Special Property Announcement

Dear Zion members and friends:

The following information was shared with the congregation during the Saturday and Sunday worship services this past weekend:

During our design work on the plans for the Building on Blessings project, it became very clear that the cracks located on the church (sanctuary) walls have increased in number and size over the last few months. Because of this observation, we hired the firm Dennis Kowal Architects, to take a close look at the structure of the church building. They were on site this past week and discovered several things in the trusses of the church to warrant further investigation. It was their recommendation that we do not occupy the building until a detailed investigation can be performed.

The Congregation Council agreed, and we will not hold any functions in the church (sanctuary) building until:

the full report of their investigation states that it is safe to continue use of the church building; or
needed repairs are made to make the building safe for our members and guests.

We have signed a contract with Dennis Kowal Architects to make a site visit and record the conditions of as many truss connections that are reasonably observable. They will provide a written report, which shall include photographs, a diagram indicating where conditions observed were located, the types of failed conditions observed, the extent of the failed conditions, conceptual approach(es) to repair the problem(s), and recommendations for further probes, if any.

Lastly, the firm will come on site for a meeting with the congregation to present their findings. The date for that meeting will be announced as soon as the report has been completed and an open date has been confirmed by the Congregation Council.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me. I can be reached by phone at 732-754-1877

Yours in Christ,
Patrick Sawler, Property Chairperson