By Rob Carrigan
In 2017 Christ Church Cranbrook began envisioning a campus redevelopment project to address a variety of needs including increased multipurpose space, additional classrooms, increased accessibility and modernized facilities. In 2019, a successful capital campaign, From Our Founding to Our Future, was completed and work on the project began that fall. A Special Project Committee (SPC) was formed by the Vestry to oversee and facilitate the building project and to periodically report ton the congregation. Click here to read our last report in March 2020.
Progress on our campus renewal project reached an important milestone recently, when at its April 20, 2020 meeting, the Vestry approved the selection of an Owner Representative,
following the recommendation of the Special Committee for Coordination of Program Building
and Campus Renovation Project (“Special Committee”), the direct leadership group for the CCC
campus renovation. There was unanimous agreement that Project Planning and Management
(“P2M”), an Owner’s Representative firm from Milford, Michigan would be best for the task. Bob
Formisano, P2M’s President and a registered architect, will be working on our project.
What is an Owner Representative and what role do they play in successful management of
a complex renovation project as ours?
The Owner Representative is a project manager representing the owner. Almost any construction project these days is complex and requires and individual with experience to facilitate and coordinate the building process. This is clearly true for a church with the clergy essentially devoted to the congregation. No one expects that Father Bill and the Wardens to break through an issue be it structural, electrical or HVAC. The Owner’s Representative leadership usually results in savings in dollars and time. Already, Bob Formisano has developed a conceptual cost model, including cash flow projections that will be key for the Renovation’s Project’s success and has facilitated workflow among the numerous approval authorities that are essential for an earnest commencement of construction. Bob Formisano’s work will increase in complexity as the Project moves ahead. As you receive specific updates in the future, you can assume Bob had a key role in making them happen.
We encourage everyone to contact the Chair of the Special Project Committee or of any of the sub-committees in conversation with committee members at any time. Click here to read the entire Special Project Committee report to the April Vestry meeting.
The Special Project Committee is dedicated to being transparent and inclusive. There will be regular communication with you. We will create space for dialogue and seek to listen to as many voices as possible. Look for our pop-up kiosk coming soon. We will hold open meetings covering developments throughout the project to keep everyone informed and provide opportunities for input. There is much to do before we break ground. Contracts, reviews, permits and final approvals must be obtained before first shovel.
Thank you. We should all be very proud of this accomplishment and the transformational affect our campus improvement will have on our church and our ability to fulfill our mission.
Have questions about the Capital Campaign project? Feel free to contact Mark Peters, the Chair of the Special Project Committee, or any members of the Sub-committees to engage in further conversation. Click here for more information around the Special Projects Committee and its structure.