Building & Grounds Committee Update

​The Mary, Mother of God Parish Building & Grounds Committee has been busy since our last report. This newsletter brings you up to date with projects completed by our Facilities and Maintenance staff since then.

One of the more visible projects are the lantern lights in front of Saint Ita church. The solid bronze fixtures were completely restored and are now lit for the first time in decades. Many thanks to Mike Mahoney at Mahoney Metals in Niles, IL who donated his time and material to recast one of the missing doors and repair many of the other bronze components. Also, to one of our parishioners, Sheila Stranc, who lent her stained-glass artesian skills to hand fit and replace all the glass. The lanterns were installed with solar controlled LED lights. A new sound system was also installed in the church.
 
At St. Thomas of Canterbury, the church wireless mic system was replaced. The panic bar exit door hardware was upgraded on all church doors. With the Parish assuming operation of the Food Pantry and the continued operation of the Soup Kitchen, new equipment was installed, and the space was thoroughly cleaned.
 
Numerous projects were completed at the St. Gregory the Great campus. At the Msgr. Klassen Memorial Gymnasium, several steam heating pipes were replaced. The gym level bathrooms were cleaned and painted, new lighting was installed, and repairs completed on bathroom fixtures and privacy stalls. Annual maintenance of the gym floor was completed over the Christmas holidays. The Social Hall kitchen was deep cleaned and painted. Old cabinets were removed and replaced with chrome wire shelving. New flooring and ceiling tiles were also installed. Refinishing of the exterior church doors was started in the Fall and will be completed once Spring arrives.
 
The Committee is working on the 2024/2025 Capital Project Plan and Budget for the Parish which will be presented to the Finance Council in April. The Parish maintenance staff routinely completes a variety of projects in-house, too many to elaborate here, enabling the Parish to redirect its financial resources elsewhere. Many, many thanks to Ed Prause, Facilities and Maintenance Director, and his staff for their excellent work.
 

Best regards,

Ed Stranc Jr.
Chairperson - MMoG Building & Grounds Committee