During the past couple of months, we have been asked a number of very good questions regarding the Renovation Project. What follows is a distillation of the most relevant questions received to where we are in the process today.

1) How can I get more information about the Renovation Project?
Answer: Information about the Renovation Project can be obtained from the following sources:

A) The St. George's website has a space devoted to information on the Project, including past Dragon Byte articles. Visit that space here.

B) The Renovation Project space on the bulletin board in the hallway between the Nave and the Parish Hall;

C) Dragon Bytes regularly includes articles on the Project, like this one; and

D) talk to one of the Renovation Committee Tri-Chairs (David Grahn, Elena Keydel, or Michael Woods) individually or at a check in.

2) What is the latest news and what are next steps?
Answer: On September 16th, the Vestry approved the retention of Chamberlain Construction as the General Contractor for the Project. Chamberlain will work with our architects and the Renovation Committee in the development of final plans for the Project. We expect to have these plans completed so they can be submitted for County approval by the end of December. We are still planning to break ground on the Project in late March, after Easter.

3) When will pledges to the capital campaign need to be fulfilled?
Answer: As we indicated during the campaign, our expectation is that they will be fulfilled during the three year period from the end of campaign last March. To avoid cash flow issues and the need to take out a bridge loan, however, we are asking those that contributed to the campaign to fulfill their pledges as soon as they can. Specifically, we are asking that if at all possible the first third of the pledge be fulfilled by December 31st. That said, while it is important to fulfill your pledge, it is more important that in doing so, you are still able to fully support the annual Stewardship campaign. Carrying forward the Renovation Project makes no sense, if St. George's lacks the funds to operate. If you have questions about pledges you can contact Bob Clarke, Rebecca Argon, or George DeFilippi

4) Are we stilling taking pledges to the capital campaign?
Answer: Yes we are. To the extent you are able, we would ask that you prayerfully consider pledging if you have not done so or increasing your current pledge. The more money we have, the further we can go in realizing our dream of "Making a Space for All".

Relatedly, we have been asked about the possibility of making a contribution in memory of someone and having that reflected in some manner in the church. If you have an interest in making such a contribution, please contact one of the Renovation Committee Tri-Chairs (Elena Keydel, Michael Woods, and David Grahn).

5) Chairs verses Pews?
Answer: While the final decision regarding this question has not been made, it is the intent of the Renovation Committee that if possible St. George's replace the current pews with wooden chairs that can be locked together to form rows. These chairs will include kneelers and a book rack. As discussed in a recent article in Dragon Bytes, one of the core principles of "Making a Space for All" is to create a space in the Nave that is flexible and able to better accommodate a wider variety of activities. This will allow us to better accomplish our mission of making God known within and outside of our St. George's community.