Union Church Governing Board President Burke Cueny hopes with volunteer help that the first phase of the restoration of Union Church will be complete in a few months time.
“We’re trying to get things done in the shell (phase I), so we can get a certificate of occupancy,” he explained to the Orion Township Board of Trustees recently.
“At the point of phase II, we’ll come back to you and say ‘Should we clean the pews with this type of soap, or should we replace these windows’…All of those fine things of a detailed plan we’ll be more than happy to do after we get the public in.”
Cueny said the governing board still needed data for the completion of the heating system for the church, which is located in the Village of Lake Orion but owned by the township. Cueny said Orion Township Trustee Michael Fetzer had some expertise in the area and could possibly help consult.
“We hope once the building is opened and people can come inside and see, the public may provide funding,” Cueny said. “We may not need to spend money on an architect.”
Included in the architect’s proposal was $16,000 for plumbing that Cueny said the governing board wouldn’t use, as well as electrical specifications which they didn’t need.
“We’re postponing the air conditioning,” he said. “We’d rather spend the money we need to spend on heating.
“Once we get a (certificate of occupancy), (the church) has to be painted and dressed up a little,” said Cueny. “If we can get those estimates, we will show you some progress beyond belief.”
The governing board plans to have volunteers help finish the inside work, and the township has supplied volunteer waiver forms to be used.
“I think one real positive effort is the senior center manager is in full accord with using that space,” said township supervisor Jerry Dywasuk.
The township board planned to have the board appointees to Union Church, along with the rest of the governing board and Orion Township Building Official Tom Berger, who was not at the township meeting, meet and get back to the board with an itemized plan for phases I and II for getting a certificate of occupancy, along with a recommendation for the board regarding the architect’s proposal.