Parish Administrator’s Notes

Phil Grant, Pastoral Administrator and Safe Environment Coordinator

March 15, 2026

Strategic Facilities Plan

What do you think our priorities should be for maintaining and/or improving our church building and Parish Center?

That was the central question at our March 3 Facilities Committee meeting. Members came up with many ideas, big and small.

Among the biggest: the church HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) system. We’ve done some work on the system over the past few years, including a heat exchanger ($18,000) just last year. That work has been helpful, but there’s more to be done. We plan to bring in experts to assess the system, make recommendations, and submit bids.

When it comes to HVAC, I’m wondering. Will 2026 be the year we shift from pneumatic controls to digital controls? That shift might help save us money, as well as contribute to people’s comfort.

Other church building ideas included floor repair work in the Social Hall, a sound system upgrade, and safety/security improvements.

As for our Parish Center building, there was interest in safety/security improvements, the heating system, and renovation of the public rooms in the basement.

(We haven’t forgotten our school building. In fact, our entire February meeting was devoted to planning for work in that building. Improvements there are part of the current lease negotiations with Quantum STEAM Academy, our charter school tenant.)

Taken together, these recent Facilities Committee meetings have really contributed to our parish’s Strategic Facilities Plan (SFP). It’s still under development—and it will always be, I’m sure. Having a current SFP definitely helps us make best use of our collective time, talent and treasure.

You can help. Feel free to send your ideas for improvements to me or anyone on the Facilities Committee.

Thank you for your support. Have a great week!

Phil Grant, Administrator
Safe Environment Coordinator
pgrant@st-matts.org
651-224-9793