There are some who may question the logic of pursuing a school expansion and large capital campaign in the middle of what may be the worst financial crisis in our nation’s history. The answer to “Why now?” is that as a school, we are following the provision and calling of God to expand the school.
One interesting fact about recessions that the major news outlets do not focus on is that in times of financial crisis, people turn to “religion” for comfort. Christians stand out in this environment as beacons of hope knowing our future is secure in Christ. Now more than ever, we need to train our children to be salt and light in the world. We need to follow God’s direction in expanding our school to train those He is sending our way. While it may seem an unlikely time for a successful fundraising effort, all evidence to the contrary. Our pre-campaign feasibility study conducted by an outside firm, indicated that our PCA family shared the vision and is ready to give in order to assure our success.
We are not alone in this pursuit. Here is a link http://www.star-telegram.com/schools/story/1246062.html to a recent front page article in the Fort Worth Star Telegram, stating that private schools in the area (Christian Schools were highlighted in the Article) are flourishing. PCA is one of several Christian schools in the DFW area that are growing and pursuing significant building campaigns. God’s economy is not that of the world, he is calling us to grow now and prepare our students to be the Christian leaders of the future.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What are you planning to do?
A. We are renovating 57,000 square feet of a former department store and adding an 18,000 sq. ft. second floor to create a new high school for our growing high school program.
Q. Why was this purchase a good move by the school?
A. The school needs space now and for the future. We are landlocked and though there are advantages to moving to more land and building new, we have the current campus that we only owe $690,000 on which is now valued at about $9 million. The department store we purchased is appraised at $6.9 million and we bought the building for $ 4.9 million. When you realize that price includes the parking that we needed and the potential for another 18,000 square feet with the second story, we believe this was a wise move by the school. The purchase of the Emler Swim School provided us with an additional one and a half acres of property plus a facility that currently has been converted into weight room/field house and coaches offices. The Emler property will have even greater use to us in the long term.
Q. What is the cost?
A. The total cost of the Capital Campaign project will be $10 million. This includes the $3.8 million for the 1st floor in Phase 1 and the $6.2 million for adjacent property acquisition, transaction costs, field house remodel, and debt consolidation.
Q. So you will raise all $10 million right now?
A. That would be nice! We are approaching the project in phases to accommodate our growing student body. The $3.8 million for the renovation is what we are calling Phase 1, and includes the elimination of portable classrooms currently in use. We have already demolished the interior of the department store and the very first remodeling we must do is to “pop the roof”. We will then build-out most of the first floor and leave the second floor for a later phase. Of course, if the Lord should bless us with the funds, we would do the entire high school.
Q. What will you do with the current high school facility?
A. Right now, we house both our high school students, 9th-12th Grades and our middle school students, 6th - 8th Grades in that facility and the portable classrooms. The middle school students will stay in that facility and we have plans for a future remodel of it.
Q. If you currently have both the middle and high school grades in the current high school facility, why the need for additional space?
A. Even though they are in the building together we have had to secure portables for a two year lease to house all of the classes and students. We must have the additional space to provide for our current students, as well as for the growth. Additionally, we believe the educational experience will be greatly enhanced by the additional space and modern classrooms.
Q. How big are you planning on the high school program to be?
A. We believe a high school student population of 400 is the optimal size for providing the best possible educational experience for students. We are managing our growth over the next 5 to 10 years so that we have the facilities we need in the future.
Q. When do you plan to open?
A. We believe it is important that we plan for the future needs as well as the current needs and it is better to take the time now to plan for the future of the school than to rush into the project without carefully thinking everything through as much as possible. We had hoped to be open by Fall of 2009 but as we have worked through the process, especially the design of the facility, it looks like it will be January of 2010.
Q. When you say the high school program, will everything be included in the new facility for the students?
A. When Phase 1 is complete, the building will house all of the academic programs, technology labs, lecture hall, administrative offices, art and commons/dining areas. A 2nd phase will finish out the 1st floor and the 2nd floor. The band hall, drama/performance center, kitchen/dining additions will be completed on the first floor. The 2nd floor is planned to house a media/library center and additional classrooms. Of course, the time frame for completing all of the phases will be dictated by how quickly funds are raised. Funds raised in excess of what is needed to complete Phase 1 will be utilized on the subsequent phases of the high school project.
