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CHURCH PROPERTY TIPS
My name is Al Farrow, and I have been the Property Chair at ST. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Hampton, Virginia for 5 years now. Having found little guidance online in regards to maintaining church property, I decided to develop this in the hope of perhaps helping other Property members/chairs perform this important ministry easier and perhaps better. I will expand this if I see people are accessing this, and as I have time between fixing stuff at church! Organization: I have found that efficient organization of information, materials, reports, etc., is critical. For me the system that works best is I maintain about 1-2 months of ‘current material” in a folder, and I maintain a “Property Master Book” in a large binder with tabs for things such as Annual Reports, Monthly Reports, Phone Numbers for key contract personnel, Light Plan, Master Plan, etc. My “Master Book” also contains a section with alphabetized paragraphs such as “Carpet, Doors, Windows, Parking Lot, Painting, Signs, etc.”, which contain information on when items were replaced, what paint color was used for certain rooms, warranty information, etc., which makes it quite a handy reference. I think this book will be particularly useful when I hand-over my duties to the next volunteer! Priorities: I’m sure every church probably has a Prioritized List of Projects it wishes to accomplish. I would suggest that the top priorities, as needed, should be Roofing and HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning). If congregational members are not warm/cool and dry, it will immediately become your priority! If you haven’t done so already, I would highly recommend hiring a professional mechanical contractor to inventory and inspect your HVAC systems. Ask them to give you an estimate on how much service life is left in each piece of equipment, and about how much it will cost to replace. This should be done every 5-10 years. Many HVAV systems have long lead-times to order (4-6 weeks), so you really don’t want to wait until something dies to replace it. Most handymen can tell when a shingle roof needs replacing, but if you have “flat” roofs, I would recommend a professional inspection of them also. These are very expensive and the condition is not as easily assessed as a shingle roof. Because of the high expense often involved in Roofs and HVAC systems, these are items that really need to be budgeted and planned for years in advance to minimize controversy and debate. Budget: In small to medium-sized churches, often the two largest budget items are Staff (the largest), and Property. Most churches, I imagine, don’t budget enough for Property, as this is often looked at as spending money on “internal needs” as opposed to “external ministry”. However, most recognize that if not properly maintained, facilities can degrade to the point it affects membership. That said, some budget categories are more difficult to project than others. The biggest category we have struggled with is “Capital Maintenance”. For this I would highly recommend you purchase a copy of “The Whitestone Building Maintenance and Repair Cost Reference” (latest version). This is a relatively expensive reference, but it is a industry-recognized standard that will give you invaluable guidance on what you can expect to spend on maintenance and repair of church facilities, and provides a valuable education on total life-cycle costs of facilities maintenance and repair (which is way more than you might think). Floor Plan/Site Plan: I would highly recommend you develop a simple, single-line floor plan of the church on an 8-1/2 x 11 piece of paper. If you’re fortunate enough to have someone with access to a CAD program this is pretty easy. This floor plan will be very helpful in many ways. I used it for Fire Exit Plans posted in each room. I have used it to identify the various HVAV systems and what areas of the church they serve. It was invaluable in my development of our Facilities Master Plan. I also have a copy on the Property Bulletin Board so members can identify the location of a problem, if needed, when they report it using our “Please Fix-This” work request. A Site Plan of the exterior facilities (parking lot, legal boundaries, etc.) is also a very handy thing to have. Severe Weather Plan: This is easily done and will formalize the process, communication chain, and equipment/volunteers needed when severe weather strikes. I would definitely recommend you take the lead on this as Property Chair. Master Plan: I would suggest you make at least some attempt at a Facilities Master Plan. If you can afford it, hire a professional Architectural/Engineering firm specializing in Facilities Planning. If not, try to do something yourself. An “amateur” effort is better than none at all. If you can afford it, another excellent professional reference that covers churches is the Architectural Graphics Standards (latest version). While expensive, this includes a very nice section on facility requirements for a typical church. This reference provides guidance on how much area you need for the various parts of your church (based upon number of people), guidance on how many parking spaces you should have, and even how much land you need for x number of people. Having a vision for the future of your church will prove invaluable for many decisions the congregation/council will face through the years. Light Plan: I found it useful to create a “Light Plan”. This is simply a large print of the church floor plan indicating the many different light fixtures throughout the facility and what type/wattage bulb is used. This will help see where it may useful to standardize, and also help inventory/purchase bulbs/tubes. Miscellaneous: A variety of random thoughts! We encourage members to “Adopt-a-Bed” (a flowerbed, that is), which has helped us maintain our attractive landscape. We also have twice/year “Clean-Up Days” where members show-up and help with small repairs, cleaning, and landscaping. You should also know the ELCA has an annual “Accessibility” contest where, if you demonstrate that your church is “accessible-friendly” (see the ELCA website for more details) you might win $1,000. We won this in 2001 and used the money to purchase handicap-accessible water fountains (replacing old, deteriorated ones in the process). Examine your building insurance on a regular basis to make sure it is adequate. Keep an updated inventory of valuable items subject to theft (digital pictures/video if possible). Remember, Property is an important ministry too! If you would like to contact me you can reach me via email at FarrowAL@aol.com. |
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