Updates from the Building Committee

October 2021 Updates
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The following enhancements have been made to the Plan B floor plan after listening to parishioner input:

• The Sanctuary was made larger.
• A storage area was created behind the Sanctuary for the Art & Environment and Sanctuary decorations. 
• A Priest Sacristy developed to allow the priests an area to prepare for Mass.
• A lay ministry and altar server sacristy developed.
• A devotional area created on each side of the Sanctuary.
• Replaced the pews with chairs in the Chapel to allow for flexibility. Kneelers will be provided for Adoration.
• The Cry Room floor was elevated by 6-inches to provide a better sightline to the Sanctuary. Monitors and speakers will be added in the Cry Room for live streaming of the Mass.
• In the loft, the Bride Room next to the elevator has been expanded.

Frequently Asked Questions

Building

Q. Are there gathering spaces outside after Mass?
A. The northeast corner will have covered space and, by the north side entry, there will be a grassy area.

Q. Will there be exterior facilities/utilities to allow a Coffee and Donut reception after Mass?
A. Yes, please see the answer, above.

Q. How would a funeral cortege enter and exit the church?
A. If it is a small funeral the Chapel will be utilized. The exterior entry is on the south side of the building. Larger funerals will be held in the main church. Entry will be through the main doors on the east side of the building. The driveway will be close to both entrances.

Q. Will there be restrooms accessible from the exterior?
A. Yes, there will be restrooms on the northeast side of the building with an exterior entrance with doors to restrict access to the church, as necessary.

Q. Is there an Adoration Chapel which could be accessed from the outside 24/7 without allowing access to the rest of the building?
A.The Chapel will have an external entry with controlled access. In addition, there will be a restroom for the Chapel.

Q. Is the bell tower a real “bell tower?”
A. We will utilize an electronic carillon system in the tower.

Q. How will the Church be lit at night?
A. The building will utilize lighting to show the 2 pony walls with the Parish name. Exterior lighting will highlight the building, and interior lighting will highlight the exterior stained glass windows.

Q. Will the Church be the same color as the school?
A. The goal is to keep the basic color of the school. Accent points of the church may differ from the school.

Q. How will the Church design integrate the school more to give a campus feeling?
A. A dedicated, clearly marked crosswalk area will aid in the student's safety as they cross to the church. The interior will have a devotional area of St. John Bosco and we will address other opportunities to link the school as the budget allows.

Q. Why are there two Sacristies?
A. One will be for the priest, allowing them private prayer time prior to Mass; and the other will be for the Deacon, lay ministers and servers.

Q. How do you access the balcony/choir loft?
A. There are two staircases and an elevator.

Q. How many restrooms are there?
A. Two sets of male/female restrooms will be present.

Q. Are there Confessionals in the Church?
A. Yes, there will be two Confessionals in the Church.

Q. Are there rooms for meetings?
A. There will be areas that can be utilized for meetings; however, there are no dedicated meeting spaces in the new expansion.

Q. Are there rooms for storing liturgical items?
A. There will be a storage area behind the Sanctuary.

Q. Why is the Baptismal font at the entrance instead of near the Altar?
A. The font will be on the Sanctuary, near the Altar.

Q. Why is the choir located behind the people instead of in front of the people?
A. Based on the guidance from the Diocese, the choir can no longer be close to the Sanctuary. This would require the choir to be in one of the transepts, not visible to over half of the parishioners. A choir loft is being constructed.

Q. Is there an organ in the choir loft?
A. The choir loft will be wired for an organ.

Q. Will construction impact traffic and parking for St. John Bosco and Horizon schools?
A. The goal is not to impact the traffic flow for St. John Bosco, Horizon or the morning Mass.

Q. Where will Mass be celebrated during the construction phase?
A. Daily Mass will be celebrated in the Annex 2 Chapel during the school year. When St. John Bosco school is not in session, the SJB Chapel could be utilized. The weekend Masses will be held at the SJB multi-purpose room.

Q. How long will the construction phase be?
A. The estimated time for modification to the building is 12 plus months. Anticipated completion is September 2023.

Q. Will there be a Bridal Room?
A. Yes, there will be a Bridal Room upstairs in the choir loft by the elevator.

Q. Is there a separate room for families with young children?
A. Yes, there will be a room for families with young children. It will be at the back of the Nave, elevated to provide a line-of-sight over the heads of those in Mass attendance, and it will also have speakers and video monitors.

Q. Will there be a Prayer Garden?
A. At this time, a Prayer Garden has not been addressed.

Q. Where will the money counting happen (is there a secure room)?
A. The money counting will continue in the same secure room as it did before the modification of the Church.

Q. What kind of HVAC system will be used?
A. An updated system similar to the HVAC that has successfully supported St. Benedict for the last 16 years will be utilized.

Q. How much of the existing building will be reused?
A. All of the existing building, except for the west wall, will be utilized. The west wall will be removed to add the new transepts, the Sanctuary and the Sacristies.

Q. Where will the offices be?
A. The offices will remain where they were located before the construction began.

Q. Will there be a Gift Shop?
A. Yes, a Gift Shop will be located by the base of the bell tower.

Q. How many Handicap parking spaces will be available?
A. The number of Handicap parking spaces will be based on the City Code.

Q. How many total parking spaces will be available?
A. The number of parking spaces will be based on the City Code.

Q. Will the front dirt lot still be open to overflow parking?
A. We are working with a Civil Engineer to address the proper flow of rainwater which may impact the dirt parking. There will be no entry to the church on the west side of the building.

Q. Will we have kneelers?
A. Yes, there will be kneelers.

Q. Will we still project the liturgy on screens? and how will that happen?
A. Yes, we plan on showing liturgy and music for the parishioners to see. We worked with an Audio/Visual Engineer to identify the best solution. We will also be utilizing the 2 projectors that were upgraded prior to the construction of the building.

Q. What steps are you taking to ensure good acoustics?
A. An Acoustic Engineer was utilized during the planning stages.

Q. What are the dimensions of the Sanctuary? The video appears to show a long distance from the last row of seats to the Altar.
A. We need space between the first pews and the Sanctuary for funerals. Pews will be installed to utilize all of the remaining space.

Q. Will the parish utilize the existing environment (Altar, Ambo, Crucifix above the Altar, chairs, etc.) prior to purchasing new ones?
A. We may repurpose a number of existing environments, but we will be building a new Altar and Ambo (which are being donated). A new Crucifix has been donated. We will use pews in the main church and will have new chairs in the Chapel.

Q. The new items were not in the current pledge budget. Do you anticipate additional pledge drives for these items?
A. We are not going to run another Building Campaign, but we are looking at ways to encourage parishioners to fulfill their outstanding pledges. We are also reaching out to parishioners who have not yet participated in the campaign to do so.

Q. During construction, where will Mass be held?
A. We will celebrate the weekend Masses in the St. John Bosco Multipurpose Room, and daily Masses in the Annex 2 Chapel on the church property.

Q. Does the renovation of the existing building have meeting spaces and space for Children's Liturgy of the Word, St. Vincent de Paul, storage, and offices?
A. The new building will have a Chapel that will seat up to 100 people. We will be using the Annex building for most meetings. Children’s Liturgy will be held in the new Chapel. St. Vincent de Paul will remain in Annex 4. The current office space will remain in its original location after construction; during construction the offices will be located in Annex 3. The new building will seat 800 people.