Presenting the Master Plan
In 2017-18, Holy Family conducted a visioning process and used the input to
develop a Master Plan—a long-term plan for capital improvements to the
parish and school. Our community worked with Soderstrom Architects to
identify our most important needs. Those priorities resulted in a phased plan
that addresses church needs, our learning and play environment, ministries,
and campus safety. The parish is currently conducting a Feasibility Study--
considering your input--to assess our ability to conduct the first phase of the
Plan. This phase involves building a new Parish Center with an elevator for
ADA access, renovating Celebration Hall and building a plaza extension, and
installing a new HVAC system for both the School and the Parish Center. The
following details the Master Plan process from six years ago. Please see the
New Parish Office Floor Plan for the renderings of this phase.
The Parish has had various facilities committees over the years to identify, prioritize, and in some cases perform maintenance around Holy Family campus. Spawned from discussions over the past several years in both Administrative and Pastoral Councils and ideas proposed by parishioners, Father Rodel created a Master Plan Task Force in 2017 to formally address Holy Family’s facility and property needs.
The Task Force was charged with identifying the type of Master Plan to meet the parish’s needs, noting it must address maintenance and any possible future construction, and selecting an architecture firm to prepare the Plan. Soderstrom Architects PC was selected and retained by the parish to prepare a Master Plan. The firm has conducted numerous projects of this kind and has worked with many parishes in our Archdiocese.
Why is a Master Plan Needed?
Holy Family has some old buildings and not-so-old buildings. Even newer structures, such as the church built in 1999, require ongoing maintenance for paint, carpet, roofing, and more.
In order for a parish to undertake any notable construction, should it be desired, the Archdiocese requires a Master Plan be in place. A Master Plan looks comprehensively at the physical plant needs and involves parishioners, school parents, staff, and other stakeholders in determining a future vision of the parish.
The school was built in 1948; the Rectory and Parish Center followed in 1949 and the 1950s, respectively, to house the nuns and the pastor. The gym was built in 1964. As the parish has weathered both good and bad financial times, maintenance has been intermittent. Even the best of care, however, cannot fend off the ravages of weather and time on these buildings. As a thriving community of faith, Holy Family must look with clear eyes on its future and decide how it will act out its mission in the next few decades.
Results of the Parish Master Plan questionnaires
Approximately 180 surveys about campus priorities were returned by parishioners in response to the January 2018 presentations by Soderstrom Architects. The results are posted in two parts:
CLICK HERE for results of the scale of agreement on various statements about facilities.
CLICK HERE to read written comments regarding possible uses of Parish properties and additional thoughts and ideas. The comments are unedited and reflect the various perspectives and beliefs of those who wrote them.
CLICK HERE to see slides from the January 2018 presentations by Soderstrom Architects which assess our campus buildings and offer initial ideas to resolve some of the issues.