More dirt work

I apologize for pictures that may look the same, but for those of us involved, it is excited to see the project take shape. The first picture is the entrance to the front of the building where a circular drive will be located. The area of darker soil is the location of the courtyard. The second picture is the same entrance but zoomed out. The left side of the red dirt is where the worship area/fellowhip hall wil be located. The right side of the red dirt is the education wing. Connecting those two areas and behind the courtyard will be the office suite. The last picture is the entrance to the parking areas. There will be two main parking areas in Phase I. Those areas are the only areas that have not been "mucked" out yet. But as you see, they seem to be moving quickly.

Media coverage

Sorry it has taken me a few days to post this, but WLOX and The Sun Herald were both on site during the groundbreaking ceremony Sunday. I could not link the WLOX video, but if you go to http://www.wlox.com/ you will find under "news video player" a report from Krystal Allen. You will need to scroll down the menu of videos about a quarter of the way down, but you will see "First Presbyterian Church" in the title. Also, the Sun Herald link is http://www.sunherald.com/local/story/907407.html I hope this link works. If it does not, then from http://www.sunherald.com/ search First Presbyterian Church and you will see the article.

Wonderful Day

As you can see by the photos posted by Guy, all that were present were more than elated at the symbolism of today's event. First, thanks should go out to Libby Murr and Tammy Turnage for handling the coordination of the event. Thanks to the Deacons for handling chair setup and traffic direction. Our contractor, Chris Crighton - owner of J.W. Puckett, deserves much thanks for making sure that the new soil that was brought in was smoothed out appropriately for parking and for the area where the ceremony was held - and we cannot forget his bringing the golden shovels!

The day began with the pastor's sermon addressing matters of the heart and giving to the kingdom of God. Due to the great faithfulness of God shown to us in uncountless ways, how can we not in return give of ourselves - our heart, our time, our love, our money. For all is His. Then the groundbreaking ceremony addressed more of the faithfulness of God and the fact that the inerrant word of Scrpiture tells us that He will never leave nor ever forsake us. What a comfort that we have seen due to all that this congregation has been through over the past 3 years. The day culminated in getting back together at the school for evening Bible study, children's choir, etc. What a joy it was to watch the covenant children play and visualize the moment we have a facility of our own for we as the family of God to fellowship, edify each other in our walk, and most importantly glorify Him.

One last thing, what a joy it was to see the youngest of our congregation playing with the gold shovels after the ceremony. The obvious thoughts of them growing up and learning of the love of God for them in the facility that has not even been built yet.

It can never be repeated enough, "Great is Thy Faithfulness."

Breaking Ground!

Update on permitting

As many of you may know our plans went before the city's Planning Commission yesterday. There were 3 issues to get approved (all routine). All 3 issues were approved no questions asked. The next step is for the Planning Commission's approval going before the City Council. This is usually a "rubber stamp" as the commission is okay with the project. The City Council meeting that we will attend will be on November 18th. Once the City Council gives approval, their is no waiting process to actually get a physical permit...the contractor will be able to begin immediately. All this being said, it may seem this is holding up progress...let me assure it is not as there is still more land work to be done before actual construction can begin. So, this should not produce any lull in activity.

Look forward to seeing you Sunday.

The Big Dig

The "dirt movers" have started removing bad soil and replacing it with red clay. This will take place where the parking lots will be and also where the building will actually be located. As posted earlier, it looks like we will be able to have the groundbreaking ceremony on the actual site where the worship area will be located. The actual building site is the larger area where the red clay is located. Where the red clay forms a "road" coming from the building site is the western entrance that meets O'Neal Rd. This entrance will form into a circular drive in front of the church. If you have seen the plans, you will know where this is located. Check back late Sunday or Monday for pictures from the groundbreaking ceremony.

Few more pictures

All's clear

The section of the property where the building and parking lots will be located is now cleared. This area takes about about 4 acres of the 10 acre tract that the church owns. You will see in these pictures staked out areas that mark the boundaries of the parking lots and building. The next step which would likely take place in the next few days is to dig down about 2 feet and remove soil that is not suitable for a foundation or parking lot. New "good" dirt will be brought in to fill in the removed soil. Don't hold me to this, but there is a possibility that the groundbreaking ceremony could take place on the actual spot where the new building will be located as that soil removal and replacement could be complete by October 26th.

More pictures

Earth is moving!

Yesterday, the contractor began clearing the property on which the facility and parking lots will sit. Finally, a day that has been anticipated greatly. This marks the true beginning of the building process. There is not much to see as you see in these pictures, but I will continue to post pictures as more and more land gets cleared. The process of clearing out trees, digging out dirt, and hauling in new "usable" soil will take approximately 2 months. An official groundbreaking ceremony has been set for October 26th. We will be working with the contractor closer to that date to determine the best place on the property to have that ceremony in order for the area to be propertly prepped. Please check back again over the next few days for more pictures.