Construction Update for 429 St Paul Street
Fencing will go up around the Christian Education Centre and parking area adjacent to the lane, on Monday, June 3. The first step will be to remove asbestos from the site and disconnection of site services. After completion of the removal, it is expected that demolition will begin June 17 in preparation for the new affordable/market housing, KUC offices and new KUC Thrift Shop. Intermittent lane closures may be expected as construction progresses but no date(s) have been identified at this time.
Enquiries into the wood from the beams located in the old Fellowship Hall, at 429 St Paul Street, can be directed to the Demolition Contractor, Jason White, at 250-851-1021. The salvaged wood is not suitable for construction such as structural support but could be used by wood workers or carvers. Contact the Jason White directly to enquire about obtaining salvaged wood. A donation for salvaged wood can be directed to Vision 429 Housing Ltd.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Ron Routledge, Vision 429 Housing co-chair, 250-372-0708.
Update March 24, 2013
KUC moved “back home” on Friday, March 1st with the first service, March 3.
There are still items left to be completed or that need adjustments. This is all part of growing into a new facility. Each Friday, for the next several weeks, a list will be posted showing those items that are being worked on by TriCity and their sub-contractors as they complete the contractual requirements of Phase 1. That list will be available on the kitchen bulletin board, at the greeter desk, and our administration office. Phase 1 construction is almost finished!
February 3, 2013 Update
Final inspections for an Operation Permit for the Lift, and a Building Occupancy Permit will be happening this coming week. This means that by week’s end, we should be in a position where Don Waldon and Ron McColl can finalize plans and put into action our Move-In – knowing that the facility is ready for us.
January 24, 2013 Update
Although the opening was held Jan. 24, not all facets of the building have been completed. A move-in date will not been announced until all approvals and permits have been received and construction finishing details are completed.
January 20, 2013 Update
Between mid-November and Christmas, work continued to complete the insulation, drywalling, concrete flooring, lighting, heating and ventilation systems. Following a bit of a slow-down during the Christmas season, the pace of work increased to complete the kitchen, lay down flooring in the Hall and Sanctuary, and finalize plumbing, painting and lighting, especially on the Main Floor. After several weather-related delays, the brickwork on the exterior’s front entrance began, integrating new bricks and utilizing bricks that had been carefully salvaged and then cleaned by volunteers from our congregation. Plans for a ceremony to officially thank the Aviva Insurance Company for their financial gift to the kitchen and to mark the Opening of the redeveloped facility were finalized for January 24th. Inspections of emergency, plumbing, electrical, heating and ventilation, health, and safety systems required for permits for public occupancy occurred as well.
Mid-November Update
As of mid-November, the redevelopment of Stage I, which includes the new kitchen, Fellowship Hall, meeting rooms, and preschool space, has seen the demolition of the interior walls in the lower level and St Paul Street access in late spring. Excavation for the new St Paul entrance, preschool area, kitchen and hall were well underway by the beginning of summer. Necessary pipes were laid before foundations were poured and framing completed by the end of summer. Roof joists and girders went up in September. Installation of electrical, plumbing, heating, mechanical, and ventilation services are mostly completed. Wiring for the security system, telephone, and data has started and will be completed within the next two weeks. Drywall installers and painters are very busy on both levels. On the main level, the concrete floor topping in the hall and kitchen was poured and windows installed. On the exterior of the building, stucco finishing requires just the final colour coat, the bricks will soon be applied, and landscaping, including a sloped sidewalk to the front entrance is underway. The roofers, too, have been busy to complete the installation of the tin sheeting as their final step.
For two weeks between end-October and beginning-November, St Paul Street was closed off during the day. This enabled the installation of the upgraded electrical, sewer, and storm drains which will be required by the addition of the residential complex. This also explains Rev. Teri’s “vibrations”!
The kitchen will be completed by December 1, as required by the Aviva grant which supplied the funding for most of the kitchen construction and equipment. The kitchen will not be operational, however, until Building Inspectors and Public Health Inspectors have given their “OK”, and training of key volunteers and personnel has occurred.
Overall, Vision 421 is satisfied with the progress of redevelopment of Stage 1 and that costs are on budget. Excitement is growing as plans to move into the new area are being developed.
To see photos of the construction, see our PHOTO page. (There are 4 photo albums documenting the construction: Nov-Dec 2012 Redevelopment, Redevelopment Sept/Oct. 2012, Redevelopment Summer 2012 and Changes! Spring 2012).
Recap of Construction to date, October 29, 2012
As of mid-October, the redevelopment of Stage I, which includes the new kitchen, Fellowship Hall, meeting rooms, and preschool space, has seen the demolition of the interior walls in the lower level and St Paul Street access in late spring. Excavation for the new St Paul entrance, preschool area, kitchen and hall were well underway by the beginning of summer. Necessary pipes were laid before foundations were poured and framing completed by the end of summer. Roof joists and girders went up in September. Electricians and plumbers have mostly completed their work, while mechanical and roofing trades continue to be very busy. Recently, insulation was installed throughout the lower level, and drywall and ceilings will soon appear down there. On the main level, preparations are complete for the concrete floor topping to be poured. That is also scheduled to occur the last week of October.
In September, a memorable event included the salvage of bricks from the demolition which were carefully scraped and cleaned for use on the exterior of the new areas. This work was cheerfully done by some very hard-working volunteers. Another milestone — during the last week of October, St Paul Street will be closed off. This will enable the installation of the upgraded electrical, sewer, and storm drains required by the addition of the residential complex.
