The Visioning Committee is a group of parishioners working to ensure a plan for the future of our parish and campus. This committee has worked since early 2020 to assess the current facilities to address the safety and accessibility for all parishioners, students, faculty, and visitors. They continue to explore the vision and feasibility of potential extensive renovation, addition, or new construction of some facilities. Contact: visioningcommittee@icangels.com
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Our parish has a visioning committee which was formed in late 2019-early 2020 as a direct result from the 2017-2018 School Improvement Process (SIP). The SIP is a diocesan-driven campus and culture assessment and accreditation that is completed every five years to ensure our school continues to provide a quality, thorough Catholic education in a facility that is accessible, safe and current. Fr. Don and the Parish Council tasked this committee with assessing our campus and making a recommendation for the future of Immaculate Conception Parish.
This visioning committee ultimately determined while the initial task was looking at school facilities, the scope of consideration should be expanded to give equal importance to investigate the parish campus a whole. Members of the visioning committee have continually worked to discuss campus need, use, and current concerns. This committee has explored a wide range of options to align a plan to fit both the vision and feasibility of this potential undertaking. These options and discussions continue to include the potential for extensive renovations, additions, or new construction of some facilities.
Members of this committee have met with Bishop McKnight to share vision, seek input, and ensure sustainability of a plan. One consistently agreed upon detail is while accessibility options are being considered for the church annex and rectory, the structure of our church will not be torn down within this project. Our church is the cornerstone for our campus and that will continue in the next potential phase for Immaculate Conception Parish.
In defining the needs of our parish, this committee assessed the campus and envisioned options of renovation and new construction that ensure good stewardship of parish gifts. We remain committed to understanding all facets of our parish needs. We cannot continue to grow if we ignore the current and future needs of our parishioners and our campus. We recognize not all parishioners use or will use all facilities on our campus. Our visioning is a collective, communal approach that is relevant and responsive to our entire parish with varied needs and priorities.
One area of consideration is church access. Identified needs include increased accessible parking, increased gathering space, and ADA accommodations to church entrances. The current access is limited and challenging for many parishioners and visitors. We also continue to explore options for increased Mass attendance and volume if fewer Masses are offered in the future.
Another area of consideration is the rectory and church administration offices. The less durable construction of this building presents ongoing challenges, expenses, and space limitations. The residence portion being on the upper level is a potential future challenge. It is difficult for parishioners to easily and safely access church offices, especially during school hours. Visioning plans include separating living quarters and church business functions. This separation and a new configuration would give parishioners and visitors easier access, increased efficiency, and additional dedicated space for parish office needs.
Another area of consideration is the school. One identified area of concern is safety and access during transitions. If all classrooms were to be consolidated to a central location, students and faculty would require less transition time and increased safety. Additionally, our school administrative offices are difficult to access and a reconfiguration would allow for easier, safer access to these offices. Our school currently has limited ADA accessibility. We are lacking in proper parking, vertical elevator access to all floor levels, restroom facilities, classroom access, and numerous other limitations. The lack of these components does not make our campus inclusive or welcoming of any students, faculty, or visitors who may require those accommodations. This limits our ability to serve and reach all members of our community. Additional school considerations to be continued next week.
The current age of our school facilities presents challenges with maintenance. The required expenses may eventually outpace the efficiency of maintaining these structures. Our maintenance team has served as dedicated stewards to maintain our school buildings to their current state. Our school does not have a fire suppression/sprinkler system nor storm shelter. Our school gym also presents with limitations including: space and seating limits, limited ADA accessibility, no restroom facilities on level, general wear and deterioration, and no air conditioning. This limits the usage of our gym for school, parish, and extracurricular needs.
Committee Members:
Committee Members:
Jane Barnes
Nicholas Borgmeyer
Susie Hinds
David Saucier
Heather Schrimpf
John Wegman
Kenny Wildhaber
Jim Wisch
Your input is welcomed!
Your input is welcomed!
To ensure all parishioners have an opportunity to be a part of this process, we welcome any answers to the questions below. Please consider sharing your input on the future of our parish.
How do you see Immaculate Conception Parish addressing the accessibility of our parish and school facilities, while ensuring the safety of our parishioners, students, faculty and visitors on our campus?
How do you see Immaculate Conception Parish addressing the Priest shortage in our Diocese?
What is your vision for our school and parish in preparing for the next generation?
Please send answers to visioningcommittee@icangels.com.
ICNJC Visioning Letter 2023.pdfReport abuse