Capital Projects Update
At the Annual Meeting of the Congregation on February 22, 2026, Building and Grounds Chair Michael Brinegar and Rev. Madeline presented an update on our capital projects and projected Capital Campaign.
In early fall, we surveyed the congregation to determine what projects B&G had identified were highest priority for the congregation - and to hear from you if there were projects you thought’d we’d missed. The top three projects (by a landslide) were: repairing the wall on Juanita and Manhattan, replacing the exterior hallway doors, and a bathroom renovation. Other priorities included: resurfacing the parking lot, landscaping (including our front and back patio spaces), making the building doors ADA accessible, and assessing the heating/cooling needs of the sanctuary.
The list of projects is long, and costs continue to rise for both labor and materials! B&G began looking into other sources of funding to help meet our financial needs for the projects. The first organization we identified is the National Fund for Sacred Places, which has worked with First Presbyterian Taos, First Presbyterian Santa Fe, and Immanuel Presbyterian Albuquerque on building projects and assessments. A grant from NFSP (if received) would not cover all the work we need to do, but it would partially cover many of the larger projects. They will provide 50% of the funding required and the congregation has to provide the other 50%. The types of projects NFSP grants fund are “building envelope and in”, meaning projects from the outer walls in. Projects that are on the grounds are not covered (i.e. landscaping and resurfacing the parking lot). We’ve also been in communication with the Presbytery, and we are able to apply for funds from the Presbytery. Additionally, some of the ADA work we hope to complete will allow us to apply for other grants available to non-profits.
The National Fund for Sacred Places grant is very competitive; in 2025, 10% of applicants were awarded the grant. In order to be sure we have the best application possible, B&G made the difficult decision to not apply in the 2026 grant cycle. We will be applying in early March of 2027, and will learn of the decision in October. Because of the length of time (we would likely not be able to begin work until spring of 2028!), B&G recommends a two-phase Capital Campaign. Phase One: parking lot, landscaping, and other projects that don’t fall within the bounds of the grant. Phase Two: the grant projects - the bathrooms, the doors, the wall (as well as a few possible additional projects like heating/cooling in the sanctuary and possible electrical work, which depend on what we hear from professionals!). WPC will be hiring a general contractor to oversee both projects, and we have already contracted with an architect for some initial scope work.
If you have capital campaign skills, or would be interested in serving on a capital campaign committee, please reach out to Madeline. Building and Grounds will continue working on the details of the projects themselves, but we also need a capital campaign committee to organize our campaign. If that’s you, we’d love to bring you on board!