The vote on this resolution will happen by paper ballot at the Annual Meeting of the Congregation on Saturday, November 19, at 10:00 a.m.

The Unity Tomorrow Current Site Team has completed its schematic design alignment with the capital campaign goals for the Unity Tomorrow project.

This alignment process allowed us to see that the expanded sanctuary portion of our planning efforts are not  achievable at this time. We will defer any additional design work on the new sanctuary and renovated great hall until our first two objectives have been completed and/or until the capital campaign exceeds its projected goals and allows a funding opportunity for this expanded capacity objective as well.

Therefore, the Current Site Team will move into the next phase of design for the following scope of work :

• Building infrastructure includes: roof repairs; window replacement; mechanical, electrical and ventilation system replacement or upgrades; ADA access; and fire suppression. In providing these upgrades throughout the current facility, many finishes will be disturbed and, therefore, will need to be refinished or replaced.
• Current facility improvements include: new and upgraded bathrooms, expansion and renovation of the kitchen, a new portico entrance near the elevator lobby, a new unified entrance with gallery and courtyard at the corner of Portland and Grotto.

This next phase of design, called Design Development will further detail the level of design and facility improvements to be made. Three Design Development Teams will be created, drawing from members of our Unity Tomorrow teams, the staff and others with particular expertise. These three groups — Infrastructure and Life Safety, Entry and Courtyard, Kitchen and Restrooms — along with a Design Development Steering Committee comprised of the Executive Team and Owner’s Representative will kick-off the Design Development effort in early October.

The Unity Tomorrow project is also moving ahead in hiring a Construction Manager to work with the design team and to actually build the project. This method of delivering a capital project is one of the topics covered in the orientation sessions recently provided by Unity’s Owner Representative, Lorelee Wederstrom. Hiring the Construction Manager now, as we complete design, will allow us to keep the scope of the project within the capital campaign goals as this firm will continuously assess and estimate the decisions made by the design team. At the end of design development the construction firm will provide Unity Church with a guaranteed maximum price for the project.

Other activities coming in October include soil borings surrounding the church building to determine the soil quality and groundwater conditions and an asbestos survey to identify the precise location of any asbestos containing materials so that proper abatement can occur prior to construction next spring.

Again, for individuals unable to make any one of the Unity Tomorrow Project Planning and Management 101 sessions offered in September, content of this orientation is available on the Unity Tomorrow website: http://www.unitytomorrow.org/current-site.html. We further expect to offer opportunities for design review and comment to the broader church community later in October and again at the end of Design Development in December. Please watch for these dates.

Left to right: basement, main and upper level.
Click on an image for a larger view.

Left to right: courtyard, gallery entry interior, and restroom addition exterior.
Click on an image for a larger view.

The slides below were presented at the congregational forum on June 12, 2011.

June 9, 2011
Dear members and friends,

The Unity Tomorrow planning process continues apace.  In the last few months we've made some key decisions about the future of our church home. Last spring more than four hundred church members took the time to have direct input into the design process. The planning team listened carefully. Here's what we heard:

• Repair and renovate infrastructure
• Improve accessibility
• Expand capacity
• Create a welcoming entrance for everyone

Each of these needs presents both challenges and opportunities. We write today to share one of the challenges we face and to ask for your help.

After careful consideration the planning team and the architects have agreed that the best way to create "a welcoming entrance for everyone" is to remodel the courtyard. We plan to take down the cloister walls, expand the gardens and build a wheelchair ramp that will lead to a new gallery on the western wall of the present sanctuary. This will require either moving or retiring the fountain. We are well aware that the courtyard has, for close to fifty years, been a highly valued feature of our church building. We want to be as sensitive as possible as we move forward.

For many among us the courtyard has been a sacred place. It has been home to weddings and receptions. It has been a symbol of recovery from the fire. It has been a place where children frolicked.  Most importantly it has become a memorial garden. It has become a place where, quietly and in private, Unity Church families have scattered or buried the ashes of those they've loved and lost. As we move forward with design and construction we will include opportunities to memorialize family members in the courtyard. In light of the fact that the courtyard ground will be disturbed during construction we are researching how best to remove, store and replace the soil. We are consulting with colleagues both within and beyond Unitarian Universalism who have developed respectful rituals for moving soil in which ashes have been deposited. As we prepare to make these changes we are reaching out to contact those for whom the courtyard gardens have been sacred ground. If you or someone you know would like to be contacted please be in touch with Janne Eller-Isaacs at janne@unityunitarian.org  or call her at 651-228-1456, x106.

