Capital Improvements Book

Securing Our Future Capital Campaign

St. Thomas Episcopal Parish

5692 North Kendall Dr., Coral Gables, FL 33156

www.stepsmia.org

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Why At a Glance Master Plan

Why Why are we launching the Securing Our Future capital campaign?

Securing Our Future is a multi-level $10 million campaign with goals that address the present and the future of St. Thomas: first, securing and enhancing the St. Thomas campus now; and second, securing the future of St. Thomas by eliminating the debt from previous projects and by building the endowment. Securing Our Future is the final step in the 25-year plan to build the best buildings for the campus, to provide landscaping and security that match the quality and beauty of the buildings, and to respond to the financial needs of the future.

become the new playfield was begun in 2006. The long, arduous process of appealing before the City Commission led us to a covenant with our neighbors and with the City of Coral Gables. The following items, related to the Securing Our Future capital campaign, are regulated by the agreement: Walls: A 6-foot high masonry wall on the east side and a 6-foot high wall on the south side of the property must be completed before we can use the field.

Landscaping: The walls must be landscaped, with plant selection reviewed by the neighbors.

Structures: No permanent structure can be on the new playing field, including bleachers.

A Glance to the Past: A Covenant with the Community In the summer of 2009, several years after the acquisition of the “Larson property,” St. Thomas Episcopal Parish entered into a covenant with the City of Coral Gables and the neighbors on Banyan Drive immediately to the south of our campus.

This agreement, which spells out how and when our property may be used, was reached after many hours of negotiation with the city, the neighbors, and their lawyers.

The process of re-zoning the Larson property from single residence dwelling to religious/institutional use so that it could

Buffer: A 10-foot buffer of plants and grass along the east side wall and landscaping along the south wall as indicated in the plan must be provided.

Parking: Parking will never be allowed on the new playfield. The old playing field is grandfathered in as an “overflow” parking lot. We can never park along Banyan Drive. Parking on the swale is prohibited without a special permit.

Hours of Use: The new playfield hours are Monday – Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

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Our Vision Today…

A Win/Win for Everyone!

The walls required in the covenant became the springboard for a vision. Why have walls and beautiful landscaping around only the new playing field? Why not enclose the entire campus – both for safety and for beauty – with landscaped fencing that continues from the walls? Why not add interior walks and paths and shade and gardens that can be educational as well as lovely?

And so the vision grew. Now in 2010, the Securing Our Future campaign is designed to tie up important pieces of the present and future needs of St. Thomas. Our new buildings are beautiful, functional, and wonderfully reflective of the spiritual and academic values of St. Thomas Parish. Our vision today is for all of the grounds to match the quality of the structures, and for the campus to be fully secured by a wall and fence enclosure, attractively banked with tropical trees and shrubs.

Finally, growing the St. Thomas Endowment will secure the financial stability and assure the sustainability of St. Thomas in the years to come.

The pledges made to the campaign will secure the future of St. Thomas on so many levels, as well as providing immediately for the beautification and security of the property and for an enhanced educational and spiritual experience for all children and adults who are part of the St. Thomas family.

As we secure, develop, and landscape the campus, we also need to look at the future security of St. Thomas in financial terms. Continuing to reduce the debt from previous building projects will eliminate the debt, providing funds needed for salaries and programs. That is another significant part of the vision. New and enhanced programs requiring materials, instructors, and curriculum will be possible for both school and church when the debt is retired.

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At a Glance The Capital Campaign Moves Outside!

Fences and walls for campus security - Think of a more secure, protected campus enclosed by attractively landscaped fences and walls, entered through a guard gate. Think of pleasant walking and access paths for children and their parents, away from the traffic flow.

New playing field providing more physical activity - Think about children at St. Thomas whose exercise habits today can help secure their future health. Imagine the benefits of a new playing field reached by a brisk walk from the main buildings, offering more sports and play activities – plus the addition of a shade structure off the Old Rectory with water fountains and restroom access.

Creation and enhancement of environmental learning areas - In our growing awareness of the need to take care of our natural resources, think about our campus including wetlands, a native hammock, a nature walk with benches and trees, planting beds, and a butterfly garden.

Additional parking spaces - Think of securing peace of mind when you know that you can drive into St. Thomas and find parking space.

Beautification of the inner courtyard area - In the tradition of Anglican churches and schools, our courtyard is a cloister of spirituality and learning. Imagine that area with the landscaping that would reflect those values.

