Building and Grounds Master Planning Strategy

Basic Questions:  Simplified Buildings and Grounds Master Planning Questions:

1. Who are we?
2. What is our mission?
3. What do we need?
4. What do we already have?
5. What do we want to leave for the next generation?
6. What can we afford?
7. Given the above, what are our priorities?

Building and Grounds Master Planning at UUSS – Strategy

The UUSS congregation strongly voiced a desire to develop a building and grounds master plan for our campus during the Searching for the Future (SFTF) workshop in April, 2008. This process is well under way and much has been done.

Work to date includes:

1. 2004 Long Range Plan and World Cafe with consensus to stay on site (reaffirmed in 2008) and preserve the natural aesthetics of our site
2. Congregational rearticulation of:
   • Covenant 1998, reaffirmed 2008
   • Mission and Values – 2006
   • Vision – 2008
3. Identification of environmental stewardship as an additional guiding principle in 2008 (SFTF)
4. Formation of Vision Into Action (VIA - 2008) and:
   1. Campus Development Criteria (approved by congregation October, 2008)
   2. Entryway (completed March, 2010)
5. Long range planning guidelines (developed by Board of Trustees (BOT) and approved by the congregation) in 2009 and identification of 3 goals of Building the Future (BTF):
   • Connections
   • Intergenerational
   • Building and Grounds (or UUMPF – Unitarian Universalist Master Plan Facilitators), *also charged with developing the strategy for the building and grounds master plan
6. Congregational Workshop (‘Master Planning at UUSS – the Next 50 Years’), May, 2009 – included work on physical spaces for programs, site assessment, and exploration of new ideas
7. On-Site Housing Forum, October, 2009
8. Development of Building and Grounds Master Plan strategy (i.e., this document, approved by the BoT 5/23/10)

The foundation of congregational support necessary for development of our Building and Grounds Master Plan is multifaceted. It includes components of site assessment, existing and desired programs, legacy building and visions for the future, and sound financial stewardship.

As this process continues to move forward, there will be a series of presentations to the congregation on all of these issues. These presentations will include both dissemination of information as well as discussion. Their purpose is to allow the congregation to gradually assimilate knowledge of existing conditions and to engage in productive dialog as we develop a realistic vision of ourselves as we evolve over the next 50 years.

Subjects to be presented include: program (existing and future), legacy building, financial stewardship, site assessment (including maintenance issues), and the issue of potential housing options on campus. These presentations will be presented by UUSS groups already working on these issues, though in some cases new groups will need to be formed to address a specific issue. Also anticipated is that the congregation will hire consultants to complete the site assessment, to assist with financial assessment, and to help with a capital campaign.  Ultimately the congregation will be asked to ratify consensually made decisions pertinent to each of these areas. The culmination of all these processes will make up the building and grounds master plan, which will ultimately be embodied in architectural plans drawn up by a professional architect.

A task force (oversight committee) to oversee and facilitate this process has been selected by the board and ministers. In addition, this group will also develop criteria for other processes associated with building and grounds master planning, including selection of professionals (architect, project manager, consultants, etc.) and recommendations for decision making pathways, and will communicate these to the Board.  They will oversee the assimilation and archiving of data to the UUSS website. This group will also ensure continuity for the entire process. The Board of Trustees may modify these recommendations or take other action as appropriate.