New Campus Blog by Dave
Progress
May 6, 2008
This past weekend the rest of the driveway was poured on the front half of the property. You can see the difference in color. I’ve been told that the entrance will be completed in a few short weeks.
The prep for the foundation continues. The underground conduit is being set for wiring – sound, video, lighting, electrical.
All across the building pad are the lag bolts for the future beams that will hold up the building.
Future bathrooms… and yes, ladies, there will be plenty of restrooms. I know that has been a concern for some!
I was really pleased to see the amount of trees we were able to save in the construction process. (I’ve been called a tree hugger by some of the staff!) There will be a landscaped garden like area that we will walk through from the back parking area as we cross the road next to the worship center. This is the “island” where that will be.
Brent Berger also informed me that the back parking, which you can see is still being prepped, will be poured within the next few weeks. Having a poured parking and slab means that rain is less of a hindrance for construction. (No mud to drive through!)
Rain and Culverts
April 30, 2008
If you have driven by the campus you’ll notice that part of the driveway is poured.
The reason only part is poured is that Brookstone is waiting on the underground electrical before laying the final concrete. I was told today that the entrance will probably be complete within a couple of weeks. The south parking lot is also poured. (This will serve our small future office building.)
Monday there was major activity as the “grade beams” were being poured.
(Personally, I’ve always called them “footers” but part of my education through this building program has been learning new lingo!) The foundation basically sits on these “grade beams”. We should have a slab in a few weeks!
Along the back side of the property there is activity where the largest parking lot will sit.
This is why it’s important for us to park in the Klein Collins parking lot on Sunday morning… we need to get used to the hike!
Rain and Culverts
April 24, 2008
There has been a slight rain delay last week and this week but today they are putting in the culvert to begin the connection to Kuykendahl with our entrance. Also, the first parking lot (by the offices) will be poured as soon as it dries out. We also should have a building slab by the first week of May. There is a very important Building Meeting next Tuesday, April 29th with all the principle players so keep this in your prayers!
Construction Update
April 14, 2008
I hope that you all enjoyed the video update from the property on Sunday. As you see a lot is happening and things are moving quickly. This week the concrete should be laid on the drives and the plumbing contractor should begin his work on the building pad. As Brent said Sunday, keep the water and sewer situation in your prayers. It’s moving slowly but things are looking very good with Bridgestone MUD.
Construction Continues
April 4, 2008
Activity is continuing at the Kuykendahl property this week. They are stabilizing the driveways, parking lots and building pad with lime and are now bulldozing the areas for the drives and parking lots. Next Monday, piers for the building are going to be dug.
Within the next 10 days we should know about the contract with Bridgestone MUD concerning water and sewer for the site. All the property owners have agreed to proceed and they are just waiting for signed contracts from us and the surrounding property owners to proceed!
We have a building permit
March 24, 2008
The building permit was given to us last week and this week we should start seeing more site development work and Brookstone doing the prep for the entry, driveways and building pad. We still haven’t heard anything from Bridgestone MUD concerning our water/sewer service, so keep this in your prayers.
Time for Prayer
March 6, 2008
A couple of things that we need you to put to serious prayer. We are still waiting on the building permit to continue on with construction. The county has deemed to take its time with it, so we asking for divine intervention!!
Also, we are running into delays with our utilities. Bridgestone MUD is willing to cover our water/sewer needs ONLY if all the property owners around us join in. The property owners have agreed to do so but we will all need to finance the infrastructure. This means that we are dependent on the other property owners to follow through with their contracts and financing in a timely manner. If there is any delay in this process that will delay our building completion, so keep this also in your prayers!
Waiting on the permit
February 29, 2008
Construction with a lot of the underground sleeves have been completed. We are now at a standstill waiting on the building permit. Once the permit comes we can begin the entry, drives and building pad. Keep this in your prayers as this has caused some unnecessary delays.
Underground work has begun!
February 13, 2008
Filling in
February 4, 2008
I have just returned from walking the property with our Brookstone construction managers (John and Stephen) and the heavy equipment has cleared most of where the drives, front parking lots and buildings will go. We had our first construction meeting this morning to coordinate the beginning of construction.
As you can see from the pics, the southeast corner for the entrance on Kuykendahl, has been cleared and you can get a good look of the progress when you drive by on Kuykendahl.
The stakes identify all the surveying points where the building and drives will go.
Brookstone is hoping to bring in the construction trailer soon. We still have several more weeks to go of “playing in the dirt”. (As a footnote: Brookstone has requested that since construction has begun, no one should be on the property without authorization.) As we get along farther in the construction, we will set up “tours” on Sunday afternoons.
Sunday, I stated in one of the services that we will be in Schindewolf about nine more months and that was WRONG!!!! I was thinking of our next Schindewolf Servant sign up coming in March and we will ask for a nine month commitment! SORRY!! (You never know what will come out of your mouth in front of hundreds of people! HA!) We are right now looking at a move in around February 1, 2009 IF all things go according to plan. My bad!!!!!
Also, we are running into some difficulty with Bridgestone MUD concerning our water and sewer. Keep this in your prayers so it will be resolved quickly.
