Construction Updates! Old Office Wing Demolition - Tuesday, 9am!! Come Watch!

The Construction

Children of all ages bid fond farewell to the old administrative wing in July, painting remembrances and good

wishes to spaces that had been filled with so much love, prayer, and laughter for decades. (View additional photos on the website, www.smary.org and our Facebook site.) Demolition of that wing met with a short delay due to the discoveryof additional asbestos insulation on the heating pipes buried in the ceiling that must now be abated before taking this wing down. Demolition is scheduled for Tuesday, July 31st at 9am. Consider joining your fellow parishioners for coffee and snacks to watch from a safe distance! In the interim, our contractor started making the cuts between the old office wing and the remaining Parish House structure; the space hasthus been cordoned off for safety reasons.

The “Big Blast” has begun, literally, in the space next to the parish house, thanks to Chase Excavation and McGoldrick blasting company. This excavation has been a sight to behold--a cavernous hole that will become the foundation for the new administrative wing and chapel has quickly appeared! It is anticipated that we will begin seeing work on the “footing” for this wing by the end of July. Sadly, we lost some beloved trees to make room for this foundation; we are attempting to transplant the mature rhododendrons from that area to spaces between the churchyard and the rectory.

In the church, the “Mother Window” is being prepared for removal and refurbishment/repair. It is likely we will be without this glorious window for about three months while the Phoenix Studio completes the work on the stained glass. Work continues in the crypt: The door to the crypt has been refurbished, with locks repaired (thank you Dick Miller, for your loving work!)

Other construction “highlights” include the preparation of the “dry detention basin” that will receive water run-off from the campus (check out the location and work on this element on the eastern side of the property, abutting Pine Grove Cemetery.)

Please Visit - But With Care!

Throughout, the campus remains a “hard hat” area on week-days, and we request that, if able, parishioners park along Foreside Road from Monday-Friday and walk onto the campus. But do please visit! There is an exciting buzz of activity and exciting changes are happening daily. We are hoping to add guided tours by Dick Miller in August to coincide with Souper Suppers on the second and fourth Fridays of each month—enjoy a tour at 4pm followed by supper at 5pm in the auditorium. Stay tuned for further details on this.

The Financing

At a special meeting on July 19th, the Vestry approved unanimously a motion to borrow up to $1,200,000 as a construction loan from Norway Savings Bank. This loan is to cover construction expenditures as we await the receipt of payments on existing pledges over the next 4 years. The Vestry had agreed earlier to accept a floating interest rate (currently 4 percent) ; the loan can be modified to a fixed rate without penalty at a later date if deemed desirable. Monies will be borrowed on an as-needed basis.

To keep our borrowing costs at a minimum, we ask all parishioners to keep current with their pledge commitments; clearly, if you find yourself in a position to pay your pledge ahead of schedule,all the better!! Thank you!

The Legacy Project - June 2012

CELEBRATION!

The sun shone brightly , the sky a cloudless blue, one of those quintessential early summer days in Maine on June 24^th. . S. Mary's parishioners, friends and neighbors began streaming onto the campus early to celebrate the Ceremonial Groundbreaking for the Legacy Project; the excitement of anticipation was palpable as many found seats and others mingled over the ubiquitous S. Mary's "groaning table" laden with breakfast delights.

Senior Warden Hugh Smith led the festivities, honoring the members of Legacy campaign, building and finance committees who have been managing this effort over the last three years, as well as our wonderful community Legacy Project partners: Demont Associates, Scott Simons Architects, Ledgewood Construction, Attorneys from Pierce Atwood, LLP and Jensen, Baird, Gardiner and Henry, and our bankers, Norway Savings Bank. Hugh expressed the gratitude of the Vestry and his own personal pride that "our parish is filled with people who are not satisfied with the status quo and take the time time to imagine the future and plan for it—and that we work well together as a family, build consensus and focus on what matters."

Legacy Campaign Co-Chair Jennifer Gregg briefly summarized the three year experience and honored the donors. Noting that while there had been times when we all had questioned the wisdom of and our ability to proceed with this very substantial capital campaign—particularly in light of the economic recession followed by the devastating loss of Father James-- we had concluded that we should move ahead: " We prayed. And understood that, of coursewe will go on: We knew then just as we know now all about the strength of this parish. We know that we are a family--yes, a bit dysfunctional from time to time, a family that struggles on occasion, but a family that, at the end of the day, comes together, comes home and finds its strength in This Place. A family that wants to ensure that others will have This Place to come home to for years to come." With thanks to the donors who have made this project a reality, the "first proof" of the Legacy Donor Plaque was unveiled. The plaque will remain on display, for amendments and additions, in the Guild Room throughout construction.

Canon Vicki Wiederkehr brought greetings from Bishop Lane who reminded us that "a building project in the church is always a sign of vitality and hope. It takes a robust community with strong commitments...Such a community also has a vision of its future and a notion about what is needed to meet that future." Bishop Lane commended S. Mary's "vision of a facility that will both nurture and strength your members and serve the larger community," noting that "service to the community beyond the walls is a growing edge for St. Mary's and you have shown yourselves to be passionate about reaching beyond yourselves."

Our beloved S. Mary's Choir offered a beautiful and very moving rendition of Anton Bruckner's 'Locus iste' ("This Place") and Pastor Barb led us in prayer as we prepared ourselves for the truly momentous beginning of this long-awaited construction.

The fun began in earnest with Ledgewood's Pete Pelletier distribution of hardhats to clergy, parish, campaign and building committee leadership. Pastor Barb, Deacon Christine, Vicki Wiederkehr, Hugh Smith and Carrie McIntosh led the way by putting the first shovels to ground, followed by a sea of little ones--all wearing yellow Ledgewood "hardhats," then our wisest parishioners (those 80 years and older!), the choir and other parish leadership, Legacy committees and community partners.

Hugh Smith closed this wonderful event, calling on Becky Pride for final words. On behalf of the parish, Becky presented Jennifer Gregg with flowers, a shovel (the handle of which had been signed by scores of parishioners) and shared thanks for her leadership of this effort. For her part, Jennifer, taken totally unawares, was astounded and, for once, blessedly speechless!

Many thanks to all who participated, all contributing to making it so very special. Special thanks to our official photographer, Shelly Maher, who captured the entire occasion on film. In addition to the photos included in this AVE, check out the website at www.smary.org or  Saint Mary Facebook site for more photo-coverage of the day!