In January 2005, at a Special Vestry, there was virtually unanimous approval to proceed with the upgrade to The Well space, excavation of the crypt area, and upgrades to basic building services. Since that time our design consultants and construction manager have been working closely together to develop the construction documents and to establish firm construction budgets.

This week, the construction documents are sufficiently complete to allow the construction manager to make application to the City for a building permit. Permit fees are being waived by the City. The building permit process is fairly long and time consuming but we are confident that the permit will be issued allowing construction to begin, as scheduled, in the first week of May.

The Well will close on April 15 in order to pack and move to its temporary location at Bell Street United Church, where it will re-open at the beginning of May. Right now, St John's is busy sorting through its areas in the basement, packing what it wants to keep. The rest will be disposed of as part of the demolition.

Based on the building permit documents, construction prices will be more closely refined over the next month to ensure that the total cost does not exceed the amount approved by Vestry in January ($757,000 from St John's plus $505,400 from the City of Ottawa). The design has been prepared to allow enhancements to the building services in the future, should this be desired and funding be available.

There is great excitement among both the clients and the staff of The Well regarding the plans for the renovations. The kitchen will be totally redesigned to operate efficiently and to meet the health code for food preparation and serving. Pat Connolly, Director of The Well, has had funding approved from the Anglican Foundation for a walk-in refrigerator and freezer. She is seeking funding for a new commercial countertop dishwasher and for some finishing of the storage areas, because the $505,400 grant from the City of Ottawa is insufficient to cover these items. A new gas stove to replace the present electric stove would also be a desirable addition, from an energy efficiency (and cooking) point of view, if funds can be found.

Please see the ARC notice board for the detailed design drawings for the basement. On the ground floor, the new, enlarged washrooms will occupy the nursery area, and the nursery will be moved to the other side of the washrooms. Because the washrooms take more space, a small section will be taken from the west end of the Burke Room to provide an adequate nursery.

Future bulletins will keep you up to date on progress, and informed as to how the construction schedule will affect the use of church facilities once construction starts.