The service agreement with Learning Care Group (Pathways Learning Academy) is for 5 years of operation. The current forecast of revenues that Grace Commons will receive from Learning Care Group will pay back the investment in the preschool modifications by year 4 and provide additional revenues to repay debt obligations for the main church renovation in the ensuing years of operation.

The preschool starts to turn a small profit and is ahead of what we anticipated. We are grateful for this partnership.

In January 2022, Learning Care Group received temporary licensing approval from the State of Colorado, allowing it to do a soft launch on January 17, 2022 with 30 students enrolled. The City of Boulder followed shortly with permanent licensing in February 2022. We are thrilled to be able to meet a very real need in the Boulder area with this state-of-the-art preschool.

Learning Care Group will take occupancy when Grace Commons receives a certificate of occupancy from the City of Boulder. This is based on completion of construction by PG Arnold and approved inspections by the City. A temporary CO was received in mid-June 2021, which allowed Learning Care Group to begin the licensure process with the State of Colorado. Learning Care Group will begin recruiting and hiring staff for the pre-school. This includes the hiring of a School Relations Coordinator who will be the primary liaison between the pre-school and Grace Commons.

Learning Care Group's permit was received in April 2021.  Work was completed in August 2021 and included modifications to the first floor that will allow the pre-school to be licensed by the State of Colorado, and to the second floor to meet the weekday needs of Grace Commons’ ministries.

Design of the modifications and renovation to the pre-school and second floor of the children’s wing was completed in December 2020 and application submitted for a building permit.  Bids were taken from 4 contractors and PG Arnold was selected to perform the work.

Prepare Children's Wing by emptying rooms.

Conclusion that a third party operating partner was preferred and that Learning Care Group was the best fit for our needs—e.g. professional run preschool with integrated Christian teaching.

Sub-committee, focus group and Session work to determine the best model for future success.               
 

Preschool board, Trustees, and Session agreed to temporarily close the preschool with the intention of re-opening under a model striving towards (1) operational improvement and (2) financial viability.

We hope to start construction in April 2023. The Annex project is expected to take about 12 months to complete, with the Annex open for use by July 2024.

Application for building permit will be submitted in December 2022. Application to CHFA for 9% affordable housing tax credits will be made in February 2023. Our congregation will be invited to approve the financing structure on the Annex. Pinkard Construction to finalize Guaranteed Maximum Price contract prior to financial closing. We hope to receive the building permit from the City of Boulder in March 2023.

Term sheet and operating agreement in development with Moss Denver to operate the Annex event space. A Precious Child has agreed to partner with us to provide workforce training to foster children aging out of the program. This training will done through the Annex coffee shop and retail store.

Application to the Boulder Community Foundation for a community assistance grant was submitted mid-September for the amount of $9000. We developed a prospectus for investors in order to solicit private investment in the Annex during the Fall of 2022.

Proposals were received from three general contractors at the beginning of August. Application was submitted for the second time for the Boulder County Worthy Cause grant. We requested $1 million for construction. Pinkard Construction was selected as the preferred general contractor and was given a notice of award at the end of August. Pinkard will work with the design team on the final construction documents to provide constructability and pricing review.

With entitlement in hand Grace Commons can proceed to final design and bidding of the Annex project. Construction drawings were developed and submitted to the City of Boulder for review prior to bidding and building permit applications made in alignment with the bidding process.

Proposals for funding of the Mercy Ministry portion of the Annex project began in summer 2021.  Grace Commons was unsuccessful with its grant application for Boulder County’s Worthy Cause funds in 2021 and will re-apply in August 2022.

Planning Board review and approval and subsequent City Council review was received in January 2022. The City Council review and approval will entitle Grace Commons Church to build the project that has been reviewed and approved.  Entitlement will allow Grace Commons Church to submit its application for Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) to the State of Colorado Housing Finance Authority (CHFA). 

Site review documents were submitted to the City in January 2021, and comments received in February.  A second site review package was submitted in April 2021 that addressed comments from the Design Advisory Board and City staff.  Comments were received from the City in early May 2021, and a third submittal made to the City in June 2021.

Worthy cause grants
Social impact investors
Other gifts outside of Grace Commons

The concept plan was submitted to the City and reviewed by the Planning board in October 2020.  Comments were received from the City in early November 2020. 

Discovering, listening, vision development (extensive sub-committee, focus group and other congregational interaction)
Architectural design and construction planning.
Vision plan release as part of capital campaign for main campus work.