Shaded and resurfaced lunch and picnic area magine an upgraded, covered area for school lunches during the week and a picnic area for church, scouts, and sports teams on weekends.

Refurbishing the sacristy -

The heart of the worship

preparation needs maintenance.

Retiring the debt -

Once our debt from the recent building projects is fully retired, think of what those dollars would mean in programming, salaries, and educational enhancement of all types.

The St. Thomas Endowment - The final piece of this campaign is to increase the endowment. Think of securing the future by the institutional sustainability that a healthy endowment provides. Think of the ways we could use dividends from the endowment for the needs and visions of St. Thomas.

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Fiscal Responsibility in the Capital Campaign Continuing with the plan of fiscal responsibility instituted in the last campaign, we will divide the campaign income between the security and enhancement of the campus and the debt reduction. In addition, we will add a component for the Endowment to assure the future stability of our institution.

Who will draw the benefits of this project?

Everyone!

St. Thomas Parish School Students will daily enjoy the new playing field (which will never be used for parking), the outdoor nature paths and environmental learning areas, and shaded lunch and playground areas.

Sunday School Children and Youth Group Members will use and enjoy those same areas on weekends.

All Drivers

and now, a look at our Master Plan . . .

will appreciate increased and realigned park-

ing spaces.

All Members of the Church and School

will benefit from the increased campus security of the wall/fence enclosure, the landscaped beautification of the property, and the additional programs and projects that the elimination of the debt will provide.

St. Thomas Episcopal Parish is about to take its FINAL STEP in the completion of this dream and vision for the property of St. Thomas. Every person in the church and school community of St. Thomas is invited to become part of the final step of Securing Our Future.

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St. Thomas Episcopal Parish

Securing Our Future Capital Campaign

St. Thomas Episcopal Parish School - 5692 North Kendall Drive, Coral Gables, Florida 33156 - 305.665.4851 - www.stepsmia.org St. Thomas Episcopal Church - 5690 North Kendall Drive, Coral Gables, Florida 33156 - 305.661.3436 - www.stthomasep.org

Prepared by CURTIS + ROGERS DESIGN STUDIO, INC.

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Kendall Drive

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Red Road

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10 11 Banyan Drive

KEY 1. New Perimeter Fence 2. New Entry Gates & Guard House 3. New Perimeter Walls 4. New Sports Field 5. Parking Lot Improvements & Walkway 6. New Field Amenities 7. Nature Walk 8. Enhanced Butterfly Garden

9. Student Learning Gardens 10. Playground Shade Structures 11. Lunch Area Improvements 12. Wetland Study Area 13. New Fencing Along Red Road & Kendall Drive 14. Corner Entry Landscape Enhancements 15. Stone Sign Restoration 16. Inner Courtyard Enhancements

Master Plan - Key ST. THOMAS EPISCOPAL PARISH - SECURING OUR FUTURE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN C U RT I S + R O G E R S D E S I G N S T U D I O , I N C .

New aluminium fence and stone faced columns along the perimeter of Kendall Drive. New landscaping along the fenceline.

1 New Perimeter Fence ST. THOMAS EPISCOPAL PARISH - SECURING OUR FUTURE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN C U RT I S + R O G E R S D E S I G N S T U D I O , I N C .

New custom gates and signage for the primary entrance to the parking area, and a new stone veneer guard house.

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New Entry Gates And Guard House ST. THOMAS EPISCOPAL PARISH - SECURING OUR FUTURE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN C U RT I S + R O G E R S D E S I G N S T U D I O , I N C .

South

East

The new perimeter wall on the east will be a solid masonry wall with columns and caps and a stucco finish. The perimeter wall at the south will be a concrete panel wall and columns with a decorative stone texture finish and caps that match the east wall. There will be shrubs and trees along the entire face of the east and south sides of the new field, and vines and trees along the rest of the south side.

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N e w P e r i m e t e r Wa l l s ST. THOMAS EPISCOPAL PARISH - SECURING OUR FUTURE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN C U RT I S + R O G E R S D E S I G N S T U D I O , I N C .

The construction of a new grass playfield to the east of the Old Rectory.

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New Sports Field ST. THOMAS EPISCOPAL PARISH - SECURING OUR FUTURE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN C U RT I S + R O G E R S D E S I G N S T U D I O , I N C .

The parking will have an additional five regular spaces and one more Handicap space, and will be brought up to code, so that all spaces are the correct size. The old playing field will allow for an additional 72 overflow spaces.

