Building Project Update for 1/12/2026

Last week as the grading crew was digging out the retention pond they found a large pocket of debris and unstable dirt that had to be removed.  This has created a few short-term challenges and we are working with the permitting bodies and geotechnical engineers to identify a cost effective solution to remedy the situation.  These types of hiccups are a normal part of the construction process and shouldn't have any significant impact on the overall building project. 

The next major steps will be the delivery and placement of concrete structures that will be placed in and around the retention pond.

The placement of stormwater structures began last week and made rapid progress.  We expect to see more of the same this week and continue for the next few weeks. 

Placement of these structures and piping are critical to managing large volumes of stormwater throughout the entire campus.  The largest challenge is that this system handles the large volume of water that will collect in the parking areas that will be between Startown Road and the front of the church.  This water all has to be routed around the building at a single location near the current main entrance.

Once an area has had its stormwater structures placed rough grading can begin in the area above it.

Rough grading is expected to start in earnest this week.  This stage of construction will see the gradual movement of huge amounts of soil.  Some areas will be cut down and that soil will be moved to lower areas.  One of the key things people will notice is the footprint of the building beginning to take shape and the reality that the new building will be 5.5 feet lower than the current building.

Rough grading is essentially preparing the area that the concrete slab will be poured on.  While I expect everyone to be excited about concrete coming, it will be awhile before we are ready for that part of the project.

We are continuing to work with Duke Energy to complete the campus lighting design.  The design for the new (north) parking lot is expected to be completed this week.  Once approved we will get on the schedule of the installation crew and we can expect placement of the streetlights in that lot in three to four weeks.

Another portion of the project is lighting along the main entrance and the loop road.  This design is taking longer since we have to work with Duke Energy to pull the power we need from a pole on the other side of Startown Road.  We  should be meeting in the next week or two to finalize a design plan moving that portion of the project forward.