As announced recently, we are moving forward with our plans to expand the main sanctuary seating capacity, and to improve building access. The design is complete and the permit application has been made. Fundraising for this important project is now underway.
Here are some details of the project.
Main Sanctuary Scope
The walls at the back of the room will be removed to create more seating space. We currently have 272 seats, but we will expand to 426 which is more than a 50% increase in seating. Below is a rendering of the work (credit: Greg Penny).
Because we are increasing the overall building occupancy load, we will also have to increase our washroom capacity, to meet the requirements of the Ontario Building Code. When we remove the walls, we will also have to adjust the electrical and lighting services to this area, and when the walls are removed there will be no flooring there, so we will have to either fit some strips of carpeting or replace the entire room carpeting with a new floor covering.
Building Accessibility Improvements Scope
The accessibility improvements include such things as wider doors, self-opening doors, additional handicapped spaces in the washrooms, and other features to make the building easier to access for those with mobility issues. We need to add additional handicapped parking spaces, but overall, our parking lot is sufficient.
The expansion and accessibility improvements require the overall washroom size to increase, which will require the women’s washroom to expand into the existing boardroom. New, upgraded washrooms will be constructed as we need to completely demolish the existing washrooms, including the universal washroom on the north side.
We will have to consider staging the work between the three washrooms so that we can have at least two functioning washrooms on Sunday morning, and if that proves too difficult, we could consider setting up portable washrooms on our grassed area at the back. Sunday services will go on as planned—we will just work around the construction.
Costs are not yet known, but we will be receiving bids soon. We expect we need to raise another $300,000 to add to the $100,000 we have from a Federal grant.
Other improvements such as an improved sound system are being considered as funding allows.
We hope to reach substantial completion sometime this fall.
Please prayerfully consider how you can contribute financially to this important project for Oakridge. Making your contribution is as simple as adding an additional amount to your weekly givings and designate for the building fund.
By job title, Alice is the office administrator at Oakridge. But her behind-the-scenes efforts go far beyond that! She is actively involved in the leadership team for the Tuesday evening women's bible study, she is on the mission committee, and she has recently both stepped into the leadership of church bridal and baby shower celebrations, and started teaching in our Ozone kids program. Oh, and if you see any special seasonal or holiday decorations around the church, it's a safe bet that Alice was involved!