FAQ for AFM Building Project

Adelphi Friends Meeting

Building Project and Capital Campaign

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the building project?

A: A number of years ago, the Meeting began to feel that the current building does not meet the needs of the community – potluck lunches are cramped and noisy, many parts of the campus are inaccessible to those with limited mobility, the building is not fully air conditioned, and there are not enough suitable rooms for our children’s program.

Q: What’s happened so far?

The Meeting decided to proceed with the project and began raising funds for the new building through a Capital Campaign in 2014. That effort raised nearly $750,000, largely in three-year pledges that have now been paid. After extensive discussion, research, and discernment, in 2016 Meeting for Business reached unity on the design criteria for the expansion (see attached). In mid-2018 the project gained momentum as the Building Committee hired an owner’s representative to manage the process and began interviewing architects.

Q: What will the new building look like?

The plan is to add a two-story space to the front of the existing Meetinghouse, expand the lobby, and renovate the basement. The Design Criteria specify new large social space with a new kitchen, additional classrooms, better circulation, and accessible restrooms. An architect will be selected in early 2019, and detailed renderings will be available as the design is developed. The architects use software that will give us a 3D virtual tour of the new space.

Q: How will the new building affect the life of our community?

A: The new space will make the Meeting a more welcoming place for visitors and longtime members of our community alike. The entire building will be fully accessible, with accessible restrooms, improved circulation through the building, air conditioning throughout, and better access between the Meetinghouse and the White House. Improvements to the lobby will provide a better welcome for newcomers and more comfort for those who arrive late to Meeting for Worship. The larger social space and kitchen will make potluck less cramped and more comfortable. Additional classrooms will give our young people dedicated spaces for their activities.

The new spaces will also be available for a wide range of Meeting events and committee work. The plan includes the ability to open the Meeting Room walls to the expanded lobby for additional capacity for weddings and memorials.

Q: What’s the project timeline?

A: An architect will be chosen by the beginning of 2019. Schematic designs are expected to be available in the spring, and the Meeting will offer review and approval before detailed plans are drawn up. The renovation phase has been completed successfully. Construction of the expansion phase could begin as early as late-2022 and take six months to a year, though the exact timeline is still uncertain.

Q: How much is the project going to cost?

A: The final cost will be determined as the plans develop, but the estimate is that the entire project will cost about $2.5 million.

Q: How is the Meeting going to pay for the project?

A: The Building Fund has about $760,000 from donations to the first capital campaign, plus interest on those donations. A final Capital Campaign will be held in the spring and summer of 2019. Members of the community will be encouraged to make three-year pledges to the Capital Campaign in whatever amount they are able to contribute. Whatever funds the Meeting is not able to raise through the Campaign will be covered by a mortgage or other loan, which would then be paid through the operating budget for the life of the loan. The Meeting may also need to take out a shorter-term bridge loan if building expenses are due before pledges are fully paid.

Q: How do I make a pledge?

Please fill out a pledge form and return it to the Assistant Treasurer. Once you have filled out a form, you can decide to pay your pledge via check, or set up a recurring payment on the Meeting website at https://adelphifriends.org/card/give/. Be sure to select the Building Fund option on the online form. We are also able to accept stock and some other types of gifts; contact the Assistant Treasurer or a member of the Ad Hoc Capital Campaign Subcommittee for more information.

Q: How can I get involved?

A: At various phases of the design process, the Building Committee will be presenting designs to the Meeting and asking for input. Please keep an eye out for these opportunities and attend the second hours, Meeting for Business, and other events. You are also welcome to join the Ad Hoc Capital Campaign Subcommittee to help raise funds. Contact Deb Bassert if you are interested.

Q: Who should I contact for more information?

A: John Bassert and Mary Leonard are co-clerks of the Building Committee and are happy to answer questions about the project. Deb Bassert and Anna Sommers are leading the Ad Hoc Capital Campaign Subcommittee and are happy to speak with anyone about the campaign.

Q: Why did we decide on the “Build in Front” design?

A: Here is the Building Committee’s Design Criteria and the Front Concept:

The Facilities Guidelines approved by Meeting for Business May 19th, 2013, are shown below in bold. They include six design criteria and three additional project guidelines. The bulleted points are the Facilities Work Group’s explanation of how the proposed Front addition design concept meets the approved criteria. More information can be found on Adelphi’s web page under the Building our Future section.

1. Accessible spaces for worship and social gatherings with a way to easily move from one to the other 

• The main worship space and the social hall connect via the large lobby and are accessible by a stairway and an elevator.

• All circulation between the two main spaces is indoors.

2. Accessible restrooms

• Two accessible restrooms off the first floor lobby; two more off the second floor
  social hall and one in the meeting house basement.

3. A larger social space and more functional kitchen

• A social hall about 50 percent larger than the current one, served by a larger kitchen on that floor.

4. A worship space with an adjacent space that can be used for special events but not necessarily every Sunday.  

• A large lobby adjacent to the worship space unifies Adelphi’s main functions: worship, social activities and religious education. It doubles as a transitional space for waiting to enter Meeting, for staging larger events (weddings, Strawberry Festival, etc.), or for socializing. It also can accommodate art, library shelves or other displays.

• A moveable half-wall can open the lobby to the worship space to allow overflow seating for large weddings or memorial services.

5. Six classrooms of varying sizes with access to the playground for the younger children and a place apart (but not too far apart) for Young Friends. 

• One (or two) sound-isolated classrooms off the main lobby, plus the two first-floor
  classrooms in the White House, result in either three or four accessible classrooms. Two more sound-isolated, mold and moisture-free classrooms in the Meetinghouse basement, accessed from the new stair to the basement, the elevator or from the existing rear exterior stair.

• The second floor to the right in the white house can function as a “place apart” for Young Friends, though it will not be accessible for the mobility impaired.

• Access to the existing (untouched) playground will be through the lobby, the rear
  Meeting house stairway, or the parking lot.

6. Better site circulation and use of outdoor space.

• From the courtyard/deck/entry portico, there is access to either the new Meeting room/ social hall/entrance lobby OR the White House. After passing the entry to the new lobby, the space between the meeting house and the white house is unchanged allowing free movement toward the back of the grounds.

• All circulation between the worship space and the social hall is inside.

• Views and access through the site are maintained as closely as possible to the current configuration. Clear views from front to back remain. The rear playground and adjacent open areas remain untouched. 

Additional project guidelines:

1. Construction is to be planned to minimize disruption of our community worship and social life

• In the opinion of a commercial (not residential) contractor consulted by the working group, most of the construction of the new addition can be done without disturbing the meeting room, which will have to be entered by way of the rear stair during construction.

• The basement will be available throughout the building of the addition. Renovation of the basement will take place after the addition is usable.

• There may be a need to hold worship elsewhere for some weeks, especially during the renovation of the Meeting room.

2. Public areas at Adelphi Meeting are to be wheelchair accessible

• The parking lot, front sidewalk, center deck, White House first floor, Meeting house lobby, Meeting room, social hall and meeting house basement will all be accessible. At least five of the six classrooms will be accessible.

• Five rest rooms will be accessible.

• Paved paths to the rear of the buildings, while not part of this proposal, can be added as needed.

3. Green practices shall guide property improvements, balancing the cost of capital investment and projected energy usage

• This design concept preserves and improves the existing built spaces, and preserves existing open green space and trees.

• It provides a clear use for the Meetinghouse basement.

• This guideline will govern specific product choices and building techniques, which will be reflected in the design development phase and in the construction documents.