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McGivney Hall
At the beginning of 2002,
an opportunity arose from discussions with Msgr. Kiernan that could yield
our council a superior meeting place. Our council would renovate the lower
level of the Scout Hut in coordination with All Saints church by
contributing available funds and lots of manpower. A corresponding motion
was presented to the council and was approved at the March business meeting.
Since
the lower level of the Scout Hut served as a storage area for multiple
organizations of All Saints the construction of an alternate storage area
and the subsequent relocation of goods was a prerequisite for actual
renovation tasks. We completed this phase by September and launched the
renovation with the breakdown of storage cages and a general cleanup of the
area. At that time, our council passed a motion to name our future meeting
place the “McGivney Hall”.
Our
initial renovation tasks consisted of installing basic plumbing in the
concrete floor and erecting essential framing for perimeter and inside
walls. These tasks were largely handled by member Knights. The area of
renovation had many annoying support columns that would hinder the open look
of our future meeting room, thus we planed to install I-beams as replacing
support. This plan required substantial rerouting of AC/heating ducts and
sprinkler pipes all to be handled by contractors
By the
end of 2002, we had completed all framing, electrical and plumbing
installations and were waiting for the related inspections to proceed. In
the following two months, we finished all walls, installed tiles in the
bathrooms, laid floor tiles, hung ceilings and doors and mounted light
fixtures, followed by multiple painting parties to finish walls, trim and
doors. The interior of the McGivney Hall was upgraded in the second quarter
of 2003 with the installation of carpet in the meeting room, a beautiful bar
and cabinets in the refreshment area.
By
mid-year 2003, our new meeting place was finished in principle and ready for
the final inspection. However, we had to wait another half year to obtain
the "Certificate of Occupancy" due to new inspector requirements and delays
with the installation of exterior doors.
Special thanks go to PGK Ed Krise who managed this project and to the many
Brothers that contributed extraordinary amount of time and skills. |
