February - April 2021:
While you’ve been away our Building Committee at the Cathedral has been busy coordinating necessary projects with various workers and companies. One important project was a protective copper waterproofing lining along the south wall of our property line. We had a bit of visible leaking in our garage which had not become a serious issue yet, but if left it could have become a problem. Fortunately our Building Committee chaired by Parish Council Vice President Tasso Mavroudis organized a solution and workers came to install a copper seal along the wall.
Also, our many planters surrounding the new cathedral building have been cleared out and newly prepared to hold soil, plants, flowers, and greenery! The prepping of our planters will allow for beautification of our grounds to begin shortly. We look forward to welcoming our people back with new landscaping around our cathedral.
Our next project will be to install the exterior doors all around the new cathedral building. We have had our door man on site to measure and prepare to finish the rest of the building with its proper doors.
With each project our Cathedral comes closer and closer to being the finished spiritual home we have all been awaiting with anticipation. If you are interested in supporting these projects please contact either Tasso Mavroudis, our Building Committee Chair or Tom Nuris, our Capital Campaign Chair. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
September - October 2020:
The Doors! The Doors! This past month, Joseph Badra and workers from Blue Fox Construction were here regularly to complete installation of double doors in the basement lobby of the garage, a single door at the top of the staircase to the upstairs elevator lobby, and double doors leading from the upper elevator lobby to the outer courtyard. The installers worked meticulously and diligently. What used to be open passageways are now fully finished high quality mahogany doors. Freshly stained and finished with sealants, the doors add a welcoming appearance to this area of the Cathedral building and are an exciting sign of other projects to come.
August 2020:
During our time apart, amidst pandemic restrictions, there is still a significant amount of work happening here at the Cathedral. The gate installation is nearing completion. Then, as soon as the gates are done, CalStone will be back on site to finish their paver work, including the grouting. The interior door installation is in process right now as seen in the photograph below. Once these projects are completed, we can then get the elevator up and running. We’ve tentatively scheduled a final elevator inspection for the end of September. This will enable us to open our garage, generating a source of revenue for the Cathedral. Immediately following, we will schedule the inscribing of the remaining courtyard pavers. We are pleased to report that some 100 pavers have been “adopted” to date.
Update from Tasso Mavroudis
When we are all allowed to return to the Cathedral you may not immediately notice many changes, but rest assured a lot of work has been done.
During the last rainy season, you may have noticed that the courtyard was pooling water and not draining properly, leading to water flowing into the Cathedral area. We discovered that the cause was the grout around the pavers not being mixed properly and blocking the water from flowing through into the drainage system underneath the courtyard. After extensive testing and consultation with the manufacturer and our architects, the paving sub-contractor acknowledged the issue and agreed to correct it at no cost to the Cathedral. This labor-intensive task of manually removing the grout around the pavers was completed in early July, and the process of replacing the grout with the correct mixture is ongoing and will hopefully be completed soon. As soon as the grout in the courtyard is completed, we will be scheduling the inscription of the additional pavers that have been adopted. During the inscription of the newly adopted pavers, the contractor will also be correcting the color of the existing pavers. Anyone that is interested in adopting a paver should visit https://www.annunciation.org/adopt-a-paver for further information.
When you arrive at the Cathedral, you will also notice the gates along Valencia are nearing completion. As soon as the gates are completed, the stone contractor will be completing the paver walkway towards Valencia Street. You will also notice that the granite along Valencia Street and stone caps has been completed.
We encountered an issue during the installation of the lobby doors, where it was noticed that the incorrect glazing was used. The new doors are expected to be finished around August 5, and their installation will be scheduled after the doors are inspected to confirm they are correct.
We are nearing completion of the elevator in order to get it ready for state inspection. Our contractor has advised us that the typical turnaround time for state inspection is about 4 weeks from completion.
All of this would not be possible without the help and continued support of our parishioners. I know we all can not wait to return to worship in person, and I look forward to the day that we will gather and worship in our new Cathedral.
