Building New to replace the Marian Center

After lengthy investigation and consultation with active parishioners, church and school employees, ministry leaders and volunteers, the decision has been made and approved by the Parish Council, to build a new structure to replace the current Marian Center building. The assessment concluded that space is desperately needed to accommodate present and future needs for a growing parish and school.

Anyone who attempts to schedule a meeting for a group during the school day or for a larger group after school, knows that availability of the Jo Call Room is very limited due to frequent use. Also, many of our available spaces are currently not suitable for work or meetings. This limits the needs of the many groups and ministries of the parish and school. Furthermore, our outreach programs would be best situated apart from the school building with dedicated space that is more suitable and offers complete accessibility.

In addition to housing the Backpack and Bridge ministries, The Food Pantry and Saint Rose Radio, the new building will also serve as a meeting space for large groups (50 or more people). At this time, the Jo Call Room is the only space, outside of the gym where larger groups can meet. Prior to demolition of the current Marian Center, a storage unit will be built adjacent to the Stonewall house. This building will store equipment used by the Boy Scouts and the Troops of St. George, as well as other materials for the parish and school. These items will be stored so that they will be easily accessible for future use.

Groups that would make use of this new space:

• Parish Council
• Finance Committee
• School volunteers with special projects
• School Advisory Council
• Cursillo/Ultreya
• Hispanic Ministry meetings
• Hispanic Marriage Preparation
• Bible studies
• Youth Ministry
• Legion of Mary
• Women’s Guild
• Women’s Ministry

 Justifications:

1. Enhanced Collaboration: When parishioners, school personnel and employees don't have access to dedicated meeting areas, it can impede activities, teamwork and idea generation. Adequate meeting rooms can foster collaboration and innovation among teams.
2. Financial Considerations: While renovations and new construction involve upfront costs, they can result in long-term savings. For example, energy-efficient upgrades can reduce utility expenses, while a more efficient use of space can lower operational costs over time.
3. Compliance and Safety: Older buildings may not meet current safety codes or accessibility standards. New construction can address these issues, ensuring compliance with regulations and providing a safe environment for parishioners, students and visitors.
4. Improved Parish Experience: Meetings with parishioners and school families are a significant part of day-to-day operations, having well-equipped meeting spaces will enhance everyone’s experience.
5. Space Optimization: Renovations offer an opportunity to optimize space usage efficiently. This could involve redesigning layouts to make better use of available space.
6. Future Growth: Investing in renovations or new construction allows for scalability and future growth. By planning for expansion now, we can avoid the need for frequent renovations in the future and will accommodate the parish and school's growth trajectory more effectively.

 Further Considerations:

• There have been NO (major) renovations/additions for more than 14 years.
• The average household growth rate is 6.5% annually.
• We average six families per week that join our parish.
• In Tennessee, Rutherford County is the fastest growing county.
• Rutherford County's population is predicted to grow 2.6% per year.
• In 20 years, the population will increase another 48.6%

(All of these positive growth figures and estimations means our parish will continue to see more growth. So, we need to plan for today and the future needs of the parish.)