Brent Berger (ghost-writing for David)
Construction has begun!
January 30, 2008
Most of you know by now (from Sunday’s video on 1/26) that construction has begun on our relocation to the new property on Kuykendahl Road!
Right now they are clearing where the entrance, roads, parking lots, main building, NFM and office buildings will go. This will take about three weeks to get those areas prepped and dirt moved.
Several of us walked the property after the surveyers were done and you will be happy to know that a lot of the trees we are able to save. We are still waiting on the permit for the building, so keep that in your prayers. Oh, the traffic study came back and they wanted us to know that Kuykendahl Road is really busy and they are planning to expand it. Over 17,000 cars pass by our property each day! Keep all of this process in your prayers.
Digging Dirt
January 23, 2008
Late yesterday afternoon a few of us met some of the guys from Brookstone (our builder) out on the property to see the layout of the entrance and footprint of the building.
The surveyors had put up stakes, which created an outline.
At times, I honestly wondered when this day would arrive. I never doubted that it would actually get here but in all honesty the arrival date was beyond my imaginative ability. But hey, all in God’s timing! In addition to the cool Norther that was blowing in, I felt as if I were needing to pinch myself to see if it was really happening.
Now, let me explain what is taking place. Brookstone is going to start their initial dirt work… which they have permission from us to do. This means they will begin clearing the appropriate areas, leveling and shaping the driveways and parking lot areas, digging the detention pond, and other basic operations. We still do not have the official building permit in hand from the county, so your prayers are still appreciated. (And don’t worry, we’re not doing anything illegal! We can’t start the actual building until that permit is in hand.) We hope to have that permit by the middle of February. That’s when it will be full steam ahead.
I’m very grateful for Richard Peoples who will be acting as our representative from Northside and working with Brookstone. Richard has a passion for seeing this project happen with excellence. Keep him, and the whole team, in your prayers.
On another note… be watching for the announcement of a couple of Saturday workdays where you can be involved out on the property. We’re going to take down the old house and salvage more of the wood.
Building Permit and Traffic Study
January 3, 2008
The new year has come and we are still waiting for a building permit! To add to our wait, now Harris County wants us to do a traffic study on Kuykendahl (I guess that they don’t know that they are expanding it to four lanes plus a turn lane right now and traffic is a mess. You don’t need a study to find this out!)
This study will be completed next week and then they will review our application for permit. Pray that there aren’t any other hoops to jump through. Just keep watching for dirt to begin moving!
Groundbreaking
December 9, 2007
Sunday evening, December 2nd, was an awesome time for those who made it out for the groundbreaking. The weather cooperated while we worshipped and celebrated God’s blessings, then we dedicated the property to God’s service.
It was great to recognize all of those who have been with Northside all of these years and for their commitment and dedication. It was really special to see four generations represented in Thelma, Rena, David and Lara, and Maclane, Jordan and Henry.
Brandon’s devotion on how we are living stones was powerful and everyone was able to take a stone to remind them of how we are being built into the house of God.
I’m also glad we were able to explain that the plane flying overhead was a photographer we had hired and not just an annoying pilot flying in circles! Hopefully we will have those pictures soon.
We need to thank Jay and Hank for driving the hayrides along with Jeff and Christy Franz and their crew, for a great barbeque dinner. The fellowship around the campfires was great and I enjoyed mooching a few s’mores off of the different groups!
Tuesday, December 4th, saw a very productive meeting with the builder, the civil engineering firm, the design company, our lender and the architect. We were hoping dirt would move before Christmas but we are waiting on building permits so it will likely be just after the first of the year. This would be a great time for all of us to be praying!
Stuck in the mud
November 19, 2007
Okay, so it’s been a few days since my last blog… I’m falling down on the blog! A few items with a few pics….
First, I need to thank all of the people who have really helped out on the property over the last few weeks. Several went out on Sunday afternoon the 4th to help “clean up” the property… we even had visitors! Some of the more manly men worked with chainsaws and cut up a large oak that had fallen. A week later a few guys got together with a wood splitter, provided by Gary Gibbs, and split up a lot of wood (pics provided) for the Groundbreaking… more on that in a minute.
Once again, our tractor crew has come through. (Hey that rhymes!) Jay and Jim smoothed the road and Hank put a fine touch on the grass. (Pics provided) Please, do not attempt to drive onto the church property after this past weekend’s rain. One person went out and found that a two-wheel drive doesn’t fair too well in the mud!
No, it wasn’t me in the fake jeep! He was quickly rescued with Kelly Pugh’s come-along! Thanks Kelly.
Speaking of the rain, everyone may know by now that we did not break ground Sunday afternoon. Ed Turner said his rain gauge hit 4 inches. (Those are cool… my dad has one that’s electronic!) Anyway, we have postponed until December 2, at 4:30. Jeff Franz froze the brisket and sausage and the tator salad has a long shelf life!
I announced this but for those of you sleeping in this past Sunday, we had a great meeting with Brookstone Construction on 11/16. Everything’s coming in at or below budget. Our final pre-construction meeting is set for the first week in December… then… Lord willing and the ditch don’t rise… trucks should be moving!
