A group selfie of our dedicated Reno Management Team in early summer as they worked to clean out the areas being renovated.
If you've been around for a few years, you will know that our building (for which we are very grateful) is certainly no shortage of work for our diligent Property Committee to maintain. You may remember the exposed industrial look we sported around here for the 2017 to 2019 HVAC reno season? This building-wide project was enormous, though is largely unseen unless you tend to crawl around our ventilation system. The successful completion of this was quickly followed by the sudden soffit droop in the summer of 2020, when our exterior canopy ceiling collapsed (a little too symbolic of that year in general, if you ask us). While you are not likely to ever notice or think about it, we are continually grateful our lovely new soffit stays put after heavy rainfalls.
This year, thanks to the Property Committee's work applying for government grants, we have already been able to install a more secure entry system, and now have in hand a significant grant that has made our highly anticipated washroom renos attainable! If you are the type of person who ever needs to use a washroom, this will be welcome news. Those at our recent Member's Meeting will have heard about the sorry state of our vintage YMCA-era plumbing, the details of which we are too polite to repeat here. With all the appropriate approvals in place, we are now full steam ahead on a complete gut job of both our front entry washrooms and the Fellowship Room washrooms.
Photo Update: Fellowship Room washrooms as of July 10, 2023. Looking better than we've seen them in a long time!
A pertinent word or two from, Michael, one of our Deacons serving on the Property Committee:
There is a lot of construction work happening at Crestwicke this summer, and it is starting very soon. Asbestos abatement will be happening in a few locations around the building including the floors around the staff offices, as well as some plumbing areas. This work will be starting on June 28 and will take up to 3 weeks. All necessary precautions will be in place by licensed contractors, with any ongoing work areas completely sealed off during this time.
The washroom renovations will be starting the first week of July and are estimated to take about 3 months to complete. The contractor will be setting up barriers to delineate construction space from generally accessible spaces to ensure the safety of the congregation, especially spaces used by our Crestwicke kids.
While our washrooms are out of commission, the RCA school washrooms (by the school main entrance) and the RCA staff washroom (accessible washroom near the York Road Room) are available for our use. When the time comes, we will be sure to have signs directing you where to go. If you have any questions, please contact the church office, who will put you in touch with those serving on our Reno Management Team.
A “before” bathroom selfie with three-quarters of the Reno Management Team. (We figured this was better than a picture of the old toilets.)
Due to the initial reno work, most church staff will be working from home the first 2 weeks of July, and intermittently through the summer. Please call or email he church office and we will get back to you as soon as we can. If you need to access the church building, please call or email ahead to ensure someone is there to let you in. Washrooms on the RCA side of the building will be available while ours are being renovated.
We thank God for what has already been accomplished and the dedication of our volunteers to bring us this far. Please be praying for the renovation work through the summer, and for wisdom for our Reno Management Team & General Contractor as they navigate any decisions that need to be made. We also thank God for the opportunity to increase the hospitality of our building through these washroom renovations, which will serve all who use the building, and especially make a marked difference for those with accessibility issues.