Attendance (Meeting held in person)
- Father Collins
- PFC members: Jim Bready, John Goergen, Joe Anne Lawson, Daniel Tejada (arrived late) and Michele Yaroma (attended virtually)
- Other regular attendees: Maureen Raible, Becky Frye and Andrew Cooper
- Special attendee: Tom Edwards, Long Term Planning Committee (LTPC) member
- Absent: Terry Maxhimer
Prior PFC meeting minutes
- The minutes from the July 2021 PFC meeting were approved.
Maintenance/Capital matters
- The HVAC control unit has been installed. There was a problem with reading the temperature but that issue has been resolved.
- Six months ago, the front of the school soffit repair was estimated at $40,000. A second company recently provided an estimate of $51,000, which is good for 15 days. Of this amount, $11,000 is supplies and the remainder is labor. The company could complete the project in a few weeks. Father Collins may go back to the company which provided the $40,000 estimate and ask for an updated estimate. There is approximately $32,000 in a parish account to cover the repairs. Any contracts related to this matter will be reviewed by the diocese.
- It was noted that some appliances/infrastructure on the campus are aging. Pat Marek, the maintenance supervisor, has prepared an overall analysis of the situation. The analysis advised there are 29 air conditioner units at the school and that there should be a plan in place to replace a specific number each year, while maintaining some of the old units in storage for emergency use or for parts.
Stewardship matters
- The Stewardship Weekend was held after Masses on September 25 and 26, 2021. A total of 188 surveys were completed with a commitment of $550,000 in donations. This is a huge increase in number of responses received compared to the 55 received in the prior year.
- Ministry heads will be notified of those who showed an interest in volunteer opportunities.
- The youth participated in the stewardship program this year; 89 youth registered which resulted in time commitments to prayer.
- Father Collins will the publish the results of the Stewardship Weekend in an upcoming bulletin.
St. Mary’s School
- Raffle tickets ($10 each) will be sold until December 29, 2021. To date, 334 tickets have been sold. St. Mary’s School receives $6.50 from each ticket and there are additional incentives from the diocese based on the number of tickets sold.
- The time period for the Walk-A-Thon was extended due to inclement weather. To date, $22,000 of the $25,000 goal has been pledged. Business sponsorship of the event has been negatively impacted by COVID.
- The first Tuesday in December is designated as Giving Tuesday. The “I Give Catholic” project for the parish is the revamp of the garden in the front of the school. Currently, this area has poor soil and the rose bushes are diseased. A professional landscaper has done a mockup of the area and estimated it will cost $3,000 to implement the changes and improve the area.
Quarterly financial statements
- Raible provided the quarterly financial statements to members of the PFC prior to the meeting. She advised there was good cash flow for the first quarter in part due to the PPP funds which were received at the very end of FY 2021. Typically, the first quarter of the year does not have good cash flow. In general, ministries held down there spending. There was further discussion related to some specific accounts:
- It was noted that the HVAC costs were included in the MM account.
- It was noted that the insurance costs seemed excessive this year.
- It was noted that the medical costs for priests seemed excessive. It was explained that this amount is an assessment from the diocese and St. Mary’s does not have control over the assessed amount.
- It was noted that the auto account includes yearly insurance premiums.
- It was noted that the school food costs were high and that the related income account did not cover the costs. This may be due to increase cost of food. The cost per school lunch is $3.60. Frye will meet with the cafeteria director to discuss their budget.
- It was noted that the school equipment account 6338 includes the rental of lifts in the summer months which are used to do “high” work.
- It was noted that the water cost in account 6378 is high. This may be due to the increased cleaning that has occurred.
- It was noted that the electric costs were high. It was explained that the now resolved HVAC issue may have contributed to the higher and there is a premium charged by the electric company on Sunday mornings.
- The EANS amount is $70,000.
- The PPP amount of $248,000 was released from the diocese at the end of FY 2021 and is included in account 1103. A discussion ensued regarding how to utilize the finds. It was discussed the PPP should not be earmarked for anything specific to provide flexibility in spending. It was also noted that there are numerous aging assets to address.
Update on the LTPC
- Edwards advised the LTPC identified 25 items of interest as part vision for the future needs of the parish. There are two companies which will possibly submit bids. Father Collins will reach out to one and the other is scheduled to do a walk-through of the facility and put together a package. It is important to provide the bidding companies as much information as possible up front so that an accurate plan can be developed, with few changes so that costs are minimized.
- Tim Shaw, who previously worked with the parish on a master plan, is not taking on new work.
- After packages are received from the bidding companies, the parish will be notified and a decision will be required as to how to move forward. One of the companies quoted a price of $150 per hour; a master plan may cost $30,000 to $35,000.
- The lower level may be very expensive to renovate because of building codes, sprinkler, etc.
Other
- There will be an Open Forum via Zoom on November 8, 2021.
- Father Collins thanked Ms. Lawson for maintaining the database and keeping the records up to date.
Next Meeting
- If bids are received in the next few weeks, a PFC meeting will be held to discuss the specific matter prior to the scheduled meeting in January 2022.
- The next PFC meeting will be held on Thursday, January 27, 2022, at 6:15 p.m.