July 2020:
Things Are Beginning to Move
The present pandemic has put everything building-related on hold but, now, things are beginning to move again. The granite which along the Valencia Street walls and the stone cap have been installed. The roofing and drainage issues are being addressed as the present Herald went to press. The gate people have resumed installation of the Valencia Street Gates. We’re now waiting for the lobby doors. They should be installed by mid-August. Then, the stone people will come out and complete laying the pavers, right up to the street. Finally, the elevator will become operational and the state inspector will certify its use. This can happen as soon as the latter part of August. As soon as we finish this and obtain our certificate of occupancy for the garage, we can open the garage to self-park. This is necessary if we are to open up the church, as the valet can guide us where to park, but can no longer park our cars for us. They will, instead, direct where we should park and oversee the operation of the lot. This is also necessary because it will provide income for the Cathedral, derived primarily from neighbors and others who wish to park in our lot, in accordance with our conditional use permit. Finally, we will be able to complete the engraving of the pavers in accordance with our Adopt a Paver Program. Some 100 pavers have been adopted to date.
As a community, we’ve been through much, especially when we lost everything to the earthquake, back in 1989. But, we’ve bounced back. It wasn’t easy, but we did it, because we have faith, we have hope, and we have unity. So, too, we will weather this pandemic and return to a so called “new normal,” –i.e. a community where we may do things a little differently, but with the same strong faith in God. After all, it is for Him, in Him, and through Him that we continue to exist at all.
May 2019:
Shown above are newly laid radiant heating coils in the lobby area, just off the elevator, in the new Cathedral. The current plan is to complete the lobbies, the stairway, and various doors, both in the adjacent area as well as the garage area, as we near completion of the City’s clear path of travel requirements.
February 2019:
This magnificent house of worship awaits the next steps, outlined below.
Above, is a recent photo of the new Cathedral. The caption under the photo says, “This magnificent house of worship awaits the next steps.” What are the next steps? Without getting too technical, these are: 1. Completion of the punch list, 2. Finalization of a clear path of travel, 3. Opening of the garage, 4. Deal with bank loan, 5. Begin fund raising for Phase 2, 6. Proceed with work on the interior, 7. Finalize interior, 8. Begin utilizing the new Cathedral, 9. Consecrating the new Cathedral to the glory of God.
Completion of the punch list means the contractor finalizing tasks he has agreed to, including correction floor pitches in the garage and a few areas where leaks have been noticed. As the bank will fund the retainage still owed, approximately $500,000., only until March, it is critical that this phase of construction is finalized asap. Secondly, a clear path of travel involves finishing both garage level and street level lobbies, the stairs between them, the exterior gates, the pavers leading to the street, some additional electrical work in the garage, and the final inspection of the elevator. The cost for this work is approximately $245,000. The gates, installed and operational (at least three of them are motorized or operated electronically), cost another $269,677. (the last estimate that we’ve had). Moving on, the opening of the garage is in the works. A contract with Golden State Parking has been signed. The company is in the process of working with the City to open the garage full-time (using a valet service) even before the clear path of travel requirements are met. As for dealing with the bank loan, which is at $4.1 million, we are hoping to refinance, or recast the loan as an amortized loan, which would eliminate the annual balloon payment of $400,000., over and above the $23,000+ interest which we are currently paying. Then, fund raising. There are many ways to fund raise. One of the ideas discussed is the “personalization” of the courtyard pavers, of which there are approximately 750. If we can get 750 individuals to contribute $2,000 to have their name(s) inscribed in the pavers (as has been done at the Ball Park and other venues), we could raise $3 million. Work, then, on the interior can proceed. We have ordered final plans for this phase, known as phase 2. We are considering beginning with installation of the walls in the dome and at the upper level. For this, scaffolding would be required. Then, as long as the scaffolding is in place, we could complete the iconography in the dome, the pendentives, and the apse. We would then complete the lower walls and finalize the interior, including installation of radiant heating, completion of the flooring, the iconostasis, altar, seating, etc. This will enable us to begin worshiping in the new Cathedral and, finally, we would be able to designate a date for its consecration. All of this is doable in two years’ time, assuming funding is in place.
A view from Valencia Street through the archway, and into the courtyard. Finalization will include gates at the courtyard entry and at the walkway, leading from the garage lobby to the Cathedral offices:
This is, perhaps, the fourth installation of the fire hydrant found at the entrance to the new Cathedral. Hopefully, this one will pass final inspection
