From Sunday Service, March 15 “A KUF Harmonious Footprint”
Our forward Planning Task Force has been listening to us about our dreams for a future KUF home. Let’s explore how a new home could be a visionary step into the future.
Five members of the congregation present their own visions to go where “. . .no KUF has gone before. . .”
Frank Balint - Comments on Sunday Address March 15/09
As a Unitarian I think that what Unitarians do daily –the world does tomorrow!!
When I reflect on a new church it seems to be all about being leaders in the new thinking.
So the attraction for me is to build a solar church with the ultimate aim of being off the grid especially with the oil and electricity crisis we are in now.
The attraction is also to recycle a building rather than start a new one. There is a site on Princess Street that seems suitable. It is opposite the Ambassador Hotel. There is a parcel of land, which I understand is 7 acres with some buildings on it that had been used as lumber hardware showrooms. The asking price is $1.3 million that of course is beyond our means. Perhaps it is possible to sever a 1.5-acre plot from the rest, the part that has the display building on it and we could offer $250,000 for this. The buildings I understand are zoned commercial. The existing buildings would be included in any sale at no cost. Whether this building could be recycled into a solar church would need some imagination.
1. First would be to visit the site to inspect to see if the current owners would divide the property.
2. Next would be to plan with Queen’s Solar Department a suitable design and a solar architect.
3. Perhaps we could in list the help of the carpentry apprenticeship at St. Lawrence to help with the renovations.
4. We could investigate government subsidies available in heating with solar hot water and other new concepts to move away from oil.
I envision perhaps $400,000 in rebuilding work. So with the $250,000 possible land for 1.5 acres plus the cost of renovations would come in around $650,000.
The advantages of such a plan would mean:
1. A prominent location on a main thoroughfare, which would advertise us.
2. A central location that has public transportation and railway close at hand.
3. The design of a modern church, which would be solar, and eventually off the grid prompting us to be leaders in new concepts of heating etc.
4. A location that would abut a scenic outlook on wetlands for many acres.
It is a radical solution to our crowding problems but these ideas may help lead us to consider new and exciting directions. Thank you for your time.
Valerie Colgan:KUF’s New Home
What is my dream for our new home?
I would like us to be able to have our Sunday morning services in a beautiful room where one could look out new ‘energy star’ windows at trees, sun and sky. The children would have their story with us and then be able to go to rooms that are spacious enough for them, and also have a run around outside in a safe green space. After service we could adjourn to the coffee room, adjoining the big bright kitchen, and dividers could be pulled across the main hall so that some meetings could go on. We would have a church administrative office and Amazing, Amazing! even an office for the minister.
Our building would have multiple uses to help us cover the costs and also to provide needed space for the community. As I was a member of the social action group on housing that we had a few years ago, that has remained in the back of my mind. We would look to provide space for apartments for seniors on the upper floors or an Abbeyfield Home ( which would serve a population of 12 to 15 seniors).
We are trying to make connections with groups that we could share space with but it is difficult to do when we don’t really know what space we are talking about. We have explored the costs of building new space and it is much more expensive than renovating an existing building.
I would hope that the main hall would be attractive enough to be desired for concerts and weddings to bring in rental income. It is very important to your treasurer that we build or buy a property that we will be able to afford to run. We have talked to the people at the UU church in Mississauga and they are finding that their hall is very desirable and brings in more rentals than they had estimated.
In the recent UU World magazine, there is a short article about the First Unitarian Society of Madison, Wisconsin. They have just put an eco-friendly addition on to their church complete with a live roof system that integrates a layer of plants and soil. The original Church was designed in 1951 by Frank Lloyd Wright. It looks fabulous! Luckily they have a 1500 member church as the addition cost $10 million.
My dream is for something beautiful, eco-friendly and practical.
Phyllis Robbins: My KUF would include. . .
Most of you know of my involvement with the music program here, so I’d like to talk about that first. Of course, we have our wonderful “Vocal Volunteers” choir, (and we can always use more recruits for that), but beyond Deb’s piano playing and the choral music that the V Vs do, I see a future KUF as being a home for chamber music, for small ensembles. For example wouldn’t it be lovely to hear a whole session of music as played by Deb on piano and Alexander on flute, or have an evening of jazz as provided by Paul K. with one of his trios, or quartets?
Folk musicians are always looking for a place to play, and we have many contacts in that field. Then there’s KUF as a venue for senior students from Queen’s Univ., who are always looking for the experience of performing in front of an audience. Of course, in order to accommodate such, I envision us acquiring a grand piano, not just our present electronic piano.
(Some of you know that the profits from the sale of the “Now Let Us Sing!” book go into a special account for special music provisions. Right now, I think that we could probably afford about seven or eight keys worth of that grand piano from that account!)
Of course, the acoustics of the sanctuary would have to be excellent. Not necessarily a hugely high ceiling, but a room that enables excellent sound.
But the issue of greater importance that I really want to talk about is, for want of a better word “aesthetics.” To paraphrase Sophia Fahs, “It matters where we live.”
Some places ignore how you feel, and force one to fight against the setting in order to focus on the service. I was a member of the Winnipeg church for many years and quite honestly hated that old building. It bothered me to the extent that there were large gaps of time, when I didn’t attend at all. It matters where I live.
Look around you now. When I heard of the colour that Maureen E. had chosen to paint these walls I thought it would look awful, but, in fact, Maureen did a beautiful job of enhancing what we have in this room, and the colour that she chose is flattering to just about everyone here. She deserves a lot of credit for what she has contributed to this setting.
