Master Plan

Master Plan Phase I: Additional Parking

Town Hall Meeting to Discuss Updated Plan

Please join us for one of two Town Hall meetings to learn more about these plans:
• Sunday, April 6 at 4pm in Room 200
• Wednesday, April 9 at 7pm in the Philathea Room

Last fall, we held meetings describing a plan to implement Phase 1 of the 2004 Campus Master Plan developed by the Long Range Planning Committee and adopted by the Administrative Board. This multiphase plan is an exciting solution to one of the major problems for many of our missions: insufficient physical facilities. In the approved plan, your church leaders envisioned how our Waldo Street property can be best used to further FUMC ministries. Phase 1 will create parking for immediate needs and prepare the land for later phases.

When the Long Range Planning Committee produced this Master Plan, it did so with consultation with many church members. Input was received from representatives of all of our programs about what could be done with additional space. One of the biggest needs listed was for additional parking. This was verified with congregational surveys.

In last fall’s meetings, we outlined a plan to raise funds for Phase 1 before breaking ground. While it was the right plan at the time, conditions have changed and we have reevaluated that plan. We are now recommending an aggressive implementation of Phase 1 with construction starting in early June. As this will not give us time to raise the total funds required, we propose use of a construction loan, followed by a special short-term campaign to raise the funds to pay it off. Here’s why:

The Town of Cary approved our project in December 2007. Their approval expires in December 2009. Going back through the approval process is not ideal. Equally important, this summer the Town of Cary plans to lower parts of Waldo Street to improve storm water run-off. Coordinating our project with theirs reduces our project cost. It also diminishes member inconvenience by concentrating both projects in the summer when church activities and Methodist Children’s Center programs are reduced.
The national real estate recession has caused a softening of some construction pricing. By contracting now before the summer peak, we can secure better pricing than at a later time. Asphalt prices are very oil price related. Expectations for the price of oil over the next 3 to 4 years are continuing severe increases. We believe that action today will save us significantly in real dollars.
The cost of money is the lowest it’s been in years. Because of the current mortgage market problems, banks are eager to loan money at very attractive rates.

This new implementation plan is supported by FUMC’s Administrative Board, the Building and Finance Committees, and the Trustees. We are excited about moving ahead with Phase 1, both for the immediate parking benefits and because it will mean we are that much closer to all of the additional, exciting things we will be able to do on our South Campus.