Facilities and Grounds Projects on the Horizon for This Fiscal Year.

July 1 begins our new fiscal year. Notably, there have been a good number of maintenance and preventative maintenance projects at both parishes and both cemeteries. Thanks to your steady stewardship, this has made budgeting more purposeful for both anticipated and the occasional unanticipated care and maintenance projects.

On the horizon for St. Boniface Parish: Upgrades in lighting for the church and parish center, access ramp at the parish center for deliveries and young students who use the east exit during F3 programs, landscaping around the church (shrubs damaged from ice this winter), railings along the steps accessed from SR 545, reinsulating the HVAC exterior pipes at the church.

Just discovered this week at the southwest corner of the church, the same location where the structure was shifted on Good Friday a number of years ago: another shift has caused some ceiling plaster along one of the flying buttresses to fall. This is one of the joints where the ceiling comes together. For the safety of all, until further investigation this area has been blocked off from seating and foot traffic. Thanks for your cooperation.

Coming for St. Meinrad Parish: Restroom remodel in the Parish Office to accommodate visitors and guests without walking through someone’s office (this will allow the restroom to be used after office hours); landscaping around the church (shrubs damaged from ice this winter); HVAC unit added to southwest sacristy for F3 programs, bridal room, and allowing the room to be a multipurpose space; compressor unit above that space needs extensive repair or replacement (bids are being sought now). Do not worry – the parish has three other units.

Also, tree trimming is scheduled before the annual picnic along with more cleanup following the 2024 windstorm, including removing unused utility poles. Air conditioning to the maintenance building has been trenched to the church meter location.

We also plan to re-engage the Parish Activity Center (PAC) Committee to review the committee’s pre-pandemic work and to participate in a facilitated needs assessment to compare the pre-pandemic needs versus today’s needs.

Both Cemeteries: Location pins will be installed for the next five rows of graves (Cemetery sextons use metal detectors to find these and identify a grave’s location, particular helpful in areas where headstones have not been installed. In-ground section markers will be added along the walkways to make it easier to find graves (Section A, Row 1, for example). Signs will be added with QR codes to help parishioners, visitors and guests use the online cemetery directories.

Both parishes are looking to schedule cleanup days in anticipation of the annual picnics. Watch for these dates in an upcoming bulletin.

St. Boniface Leadership: Neil Collignon, facilities and grounds chair; Alan Waninger, cemetery sexton.
St. Meinrad Leadership: Jerry Sitzman, facilities and grounds chair; Brian Greulich, cemetery sexton.