Church President Kim Wade penned the following message
about a project to replace the siding on the church building:

Dear UU folks,

Spring can be a time of renewal. And, at UUCC this year, it’s also a time to: Fight the Rot!

I am writing to update you on a substantial facilities project our church will be undertaking over the summer. Last fall it was discovered that our exterior siding, original to the more than 30-year old parts of our building, is suffering from dry rot decay and needs to be replaced.

Our Facilities Team is on it! They met with and solicited bids from contractors and have selected one bid from TAPS Exteriors in the amount of $115,000 to present to the Board of Trustees for approval at our upcoming meeting on April 16.

There’s a lot of good news here:

• The proposed new siding is an innovative product that is made of recycled carpet fibers, is rot-resistant, mimics the look of wood, and can last up to 50 years.
• The new siding is available in a color and style similar to our current siding, enabling us to maintain the appearance and charm of our beloved building.
• We are fortunate to have a balance of $103,000 in our Building & Grounds Maintenance Accrual Reserved Fund. We can allocate a substantial portion of these monies toward the siding project without entirely depleting the fund.
• We are also fortunate to have a FY2025-26 budget surplus that can serve as another source of funding for new siding.

Here is an estimate of project costs and possible funding sources:

$115,000 (up to $125,000) ~ Siding Project Estimate
– $73,000 (from the Building & Maintenance Accrual Reserved Fund)
– $15,000 (from an anticipated FY25-26 Budget Surplus)
= $27,000 (up to $37,000) remaining balance

One option for covering the balance is to fundraise among ourselves. This is our preferred option! If those who can pitch in an amount that feels reasonable to them, we believe we can raise the $37,000 needed to ensure we can complete this project and still have some facilities reserves available for any medium-scale maintenance needs.

If it became necessary, however, we could borrow, either from a financial institution or from our own Endowment Fund. When UUCC Treasurer Jeff White raised the idea of borrowing from our endowment, members of our Investments and Endowment Committee expressed robust support, suggesting that we pay ourselves back over a 5-10 year period at a reasonable interest rate, such as 4%.

The decision on whether to borrow from our endowment rests with each of us, as members of this congregation. Our bylaws state, “No part of the principal of the Endowment Fund, including appreciated value of investments, may be expended without the approval of the membership at an annual or special congregational meeting.”

There’s a lot to digest. So here are different ways for you to engage in next steps if you like:

Are you curious about the siding project and the product?

We’ll have a sample of the siding at a table in the Greeting Area before and after worship on Sunday, April 19 and April 26. Stop by to inspect it and to chat with members of the Facilities Team and the Board of Trustees about the project.

Would you like to provide financial support for the project?

No amount is too small! In fact, each and every donation reduces the dollar amount that we might need to borrow, whether through a bank loan or from our Endowment Fund. Donations toward the siding project can be made by:

• • Visiting https://uucomo.org/home/stewardship/give/ and selecting “Building and Grounds Maintenance Accrual” in the drop down menu; or
  • Scanning the QR code in the image below and selecting “Building and Grounds Maintenance Accrual” in the drop down menu; or
  • Making a donation by cash or check payable to UU Church of Columbia. We can also accept gifts of stock and some other assets. Contact the church office to learn more.

On May 3 we will vote on whether to authorize the Board of Trustees to take out a loan from our Endowment Fund, if necessary…

The Board of Trustees will ask members for approval to borrow up to $60,000 from the Endowment Fund for the exterior siding project at our upcoming Annual Congregational Meeting at noon May 3. We do not anticipate needing that entire amount. And our fingers are crossed: if fundraising is fruitful, we may not need to borrow at all!

No one wants to hear “dry rot decay.” But THIS rot is the kind that we can remove right away… in just one summer in fact. Let’s Fight the Rot!

With gratitude,                                    
Kim Wade, 2025-26 UUCC President