Even Charlie LePage is watching from England and was wondering about our moat.  Well the moat is gone and water has been restored.  You won't believe your eyes when you see the mounds of dirt on the east side.  Again thanks to everyone who is making this possible with gifts, time and talent from this amazing congregation.

Another exciting day!

At about 11:30 this morning the main water pipe into the building was cut in two.  This was not planned.  Don't know if we will have water on Sunday.

Things are progressing very well, always a few surprises but we have a great group working on the project.

Construction Update for the week of June 25th – 29th

The excavation of the court yard should be completed. Prep work for the footings of the new basement wall is starting. East Side excavation has started for the new stair tower.

Demolition continues on the upstairs classrooms and the walls and stairs connected to the church.

You should see the new 1500 gallon septic tanks on the East and West side. The tanks will be installed Monday and Tuesday this week.

Unforeseen Conditions - During the excavation courtyard  the water line between the kitchen and the education building was broken. Water service was restored to the education building ASAP. The water for the kitchen was restored by Friday.

Staff will be moving over to the 3549 Building next week.  Phone service will be restored by July 5th.  Thanks for understanding.

Today the east side was radically changed.  The sidewalks are gone.  

The courtyard is currently a big empty space.  You can see the markings for the storage space.  It is going to make a huge difference to be able to store tables and chairs away from the gathering areas. 

You can also see where they will put in the footings for the new atrium area in the courtyard.  

Prayers to keep the workers safe.

June 26th

A big day for work at church.  Still no phone service please email or call Pastor Julie's cell phone.  Here is what today looks like around the church.

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Felt like the sky was falling.  Ended up being the roof.  Amazing how they can make the right parts of the roof come off.  Guess there is no turning back now. No phone service for a week.  Use our cell phones or email.  Thanks.

 Today there have been noises ringing throughout the building that the church staff has likened to getting a root canal...as the 'destruction' continues, they have moved to using a jackhammer to clear away some of the old cement and other debris from the upstairs of the building...

 

Here are some pictures to show you whats been going on and coming down...

 Looking outside into the courtyard...

A few steps and the handicap ramp in the Sunday School area...

Looking down the stairs....

Building Project Update
Demolition on the west side of the building began this week. The West entrance is closed until further notice. Next week excavation of the courtyard will begin to create the lower level storage area. Demolition of the upstairs classroom area, nursery, wellness and library rooms will also begin next week.  Entrance on the eastside will be closed beginning next Sunday, June 24th.  At that time the elevator will remain accessible by using the North entrance only.  The 52 foot trailer was filled as full as it could be and  is now locked safely away at an off site location. Thanks to all who did the hard work of moving all our beloved belongings into the trailer.
As you investigate any construction area, please remember to watch you step and comply with any restriction signs.

 At 11:20 this morning this is what it looks like, however at 11:35 it looks entirely different already.

Goodbye to the area Claire S said she will remember fondly waiting to enter the 

sanctuary for the youth musical. 

Update as of June 9th

Update from Jim Lohman as of Monday evening, June 9th

1. Most of the equipment/furniture has been moved into the trailer. The trailer has been moved off the site. Thank you Ron Johnson and his staff for moving the furniture and equipment.  
2. West entrance is now inaccessible. Glass and window frames have been removed and temporary wall is in place. Marv is not sure if the East entrance will be inaccessible for Sunday June 16th. Steve Urtel and Ron Johnson will provide signs on the East and West entrances to notify the congregation to use the North or South entrances.

3. The week of 6/18 - 6/22 the digging for the atrium will start.

4. Ron Johnson will provide me a list of rooms that are vacant so demolition can start. Any furniture or equipment left in the rooms will be considered trash and will go into the dumpster.

5. Rich Sluss is still working with Kyle Katt, City of Lake Elmo to finalize the wording for the letter on the septic tanks 
6. Andrew Naughton will provide new construction schedule and update the final costs for additions and reductions this Wednesday. I will forward the new schedule and costs to the team.

7. I will check with Andrew and Marv regarding the aluminum frames for the windows that have been removed to see if the frames can be recycled. 
8. Hedge on the West side belong to CLC. In order to redo the drive way  the hedge will probably need to be removed. Rich Sluss will talk to the new owners. We are not sure if the house has been sold.
9. Next meeting - We decided that we will meet next Month, July 9th to walk around the construction site. With the construction going we don't have a lot to discuss. We will have weekly updates in the bulletin. We will get back together in the fall to plan the open house. If you have questions or concerns on the construction please call me.
10. Ron Johnson will review the telephone system in the OLD Bank to make sure the move of the Church staff will go smoothly.

 At the end of the day here is what we have, the Open Air Lutheran Church.

 When you come to church on Sunday be prepared to use a door you perhaps have never used before.

 Amazing how much demo work can get done in two days. 

 The roof has been removed!  Well...at least part of the hallway roof has been removed....

 Do you remember a door being there....

 All of the windows have been taken out....

 What the hallway looks like now.....

The demolishing continues...

And the demolition continues!!  Can you tell how different things ALREADY look??

Amazing day.  Just when you think it won't happen, a building project, the demolition begins.