The construction of a new walkway to allow for a safe pedestrian connection between the re-configured parking area to the school, church and playfields. The addition of more canopy trees in the parking area to provide more shade for the walkway and for cars.

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Parking Lot Improvements ST. THOMAS EPISCOPAL PARISH - SECURING OUR FUTURE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN C U RT I S + R O G E R S D E S I G N S T U D I O , I N C .

Additional amenities to the Old Rectory building to provide shade, a drinking fountain, and restrooms for the users of the new playing field.

• The existing porch will be extended out with a new shade structure.

• Walkways will be added to connect the shade area to the existing walkways.

• The existing restroom in the Old Rectory will be expanded and divided to create two restrooms.

• A new drinking fountain will be added under the shade structure.

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New Field Amenities ST. THOMAS EPISCOPAL PARISH - SECURING OUR FUTURE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN C U RT I S + R O G E R S D E S I G N S T U D I O , I N C .

The creation of an alternative walkway from the School/Church to the new play field. This paved walkway would meander along the south property line. The plantings along this path would all be native plants to educate the students about Florida plants. Sections of the walk can be planted incrementally, creating many naming opportunities, through the donations of plants, trees, and benches.

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N a t u r e Wa l k ST. THOMAS EPISCOPAL PARISH - SECURING OUR FUTURE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN C U RT I S + R O G E R S D E S I G N S T U D I O , I N C .

Supplementation of the Butterfly attracting plants that currently make up the Butterfly Garden.

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Enhanced Butterfly Garden ST. THOMAS EPISCOPAL PARISH - SECURING OUR FUTURE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN C U RT I S + R O G E R S D E S I G N S T U D I O , I N C .

The creation of planting beds for students to grow vegetables, herbs and flowers to enhance their Science Curriculum.

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Student Learning Gardens ST. THOMAS EPISCOPAL PARISH - SECURING OUR FUTURE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN C U RT I S + R O G E R S D E S I G N S T U D I O , I N C .

The addition of Shade Sails over the playground.

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Playground Shade Structures ST. THOMAS EPISCOPAL PARISH - SECURING OUR FUTURE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN C U RT I S + R O G E R S D E S I G N S T U D I O , I N C .

The addition of Shade Sails over the lunch area and the installation of pavers to replace the existing mulch.

11 L u n c h A r e a I m p r o v e m e n t s ST. THOMAS EPISCOPAL PARISH - SECURING OUR FUTURE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN C U RT I S + R O G E R S D E S I G N S T U D I O , I N C .

Taxodium distichum (Bald Cypress)

Tripsacum floridana (Dwarf Fakahatchee)

Hymenocallis littoralis (Spider Lily)

Peperomia obtusifolia (Florida Peperomia)

Supplemented plantings in the area to the west of the school where there are wetland plants and trees, to complement the Science curriculum.

1 2 We t l a n d S t u d y A r e a ST. THOMAS EPISCOPAL PARISH - SECURING OUR FUTURE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN C U RT I S + R O G E R S D E S I G N S T U D I O , I N C .

North

South

New aluminium fence and stone faced columns along the Kendall Drive Entry for the Church and along the perimeter of Red Road connecting to the new wall at Banyan Drive.

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New Fencing Along Red Road And Kendall Drive ST. THOMAS EPISCOPAL PARISH - SECURING OUR FUTURE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN C U RT I S + R O G E R S D E S I G N S T U D I O , I N C .

New landscaping at the church entry circle and corner of the property.

14 C o r n e r E n t r y L a n d s c a p e E n h a n c e m e n t s ST. THOMAS EPISCOPAL PARISH - SECURING OUR FUTURE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN C U RT I S + R O G E R S D E S I G N S T U D I O , I N C .

Improvements to the existing Entry sign to make it more visible from the street. This may include the addition of a base, the sanding of the stone, painting of the letters, planting, and lighting.

15 S t o n e S i g n R e s t o r a t i o n ST. THOMAS EPISCOPAL PARISH - SECURING OUR FUTURE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN C U RT I S + R O G E R S D E S I G N S T U D I O , I N C .

Improvements to the planting and drainage of the interior courtyard. These enhancements may include replacing the concrete paving with stone pavers (donor bricks), enhancing the plantings, and fixing the drainage problems.

These improvements would create an enhanced environment for outdoor learning and community gathering.

16 I n n e r C o u r t y a r d E n h a n c e m e n t s ST. THOMAS EPISCOPAL PARISH - SECURING OUR FUTURE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN C U RT I S + R O G E R S D E S I G N S T U D I O , I N C .