Drawings of the lower and main levels are posted on the Vision 421 bulletin board, in the hall to view.
May – June 2012 update: Click here to see the accompanying photos.
Excavation on the lower level of KUC, Phase I, started on May 21. Cement has been poured to create floors for new sections in the lower floor (between the Sanctuary and CE Centre, and behind the Sanctuary to the back lane) and forms are up and rebar ready for new walls.
Parking directly behind the church and the handicap ramp access are available during this period but please read the signs to find an appropriate parking space. A reminder that on Sundays, during service, the Kamloops Daily News has offered spaces anywhere on the lot behind their building to congregation members for free.
If you have any questions about the lane closure, please email Scott Kelly at scott@tricitycanada.ca from Tri City, or call him at 250-372-5576 Ext. 123.
Congregation Members Involved in Demolition of Lower Level
A hardy group of congregation members spent May 13 and May 21 demolishing and removing the the dry wall in the lower level of Phase I beneath the sanctuary. Over two trailer-size bins of debris was removed.
April 2012 Marks Construction on Stage I See redevelopment photos
Construction on Stage One of the redevelopment of Kamloops United Church property at 4th and St.Paul commenced immediately after the Easter holiday. To mark this occasion, Council Circle and Vision421 Building Society hosted an ”Official Hammer Blow” ceremony at the church site on Saturday Morning, April 14th at 10:30 am. See photos
Stage One includes the new preschool space and meetings rooms in the lower level. The sanctuary remains intact but a new street level entrance, with a lift to improve accessibility, a new hall and kitchen will be on the main level.
As excavation begins, exterior removal of brickwork in affected areas is being removed and will be reused in the new exterior finish. Basement fixtures are being dismantled, and demolition has begun in what used to be the Thrift Shop and Music Room. Congregational members and adherents, decked out in steel-toed boots and hard hats are able to participate in this part of the demolition, and in preparing the bricks for reuse.
March 2012 update
Sunday, March 25th, Council Circle convened a congregational meeting following our worship service. Vision421 presented information about the tender process for construction of Phase One, discussed the total budget projected and illustrated how financial resources will be found. A vote was held with the 
following 2 questions: 1 “that KUC proceed with constructing Stage 1 of the Redevelopment by adopting a total budget of $1,775,000″ and 2 “that the Trustees, on behalf of Kamloops United Church, shall be authorized to borrow up to $1.7 million to complete Stage 1 of the Redevelopment”. This decision is a milestone in the Redevelopment work done to date since it marks a financial commitment to the project and will allow construction to begin shortly after Easter.
In addition, Vision421 introduced a new “working group” that has been formed to provide information to the congregation about the 61 residential suites that are being designed for Stage 2 of the redevelopment. Their aim is to build excitement and identify folk within and outside our congregation who are interested in possible purchase of suites.
One More Milestone Reached, Sept. 2, 2011
Vision 421 has received approval from the City of Kamloops for the Development Permit of the redevelopment of Phase I (the Sanctuary side) in the last week of August. The updated design for the lower and main levels of Phase I submitted to the city, have been posted on the bulletin board just by the Fellowship Hall. Further to the last post in Aug, Phase II (the housing component) has yet to be reviewed by the City Engineering Department. The department may still require further information but once this has been provided the Development Permit will be sent to City Council for approval. Once approved, the rezoning will go for public consultation.
No further word has been heard from BC Housing regarding our application for interim financing. We remain hopeful and Vision 421 is appreciative of everyone’s patience and support.
Update on Redevelopment, Aug 1, 2011
Vision 421 is waiting for the City of Kamloops to approve the Development Permit Application. Once approved, the application then goes on to a public meeting regarding the rezoning for the housing component. This process did not occur in July as hoped but is currently slated for August. Provided there is no public opposition to the rezoning request, and with the understanding that the City may require still further changes, we anticipate receiving the Development Permit in September.
Concurrently, we have been pursuing financing for the total project (both Phase I and II) through BC Housing and conventional lending institutions. This has been a slow process, but we are optimistic that we can secure the financing this fall, which will allow construction to begin in early 2012.
Given both of these time-frames, we anticipate that Services will continue in the Sanctuary and the office will remain in its current location until the New Year.
We appreciate the support shown to us and the patience demonstrated by everyone in the congregation as we work to bring this project to “life”. As we have stated before, if anyone has any questions or wishes clarification on what is happening, please contact any of the Directors of Vision 421.
Construction Update May 2011
To date, a property survey, a geotechnical assessment, and a hazardous materials assessment were completed. Each of these provided critical information necessary for the City’s Planning Department to consider granting us a Development Permit (DP) to carry out our planned reconstruction. The results show no major reason for not going ahead with our plans and we are optimistic that we will obtain our DP in July.
Our architects gave some positive credit to the KUC team who spearheaded the Sanctuary development many years ago. They found that the as-built drawings quite accurately reflect what had actually been built! This is apparently a rather rare occurrence, and one which has helped make their redesigning job much easier.
The congregation provided direction to Phase I at the May 29 Congregational meeting to allow the architect to develop more detailed floor plans of the main and lower levels. These updated floor plans were submitted to the city planning department as part of the DP process. We will post the revised plans for the congregation to view as soon as they are available.