UUCB Land Development

On June 10 the congregation will vote on whether to explore the feasibility of conducting a capital campaign next year. The primary purpose of the campaign would be to raise the money for necessary repairs and maintenence of the buildings and grounds. UUCB's facilities have reached the age when they will require, on average, an additional $250,000 each year (over and above our current annual operating budget of about $1 million) for the foreseeable future. This means that even if we have a successful capital campaign to cover our immediate building investment needs, we will likely be in a similar situation within five to 10 years.

For the past several months, we have been looking at a number of ways to fund this investment. One of the ideas we are considering is developing a portion of our property, primarily the area below the fire road, in some way that would be in concert with our values. This is a long­term project that would likely not come to fruition for a number of years, and in any case, would require a vote from the congregation as well as work with neighbors and governmental organizations.

We initially considered selling the property but have been advised not to do this because an outright sale of the land would provide only a short­term benefit, with an estimated one­time payment of roughly $250,000, and we would lose control over how the land might be used.

Alternatively, DEVELOPING THE LAND could enable UUCB to expand its mission in the community as well as become a partner in developing something that reflects our values. It could also provide a revenue stream that could be used to help maintain our current buildings, as well as enable us to live our mission in the larger community.