Building and Grounds Committee Keeping God’s Physical Church Running Smoothly

Here at Our Lady of the Assumption, we are blessed with the Building and Grounds Committee that helps with different maintenance projects around the campus. Six parishioners make up the core group and they act as an advisory committee to Fr. Eduino. They keep track of upcoming maintenance repairs that will be needed, do research, take their information to Fr. Eduino and the Finance Committee, and eventually help to implement the repairs.

“You get to meet and work with a lot of really great people on this committee,” says John Blaschke, Committee Chair who has been involved with the group for several years. “It also gives you a better understanding of how the parish runs. When I first got involved, I had no idea how many steps were required to get a project done.”

Over the past couple years, the Building and Grounds Committee played a role in helping keep things open and active during the pandemic.

“We installed cameras to do video streaming. This project was not originally part of the budget, but it was a big need for our community. We updated air conditioning, such as switching to more advanced filters to help keep the school open.”

Another major project for the Building and Grounds Committee has been Affinito Hall. For the last year, this has been a big driving force for everything around the campus. As the first new building on campus in years, the hall has offered something of a learning process for the committee members. “It’s like getting to know your new car,” John says.

The committee is currently working on three projects. First, they are looking at plans for installing Stations of the Cross outside in front of the church — this is a big project that will not happen overnight and will need to be implemented slowly. The committee is also looking at installing solar panels — also in the early stages of research and planning. Finally, the group is continuously taking care of issues that pop up to help keep the parish running smoothly.

“It is like owning a house,” John says. “You have to keep up with the maintenance. Everybody is aware of what is going on and we look for problems before they arise. It is always cheaper to catch the problems early.”

The Building and Grounds Committee is open to anybody interested. You may not come from a construction background, but you may have other skills to share. All it takes is a willingness to jump in and help, even if you don’t have all the answers. And, we always welcome parishioners with experience in the trades. The committee is also currently looking for someone that can build a database with MS Access or other skillsets.

“We would like to be able to track what work is done on campus, church, or school,” John says. “For example, when did we last replace the AC compressor on unit 14, or when was the last time the church was painted? We would love help setting this up and getting this database started.”

If you have any questions or are interested in joining the Building and Grounds Committee, please call the parish office at 916-481-5115 and they will get a message to John Blaschke.

(From left) Deacon Michael Tateishi, Steve Mahnke, John Blaschke, Duane Johnson, Casey Oliver, Joan Cotton