Flagler Beach, FL 32136-3394
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A Case Statement In Support of
Constructing a New Learning
Center and Rectory
Our Plans
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These situations present us with challenges and opportunities. Our desire is to prepare for our future and the continued growth that we face. The question is, how can we enhance our parish programs, ministries, activities and facilities in a way that both respects and protects what is dear to us about Santa Maria del Mar, while at the same time, welcome and work to meet the evolving needs of our present and prospective members?
This has been something we have studied for some time. Many months of research and planning have gone into our work. We have consulted closely with our Diocese and our architect. We have received varied and valuable input from many members, parish staff, lay leaders and volunteers through many methods and meetings. As a result, we have developed a very dynamic, well-conceived, widely respected and accepted plan that we believe will most adequately and effectively address our needs, our desires and our dreams.
To properly fulfill our obligation to provide Catholic religious education founded in the fundamentals of our faith, we plan to add a 5,500 square foot Learning Facility structure. It will provide two Early Education Classrooms furnished with appropriately sized tables and chairs for our 4 to 7 year old children. There will be three Faith Formation classrooms or meeting rooms for the older students or ministry and parish groups. Two of these rooms can be divided with folding soundproof walls so they can be fully utilized when more individual rooms are needed. A youth activity room is also planned. This room will be used by the high school students and by adults for religious education, meetings or parish activities. All of the classroom or meetings rooms have easy access to two conveniently located handicapped accessible restrooms. There will be two storage areas on each end of the building to store all of our religious education materials and equipment. In the center of the facility there will be a mechanical room and a janitor closet for easy maintenance and access to cleaning supplies. All class and meeting rooms will also be connected to a parish communications network providing easy access to the telephone system, computer network and audio-video programming.
Our plans additionally include the construction of a new 2,700 square foot rectory on our parish campus. This location will be much more convenient for our pastor and accessible for our parishioners.
As part of the project, we additionally plan to build covered a walkway that will connect all parish campus buildings. This walkway will not only be safer but will offer adults and children passage from building to building with less exposure to the sun and inclement weather. The ease and comfort of the walkway will encourage and enable more people to participate in the events happening in all of our facilities.
In addition, since the Learning Facility and Rectory will be constructed on space that we currently use for parking, we are also planning for an additional parking lot to be located across Daytona Avenue.
Finally, we also plan to install communication system wiring and outlets between and in all of our parish campus buildings. Such a system will provide us with an efficient and cost effective communications network capable of handling technology for today and the future and eliminate the need for stand-alone systems in each facility.