March 7 Building Update 075
“Ready…Set….GO!”
Soooo much is happening with the building project these days that it will be hard to get it all down in one update but I will do my best! It has been a busy, busy two weeks with breakthroughs being made on multiple fronts as you can see from the progress points below:
First, we had a VERY beneficial Site Visit to the new property on February 22nd with our Construction Team from Cypress Engineering and Trident Construction (GC). We walked the property, getting the lay of the land with an eye on building placement, utility connections, easements, grand tree placement, etc.
Second, WE HAVE A SIGNED AND RATIFIED SWAP AGREEMENT (CONTRACT) WITH LENNAR on the 12-acre parcel of land next to Ashley Ridge High School! It has been a long time coming but I believe it will be well worth the wait.
Third, with the ratification of the swap agreement, our 60 Day due diligence clock is officially running. To this end, we had a VERY productive Due Diligence Kick-off Meeting on February 28th prior to the signing of the swap agreement.
At the meeting, Alisha Coleman, our Project Manager with Equip Studio, produced a detailed timeline for getting the project to the Vertical Construction Phase. All I can say is YES!!!
Fourth, Will Rogan, Civil Engineer, has already started making important progress investigating utility service connections with Dorchester County Water & Sewer (DCWS). Utility connections are a critical factor in the due diligence process and key to making the new site work for the future home base of Ashley Ridge Church.
Fifth, AR Staff and Equip Studio are in the process of adjusting the space for arLittles, arKids, and arStudents to create the most useful and flexible space possible. This can be done without increasing the overall building square footage and cost. Besides providing the students with space, the Flex space could become a valuable source of additional income for the church from short term rental usage i.e. dinners, weddings, community events, etc.
Sixth, the AR Building Project Budget Team met this week and is refining the construction budget to match the timeline put forth by Equip Studio. The project will be financed by internal “in-house” means and by a construction loan from a local bank. To that end, we will be hearing a lot more soon on what it will look like to raise needed funds for the internal financing portion of the project cost.
Financial Report. We have had a solid start to 2022 with regards to giving with February contributions as follows:
$4,821.37 Building Fund + $44,571.33 General Fund = $49,392.70 TOTAL
For the first two months of 2022, total giving is as follows:
$7,982.77 Building Fund + $105,633.47 General Fund = $113,616.24 TOTAL
I would like to take a moment to personally thank all the AR Staff, project volunteers, architects, civil engineers and Trident (GC), who are hard at work, making the new Ashley Ridge Church campus a reality, to the AR congregation that have in the past and will continue in the future to be so generous with their financial resources in support of this effort, and I would like to thank Pastor Jenn for her amazing leadership and example which continues to inspire me in new ways. For all this, I am truly thankful!
As I bring this update to a close, I hope you are as excited and thrilled as I am to see the progress being made on the building project! Stay tuned for more detailed progress reports and updates as information becomes available!
If you would like to make a contribution to the Building Fund for construction costs or the General Fund for operating expenses, you can do so here.
Derrick Horres, AR Building Project Leader