Published: November 19, 2008 10:13 pm      

Church makes plans for new youth building

EDMOND — The Edmond Planning Commission approved a permit Tuesday night for a 2,160-square-foot classroom and office building at New Covenant United Methodist Church.

Edmond City Planner Bob Schiermeyer said the temporary building would be in the parking lot, 70 feet east of the worship center. This building is necessary to accommodate the church’s needs following a fire in February that damaged another building on the north side of the parking lot, said the Rev. Adrian Cole, director of administration.

Louise Glass, church administrator, said the fire had destroyed nearly 33,000 square feet of building space. The space had been shared with the Chinese Methodist Church and New Covenant’s youth program.

“We’ve moved almost all the activity that’s going on there to the south end of our campus,” Glass said. “That’s created a problem for us just in terms of space.”

She said the church’s youth program is suffering without the dedicated space. Plans are to refurbish the auditorium portion, which survived the fire, with classrooms behind it for a youth building, she said.

“It will be a year before that will happen, so we need something temporarily,” Glass said.

The church will approach the city with building documents within the next six months, said Bill Kemp of Studio Architecture.

Robert Childress of Hardy Drive said he does not object to the project. But he hopes the church will consider giving attention to drainage that will come from the property development.

This item moves to the City Council on Dec. 8.



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