Link to > CouncilAgenda20140422 > PropertyCommittee

Property Report to Church Council – April 2014

Apart from regular tree pruning, garden work, repairs and maintenance the following specific activities are brought to Church Council attention for information only.

Manse use of 19 Southdown: The Indonesian team at Mulgrave Uniting Church have taken occupancy control of 19 Southdown manse and the new minister (Rev Ayub) will be moving in during April. GWUC will receive standard manse allowance for the usage of around $13,200p.a. A Memorandum of Understanding (lease) is being reviewed by Presbytery prior to signing.

Cleaning Rosters: Instead of a rent review for 2014, we offered the Chinese church an alternative where they could supply 4 to 6 people to join our cleaning rosters of the worship center and hall. They have accepted this alternative and we are working to incorporate them to our rosters. We believe this is a much better outcome for GWUC.

Solar Power: The installation of the solar has been completed, and is operating on 80 of the 120 possible panels. We are not permitted to turn on all the panels until a protective wire cage is installed around the inverters on the wall of the hall. This will be completed shortly, at which time the full system will be activated. There has been isolated commentary about the new steel channel that was used to get the wiring to/from the roof. The existing channel was unable to carry the additional wiring safely, and the original design of taking cabling vertical up the wall was going to add significant complexity to the cabling. The new channel will be painted when it has cured.

Car Park footpath protectors: These have now been installed.

Foyer Fellowship steam clean: To be completed on Tuesday 15th April.

Replacing office printer/photocopier: The new office equipment will be installed after Easter and then we will attempt to sell the old machine.

Playground Fence: A new eastern side fence is to be installed in the playground as the existing fence and gate has rotted and is no longer safe. This will occur on Monday 14th April.

Fellowship step protectors: In accordance with Synod OHS inspection, the fellowship step edge/protectors will be installed across the full section of all three steps late early May. A solution for the sanctuary is still being developed as Property did not like any of the options such as adhesive reflective tape or carpet painting.

Synod OHS Manual: This document was referred to Property by Church Council. It is NOT a Property only matter as there are requirements related to bullying and behaviour of all congregational members, as well as other child safe and people safety behaviors. Through the office, I arranged for additional copies to be obtained and we will work with Church Council, Finance Committee, Office and Ministry team to develop a comprehensive analysis and delivery of the requirements. An example of a non-property requirement is that all Finance Stewards and signatories to bank accounts must have current annual Police Checks to perform the role. This will require Finance committee and the Treasurer to be advised of every group in the church using the GWUC name, that has their own bank accounts, to adhere to these rules and to adhere to the banking process. The new procedures also require us to carry out a full fire evacuation rehearsal of all 6 worship services twice a year and to purchase 6 First Aid kits costing around $300 each. This is clearly quite silly and I have already had written confirmation from Synod that we do not need to purchase 6 kits as per the manual.!!!

Room 4: For some time we have received various feedback on the “feel” of room 4. These comments have been assessed and evaluated, and Property has commenced a process to look at alternatives. For example, the temporary placement of displays boards in the room has addressed the problem of echo. We have had costing for inserting windows, but as our Certificate of Occupancy was granted on the basis that there are no windows, we are cautious on following that option. Another option is to increase the skylight volumes and make them clear so people can see clouds, sun and rain. We believe this may be the easiest and most effective option. More investigation is continuing.

Fire Service Water Pressure – Major issue: As a part of the annual inspections we are required to complete based on the recent OHS Risk Management manual, we have had a Fire Services pressure test on our external hydrants. We have failed the test significantly as the water pressure does not meet standards and it would appear it may not have for many years (Internal hydrants and extinguishers are all satisfactory and have passed). This is not related to a recent leak that was mended. However, the fix may turn out to be extremely expensive ($5,000 or more) as early indications are that we will have to pay for the Kingsway to be dug up and our mains supply valve to be replaced due to it being frozen and possibly rusted or blocked. This is the original valve that provide the Fire Services Supply to the original Bogong Ave Church. We are in detailed discussions with Yarra Valley Water and will keep Church Council and Finance informed.

Door locks and fire exits: All door locks and fire exits now meet required standards. There is a significant piece of work to be done to repair and replace 3 external security lights. Costs are yet to be determined.

External light distraction: A member of the congregation complained about the intensity of the lights coming from the Kingsway, in particular the “Village” sign, and wanted screening planting to prevent the sign from distracting worship. We have reviewed the concern and believe that there are far stronger and more distracting lights in the Kingsway however as it is a fundamental design of the church for worship to be open and visible to the public, we will not be proceeding with any additional screening – see next item re-trees.

Gardens and Lawns: The Property Committee is fully committed to the water harvesting facilities at GWUC. However, due to the extended drought and the limited watering that has been possible, damage has been done to our gardens trees and lawns. The gardens have not had sufficient water to maintain a luster, the north facing lawns are almost non existent and dusty and as a consequence the large trees do not have a healthy canopy or growth pattern. Property is developing a plan to replace the lawns with a more drought resistant variety than what was laid 22 years ago. Property believes that GWUC want the public facing lawns and gardens to be attractive but water efficient. We are looking for ways to remove the lawn watering from the harvest network, as the system is unable to generate sufficient pressure to provide full lawn coverage. This would still leave all the gardens and toilets covered by the water harvest system. We are also looking to increase the watering cycle for the gardens so that the ceremonial driveway is attractive for weddings and other such events. This will be a 15 to 18 month project and of course will be impact by any watering restrictions or changes. We believe by improving the health of the trees a better screening and canopy can be achieved which may also address some of the concerns about external light distractions.

Should Church Council want any clarifications or additional information on any of these matters, please contact me.

Decisions required from Church Council. None

Warren Greenwood
Property Chairman. – April 2014.

PropertyReport201404 (last edited 2014-04-18 23:36:08 by DavidMorgan)