Building Team Meeting November 8, 2017

Irene Stewart, Mark Sisson, Peter Young, Sherry Smith, Beth Peterson, Peter Marren (architect). Excused: Suzette Reiss

Meeting called to order at 7:05.

Minutes from 10-5-2017 accepted.

Peter Marren updated the Building Team on the status of our project with Southold Town. There have been delays, some expected, some not. There was a brief discussion about whether it would behoove the Church and the Team to hire a permit expediter, but that decision was tabled pending future events. Mr. Marren reported that the site plan, with additions, will be submitted to the Zoning Board soon. He also reported that he has had fruitful meetings with the Historic Commission and that they are “on board” with the vision of our project.

Mark reported that the Fundraising Committee (Bill Funke and Cheryl Van Steeden Schneider) reached out to the fundraising expert mentioned previously by Mr. Marren and will be arranging a meeting soon. Mark has been invited to attend that meeting as representative of the BT.

Mr. Marren stated our plan is entering the “design/development” stage and we will probably need to consult an engineer soon. He said we can’t “be limited to what we know,” i.e., an engineer will be able to say what we can and cannot do, structurally.

A discussion followed of the updated model and design of our project, including, but not limited to:

-an examination of floor tiling (versus wood flooring), its layout throughout the building, and its pros and cons.

-placement, height and scale of a steeple.

-scale and design of windows for the sanctuary and “cloister.”

-pursuing solar collector installation, including costs and associated connections to the PSE&G grid.

-obtaining LEED certification for our building.

This last part of the discussion, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification, led to further discussions of how we should pursue this. It was noted that one of the seven tenets of the UU faith is to walk gently on the Earth. The BT felt we should follow through and investigate what is required, and how difficult it would be. It was noted that there are probably very few LEED churches and certification might go a long way to attracting donors to our building fund.

This led to the observation that the UU Church to be built will be the only new building within the Historic District of Southold Town (all other projects within the District have been refurbishments.) Again, this could be a valuable facet to attract donors to our building fund.

The BT will invite Susan Pond and John Forestieri to our next meeting to discuss organs. It was suggested that we contact a “musician” to advise us about how to best situate the sanctuary for music, besides during services. (The “Church on the Bend” was a well-known venue for concerts prior to the fire and should be so again.) At some time in the near future, the Team will do so.

Our next meeting was tentatively scheduled for 11-16-2017.

Meeting adjourned at 9:45