Selling 1000 Fremont

What follows is a summary of my conversation with Chris Elsey about his company's interest in our property.

• They sent out multiple inquiries, mainly to owners of more "distressed" housing. We received one because our building is zoned favorably

• He asked what our asking price is and I told him that we would be ok with the current appraised value which is $222,510 ($94,500 land; $128,010 building)

• Our property is on the high end of what they can afford, especially because of the extensive demolition that would be involved.

• Ideally they would need multiple lots or one large lot before they could move forward with their plans.

• They are wanting to have something built for the next leasing season beginning August 2009.

Chris' response was lukewarm, at best. He said they'll think about it and let us know if they're interested. I'm guessing that we have less than 50% chance of selling to them because our location is less than ideal in several ways.

• Our lot, being a standard 50x150, isn't really their ideal size and so they would probably need the lot to the west.

• The house to the west is, in my opinion, in very good shape considering many rentals in the neighborhood.

• This same house is bordered on the west by an existing apartment building which is an unlikely candidate for demolition.

• Large demolition costs involved in removing our building

If we really want to sell then we would probably have to drastically lower our asking price because our building will be costly to remove and they are not interested in renovating it into apartments. The last figure I have for what we owe on our new property is $161,079 as of November 4. Since that time we have sent approximately $37,000 more from the CD that matured on November 1. So now we owe about $125,000.

Some questions to ponder....

If Elsey's response was lukewarm, and I'll assume that they have adequate funding, is there any chance another developer will be more interested? Should we sell to Vintage Faith Church at a bargain price and work out a joint-use agreement with them until we are ready to move? What would it take to sell and move in the next year, both monetarily and logistically? What are our immediate needs (and associated expenses) for transitioning to our new property -- connecting to the sewer? making office space? hiring an architect to help with a site plan? ???

My conversation with Chris was fairly short, but contact me if you have any questions.

Anyone can add comments (see below), but contact Rhonna if you would like to contribute posts. Let the conversation continue...

Energy Star Advice

Energy Star has a great web page to help congregations who are trying to become more energy efficient. It's worth a look over.

This picture is of the new library at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Ind.

Ideas, Ideas, Ideas

We want to hear your voice! Ever since we began discussing the idea of a new building, I've heard so many ideas for what the possibilities are. Now it's time to make those ideas official. We need to lay those ideas on the table, do the research to see which are viable, and narrow down to the best possibilities. Here are some ideas we've heard:

1. Straw Bale Construction: There are a lot of materials out there on straw bale construction as an energy efficient option. St. Andrews in Olathe built with straw bales and created a beautiful building.

2. KSU Architecture class: There is a professor on campus that is interested in using our building as a class project. This would not obligate us to actually use the designs, but it may give us some ideas.

3. Fuqua Construction is a design-build firm out of Inman, KS. They've built several churches in the area and may be an affordable option.

4. There's a firm recommended by the Mennonite Brethren church that allows the congregation to lower their cost with volunteer labor. I'm working on getting a link for you.

5. No matter how we go, there has been a lot of interest in making our building as green as possible. We're still trying to define exactly what that means. Here are some fun sources to look at to see what's out there.

• The first LEED certified house of worship. LEED certification is a set of guidelines that we could follow to make sure that we are being easy on the environment. There are different levels of certification. Here is some more information about what that means.
• The Sustainable Sanctuary Coalition in the KC area has some good information.

I've heard rumblings of architect friends who are interested in our project. I've heard about the possibility of a Butler building. Let us know what you think about the options you've heard. Look at the links and tell us your opinions on the buildings. What do you like or not like about them? What is your vision for what our church could be?

Please join the task force in continuing prayer, asking for guidance, faith, and vision.

That About Sums it Up

Before I toss a bunch of new ideas at you, here is where we're at right now

1. We are purchasing land at 3001 Tuttle Creek Blvd. We started with a $450,000 mortgage, but were able to lower it to $202,000 with the sale of the Fremont house and some other stuff. Through 2007 we received $11,380 as part of 2Y2L (catchy acronym for 2 years to land). So, according to reliable sources, as of the beginning of 2007, we have only $191,000 to go. Kirk says they've received more commitment statements since the annual meeting so we're coming closer all the time to a new building.

2. The building committee is tossing around some things. I'll give more details when we have them.

That's the boring details. But it doesn't really give the full story. The land is beautiful, with a view overlooking KSU agricultural fields. The congregation gathered there with the property sellers and the current residents to plant a tree. Members of the church are talking together about what this building could be and how it could reflect who we are and what God has planned for us.

What is your vision for the building our congregation will gather in? What do you believe that God has planned for us?

Tree Planting

In The Beginning

Greetings fellow Mennos!
I thought a blog would be a good place to collect information on our church building project. We can use it to keep each other updated, to post articles on the subject, to look at what other churches have done, and to dialogue on our feelings, visions, and hopes. I'm hoping to elaborate on the discussions that are taking place with links to web sites to further explain. Please comment as much as you like. If you would like to contribute, I would be thrilled!!! Just let me know and we'll get you set up. Happy blogging!