The quiet phase of the Capital Campaign has begun. As of today $2.7 million has been promised by more than fifty households.  The early commitments give us permission not only to dream but to plan.  Deeply aware that "we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses," respectful of the past even as we reach out to embrace the future,

We remain yours in faith,

Rob and Janne 

Rob and Janne Eller-Isaacs

The Board of Trustees recommends that the congregation authorize a capital campaign with a minimum goal of $4 million for infrastructure improvement, bringing our building up to code, and moving forward with the Unity Tomorrow vision. Following design development, a phase one plan will be presented to the congregation. We further recommend that the congregation limit debt in the project to the cost of short term construction financing.

On Sunday, March 20, at a special meeting of the congregation, over 200 members unanimously approved the recommendation (see right) from the Board of Trustees.

View the slides from the Powerpoint presented at the Congregational Meeting:

Maintenance Endowment
The Executive Team recommends that the Board of Trustees set aside a portion of future unrestricted Heritage Society bequests to a maintenance endowment. Funds for a maintenance endowment will not be part of the capital campaign.

Current Site: Present Scope of Project
Mechanical/Electrical replacement and upgrades
Add bathrooms
Meet ADA code
Install sprinklers
Reduce carbon footprint
Develop options for funds available beyond addressing these infrastructure needs

Current Site: Next Steps
Architects develop schematics and budgets
Current Site Team offers opportunities for congregational input
Current Site Team recommends project priorities to Executive Team
Executive Team selects final design and creates project budget
Executive Team presents project budget for Board approval

Capital Campaign: Next Steps
Expand Capital Campaign Team
Develop campaign strategy
Produce detailed materials
Recruit additional volunteers
Complete capital campaign

Role of the Board of Trustees
Fiscal oversight
Regular communication with the Executive Team
Ensure congregational input

Following the completion of the pre-design phase, a feasibility study was completed by fundraising counsel, and a report was presented to the Board and the congregation. Based on the report, the Board made the following recommendation:

The Board of Trustees recommends that the congregation authorize a capital campaign with a minimum goal of $4 million for infrastructure improvement, bringing our building up to code, and moving forward with the Unity Tomorrow vision. Following design development, a phase one plan will be presented to the congregation. We further recommend that the congregation limit debt in the project to the cost of short term construction financing.

Four open discussions were held for the congregation to offer feedback and ask questions regarding the feasibility report, the Board's recommendation, and the Capital Campaign. Approximately 165 people attend the sessions. View the Powerpoint information shared at the discussions on the Document Archive page.

The congregation will be asked to vote on the recommendation at a Special Meeting of the Congregation held on Sunday, March 20, at 12:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary. Eligible voting members of the congregation include those who have signed the membership book, made an identifiable pledge to the church for 2011, and a contribution towards that pledge. According to the Unity Church Bylaws, absentee voting for congregational meetings is not allowed. If you are not able to attend but would like to submit something in writing to be read at the meeting, please do so via the online feedback form or by e-mail to unitytomorrow@unityunitarian.org. 

As the Unity Tomorrow process moves into the next phase, we are excited and challenged by the possibilities. Many of you have submitted comments, some with enthusiasm, some advising caution, and some with clearly voiced skepticism. This is all for the better because when considering a decision with far-reaching implications, it is important to consider all of the pros and cons and to plan for both the best and worst case scenarios. This will assure that we come up with a proposal that opens opportunities for the future and does not foreclose them, and addresses our dreams while reflecting the reality of an uncertain future.

This is a good time to take a moment to remember that all participants in the conversation about Unity's future share the goal of building a strong and thriving Unity Church where we live out our values and our Ends Statements. Responsible minds can and do differ, sometimes quite vehemently, about how to reach those ends. Some of us can tolerate more risk than others. Some of us are more outspoken than others. Some of us see a vision of broad community engagement while others are more concerned that the physical space we inhabit serves our members. Some think that our physical space and the success of our broader ministry have little relationship, while others believe that a beautiful space for worship and education is the foundation for all that we do.

There are many other points of difference that will be illuminated by our conversation. Each point of view is valid; our best solution will not try to do all things for all people, but will try to find the common threads and weave them into a solution that positions Unity Church to move ahead.

As we move through the coming weeks, the temperature of the conversation may rise. The Board members will try to listen carefully to the concerns raised by others, search for the common threads and develop a plan that is respectful of many points of view, within our means, and takes Unity Church forward to meet the challenges as yet unknown. We urge you to help us in this process.

Please make every effort to attend one of the open meetings where the results of the feasibility study are discussed. The study is our best professional estimate of the money that Unity Church can realistically raise in a capital campaign to meet our dreams. It will guide our future as we develop architectural plans and resource allocations that are within our means.

Feasibility Study Open Discussions

Wednesday, February 23 • 7:10 p.m. • Foote Room

Sunday, March 6, 2011 • Following all three services
(Approximately 10:15 a.m., 12:15 p.m., and 5:45 p.m.)

