Last Thursday Jeffrey and I delivered sandwiches and soup to the veterans’ encampment at 82nd and Pacific Avenue. Trey made a lot of sandwiches of different configurations. Kresha made vegetable beef soup with barley. About ten people were living in the camp, so we had more than enough to serve all of them. The camp has power and refrigerators, so the leftovers can be stored. This is a great opportunity for outreach for All Saints’, and we’ll be talking about how to proceed as we move forward.
Below is the letter I sent to Canon Arienne Davison last week requesting permission to sell the north part of our property. I will let everyone know when we hear something. I’m told it will take two or three months to get a response from the Board of Directors and Diocesan Council.
“On June 4, 1952, the Bishop’s Committee of All Saints’ Episcopal Church met for the first time in its new parish hall. The building is thought to have been an army mess hall established in what was then Fort Lewis during World War II. As surplus it was given to the church. The Committee duly recorded a grant of $1,906.40 received from the Diocese of Olympia to cover moving costs, with $663.42 remaining. This amount, the committee agreed, was to be used to cover various maintenance issues such as lighting and sewer provisions.
“Almost 70 years later, that Parish Hall remains in place at All Saints’. It is sorely in need of maintenance and various repairs which are documented in the attached materials. After much prayer and consideration, All Saints’ current Bishop’s Committee has decided that, rather than replace this Hall with a new building, it would be better stewardship to completely renovate the current structure. We believe that a renovated Parish Hall will substantially increase the look and value of the parish property, a benefit both to the Diocese and ourselves.
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”
― I Peter 4:10
“To fund this project, All Saints’ proposes to sell the northern portion of its property, space that is currently and for the foreseeable future unused. The area is approximately 125’ x 300’ and is located on the north portion of Pierce County parcel numbers 0320344183 and 0320334031.
The area is currently zoned R4L, thereby allowing multifamily housing. Our valuation estimates a sale price of $385,000 for 38,000 square feet. This amounts to $10.13 per square foot.
“The City of Tacoma Planning Commission has zoned the property in question as R4L though there is the caveat that this zoning is tied to the Episcopal Retirement Community project which has been abandoned. Any new project would have to reapply for zoning from the default R2 (single family) to R4L (multiple family). We now have two parties interested in the property, and this would apply to both of them. “If the Diocese so permits, we intend to use the proceeds to finance the renovations. I have attached an itemized proposal from Streamline Construction & Interiors. They have worked with the parish and parishioners often in the past, and we believe their estimate of $194,657 is accurate.
“There are several benefits to this plan. It enables us to keep the new roof that was installed last year on the Parish Hall. It does not require any changes to our current parking arrangements which appear to be more than sufficient for the future. Because it is a repair and renovation project, we believe there is no need for review by the Commission on Church Architecture.
“Our parishioners are very committed to this project. The Episcopal Church Women and the Daughters of the King have expressed their support. That said, we are not contemplating a capital campaign. All Saints’ has roughly 30 members the vast majority of whom are retired and living on fixed income. We have enough cash among us to fund the ongoing work of the church, but a capital campaign is beyond us. The project would have to be funded through the sale of the property. I have attached our financial statements for the last two years along with the 2022 budget.
“All Saints’ Goshen, the Kenyan congregation which shares our space, has made no commitment to this project at this time.
“I have attached a valuation of the property in the amount of $385,000 or $10.13 per square foot.
“If approval for the sale is granted, we would move forward very quickly. We have two interested parties, and construction can be scheduled as soon as a sale happens. Thank you very much for your consideration of this proposal. We look forward to your response.”