Tom Casey has worshiped at Memorial since the late 70s, when he joined the choir as a member of the tenor section and met his wife, Beth at the time, a member of the soprano section. They married at Memorial in 1981 and have been active and involved members of the congregation ever since. Tom, an architect, is a Senior Associate at Hord Coplan Macht and is Chair of Memorial’s Building and Grounds Committee. He writes this week with an update on the church’s construction project. He can be reached at tmcdcasey@aol.com
An Update from Your Buildings and Grounds Committee
Nearly three years ago, a former longtime Memorial member approached our Rector with an idea: if the former member launched us with a substantial donation, could we figure out a way to air condition our sanctuary so that Memorial’s good works could take place 52 weeks per year?
This unexpected and wonderful gift launched a capital campaign, Memorial Makes Room, which has raised funds to provide air conditioning for the sanctuary, replacement of the old cork floor in the sanctuary with a new one, enhanced sanctuary lighting, and replacement of the glass doors. You may have noticed that the lighting piece of Memorial Makes Room is already finished.
When we began the Memorial Makes Room campaign in early 2021, we were on track for a construction start date that fall. However, the project was paused in November 2021. Because of the difficulty in fitting 21 st century equipment in our one hundred sixty-year-old building, we have had to revise the proposed mechanical system to be used for the air conditioning in the sanctuary. Current construction market conditions with supply chain issues and labor shortages have also played a role. Patience in times of difficulty is something we have all had to exercise.
Our proposed new system has been submitted for a permit with Baltimore City. Recently, the City requested that the Engineer provide a form showing compliance with the International Green Construction Code. We are waiting for the Engineer to provide the form, once that is submitted we expect a quick turnaround on the permit which will allow us to proceed.
Once work begins, the mechanical and flooring parts of the project should take around eight weeks to finish with the doors following. If all goes well, the next update in the Wednesday e-news will be letting you know that the project is complete.