Q. I know how temporaries or portables work and they end up being a part of the facility for longer than planned, is that the case with this project?
A. I guess anything can happen but we do not want the portables/temporaries beyond the two year time frame. Removing them will eliminate the annual lease and maintenance costs. We will also be able to eliminate the cost associated with leasing our current administrative office space in the shopping center when we are able to move them into our owned facilities.
A. We are renovating 57,000 square feet of a former department store and adding an 18,000 sq. ft. second floor to create a new high school for our growing high school program.
Q. Why was this purchase a good move by the school?
A. The school needs space now and for the future. We are landlocked and though there are advantages to moving to more land and building new, we have the current campus that we only owe $690,000 on which is now valued at about $9 million. The department store we purchased is appraised at $6.9 million and we bought the building for $ 4.9 million. When you realize that price includes the parking that we needed and the potential for another 18,000 square feet with the second story, we believe this was a wise move by the school. The purchase of the Emler Swim School provided us with an additional one and a half acres of property plus a facility that currently has been converted into weight room/field house and coaches offices. The Emler property will have even greater use to us in the long term.
Q. What is the cost?
A. The total cost of the Capital Campaign project will be $10 million. This includes the $3.8 million for the 1st floor in Phase 1 and the $6.2 million for adjacent property acquisition, transaction costs, field house remodel, and debt consolidation.
Q. So you will raise all $10 million right now?
A. That would be nice! We are approaching the project in phases to accommodate our growing student body. The $3.8 million for the renovation is what we are calling Phase 1, and includes the elimination of portable classrooms currently in use. We have already demolished the interior of the department store and the very first remodeling we must do is to “pop the roof”. We will then build-out most of the first floor and leave the second floor for a later phase. Of course, if the Lord should bless us with the funds, we would do the entire high school.
Q. What will you do with the current high school facility?
A. Right now, we house both our high school students, 9th-12th Grades and our middle school students, 6th - 8th Grades in that facility and the portable classrooms. The middle school students will stay in that facility and we have plans for a future remodel of it.
Q. If you currently have both the middle and high school grades in the current high school facility, why the need for additional space?
A. Even though they are in the building together we have had to secure portables for a two year lease to house all of the classes and students. We must have the additional space to provide for our current students, as well as for the growth. Additionally, we believe the educational experience will be greatly enhanced by the additional space and modern classrooms.
Q. How big are you planning on the high school program to be?
A. We believe a high school student population of 400 is the optimal size for providing the best possible educational experience for students. We are managing our growth over the next 5 to 10 years so that we have the facilities we need in the future.
Q. When do you plan to open?
A. We believe it is important that we plan for the future needs as well as the current needs and it is better to take the time now to plan for the future of the school than to rush into the project without carefully thinking everything through as much as possible. We had hoped to be open by Fall of 2009 but as we have worked through the process, especially the design of the facility, it looks like it will be January of 2010.
Q. When you say the high school program, will everything be included in the new facility for the students?
A. When Phase 1 is complete, the building will house all of the academic programs, technology labs, lecture hall, administrative offices, art and commons/dining areas. A 2nd phase will finish out the 1st floor and the 2nd floor. The band hall, drama/performance center, kitchen/dining additions will be completed on the first floor. The 2nd floor is planned to house a media/library center and additional classrooms. Of course, the time frame for completing all of the phases will be dictated by how quickly funds are raised. Funds raised in excess of what is needed to complete Phase 1 will be utilized on the subsequent phases of the high school project.
Q. I know how temporaries or portables work and they end up being a part of the facility for longer than planned, is that the case with this project?
A. I guess anything can happen but we do not want the portables/temporaries beyond the two year time frame. Removing them will eliminate the annual lease and maintenance costs. We will also be able to eliminate the cost associated with leasing our current administrative office space in the shopping center when we are able to move them into our owned facilities.
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