A Town Hall meeting is planned for Sunday, June 7 following the 10 a.m. service. All are encouraged to attend to receive the latest updates about our "How Firm Our Foundation" Sanctuary Preservation & Readiness Project. Along with sharing plans, drawings and costs for our Sanctuary Preservation and Readiness Project, most important is that this will be a wonderful opportunity for everyone to ask questions and provide valued feedback about this vital All Saints effort. 

Project Facilities Committee: Working with Our Architect, Project Manager, Structural Engineers, and more!

Over the past two years, the Vestry authorized a number of investigative steps to learn exactly what is needed to ensure our beautiful and historic Sanctuary will remain strong for generations to come.  Overseeing this effort is an ad hoc Project Facilities Committee.  Its assignment was to retain an architect and project manager and supervise their work.

Project Facilities Chair Chip Nichols

In the summer of 2014 the Vestry approved the hiring of well-known Santa Barbara architect Bob

Easton, AIA as the project architect and Richard Thorne, AIA, a local architect with a career in project management, as the Church's project manager.  Bob Easton's first task was to create what are called "as built" drawings of the Sanctuary.  If you'd like to see these, just click on this link.

Project Architect Bob Easton

He then helped us hire a structural engineer, Parker Resnick of Santa Barbara.  If you'd like to read that firm's initial report from December, 2014, click on this link.  It was at this stage that All Saints first confirmed how truly vulnerable our historic Sanctuary would be during a significant earthquake.

The Facilities Committee has also been tasked with developing an overall project budget, which should be finalized in the next few to several weeks. This is a huge task that meant hiring a contractor to provide detailed estimates for everything from heating systems to structural supports and everything in between. A full search will begin later this year for the project general contractor.

Organ Committee: What Shape is our Organ Really In?

Work to determine the condition of our pipe organ began in earnest in 2011 when our Music Director Steve O'Connor presented to the Vestry an overview of how badly and why the organ was failing.  

Bitsy Bacon shown here with Vestry member Doug Davidson

A committee made up of Bitsy Bacon, Mary Collier, Dick Kahler, Tom Mack and Steve O'Connor has been meeting regularly to oversee the following:

• Hired a nationally-renowned organ builder to completely analyze our current organ
• Conducted research into how best to address issues that have doomed our current organ including impacts from climate, and to find an instrument that will last generations
• Invited several organ manufacturers to provide proposals
• Hosted three organ builders on campus to see All Saints' Sanctuary and current organ, with another coming in May
• Interfaced with our project architect and Facilities Committee to ensure floor plans reflected the needs of a new organ
• Addressed the challenge of how to house a new array of pipes behind the reredos without it blocking the sound from the pipes
• Make a recommendation to the Vestry regarding the type of organ to purchase and from which builder

  Senior Warden Tom Mack

Through All Saints' "How Firm Our Foundation" campaign, we plan to raise our projected project costs, including an endowment and reserve funds to maintain the work, in outright charitable gifts and commitments, which may be paid over one to five years.  

The campaign, which already involves more than 90 volunteers, has received the generous support of Vestry members, staff and key parish leaders. We are still in the quiet organizing phase of the campaign. The parish-wide effort will launch in early 2016. It's exciting to note that just during our initial organizing phase we have already received project gifts totaling $3 million.

Sanctuary Readiness Project, "How Firm Our Foundation" General Co-Chairs Sheri Benninghoven, Ed Birch and Bitsy Bacon

The capital campaign co-chairs appointed by the Vestry are Bitsy Bacon, Sheri Benninghoven and Ed Birch.  Several committees and task forces have also been established; leaders of those efforts include: Rev. Aimee, George Ittner, Denny Bacon, Pen Tudor, Raye Haskell Melville, Syd Walker and Ken and Francie Jewesson. To see a full list of all the project volunteers just click on this link. Their efforts include organizing and leading the following:

• Project Cabinet
• Honorary Campaign Committee
• Pacesetter Gifts Committee
• Prospects Development Task Force
• Communications Committee
• Leadership Giving Committee
• Project Budget & Investment Committee
• Sanctuary Docents
• Special Gifts Committee

Raye Haskell Melville, center, shown here with Judy Mack and Keith Melville

Many more volunteers are needed, so please let us know how you'd like to get involved.

And please put June 7 on your calendar for a Town Hall gathering on this exciting project!

Be sure to be on the look out for our future special editions of The Bell Tower to learn more about this major effort that will involve the entire parish. 

Pen Tudor with Mary Alice Tudor, center, and Amanda McIntyre

In addition to the Sanctuary tours and a read-through of the church website, look for another Town Hall meeting scheduled for June 7 to share and discuss renderings and hear an update of the progress made since our last gathering. In the meantime, if you have a comment or question now, just click on this link  and you'll be directed to a special question/comment form.  All comments are welcome!