space is a conglomerate, a thing consisting of a number different and distinct items that are grouped together, according to Oxford, of details. It is impossible to enumerate the number of items that will go into the design of our future sanctuary. But you can trust that none of them are insignificant nor minor decorative features to the Task Force or the Board.

The lighting is not a minor detail. The chancel is not a less significant detail. The ventilation is major in the time of Covid. The audio/visual system is a new system, also a major change, and more than a detail. I could go on and on about electrical changes, HVAC changes, entrance and exit changes, storage spaces, safety issues.

The detailed plans of the sanctuary are ready to go to the Township of Cherry Hill. The members of the congregation can trust that all of the details were given the weight that they deserved. Once approved, the construction will begin. Teams of sub-contractors will swarm the campus. There will be the much-awaited noise and hum that will make the wait worth it.

Your Board of Trustees and the Renovation Task Force thank you for your patience and know that the finished space * a conglomerate of details * will be a warm, welcoming home for Unitarian-Universalists for decades to come.

 

Connie Roggio for the Board and Renovators.

renovators@uucch.org