Some places enable worship, and lead the way for one to focus, to refresh, to recreate, to enhance that sense of community that enables action to be taken when the need arises. What I need when I attend a service at KUF on Sunday morning is that place to be refreshed, to focus, to recreate and to feel that great sense of community. And that really is the kind of place that I want to see for us to achieve in the future.
(But it will cost a bit more than the 28 and a half cents that Thoreau spent on Walden! )
Our forward Planning Task Force has been listening to us about our dreams for a future KUF home. Let’s explore how a new home could be a visionary step into the future.
Five members of the congregation present their own visions to go where “. . .no KUF has gone before. . .”
Frank Balint -
When I reflect on a new church it seems to be all about being leaders in the new thinking.
So the attraction for me is to build a solar church with the ultimate aim of being off the grid especially with the oil and electricity crisis we are in now.
The attraction is also to recycle a building rather than start a new one. There is a site on Princess Street that seems suitable. It is opposite the Ambassador Hotel. There is a parcel of land, which I understand is 7 acres with some buildings on it that had been used as lumber hardware showrooms. The asking price is $1.3 million that of course is beyond our means. Perhaps it is possible to sever a 1.5-
1. First would be to visit the site to inspect to see if the current owners would divide the property.
2. Next would be to plan with Queen’s Solar Department a suitable design and a solar architect.
3. Perhaps we could in list the help of the carpentry apprenticeship at St. Lawrence to help with the renovations.
4. We could investigate government subsidies available in heating with solar hot water and other new concepts to move away from oil.
I envision perhaps $400,000 in rebuilding work. So with the $250,000 possible land for 1.5 acres plus the cost of renovations would come in around $650,000.
The advantages of such a plan would mean:
1. A prominent location on a main thoroughfare, which would advertise us.
2. A central location that has public transportation and railway close at hand.
3. The design of a modern church, which would be solar, and eventually off the grid prompting us to be leaders in new concepts of heating etc.
4. A location that would abut a scenic outlook on wetlands for many acres.
It is a radical solution to our crowding problems but these ideas may help lead us to consider new and exciting directions. Thank you for your time.
Valerie Colgan:KUF’s New Home
What is my dream for our new home?
I would like us to be able to have our Sunday morning services in a beautiful room where one could look out new ‘energy star’ windows at trees, sun and sky. The children would have their story with us and then be able to go to rooms that are spacious enough for them, and also have a run around outside in a safe green space. After service we could adjourn to the coffee room, adjoining the big bright kitchen, and dividers could be pulled across the main hall so that some meetings could go on. We would have a church administrative office and Amazing, Amazing! even an office for the minister.
Our building would have multiple uses to help us cover the costs and also to provide needed space for the community. As I was a member of the social action group on housing that we had a few years ago, that has remained in the back of my mind. We would look to provide space for apartments for seniors on the upper floors or an Abbeyfield Home ( which would serve a population of 12 to 15 seniors).
We are trying to make connections with groups that we could share space with but it is difficult to do when we don’t really know what space we are talking about. We have explored the costs of building new space and it is much more expensive than renovating an existing building.
I would hope that the main hall would be attractive enough to be desired for concerts and weddings to bring in rental income. It is very important to your treasurer that we build or buy a property that we will be able to afford to run. We have talked to the people at the UU church in Mississauga and they are finding that their hall is very desirable and brings in more rentals than they had estimated.
In the recent UU World magazine, there is a short article about the First Unitarian Society of Madison, Wisconsin. They have just put an eco-
My dream is for something beautiful, eco-
Phyllis Robbins: My KUF would include. . .
Most of you know of my involvement with the music program here, so I’d like to talk about that first. Of course, we have our wonderful “Vocal Volunteers” choir, (and we can always use more recruits for that), but beyond Deb’s piano playing and the choral music that the V Vs do, I see a future KUF as being a home for chamber music, for small ensembles. For example wouldn’t it be lovely to hear a whole session of music as played by Deb on piano and Alexander on flute, or have an evening of jazz as provided by Paul K. with one of his trios, or quartets?
Folk musicians are always looking for a place to play, and we have many contacts in that field. Then there’s KUF as a venue for senior students from Queen’s Univ., who are always looking for the experience of performing in front of an audience. Of course, in order to accommodate such, I envision us acquiring a grand piano, not just our present electronic piano.
(Some of you know that the profits from the sale of the “Now Let Us Sing!” book go into a special account for special music provisions. Right now, I think that we could probably afford about seven or eight keys worth of that grand piano from that account!)
Of course, the acoustics of the sanctuary would have to be excellent. Not necessarily a hugely high ceiling, but a room that enables excellent sound.
But the issue of greater importance that I really want to talk about is, for want of a better word “aesthetics.” To paraphrase Sophia Fahs, “It matters where we live.”
Some places ignore how you feel, and force one to fight against the setting in order to focus on the service. I was a member of the Winnipeg church for many years and quite honestly hated that old building. It bothered me to the extent that there were large gaps of time, when I didn’t attend at all. It matters where I live.
Look around you now. When I heard of the colour that Maureen E. had chosen to paint these walls I thought it would look awful, but, in fact, Maureen did a beautiful job of enhancing what we have in this room, and the colour that she chose is flattering to just about everyone here. She deserves a lot of credit for what she has contributed to this setting.
Some places enable worship, and lead the way for one to focus, to refresh, to recreate, to enhance that sense of community that enables action to be taken when the need arises. What I need when I attend a service at KUF on Sunday morning is that place to be refreshed, to focus, to recreate and to feel that great sense of community. And that really is the kind of place that I want to see for us to achieve in the future.
(But it will cost a bit more than the 28 and a half cents that Thoreau spent on Walden! )
March 15, ‘09
