Welcome!

Joy! Lutheran Church is filled with Over the Top Fans! An Over the Top fan is not something you are…it’s something you become. It’s a process that begins when you first encounter God’s grace (reaching UP). Then it wells up each time you engage with the Joy! community (reaching IN), until you overflow and express your joy through serving others and sharing your faith (reaching OUT).

Listen to the Encounter/Engage/Express sermon series at: Joy!Cast.

______________________________________________________________________

Responses to Joy! Master Building  Plan Rollout May 20, 2010

1. Parking Lot , Traffic Flow, Egress & Ingress, Halifax Road Tie-in
Our traffic flow is recognized as a challenge and considerable review has taken place. Our preliminary plans include:
-  Building and opening an exit to Halifax Rd. on Sundays and special events. This exit will be gated at all other times. This will ease the traffic congestion at the main entrance as well as provide a less congested exit south on Hunt Club Rd. after services.
- Our current Hunt Club entrance will remain unchanged for now. Conversations held with the Village of Gurnee and the architects indicated that any change to Joy’s current main entrance on Hunt Club Rd. would require a very costly and lengthy traffic study and involvement with Lake County Department of Transportation and other government agencies. With the proposed tie-in to Halifax Rd. to relieve high traffic times, it has been recommended to make no large scale improvements at the main entrance in Phase 1.
2. Misc. Room Comments – Usage, Ideas, Storage, Basement, Restrooms
Because plans are in the preliminary stage, we are unable to address each comment or question in depth, however, our team has taken all comments under advisement. These items will be discussed at length as we progress into more detailed design. Some items noted were: size of the restrooms, janitorial storage, and PADS (Public Action to Deliver Shelter)/shower facilities. The barn and the Power House will remain at this time as they supply some storage or meeting space.
Adding a basement is not currently in the scope or initial cost estimates, however, this will be evaluated prior to final design also.

3. Youth Comments cited desire for a separate and dedicated space.
Our preliminary design does include flexible youth space; however, several comments noted that we don’t have dedicated space, only for youth. Our youth leaders and ministry leaders were surveyed for input and will continue to be highly involved in the final design of the facility. The team is committed to reviewing the plans and making sure it meets Joy’s vision and mission and growing our youth programs and outreach.
A number of other comments were received regarding the infant and toddler area (too small, combine some of the space to one room). We will evaluate space designed to meet our plan for future growth.

4. Exterior Building/Grounds: landscape plans, outdoor sprinkling system, drive-thru covered entrance, elevations showing amount of natural light & heat.
A request for a drop-off area close to the front door or a covered drive-through entrance has come up a number of times. There is currently an uncovered walkway from the planned circular drive to the church main entrance. We will discuss options as we go forward.
The Facilities Team has discussed “Green” aspects of the facility and various concepts including lighting, heating, outdoor maintenance, and keeping as many trees as possible or adding more. We will continue to evaluate efficient “green” considerations in the planning process.
5. Layout/Location: moving earth to make our lot “level”, water handling and drainage
The Facilities Team believes the proposed layout results in the best use of the property for the money, allows a better view of traffic coming from the south on Hunt Club Rd., and is more inviting to passersby on Hunt Club Rd. with visibility to activity inside the building. The team sought input from the previous construction manager for the current building. We will also study drainage, elevation changes, site lines, wetlands and all other aspects for this type of construction. The team will contract with professional civil engineers, architectural firms, and landscaping design services that will provide guidance to the team.
6. Other location or site considerations
The team chose to develop our master plan with a phased addition utilizing our current site and existing building. Building on a green site instead of adding onto our current building is cost prohibitive especially in difficult economic times. The total costs as well as the cost/sq. ft. would be significantly higher to purchase additional land, construct a new, larger structure and build a new parking lot from scratch. We believe the best stewardship of our funds and time is to take advantage of our existing assets.
7. Are we rushing to a final design?
The Facilities Team solicited and received additional proposals which results in a total of three architectural and three civil engineering proposals based on our master plan design. These give us a solid cost and approach comparison. The team continually prays for God’s direction and guidance in all of our discussions and around the pace of decisions. Please pray for the team and church leadership as we seek to give glory to God in all that we do.

Blessings,
Joy! Facilities Improvement Team

______________________________________________________________________

Most Recent Blog Posts:

• Fans! Over the Top with Radical Love
• The Fan: A relationship with Jesus?
• Becoming an "Over the Top fan"
• Our Mission: A New Creation
• Our Strategic Mission