Happy Holiday season to all.
Our congregation has created and received an early “holiday gift” - reaching a milestone in our building construction project. The third Sunday of this month -- November 15, 2020 -- goes down in our congregational history books as the day that 38 members (of the 40 casting votes) of the UU Church of Brazos Valley took a bold step into our future in Bryan by approving the construction of our new building!
Ninety-five percent of those casting a vote at the meeting or by proxy approved the following motion. This percentage is much higher than two-thirds of the voting members present at the meeting as required by our bylaws:
Approval to begin construction at a cost not to exceed $2,000,000 and upon assurance that the congregation's attorney has reviewed the contract and has issued an opinion that our risk is no greater than if we were to purchase a performance and payment bond.
If you weren’t able to attend the meeting, you can access the information that was shared by viewing the slides here. The slide deck includes
A brief summary of the bid process over the summer
Results of the feedback we received from the congregation on a list of items that we might exclude or modify from the original plans in an attempt to reduce the cost from $3.1M to $2M or less. The architect and contractor is considering your feedback as they finalize the plans.
A summary of our financial position as it relates to the building construction
An explanation of the “performance and payment bond” portion of the motion
Next steps as we see them now
Fundraising effort with a goal of $300,000 and a great BIG SHOUTOUT OF GRATITUDE to Kathi and Ken Appelt for offering a $100,000 matching pledge.
If you can’t access the slide deck, or have questions after you review the slide deck, please send me an email at president@brazos-uu.org and I’ll follow up with you to share the information and/or answer your questions.
Rob McGeachin and Nancy Granovsky are the co-chairs of our fundraising effort to supplement our building fund. They will provide more information soon. In the meantime, you can submit a building pledge by completing this on-line form or make a building pledge donation on our website here.
Another exciting event is on the horizon -- a groundbreaking event at the property early next year. If you would like to help plan the event, please contact me at president@brazos-uu.org.
I express my deepest gratitude to each and every member of our congregation for your commitment to this church. Each of you is a blessing to our congregation and the community around us. The actions you have taken will ensure our legacy for years to come.
Blessings,
Gaye Webb, President