Groundbreaking Celebration
October 31, 2007
By now you hopefully have heard that we are having the official groundbreaking on Sunday evening, November 18th. That is going to be a great celebration as we wrap up our 40 Days of Community and as we dedicate the land to God’s glory. That evening we’ll have hayrides, campfires and a great barbeque, cooked by our own Jeff Franz.
It was nice to drive out on the property early this morning and see that Hank Kaiser had brush-hogged the back half. He even cut down into the ditches. Thanks Hank!
Every time I am out on that property I am reminded how we are blessed as a congregation!
Church Development Fund approved
October 21, 2007
As of Friday the 19th we have been approved by CDF (Church Development Fund) for our loan on the entire building project. This is wonderful news. It means there will not be any delay because of funding… or the lack thereof.
Also, I spoke with our builder, Brookstone, and they are sending out RFP’s (Request for proposals) to subcontractors. We should have all the bids in on the entire project in less than two weeks. This means we can start pushing dirt very soon!
Groundbreaking is very near!
Clearing the entrance
October 19, 2007
Late Thursday afternoon a group of guys met me at the entrance of our property to do some clearing. The goal was to move our temporary electric pole to a more suitable location so that the Kuykendahl construction didn’t swallow it. Some under brush needed to be cleared first. Mission was accomplished.
Thanks to Jeff, Joe, John, Larry, Sheldon, Brian, Corey, Ed, Bob, and William for all their help!
Our lender, CDF, is meeting today to approve our loan. (Please say a quick prayer about this right now!) Our builder, Brookstone, is in the process of collecting hard bids on the project. So….. Groundbreaking is getting close!
Corey Chauvin an Eagle Scout
October 11, 2007
Here’s a picture of our intern, Gary Luedecke, stapling an address sign to the temporary electrical pole.
We’re having to disconnect the power on the property so the pole can be moved. The widening of Kuykendahl is forcing this move. (We must be hurting for news for this to make the blog!)
Few people are probably aware that one of the Boy Scouts in our church, Corey Chauvin, completed a project on our church property that earned him his Eagle Scout Certification. Corey put in a fire ring, signage, several benches, and a propane starter with a storage cabinet.
If you want to take your small group, girl scouts, family, friends, bowling team or whoever, out for a hotdog roast or some “Kum Ba Ya” time, please let us know. Corey did an excellent job!
Construction Documents Finished!
October 4, 2007
We just received news that the CD’s (Construction Documents) are finished. This means our builder (Broookstone) will now send the documents out for hard bids. That will be about a four week process. All of this said, we are getting close to the announcement of a groundbreaking!
Final Cleanup
October 4, 2007
The surveyors were out on the property on Wednesday morning the 3rd.
We found out that a topographical study was needed in order to finish the Construction Documents. (Ask me sometime about backing over a surveyor’s tripod in my 1970 Mercury Cougar when I was young and careless!)
The final cleanup of the underbrush was also taking place on the 3rd.
God has really blessed Northside with a beautiful piece of property from which we can minister to our community.
I’d like to publicly thank Richard Peoples for helping us out at Northside in the role of an owner representative. What that basically means is that when the work begins on the property, Richard will be keeping an eye on things as they progress. (He’ll be the contact person for the contractor and architect.) Richard works for a construction company in the Houston area so he comes to us with a great deal of expertise. Thanks Richard!
Hey, if anyone has a chainsaw, we have a couple of fallen trees on the backside of the property that need to be cut up and cleaned up. I’m thinking about a couple of evenings of work on the church property. Talk to me if you have an inclination for some dirty work!
Home Stretch of Prep Phase
September 26, 2007
A massive “Thank You!” to Jay Phillips for brush-hogging the front half of the property.
(And a “Thank You” to his wife Sue, for keeping her eye on him while he was working!)
This will obviously need to be an ongoing project. So again, if you have a tractor and brush-hog, please let us know. There are several acres on the backside of the property that need to be cut.
On Tuesday, September 26, Brent Berger and I sat in a meeting with a representative of CDF (Church Development Fund), our builder, Brookstone, and a rep of Visioneering (The design company).
The purpose of this meeting was to make sure we are coming in on budget as the CDs (Construction Documents) are being finished. It was a great meeting and things are looking excellent financially. Keep praying for this process… we’re in the home stretch of the prep phase.
Still In CDs
September 19, 2007
At this point we are still in construction documents with the architectural firm. (I’ve now discovered that the cool way to say that is, “We’re still in CDs.”) We are nearing the end of the CD process and then the plans will go to the builder, Brookstone. Brookstone will take hard bids and then we’ll be ready to secure the loan and start the actual construction process. And all the people said…. “Amen!”
If you were to venture out on our property you would first notice that it is very overgrown with weeds. (If you own a brush-hog, please call the church office!)
Recently we had more of the underbrush cleared by Carl Mittlestedt’s company. Carl is a local who grew up in the area. There is still more to clear but it’s looking great! Notice pictures.
Construction on Kuykendahl Road is moving along… this is great news! By the point of our move in it will be a four-lane road with a center turn lane. Notice pictures.