Congregational Meeting
Sunday, March 20, 2011 • 12:30 p.m.

Please contact a member of the Board if you would like to ask questions or share your views. We welcome your thoughts.

Adrienne Rich ends her great poem Phantasia for Elvira Shatayev with the following words:

What does love mean
what does it mean "to survive"
A cable of blue fire ropes our bodies
burning together in the snow
We will not live to settle for less

We have dreamed of this all of our lives

In a less dramatic but no less true sense we are bound together by a dream we have been dreaming all of our lives.

Over the past year we’ve been dreaming big. The Unity Tomorrow conversations fostered a bold vision for the future of our church and of our church facilities. That vision has a price tag, sixteen point five million dollars. At this point our vision is far bigger than our pocketbook. Over the past month or so, our fund raising counsel, Andy Currie, has been meeting with a select group, mostly made up of those who give the most money to the operating fund. He has met with twenty-nine households and with The St Paul Foundation. He has presented a case statement which suggests we need twelve million dollars to restore and expand our church home, two million to endow it’s upkeep, two million to buy land on which to expand our ministry and half a million for campaign and financing costs. What he heard from those he interviewed is that they love their church and want to see it repaired, but that our plans for expansion, endowment and land acquisition will likely have to wait. Based on the study and on his broad experience he projects that we can raise four million dollars. Please read the recommendation from the Board on page 4.

Now the Board, the Executive Team and other key church leaders will come together to make some hard choices. Our architectural team assures us that we can address the key infrastructure issues and make significant progress toward our vision for four to five million dollars. But some important questions need to be answered before we move forward. The feasibility study is predicated upon the assumption that ten percent of the donors will provide eighty percent of the money. Is that a fair assumption? Suffice to say it is extremely difficult to raise sixteen point five million dollars without a number of gifts of one to three million. Just do the math.

That said, by phasing the project and slowing things down we may well be able to share responsibility for our church home and, ultimately share the vision of our ministry far more broadly. What we need now is you. We need everyone to join the conversation. We will be convening a number of sessions to do just that. After each service on Sunday, March 6, we will be presenting results of the feasibility study, and inviting each and every one of you to bring your ideas to the table. Then after the 11 o'clock service on Sunday, March 20, there will be a special congregational meeting to vote on the Board’s recommendation to approve a capital drive with a minimum goal of four million dollars. Friends, we may have to settle for less, we certainly will need to phase the project, but remember in the end our ministry depends far less on our building than it does on our people and on our partners and on the dreams we share.

Yours in faith,

Rob Eller-Isaacs

During the week of September 6, 2010, approximately 100 staff, church members, and representatives from our community partners met with architects Paul May and Laura Faucher of Miller Dunwiddie as part of the predesign phase of facilities planning. Nine groups were convened in the areas of worship, religious education, music, church administration, hospitality, community outreach, infrastructure, community facilities, and libraries. During these conversations, groups discussed details of how church space is currently used as well as hopes and dreams for future facilities.

After careful listening, the architects analyzed needs and hopes, structural, theological, historical, and functional conditions and presented three concepts at Unity's Annual Congregational meeting on November 20, 2010. The Powerpoint below was presented by the architects. Listen to the presentation by clicking on the arrow icon below.

A complete pre-design report from the architects is available by contacting Christi Saari at ChristiS@unityunitarian.org.

In January 2010, a Unity Tomorrow Team consisting of Unity Church members and staff was convened to explore facility development as well as a process for involving the congregation in generating ideas and providing feedback.

During April and May, over 400 people engaged in conversations about the future of Unity Church and the beloved building on the corner of Portland and Grotto that we call home. The Unity Tomorrow Team used the input from these conversations along with the October 2008 life cycle analysis of the building systems, a building utilization analysis, theologies of beloved community, and statistics about church growth, and made a recommendation about how to proceed with long-range facilities development:

The Unity Tomorrow Team recommends the creation of a long range development plan that embraces both improving and expanding the capacity of our current facility while also envisioning, defining and financially preparing for expanded programming on an additional site. This long range development plan should strive to produce facilities that: (1) balance our historical nature with increased capacity of our current site; (2) provide spaces that are welcoming, visible, accessible, energy efficient, “greener”; (3) improve and increase capacity of key program areas such as worship, religious education, music, outreach and fellowship spaces; (4) seek to extend our community by reaching north. The Unity Tomorrow Team also acknowledges that further development of this plan will need to continuously involve the entire Unity community as the planning moves forward and takes shape.

On June 13, the Executive Team made the decision to proceed with the Unity Tomorrow recommendation and begin the next steps in the planning. Next steps as outlined to the congregation included the formation of a Current Site, Second Site, and Communications Teams as well as retaining a pre-design architectural firm to determine expansion limits and building capacity, develop conceptual plans, and provide cost estimates.